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Home List of Titles Racial bias in mock juror decision-making: a meta-analytic review of defendant treatment
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/151520
- Title
- Racial bias in mock juror decision-making: a meta-analytic review of defendant treatment
- Author(s)
- Mitchell, Tara L.; Haw, Ryann M.; Pfeifer, Jeffrey E.; Meissner, Christian A.
- Abstract
- Common wisdom seems to suggest that racial bias, defined as disparate treatment of minority defendants, exists in jury decision-making, with Black defendants being treated more harshly by jurors than White defendants. The empirical research, however, is inconsistent-some studies show racial bias while others do not. Two previous meta-analyses have found conflicting results regarding the existence of racial bias in juror decision-making (Mazzella & Feingold, 1994, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 24, 1315-1344; Sweeney & Haney, 1992, Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 10, 179-195). This research takes a meta-analytic approach to further investigate the inconsistencies within the empirical literature on racial bias in juror decision-making by defining racial bias as disparate treatment of racial out-groups (rather than focusing upon the minority group alone). Our results suggest that a small, yet significant, effect of racial bias in decision-making is present across studies, but that the effect becomes more pronounced when certain moderators are considered. The state of the research will be discussed in light of these findings.
- Publication type
- Journal article
- Source
- Law and Human Behavior, Vol. 29, no. 6 (Dec 2005), pp. 621-637
- Publication year
- 2005
- FOR Code(s)
- 1701 Psychology; 1702 Cognitive Sciences; 1801 Law
- Keyword(s)
- Bias; Courts; Clinical trials; Criminal justice; Decision making; Discrimination; Juries; Juror decision-making; Minority groups; Modern racism; Personal bias; Prejudice; Public perceptions; Racial bias; Racism; Social perception; Social psychology; Verdict
- Publisher
- Springer
- 0147-7307
- Publisher URL
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2005 American Psychology-Law Society/Division 41 of the American Psychological Association. The copyright policy of the publisher allows the accepted manuscript to be reproduced here.
- Peer reviewed


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While the general term "stroke" is used to describe a disruption of blood flow to a person's brain, there are many different types of strokes.
Ischemic Stroke
According to the Mayo Clinic, about 85 percent of strokes are ischemic strokes. This type of stroke happens when the arteries leading into your brain are narrowed or blocked. This can cause a severely reduced blood flow, the Mayo Clinic states.
The two most common types of ischemic strokes are thrombotic strokes and embolic strokes.
Thrombotic strokes happen when a blood clot forms in the arteries that lead into your brain.
An embolic stroke happens when a blood clot or other debris forms away from your brain and eventually lands in the arteries that lead to your brain, narrowing the arteries, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Hemorrhagic Stroke
A hemorrhagic stroke happens when a blood vessel in the brain leaks or ruptures, according to the Mayo Clinic.
One type of a hemorrhagic stroke is an intracerebral hemorrhage. According to the Mayo Clinic this type of stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and spills into the brain tissue. The hospital says this can damage brain cells.
Another type of hemorrhagic stroke is a subarachnoid hemorrhage. According to the Mayo Clinic, this occurs when an artery near the brain "bursts and spills into the space between the surface of your brain and your skull." Often, a sudden and severe headache can signal this type of stroke.
Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
This is often called a mini stroke, according to the Mayo Clinic. These usually last less than 5 minutes and include brief episodes of symptoms similar to those you'd experience if you were having a stroke.
The Mayo Clinic states that a TIA happens when a clot or debris blocks the blood flow to part of your brain. This blockage is only temporary so the symptoms of a TIA often don't last.
Those who suffer from a TIA should still seek immediate medical treatment as the blockage could cause a full stroke if not treated.

subset: commoncrawl


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Charlie Bartsch was named senior program advisor for economic development for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He's responsible for promoting inter-agency and public-private partnerships to spur site cleanup and land revitalization. He'll also work on the EPA's green infrastructure and area-wide planning initiatives and provide support to the White House "cities in transition" effort. He may be reached at email@example.com.
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America's Pastime at Burning Man
I'm back from the playa. This was my 2nd trip to Burning Man and this time I stayed 11 days which was about 5 days too long. The dust storms and heat took their toll on me, not to mention all the work involved in setting up two art projects. But the art and creativity was truly inspiring.
At Burning Man, there's no TV, cell phones, or internet. One of the hardest things about being off the grid for me is not being able to keep up with the Cardinals, but it looks like I didn't miss much other than a sad decline. At least I found one baseball-related art installation on the playa – the impressive "Bat Country". It was a jungle gym constructed of aluminum softball bats and softballs.
Visit the artist's website to learn more about it.
Click here to see all my pics from Burning Man, including the art projects I worked on.
2 Comments
Can we do it??? October seems so attainable and at the same time……so…..not. We really gotta sweep the Pirates or at the very least, take 2 from there. Or else I will officially declare the season OVER.
– Tiffany
Hey you! Congrats for making the MLBlogs Top 100 list!
Be sure to follow the instructions to get the special graphic you can put in your blog's header! Thanks,


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Freedom Newspapers
Henry Louis Mencken once wrote that "The kind of man who wants the government to adopt and enforce his ideas is always the kind of man whose ideas are idiotic." That seems a bit harsh, but not by much. Oftentimes, some action might be a good idea, but it doesn't necessarily follow that government should force it upon us.
Take wearing seat belts, for example. There's little argument that use of the restraining devices can prevent serious injuries and deaths in vehicle crashes. The motoring public has known this for a few generations. In recent years, however, government at the national and state levels decided it was their role to force people to do what's good for them in this area. Their efforts were bolstered recently with the publication of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study.
The study examined accident data from 2000 to 2004 and concluded that drivers have a lower chance of being killed in a crash in states that have primary enforcement of seat belt laws; that is, police can pull over drivers for not wearing seat belts. In states having primary seat belt enforcement laws, the rate of fatalities in crashes was 1.03 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, while the rate in secondary enforcement states (police can issue seat belt citations only if they stop drivers for another offense), was 17 percent higher — 1.21 fatalities per 100 million VMT.
Nanny-statists are using the data to push for more government intrusion into the lives of Americans. Phil Haseltine, executive director of the National Safety Council's Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign, said in response to the study, "It's time for our elected leaders to treat seat belt laws like any other traffic laws, enact laws and eliminate crippling secondary enforcement provisions."
Haseltine obviously takes his job of saving lives very seriously, and rightfully so. What he's missing, though, is that the power of government shouldn't be used to save people from themselves. Seat belts save lives. So do lower speed limits on highways. If the federal government were to blackmail the states into lowering the speed limit to, say, 45 mph on the highways, it would likely save many lives. No one would propose that, though, because of the enormous cost such a move would impose on the economy. But many lawmakers don't think twice about imposing additional costs on our freedom by requiring everyone in a vehicle to wear a seat belt.
We're aware of the costs — in insurance payouts, medical costs and lost productivity — of people injured because they weren't wearing seat belts. The proper remedy for that is to make people more responsible for their foolish actions, not more government regulations. Folks would likely give safety a second thought if they thought their actions would financially ruin their families.
Haseltine is wrong; seat belt laws are not like other traffic laws. Laws that require us to stop at red lights, drive at or below the speed limit, be sober when we get behind the wheel, or any number of other traffic laws are meant to protect us from the careless actions of others. Seat belt laws are meant to protect us from our own careless actions.
Rather than have government dictate our actions, we'd prefer to see market forces nudge us to do the smart thing. Nonsmokers often get discounts on their life and auto insurance, and many insurance companies offer discounts for other safe driving habits, why not for seat belt use? A little financial incentive can go a long way toward making driving a safer activity. We'd prefer it came from the industry in the form of discounts rather than from the state in the form of citations.


