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text:
Philly slang for a bloody or fat lip. The term refers to the similarity in color of ones lips after eating a cherry water ice, to that of a bloody or fat/red lip after a fight.
Watch what you say out your mouth because I might go in it. I'll give a nigga a cherry water ice, fast.
-Beanie sigel
-Beanie sigel
by Trox May 10, 2012
The vengeful act of crapping on a lover's chest while they sleep.Buy the plush

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Town Square
Benefit Promises that are Hard to Keep
Original post made by stephen levy, University South, on Jul 14, 2012
1) Agreements were made about benefit levels and the cost sharing responsiblities of employees that now look unsustainable and out of step with changes in private company benefits
2) Health care costs have continued to rise far above the rate of growth in the economy.
3) Investment returns on state and local pension contributions have declined below levels assumed by pension fund managers.
4) The number of aging and retiring workers is growing as the large baby boom generation is aging.
5) There were years in the early 2000s in which cities and the state did not make pension contributions.
The last four causes have nothing to do with employee behavior, public unions or any cause that can be reasonably be construed as the public employees fault.
Yet most posters on Town Square blame public employees and city council and staff and offer a series of choices for whcih they have, as the saying goes, no skin in the game. Theyoffer cuts in employee pay and benefits, outsourcing and elimination of programs THEY find unnecessary. What should be a matter of shared responsibility (including changes in employee benefits and contributions) is, instead, a denial that much of the penskon/health care unsustainabilty is no one's fault or everyone's fault.
So let's slightly change the focus to the other and equally or much larger set of benefit promises that are hard to keep--the ones in Medicare and, to