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ECS | CeRTS | IWAS | Teachers
| Students | Administrators
| Student Assessment
| IL Learning Standards
| Programs | Forms
| Glossary Skip
over navigation
15, 2002
the Gap" technology grants have been awarded by the
State Board of Education to 225 school districts throughout
the state to support, enhance and expand the districts'
community-based technology plans.
The Closing the Gap (CTG) Initiative is entering its second
year of funding for districts in the state of Illinois.
must have an approved technology plan in place and provide
matching funds. The specific amount of the grant is based
on a formula that takes into account the wealth of a district
and the number of students with the district receiving a base
amount. CTG is funded under the Technology for Success Program,
administered by the State Board.
is a list of districts that will receive grants for the 2002-2003
school year.
School District Listing
Illinois State Board of Education
100 North First Street
Springfield, IL 62777


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The Karnes City Home and Garden Club members met on Thursday, Feb. 21. The meeting was called to order by President Gladys Janysek and everyone present recited, together, the Lord's Prayer followed by the pledge to the United States of America.
The guest speaker, Dr. Larry Franke, was presented to all present. Dr. Franke has a degree in agriculture and he is a dentist in town.
Dr. Franke is an avid gardener and he gave our members essential advice pertaining to plant directions. He advised our group that the chinquapin oak tree is good for our area; don't ever cut the top of any tree off as this causes them to dry out; the pink Jasmine is a fast, hardy growing plant; dwarf pomegranate are evergreen year round; the flora bunda Burford Hollies are hardy; bridal wreaths growing on a wall do well; a good rose is the Don Juan. 0ther good plants are dwarf hollies, orange tree, Valentine roses, Mexican firebush, Indian Hawthornes, Loquots and coral vines.
When deciding to plant new plants don't plant them under a drip line; determine which direction the plant will face; the plant will need good drainage; determine whether the space you have will not cause the plant to overgrow the area - this is very important.
Our members are continuing to support the Boy Scouts in our city. We truly appreciate our scout leaders/mentors, Kevin Kilcrease and Trip Ruckman for their many hours of dedication in the scouting program helping our youth to achieve responsible citizenship, character development, and self-reliance through participation in a wide range of activities.
Our member, Jeff Quintero, is serving on a committee working diligently to keep our two Memorial Gardens in good shape. He also recently attended a special seminar in San Antonio about the care of fruit trees. He brought a wealth of information including: fruit trees need at least 10-12 hours of sun daily, natural spring water once a week with soil that drains well, root rot is the number one disease to watch out for; keep weed free; prune at bud break; and spray dormant oil at bud break.
The hostesses for the meeting were Charlene Looney and Betty Butler assisted by Evelyn Hoffman. The red, white and blue theme was carried out throughout the room complete with the United States flag. Salads and relish dishes with the humming bird cake and a cherry jello salad topped with thick whipped cream was served.
Our members are looking forward to a field day outing in April in the City of Victoria, touring a garden area and spending time at the Dalhart Windberg Arts Etc and antique shops.


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Randolph County Pre-K registration dates set
Children who will be 4 years old by Sept. 1, 2013, are eligible to attend Randolph County School's Pre-K Program for the school year 2013-14.
All sites operate for a full day, Monday through Thursday. Staff will be on hand to assist with this enrollment process. Registration for the 2013-14 school year will be on the following days and times:
– 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 1 at North Elementary, Third Ward Elementary and Youth Health Service Inc. (beside the State Police Barracks)
– 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 9 at the Randolph County Board of Education
– 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 14 at Valley Head Elementary
To expedite the Pre-K registration process, applications can be picked up at the above schools or at the Board of Education on 40 Eleventh St., Elkins, WV 26241. The application also can be found on the Randolph County Board of Education website at boe.rand.k12.wv.us.
The completed application must be brought to the registration day or one can be completed that day. Parents also must bring a copy of their child's Certificate of Live Birth from vital registration, a copy of their child's immunizations record, and a copy of their child's physical from the doctor.
A child's Certificate of Live Birth is issued by the Bureau of Vital Registration from the child's state of birth. The address for West Virginia is: Vital Registration Office, Room 165, 350 Capitol Street, Charleston, WV 25301-3701. Order forms for this birth certificate are available at the schools and Board of Education. The fee charged by the state of West Virginia is $12.
Parents should enroll their child for the school in the zone in which they live. Due to availability, children are not guaranteed placement in their first choice of location. The Randolph County Pre-K Collaborative Team will meet in June 2013 to determine placement based on a scoring system. Parents will be notified via letter informing them of their child's placement.
Children do not need to accompany their parents to the application process.
Anyone with questions can call LaDonna Rosencrance at 304-636-9150, ext. 172, or Becky Satterfield at 304-636-2188.


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One thing I haven't seen mentioned (forgive me if I somehow missed it) is that if your wife replaces too many feedings with formula without pumping she could possibly put her supply at risk. Her body produces on demand so if the demand isn't there on a regular basis her body will decrease its production accordingly. Once in a while for a break shouldn't be a problem though.
As for types of formula, if you really want to go that route (rather than expressed breast milk) you may find you have to try different brands and types before you find one your baby will tolerate. My son never accepted the ready made types, only powdered and only Similac advance. I actually did EBM in bottles most of the time 'till he was past 6 months old.


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I would like to thank the Kenedy Police Department for its excellent work on August 27, 2013.
Briskets BBQ was burglarized the previous night and due to the quick response of the KPD I was able to recover all my merchandise.
I would like to personally thank Officers Barrientez and Casanova for playing a major role in the investigation.
I want to thank the Chief of Police for having a great team; with our population growing every day I know we are safe with the support of Kenedy's finest.
With gratitude,
Joel Mireles
Owner, Briskets BBQ


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E-Mail Newsletters
Click the dates below to view past issues of our Email Newsletters. Then click here to join our e-Mailing List and be entered to win in our Villa Giveaway drawing.
Let Us Give You a Pat on the Back
Join us for Mother's Day Brunch
Romantic Horse & Carriage Package
Celebrate the Blessing of the Vines- Earth Day Wine Blending Competition
Celebrate with us at the Down To Earth Winemakers Dinner!
We can't take our eyes off this South Coast Winery Grown-Up Easter Basket!
Don't miss this Exclusive Offer
Choose from our Month of Love Packages


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Free outdoor concert; Roots & Rhythm on Saturday
June 12, 2013 —
HONESDALE, PA — A day of free, live music awaits on Saturday, June 15 as Honesdale hosts its eighth annual Roots & Rhythm Music & Arts Festival. Music starts at 10:30 a.m. with local bands performing throughout town. The main stage lights up at 1:30 p.m. in Central Park and "rocks on" until long after dusk.
Other events taking place during the day include the sixth annual Airing of the Quilts. Quilters from the tri-state area will hang their handmade treasures on Main Street from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Contact Jackie Murphy at A Stitch in Time, 570/253-6864 or email email@example.com.
Festival goers will have the chance to win a series of raffle prizes including a Fender Starcaster electric guitar, hand painted by local artist Jeff George; a 14 karat white gold and diamond heart-shaped necklace; a GP5500 Generac portable generator; and more. Winning tickets will be drawn and announced at 7 p.m. at the concert; winners do not have to be present.
Roots & Rhythm is co-presented by the Greater Honesdale Partnership and the Wayne County Arts Alliance.
Schedule of music
Downtown Bands: 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Doug Rogers & the Hoy Polloy at the Antique Emporium, 1040 Main Street
Merchants of Groove at RE/MAX WAYNE, 416 Main Street
Freight Train Boogie at Dave's Super Duper, 200 Willow Ave. (Rte. 6 south of Honesdale's downtown)
Sidetracked performs at R3 Hardware, 541 Main Street
Chasin' The Dog at the Fred Miller Pavilion, Seventh and Main Streets
Two Steps Back at The Home Front, 833 Main Street
Poison Love in the 900 block of Main Street
The Villaume Foundation Main Stage Performances
1:20 p.m. National Anthem sung by Leah Schweighofer
1:30 p.m. Emish
3:20 p.m. The Badlees
5:15 p.m. Pat O'Shea and the Honest Men
7 p.m. Raffle drawing
7:45 p.m. Jimmy Vivino and the Barn Burners
Late Night Ramble
10 p.m. to midnight at The Cooperage, 1030 Main Street (BYOB)
Featuring: Pat O'Shea and the Honest Men


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Pamela Anderson
A brochure picture of actress Pamela Anderson's new home in Malibu, California. On January 11, 2001, the former "Baywatch" beauty paid $1.8 million for the three bedroom, 2-1/2 bathroom house. The 2,300 square-foot, two-story home was built in 1959, but has been remodeled. Anderson, 33, who stars in the syndicated action series "V.I.P." plans to further modernize the property which has a large back yard for her two sons, Brandon and Dylan Jagger. (Photo by Fred Sands Realtors/Newsmakers)
BERLIN – SEPTEMBER 24: The new house of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Berlin Wannsee is seen on September 24, 2008 in Berlin, Germany. The couple moved to Berlin a day earlier with their children Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh Nouvel, Pax Thien, Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline. Brad Pitt is starring in the new Quentin Tarantino movie 'Inglorious Bastards' which will be shot in Babelsberg Studios near Berlin. (Photo by CHL/Getty Images)
Britney Spears
The future home of singer Britney Spears December 3, 2000 in Kentwood, LA. Spears is personally overseeing the final stages in building her $3 million dollar mansion. The 19-year-old singer built the home for her and her mother and father. Britney grew up in a more modest home just a couple of miles away in the tiny town of Kentwood. Security has been beefed up at the home since a crazed stalker broke into the property in November. It is believed that Britney will spend Christmas with her family here. (Photo by Newsmakers)
Pop star Madonna's new $5.9 million dollar home taken in May 23, 2000 in Beverly Hills, CA. On August 11, 2000, Madonna's publicist has announced that the pop singing sensation and her boyfriend, director Guy Ritchie gave birth to a baby boy, Rocco Ritchie. The baby was originally due in September. (Photo by Jenni Magee/Online USA)
Kendra Wilkinson
Kendra, one of the three girlfriends of Playboy Enterprises CEO Hugh Hefner play pool inside the playroom during a guided tour of the mansion in Los Angeles, CA 23 August 2006. Hefner called journalists to promote the premiere in France of the series "The Girl Next Door", a reality show that introduces the viewer into the daily life of Hefner and his three girlfriends. AFP PHOTO / HECTOR MATA (Photo credit should read HECTOR MATA/AFP/Getty Images)
Categories: Entertainment


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"I have been a fan of Catholic Answers from its beginnings. Keep up this great apostolate, as it does help many of our Catholics appreciate their faith, especially in the military. Blessings and prayers for your continued success."
~ Fr. Eric, US Army, Baghdad
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"We run no risk of deceiving ourselves in considering a Superior Intelligence the author of all things, in referring to it those splendors of the heavens which aroused our thoughts; and finally we are ready to understand and accept the traditional formula: God, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth."
~ Herve Faye, inventor; chair of astronomy at the Ecole Polytechnique; Academy of Sciences member


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Rackspace: Service Leader in Managed Hosting and Cloud Computing
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Your exact needs are unique to you and your business. Hence, finding an infrastructure that fits your particular requirements is likely to go beyond an out-of-the-box solution. Our use case section provides several usage examples of Rackspace infrastructure, and is intended to provide guidance on how we can help your project succeed.


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INGREDIENTS:1 cup walnuts, chopped 2 cans (14 ½ oz. ea.) fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth 6 Tbsps. cornstarch 2 Tbsps. curry powder Cooking spray as needed 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1DIRECTIONS:1. Heat walnuts in a dry skillet over medium high heat until nuts are slightly toasted. Reserve. 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, cornstarch and curry powder. Reserve. 3. Coat a large sauté pan with vegetable cooking spray and set over medium high heat. Add ...
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Despite a long drought earlier this year, food prices have remained pretty flat in 2012. That's according to USDA research.
There could be a big change in prices, however, coming in 2013.
The first reason why is that prolonged drought across the entire Midwest this summer. Experts say it takes awhile for the effects of that to be felt.
On top of that, there's the looming fiscal cliff and the 5-year farm bill, which Congress has yet to extend.
On Tuesday, about 50 area soybean farmers gathered in Holmen Tuesday to talk about the coming year.
"As far as soybeans, I'm very optimistic," said Tim Goodenough, who farms 1,000 acres of land near Mindoro.
Even though he's hopeful for 2013, Goodenough says another drought would really impact prices at the grocery store.
"I think we're maintaining (prices) right now. The only way I can see it going up again is if there's another major drought across this country," he said.
Experts, however, say signs are pointing to higher dairy and meat prices either way.
Shawn Conley, Wisconsin's soybean and small grain specialist, says the feed shortage caused by the drought forced many farmers to sell their animals for slaughter earlier than expected.
"Probably 4 or 5 months from now, when those calves that would have gone through the cycle are no longer there, I think we're going to see a significant bump in beef and other meat prices," said Conley.
Conley says next season will start with the soil already low in moisture. Couple that with the fact that federal insurance programs are currently not guaranteed, many farmers will be taking a bigger risk than normal.
"It's just a protection if you have a bad year. You're not going to make any money by any means. It's just to protect your input costs," said Goodenough.
Not only do farmers stand to suffer but with food prices also in jeopardy, everyone could feel the impact.
"Growers are making decisions for 2013. We can't wait for the government to make up (its) mind," said Conley


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Nutrition Facts
Serving Size ½ of recipe
Calories 274
Total Fat 9 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Sodium 652 mg
Total Carbohydrate 17 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Protein 31 g
Ingredients and Preparation
Ingredients Measures
Rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons
Reduced-sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon
Cornstarch 1 tablespoon
Ground ginger ¼ teaspoon
Apricot preserves 1 tablespoon
Canola oil 1 tablespoon
Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into ½-inch pieces 2
Garlic cloves, minced 2
Reduced-sodium chicken broth ½ cup
Broccoli flowerets 1 cup
Red bell pepper, chopped ½
Water chestnuts, drained ½ (5-ounce) can
- In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, ginger, and apricot preserves. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook about 4 minutes, until done. Transfer to a plate.
- Add garlic to the pan, and cook 1 minute. Stir in broth, bring to a boil, and then add broccoli and bell pepper. Cook 4-6 minutes, until vegetables are tender-crisp.
- Stir in water chestnuts and return chicken to the pan. Whisk apricot sauce and add to the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute, or until heated through.


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Scientist in the Spotlight: The Art of the Storm with Trey Alvey
Friday, December 6, 2013 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm
Life Gallery - Naturalist Lab
Join Trey Alvey, meteorologist and storm photographer, to see what it's like to chase storms. Find out how hurricanes form, explore various storm cloud formations and cloud colors, and see some of the tools of meteorology.


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A seventh-grader in Texas claims his teacher punched him in the face and knocked him out for seemingly no reason.
"The last person's voice I heard was some girl saying that I should call my mom, and then he like hit me... And I blacked out," 12-year-old Reginald Wells told Beaumont TV station KBMT.
Reginald said he had cracked a joke about the teacher's favorite football team while chatting in a hallway at Willie Ray Smith Middle School on Friday.
The teacher hit Reginald in the shoulder, Reginald pushed the teacher back and that's when he claims the teacher blindsided him with a punch to the face that knocked him out.
He woke up a few seconds later. He said his head hurt and felt like it "had been shaken."
The teacher was fired and escorted off the premises.
Before he left, he told Reginald he had been having a bad day and "just snapped," according to KBMT.
His mother has filed a police report and wants to press charges.
"For you to just let a teacher do that to him and just walk off? He's fired and walks off? I can't accept that," Adrianne Wells told KBMT.


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Please post only one photo in each post (makes it easier for identifying the chosen picture when posting more than one picture)
Photographs to be taken between 1st October 2012 and 31st October 2012 and posted on this thread between those dates.
Apologies for being a bit late off the mark getting this going.
Get snapping and enjoy (its only a bit of fun)
Edited by Padge, 01 November 2012 - 01:03 PM.


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I haven't read all the responses, but I'm sure you've gotten some really great comments. I feel that there is always something that we are going to get criticized about. If it wasn't this, it'd definately be something else. Given that, you are doing what you think is right for your child, and no one else knows better but you! It isn't easy to hear criticism sometimes, but I agree with PP and think you need to put them in their place... in a nice way.
When I tell my family that I research XYZ topic, and this is what I want to do... they tell me I read too much. (They don't read enough!) So, I understand where you're coming from.
GL mama!


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As the US unemployment rate hit a three-year low of 8.1 percent on Friday, Mitt Romney escalated his attacks on the President by moving the unemployment goalpost.
"Just this morning, there was some news that came across the wire, that said that the unemployment rate has dropped to 8.1 percent," Romney told a group of supporters in Pittsburgh.
"And normally, that would be cause for celebration, but in fact, anything over 8 percent, anything near 8 percent, anything over 4 percent, is not a cause for celebration, but, in fact, the reason it dropped from 8.2 to 8.1 was not because we created a lot of jobs, as a mater of fact, only 115,000 net new jobs were created. And that was well beneath what it was expected to be; it should have been in the hundreds of thousands, but it wasn't..."
Romney continued to stammer, "I think it helps to have a job to create a job, and I have, and I will. Now, people ask me, what will I do to help create jobs? And one thing I know I'm not going to do, is to go and hire a bunch more people in the federal government... first of all, I'd take away one of the things that frightens entrepreneurs and innovators and businesses of all kinds from hiring, I'll get rid of Obamacare!"
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, no Republican president in 40 years has lowered the unemployment rate to 4 percent.
During Mitt Romney's tenure as Massachusetts governor, his own state ranked forty-seventh among the fifty US states in lack of job growth. The numbers look even worse whhen you consider Romney left office one year after Hurricane Katrina, which gives Louisiana a good excuse for ranking below Massachusetts. But it didn't.
Under Democratic President Clinton the unemployment rate was below 4 percent for five months in 2000.
It's strange politics indeed that would compel former Governor Mitt Romney to attack his own successful health care plan; the same plan on which Obamacare was modeled.
On 14 April 2012 the Massachusetts health care reform act, dubbed Romneycare, turned six years old. The number of Massachusetts residents without health insurance has dropped to just 2%.


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About a year ago, I made the statement, "If you ever see me reopen my World of Warcraft account, it means I probably got fired from my job." Eight months later, I was giving Blizzard my credit card info for the sixth time since its 2004 release. Blizzard had ensnared me with another expansion (though I still have my job, so far).
I'm not the only one -- friends who play with me have come back just as often, and each time it just confuses the shit out of the people in our lives who don't play. So for everyone out there quietly judging us and wondering how we can continually come back to this time-sucking black hole that swallows lives by the millions, let me offer some answers:
6"How can you play the same game for eight years without getting tired of it?"
The Short Answer:
The same reason you can stay with the same boyfriend or girlfriend long after you've stopped fantasizing about setting them on fire and moved on to the planning stage.
"Just bide your time, man. You'll be roasting marshmallows off of her neck by nightfall."
No, Seriously ...
When World of Warcraft first came out, it was pretty basic. You did quests and killed monsters for experience points and gold. As a side option, you could pick a couple of professions to level up, just like any other RPG you've ever seen. That was about it, but the thing is, doing either of those required immense amounts of time, literally on par with a part-time job. To progress, you virtually had to marry the goddamn thing. "Thanks for the invitation, but I can't hang out this weekend. I have a raid, and if I miss it, you know how WoW gets. If you don't spend enough time with it, it gets all bitchy and starts withholding the good loot."
Over time, the relationship gets stale because you're just doing the same old shit. So you either call it quits or you grit your teeth and fight through it because the idea of finding another game to fuck is just mentally exhausting. And then one day you log in to find that it's gotten a boob job and lets you do anal. Wait, I think I got my analogies crossed somewhere. Doesn't matter, you still get the point, right?
Something about fucking Night Elves, right? No?
Every time you start to settle into a boring routine, Blizzard adds something to reboner your gamedick. Gear, areas, dungeons, minigames, decorations, achievements, holiday events, player versus player (PvP) games, festivals, special storyline scenarios ... just a motherfucking massive amount of content, constantly rolling out to break up the monotony, including changing the way the game itself is played.
So, honestly? We haven't been playing the same game for eight years. It's just hard to see that while looking over a player's shoulder because all you can gather from that perspective is a cartoon Legolas shooting fireballs out of his hands like a crazy asshole because "FUCK BOWS!"
Via Joystiq.com
"I'm sick of your comedic bickering, dwarf. Eat explosion!"
5"Haven't hundreds of games come out since then that are newer and better? Why don't you play them instead?"
The Short Answer:
We'll occasionally set aside a Saturday night to beat another game if we get bored.
No, Seriously ...
Most of the games I've played in the last eight years are ones that can be beaten in literally a weekend. Even games like Skyrim that boasted 300 hours of gameplay had to add an asterisk to that statement, pointing out that the main storyline only takes about one tenth of that. Right now, I have a whole mini bookshelf stocked with games that I've beaten in a couple of days and then never touched again. Skyrim included.
Via Nerdappropriate.com
Well, that was fun. Someone let me know if they make a huge expansion or someth- know what, scratch that.
Now don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I'm saying that as far as staying power, I've only seen that in a handful of titles, and in my book, World of Warcraft trumps them all. It's not about the game being so good that you can do the same thing for eight years despite the boredom. It's about mastering the content that they place on your workbench, and then being handed a totally new project when the current one starts to feel like an assembly line. They've perfected something that most other games have not: avoiding stagnation.
Bored with questing? Do some PvP and kill your friends. Bored with PvP? Run some dungeons. Level your crafting. Join some raids. Play WoW's version of Pokemon. Work on their massive, ridiculous list of achievements. Or just stand in a city and call people fat with your friends and watch them flip out. Earn some money in the auction house. Do the daily quests that are only available every 24 hours. There are seasonal holiday quests and festivals. And to top it all off, they add new shit roughly once every three months -- right around the time you get bored with all the other content.


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Memorable moments In presidential speeches
Published On: Aug 17 2011 12:57:11 PM CDT Updated On: Mar 01 2013 12:07:29 PM CST
Presidential speeches can be memorable for many reasons: they can capture the nation's mood after a tragedy; they can issue warning; they can be a call to action. See how many lines you recognize from these famous presidential speeches.
The views expressed are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms Of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms.


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National debt a real number
Your editorial on a "Cheap shot at Manchin," as most editorials, syndicated columns, individual entrees and national polls, falls upon deaf ears in Congress.
Large corporations, big business and special interest organizations contribute to election campaigns and buy lobbyists who promote their objectives and "entertain" those in office continously.
President Eisenhower advised us to beware of the industrial/military bloc. That bloc has been directing us into foreign countries where we have lost lives, as well as billions, and where they will be left with the same warring sects of Islam. It is reported we will abandon $6 to $7 billion of arms and equipment in Afghanistan, and now we are sending them fighter planes along with a proposed $1 billion a year for 10 years to teach them how to use and service them. Will these costs become the scenario of Syria?
Congress has been exploited by those factors and infiltrated by foreign cultures to the point of the de-Americanization of our country.
How can the voice of America be heard above those factors of such magnitude?
Newspapers have the singular opportunity to be the voice of America.
As a first step, at the top of the front page of every edition printed, the national debt of $16,000,000,000,000 should be printed.
It would be in every phase of our lives – at home, offices, banks, post office, etc. If adopted across the country, it could cause the redirection of the nation and a return of our national status.
Donald J. Hansen


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University of Pennslyvania
Health Systems
Office of Public Affairs
399 South 34th Street, Suite 2002, Penn Tower, Philadelphia, PA 19104-5653
January 17, 2008
Karen Kreeger
Penn Researchers Find that Alzheimer's Molecule is a Smart Speed Bump on the Nerve-Cell Transport Highway
Implications for Study of Diseases of Dementia
PHILADELPHIA – Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that proteins carrying chemical cargo in nerve cells react differently when exposed to the tau protein, which plays an important role in Alzheimer's disease.
Dynein and kinesin proteins transport cellular cargo towards opposite ends of tracks called microtubules. Tau binds to the microtubule surface and acts like a speed bump to regulate protein traffic, the group found. "But it is a smart speed bump because it impedes these different motor proteins to different degrees," explains first author Ram Dixit, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of senior author Erika Holzbaur, PhD, Professor of Physiology.
"Our findings show a mechanism of regulating the transport of nutrients, signaling molecules, and waste proteins along a nerve cell's axon," says Dixit. "Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's arise when pieces of this shipping system goes awry."
The transport performed by dynein and kinesin is required for continuously providing new proteins to the axon and synapse to maintain normal cellular function, and is also required to remove old, misfolded, or aggregated proteins for degradation. Just as important, this transport is required for moving other proteins from the nerve-cell synapse back to the cell body, which is also required to maintain healthy neurons.
In neurons, microtubules are abundantly decorated with tau. Dynein and kinesin encounter the tau molecules on their travels along the microtubules. The Penn group found that dynein, which carries loads towards the interior of the cell, maneuvers around tau; whereas, kinesin, which carries loads towards the outside of the cell, detaches when it encounters tau.
These findings appear online January 17 in Science in advance of print publication.
Dynein and kinesin's individual maneuverings when encountering tau allow for the cell to be able to offload cargo where it needs to go with fine-tune accuracy. "Tau may determine where kinesin offloads cargo along the microtubule tracks that radiate out to the cell surface from the center," says Holzbaur. "And dynein's ability to back up and go around when it encounters an obstacle such as tau may be a mechanism to ensure that it gets to the center of the cell with its important cargo."
The group conducted studies using single molecules moving along a tau-decorated microtubule to determine the effects of tau on dynein and kinesin's movement. Mutations in molecular motors such as dynein and kinesin can lead to degeneration of neurons. These mutations, for example, decrease the efficiency of dynein and kinesin. This problem can lead to the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the cell, which, in turn may lead to the degeneration of the neuron.
"There's a growing theme that defects in transport are tightly associated with neurodegeneration," says Holzbaur. "It's already been shown in Alzheimer's disease that there is a change in the distribution of tau along microtubules. Instead of kinesin getting its cargo closer to the cell's outer surface, tau accumulates in the cell body and kinesin's cargo of newly synthesized proteins gets dropped early, not at the cell surface, thus causing problems. Our findings explain how that can happen."
Co-authors are Yale E. Goldman, MD, PhD, Director of the Pennsylvania Muscle Institute, and Jennifer L. Ross, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Holzbaur lab now at the Department of Physics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
This work was supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease and the National Science Foundation.
This release, still image, and videos of dynein and kinesin movement can be found at www.pennhealth.com/news.
PENN Medicine is a $3.5 billion enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Penn's School of Medicine is currently ranked #3 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report's survey of top research-oriented medical schools; and, according to most recent data from the National Institutes of Health, received over $379 million in NIH research funds in the 2006 fiscal year. Supporting 1,400 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its superior education and training of the next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System includes three hospitals — its flagship hospital, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, rated one of the nation's "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital; and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center — a faculty practice plan; a primary-care provider network; two multispecialty satellite facilities; and home care and hospice.
Release available online at http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/jan08/speed-bump.html


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Two men convicted in the government's investigation into terror recruiting and financing for a Somali terrorist group are scheduled to be sentenced in federal court.
Sentencing hearings for Kamal Said Hassan and Mahamud Said Omar will be held Monday, kicking off a week of sentencings for various defendants.
Hassan is among the more than 20 young men who left Minnesota since 2007 to join the terror group al-Shabab in Somalia. He participated in an ambush with al-Shabab before returning to the U.S. He has pleaded guilty to three counts, including two terror-related charges which each carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Omar was convicted on five-terror related counts last year. Prosecutors say he played a key role in facilitating the men's travels. Prosecutors are seeking 50 years.


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How to Take Your Emotions Out of the Sell Decision
by Jim Norris
Facing criticism from a colleague over modifications he made in his economic analysis, the famous British economist John Maynard Keynes once said: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?"
Keynes' question is a relevant one for investors. Unless you are a buy-and-hold-forever investor, you will frequently be faced with the challenge of changing your mind. A decision to buy a stock will eventually and inevitably be followed by a decision to sell the stock.
And when you decide to sell, you are effectively changing your mind about the prospects of the investment. Unfortunately, however, changing one's mind is easier said than done. This is particularly true in the world of investments where uncertainty reigns and emotions run high. That combination—uncertainty and emotions—often leads to poor judgment.
In his book "Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk," Peter L. Bernstein says that the evidence "reveals repeated patterns of irrationality, inconsistency, and incompetence in the ways human beings arrive at decisions and choices when faced with uncertainty."
In the academic world, the disciplines of psychology, economics and finance have converged to study this issue, thus creating the field of behavioral finance. Numerous behavioral biases have been identified that inhibit human beings from making wise financial decisions.
When the decision involves changing one's mind, the emotional biases tend to become even more severe. We perceive that if we make a decision to sell a stock, we will be declaring our previous buy decision to be either a success (selling at a profit) or a failure (selling at a loss). Studies in behavioral finance have shown that our strong desire for success and our even stronger fear of failure can play havoc with our rational perception of the situation.
So it should come as no surprise that investors tend to have more trouble with the sell decision than they do with the buy decision.
Over the years, I have heard many investors tell me that it is more difficult to know when to sell a stock than it is to know when to buy it.
Well-intended bits of wisdom and rules-of-thumb serve only to confuse the matter:
- Investors are told to "let your winners run," but are also told that "no one ever went broke taking profits."
- Investors are told to "cut your losses early," but are also told to "average in" by buying more stock as the price declines.
Obviously there is no magic formula to eliminate the uncertainty we face when making sell decisions, but we can do something about the emotional entanglements.
One way to approach the problem is to completely automate the sell decision. Most often, this automation is based on stock price movements alone—for instance, if a stock price declines by, say, 20% it is automatically sold.
Unfortunately, in addition to removing the unwanted emotional entanglements, this approach entirely removes the human element from the decision. For those of us who believe that people make better judgments than computers or mathematical formulas, this approach seems quite extreme.
Improving Judgment
Rather than talk about ways of removing our human judgment, I would like to focus on ways of improving our human judgment in the sell decision.
Investing is both an art and a science, and experienced investors learn to take special precautions to prevent emotions from unduly influencing decisions, particularly sell decisions.
In my own firm, a set of principles and procedures helps us in this regard. It is not called a "sell discipline" because that term is overused in the industry and many perceive it to imply the mindless automation described above. Instead, it is called an "accountability system." It doesn't automate our decisions, but it minimizes emotional influences by holding the human decision-makers accountable to a set of rational criteria.
Importantly, this approach can be applied by anyone. We, of course, have a style of investing that is unique to us. But this accountability system can be useful regardless of your particular investment style.
Thesis Statement
The process of laying the groundwork for a better sell decision should start even before you buy a stock. In particular, before a stock can be purchased, a thesis statement should be developed that spells out in some detail the reasons you believe it will turn out to be a good investment.
The idea here is that in order to know when to sell a stock, you have to know with a fair amount of specificity why you bought it in the first place.
The more solid this initial foundation, the less you will be affected by the inevitable ebb and flow of the confusing and potentially overwhelming flood of information and opinions surrounding the stock.
Here are some guidelines for developing your thesis statement:
Put It in Writing
The thesis statement must be in writing. This is imperative. Don't trust your memory. Not only is human memory imperfect, but the confidence we place in our memory can sometimes be disproportionate to the level of its accuracy. In other words, as time passes, the accuracy of our memory fades, but our confidence in what we think we remember can remain high. This is a dangerous combination, and the only way to counter it is with a written record. There is much wisdom to the old saying that "a short pencil is better than a long memory."
The written thesis statement does not have to be terribly long. This is not a doctoral dissertation to prove your complete knowledge of all facts and figures related to the subject. Rather, this is a recording of the basic tenets supporting your belief that this stock will be a good investment. A few paragraphs can usually suffice. In fact, there is a benefit in keeping it short because it forces you to focus only on what is most important. If you can't keep it short, it may be because you aren't really sure what is important.
When Peter Lynch was managing the Magellan Fund, he used to impose a three-minute rule on his analysts for this reason. If they couldn't adequately explain the thesis for owning a stock in less than three minutes, they wouldn't invest in it.
Decide What Would Make You Sell Before You Buy
The time of purchase is the very best time to establish sell criteria, and you should include this is your thesis statement. The reason is that the emotional distractions are at their lowest point. Your judgment is not influenced by feelings of success or regret because you have experienced neither.
Of course, unless you are clairvoyant (in which case you don't need a sell discipline anyway), it would be impractical to come up with an exhaustive list of every event that could possibly make you decide to sell the stock. Detail and precision is not the goal here. Rather, the idea is to think through several plausible scenarios, including positive developments (the price target at which you would sell, for example), as well as negative developments (the business loses a key competitive advantage, for example).
Sell criteria should be the inverse of buy criteria. Any other reason for selling (or choosing not to sell) a stock would be inconsistent with your investment philosophy. So, for example, buying a stock because you like the company's growth characteristics, but choosing to hold on to it in the face of slowing growth simply because it has become cheap, is an inconsistency.
Another example of inconsistency would be a value investor who attempts to "ride the momentum" of stocks long after they have become overvalued. Decide which reasons convince you to buy a stock, invert that reasoning, and you have a pretty good set of sell criteria.
Quantify Your Expectations
If emotion is to be limited, objectivity is the goal. Objectivity requires quantities that can be measured, but we live in a subjective world and the "qualities" we look for in an investment are not always easily "quantifiable." This quality vs. quantity conundrum can be difficult to deal with, but that shouldn't stop you from trying. Some quantification is better than none.
Think through the thesis. If it plays out as you expect, what measurable results should you expect to see? What will be the most important? It will not be the same for every company. Sales growth may be a key driver for a retailer, margin expansion may be more important for a manufacturer, asset quality may be key to an investment in a finance company, or working capital management may be crucial for a distributor. The goal is not uniformity across all companies in the portfolio, nor is the goal to identify an exhaustive list. Rather, the goal is to identify the measures most likely to reflect the success or failure of the thesis over time. In fact, part of the value of the exercise is the process of deciding which few variables are the most crucial. I suggest no more than three or four variables for each company.
Don't Go It Alone
Studies have shown that, except in rare instances (such as highly complex projects requiring specialized expertise from multiple disciplines), a committee is generally not the best forum for optimizing decision-making. But neither is an individual operating autonomously. Rather, the best decision-maker is an individual who has wise counsel from well-informed advisers. The interaction with advisers plays a critical role in avoiding emotional entanglements. Advisers can be more objective because they do not bear the weight of the responsibility for the decision, thus their own personal success or failure does not hang in the balance.
I have always found this concept to be quite useful. At my own firm, we meet regularly before decisions are made. We challenge one another and, most importantly, we hold one another accountable. Ultimately, the decision rests with the analyst making the recommendation, but the group input ensures that the analyst's decision is based on rational rather than emotional grounds.
For an individual investor, a group of friends or an investment club can provide the same benefits as a formal investment committee, but it is important to make the meetings at least a little bit challenging. When buying a stock, share with the group your thesis statement and your sell criteria, then ask them to hold you accountable to that criteria over time.
Measure the Progress
Every quarter (or however often new data becomes available), the company's actual performance on the key variables should be compared to the expected levels. Discrepancies should be noted. Large or persistent discrepancies should be a cause for concern and should trigger a complete review of the thesis.
Review the Thesis Regularly—If the Facts Change, Change Your Mind
The thesis behind each stock you own should be reviewed whenever a company announces earnings or releases significant data—for example, at least quarterly. Again, the goal is not a comprehensive rundown of every detail about the quarter but, rather, a review of how the original thesis is progressing.
Is the original thesis intact, or not?
That is the key question. If the answer is yes, you should hold on to the stock. If the answer is no, then the facts have changed and John Maynard Keynes would suggest that it is time to change your mind.
The important point about this whole process is that it has finally forced you to this question, and you are making your decision based on the key facts and not the confusing ebb and flow of information and opinions I referred to earlier.
An Example
Let me illustrate with an example from the C&B Mid Cap Value Fund, which I co-manage. Based upon my recommendation, we owned stock in Food Lion Corporation. This is a grocery chain that is well known in the Southeastern part of the country.
My thesis rested heavily upon an analysis of the company's competitive advantages. Within the Southeast region, their advantages were formidable: Their name brand recognition was excellent, their cost position was significantly lower than any other competitor, and they dominated the low-price end of the market.
As long as these facts remained true, it was reasonable to believe that the company could continue to grow a bit faster than the industry by gaining market share.
Same store sales comparisons and margins were chosen as key variables to be monitored, since growth and the maintenance of their low-cost position were deemed to be crucial to the thesis.
One of the risks I highlighted at the time of purchase was related to the consolidation going on in the grocery retailing industry. Specifically, I feared that Food Lion might be tempted to make a large acquisition. But it seemed just as likely that Food Lion might be acquired by someone else. Furthermore, I received assurances directly from senior management that whatever acquisitions they made would be non-dilutive to shareholders. This, combined with the company's track record of making only very small acquisitions convinced me to recommend purchase of the stock.
Several months later, however, the company announced the very large deal to acquire Hannaford Brothers stores. Naturally, my response was to immediately review my investment thesis to see how it would be affected by this new data.
I was not very happy to see that, contrary to management's earlier assurances, the deal was indeed quite dilutive. Even more disturbing was the fact that the Hannaford Brothers franchise operated at the high-price end of the market – completely opposite from the Food Lion franchise. Furthermore, Hannaford Brothers was a Northeast franchise where Food Lion had very little infrastructure or competitive advantage.
It was quite clear that Food Lion was moving away from its strength. Not only were earnings being diluted, but the company's core competitive advantages were being diluted as well. The variables I had chosen to objectively monitor had, technically, not yet been affected. But my confidence that the company could continue to meet these expectations was greatly diminished.
Not surprisingly, the stock price went down significantly on the news. As a value investor, my emotional response was typical—I did not want to sell at such low prices.
Fortunately, I had a group of colleagues to whom I had to report, and I knew they would be asking the ultimate question of whether the original thesis was still intact. I knew the answer would be quite clear. All of the key reasons I had originally bought the stock had been completely undermined by the acquisition. The facts had changed. It was time to change my mind.
Following our sell decision, Food Lion stock continued to drift downward for some time. About a year later, the company was acquired, but at a very depressed price that reflected the diminished strength of the business. Had I chosen to hold on to the stock in hopes of regaining my earlier loss, I would have been greatly disappointed.
Although we took a loss at the time and I had to admit a mistake, the decision to sell was a good one because we were able to redeploy our clients' assets into other stocks that provided much better appreciation potential. The accountability system played an important role because it ensured the decision was based on rational criteria and not upon my emotional reaction to the situation.
Facing the Facts
It is no sin to be human. Unless you are a die-hard quantitative investor, you must believe that at least some human judgment in the investment process is a good thing. But studies in behavioral finance demonstrate that human emotion can play havoc with our judgment. Pure, undisciplined human judgment will lead to poor sell decisions, but so will mindless, robotic decision rules. Optimization lies somewhere in between. The system I have outlined disciplines human judgment without removing it. There are probably other successful systems, but this one works for us and, importantly, it can work for just about anyone.
Paul from PA posted over 6 years ago:
Excellent article.
Don't forget though...
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder." and "Out of sight, out of mind."
William from LA posted over 4 years ago:
I am just beginning with AAII and find this article to provide insights that I hope to be typical of available material.
Donald from IL posted over 4 years ago:
Very timely article. Would like the same written about when to sell a fund.
Harold from MA posted over 4 years ago:
This is a well written article, but it doesn't resonate with me. Once a month, or whatever period is convenient, reassess each security in your portfolio with fresh eyes, as if you were considering buying it. Compare the ones with weakest prospects with the prospects of securities you like but don't own. If the latter is more favorable, sell your worst holding and buy the other.
You should never be in love with your stocks. Buy or sell decisions are always based on their future prospects (and tax considerations).
Michele from FL posted over 4 years ago:
this is a great article just what i needed
James from CO posted over 4 years ago:
35 years of in-depth experience has proven to me that the most effective and disciplined sell strategy for all asset classes is one that is implemented at the time a security is purchased. Using a simple moving average of the securities price - i.e. 20-days (1-month) for short-term traders, 126-days (6-months) for moderate investors, and 200-days (10-months) as a fail-safe for all others, would protect the majority of investors from destructive losses.
Richard from CO posted over 4 years ago:
A significenat consternation is all of my investments are in Vanguard funds. Coming out of the racession I chose to invest in bond and balanced funds. I believe this was a good plan at the time 2009+. However My portfolio is out of balance. My target is 60% bonds, 30% stocks and 10% cash. My current allocation is 75% bonds,20% stocks and 5% cash. Because of being over weighted in bonds and under weighted in stocks, I feel I need to rebalance. It is easy to do this. Sell a large % of a bond fund and buy a High yield stock fund. The bond fund is GINM that has a consistant divident. But too low to pay my bills and the fund has too little capital appreciation this year to make up for the reduced yield). The talk on the street is to decrease the bond exposier because of the sensitivity to interest rate increases and rates can't go anywhere but up. The bond fund has a duration of 4 yrs and a risk factor of 2. The risk factor of the high yield stock fund is 4. The reasonable action is to increase the risk with the stock and sell the GNMA fund. Where is he flaw in this reasoning. Intutivly I am not confortable with the plan but don't know why. I believe this is an possable example of when to sell. Will you please comment on this story.
Thanks, firstname.lastname@example.com
Richard Abbott from FL posted over 3 years ago:
I have kept my allocation at 113 minus my age in conservative balanced mutual funds, the rest in quality corporate and government bonds funds with about 15% in the money market. I have had this allocation for the past 15 years and have averaged 8% a year. I'm 83 and enjoying my retirement with enough money to do whatever my wife and I want to do. I re-balance my portfolio whenever my allocation is more than 8 to 10% out of balance. This keeps the emotion out of the decision.
Jerome Hodge from California posted over 3 years ago:
I enjoyed this article very much. The author is spot on and is offering sage advice.
As a subscriber to Value Line, they act as my 'adviser', while providing the written support for why I would purchase/sell an equity.
Lastly, I am in at least my 4th reading of Benjamin Graham's "The Intelligent Investor". This book has been, and continues to be, a tremendous resource of knowledge to draw upon.
Indigo85 from VA posted over 3 years ago:
Excellent article. For me, the gem is "Sell criteria should be the inverse of buy criteria." The trick, of course, is to document your buy criteria, which this article motivated me to do more rigorously.


text:
April 24, 2013 —
SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — Life has its incomparable first experiences, memorable last experiences and those that seem unfettered by time as they go on year after year. A first kiss, a first day at college, or a first win in a sport form lasting memories. So too do graduation days, a last day on the job of a lifelong career, or the departure from a place we've lived in all of our lives. Taking part in annual events grounds us to ongoing traditions such as holidays, parades, tournaments and championships. This week offered some of all of the above.
In the first category were the registering of those much sought-after initial wins of the season recorded by the Sullivan West softball and Liberty baseball teams. The Lady Bulldogs downed Monticello 8-2 in a road victory that took some of the sting out of back-to-back league losses against O'Neill and Burke. Katie Slater struck out 10 and was two-for-three from the plate as the Lady Bulldogs mounted a five-run second inning to break a 1-1 tie with the as-yet winless Lady Panthers.
Liberty won the middle game of its three-game series versus Division IV nemesis Sullivan West with a 2-1 nine inning victory sparked by the outstanding pitching of Quinn Jackson and Atwoun Ackerley. Brendan Siegel accounted for both RBI. Cody Franskevicz pitched six stellar innings and left with a lead, but the Dawgs couldn't close the door. In the first- and third- game series wins over the Indians, Sullivan West marshaled the pitching of Karl Knecht and Sawyer Erlwein.
Meanwhile, up at the Boston Marathon, former Sullivan West standout Rianne Erlwein ran a speedy 3:19 in her first encounter with the storied race, finishing well ahead of the ensuing mayhem, much to the relief of her family and legions of friends. Speaking of firsts, currently Sullivan West is in first place in Division IV. But the biggest story of the week had more to do with the last Tri-Valley Invitational organized and overseen by Bears' coaches Joe and Missy Iatauro, whose 30-plus year reign as gurus of the storied T-V program will end this June as they move to Georgia to begin the next phase of their lives. The meet, always one of the highlights of the spring track season, has often been beset by some zany weather. This year it was chilly but clear as 25 teams from both Division I (600 students and up in grades 9-11) and Division II (under 600) brought their best to bear on the swan song for the Iatauros in their special large scale annual meet. Fittingly, the Bears defended both their boys and girls Division II T-V Invitational championships.
Senior Mareena DiMilia was named the Outstanding Female Field Athlete for the second straight year. She ran the opening leg in the winning shuttle hurdle relay, won the javelin and took second in the hammer. Other T-V girls winners included Katlynn Greffrath in the high jump and long jump. Autumn Bender won the 2000 steeplechase and the freshman 800. She was second in the freshman/sophomore 1500. Mary Alongi was second in the 1500 racewalk. Caroline Martin was third in the F/S long jump. Monticello's Jordan Fredell won the triple jump and was third in the 400 hurdles. Sullivan West's Hannah Feinman was second in the long jump and the triple jump. Fallsburg's Kelsey Moody was second in the high jump, while Meagan Horowitz won the F/S pole vault. Fellow Lady Comet Kali Seastrand was second in the F/S long jump while Nyasia Harris was thing in the F/S shot put. Sullivan West's Autumn Thiele was second in the F/S discus while Courtney Meyerer took second in the Freshman 800. She teamed up with Megan Robisch, Rosa Martinez and Erin Sumfleth to win the F/S 1600 relay. Liberty was third in the girls 300 shuttle relay, while Monticello Boys winners included T-V's Aric Boyes in the shot put and the hammer throw, Aidan Woolsey in the pole vault and Josh Winters in the javelin.
Other Sullivan County finishers included Monticello's Shane Jackson in the 100. He took third in the 200. Sullivan West's Anthony Rydell won the discus. Monticello's Brian Stickle won the F/S shot put, Terry Duncan was second in the 400, Mike Rogers took second in the pole vault and Kyle Haynes was second in the F/S long jump. The Monties were second in the 400 relay. Tri-Valley was third in the 300 shuttle relay and the F/S 1600 relay. In team standings, in addition to T-V's first place in Division II boys and girls, Monticello was sixth in Division I girls and third in Division I boys. In Division II boys SW was third, Fallsburg was third and Liberty was seventh and Eldred was ninth. In Division II girls Sullivan West was second, Fallsburg was third, Liberty was seventh and Eldred was ninth.
For times and distances of all of the finishers, visit www.sportsinsights.com [1]. For an album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com [2].


text:
Brown Rice Mélange Stuffing
Makes 10 servings
Getting started Equipment you will need: medium saucepan, cutting board/knife,l arge skillet Do right away when you get home: Action Step 1
1 cup brown rice
½ cup wild rice
Chicken stock
1 small rutabaga
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
2 turkey sausage links
2 stalks celery
½ medium onion
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. Poultry seasoning
1 tsp. sage
Salt & Pepper to taste
1. Place brown rice, wild rice and chicken stock in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down, cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed (about 45-55 minutes).
2. Peel rutabaga and chop into small pieces. Place in pot of water and boil until rutabaga is tender. Drain, add 1 cup corn and set aside.
3. Remove casing from turkey sausage. Break up sausage and place in large skillet. Dice celery and onion into small pieces. Add to turkey sausage and sauté with oil. Cook until sausage is cooked through.
4. Add seasonings, rice mixture and rutabaga and corn mixture to the skillet. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Serve while hot.
Serve with: baked chicken or fish
Tips: Omit turkey sausage and use vegetable broth for a vegetarian side dish.
Shopping list: Wild rice Turkey Sausage Rutabaga (1 small) Celery
Check for: Brown rice Chicken broth Frozen corn Olive oil Onion Poultry seasoning Sage


text:
Calling all candidatesFebruary 07,2014I dont know if youve noticed, but were now in an election year.
Not that one. You are not in charge of thinking about the presidential race yet. Even the people who have to go to the polls first know its still OK to tune out on that one. I am thinking of the New Hampshire Republicans who said, in a recent poll, that Mitt Romney was currently at the top of their favorites list.
This year, we are mainly doing Congress. And already lots of excitement! Scott Brown, the former senator from Massachusetts, appears to be planning to run again from his former vacation home in New Hampshire. Seems promising. We have not had a good when-the-heck-did-you-move-here controversy since we lost Liz Cheney from the Wyoming race.
Brown has not officially announced his candidacy, but he did show up shirtless for the New Hampshire news media when he took part in the states recent Penguin Plunge. Also, according to a report in The Boston Globe, while the Plungers were supposed to just race in and out of the water, Brown persevered into the frozen ocean until he was ordered back by a lifeguard.
Besides Scott Browns chest, one of the early election themes in 2014 is tons of Republican incumbents being driven crazy by Tea Party primaries. Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi has a big Tea Party threat, despite the fact that Cochran perfectly represents the traditional political creed of his state, which is that the federal government should do as little as possible, except for giving a whole bunch of money to Mississippi.
At least half of the Senate Republicans running for re-election have Tea Party primary opponents. In Washington, this is regarded as pretty much a license to do everything possible to secure the base. Even your Democratic colleagues will just say, Oh, he has a Tea Party opponent, and ignore the fact that you are sitting on the floor, gnawing the draperies during debate.
But there ought to be some sorting. For instance, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas has a Tea Party challenger. In fact, he has a bunch. The best-known is Rep. Steve Stockman, who virtually never shows up for campaign events, has raised virtually no money and whose campaign office was condemned.
Honestly, Cornyn should be stripped of all his rights to pander to the right in the name of Tea Party primary problems. The next time he gets up on the Senate floor to rant about Obamacare, tell him to sit down and let Thad Cochran have his turn.
Some voters get primaries, others barely get ballots. Most of us are sadly aware that some of the most important races were going to be asked to decide this fall will involve an incumbent pitted against nobody. Or, if were lucky, Fred Who Wandered By at the Convention.
Perhaps you remember the Idaho Senate race of 2010. Well, perhaps you dont. Thats really OK. Mike Crapo, the incumbent, was such an odds-on favorite that no one was willing to run against him until William Bryk, a New York bankruptcy lawyer, declared his candidacy for the Democratic nomination. Bryk was taking advantage of rules that did not actually require you to live in Idaho in order to run for a U.S. Senate seat there, and his slogan was If Elected, I Will Move. The publicity helped draw in other Democrats, one of whom beat Bryk in a primary and then went on to be trounced by Crapo in November. But at least there was somebody to show up for the debates.
This year, the Idaho Democratic Party reports that its going to be in good shape.
You dont have to send us any candidates! hastily interjected Dean Ferguson, the state party communications director. They do seem to have everything covered. A wealthy Boise businessman has thrown his hat into the ring to run against Gov. Butch Otter, and state Rep. Shirley Ringo is going to run against Rep. Raúl Labrador. Way to go, Democrats! And great work, Idaho, with the name thing.
Meanwhile, in North Carolina, Clay Aiken, the runner-up for the second American Idol title, has announced that he is running for a Democratic nomination for the House. The seat in question was gerrymandered to be safe for Republicans, and this brings up an interesting possibility.
Its hard to recruit recognizable names for long-shot congressional races. But there are dozens of former American Idol finalists. Many of them hailed from red states, and many of them dont seem to currently have a whole lot to do with their time.
Maybe the Democrats could recruit retired American Idols to fill out their empty ballot lines in the South. Maybe there is a similar crop of Republican semi-celebrities available to run in places like New England. We could check out the hockey teams.
Honestly, somebody is always better than nobody. Except possibly when we are talking about Donald Trump running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in New York.
Gail Collins is a columnist for The New York Times.MORE IN CommentarySure, you can buy your uncle a necktie that he wont wear, or your niece an Amazon certificate... Full StoryA lot of serious long-term national issues simply werent addressed in the recent national election. Full StoryI have written on the anomaly of the separation of the private and public sectors in our society,... Full Story
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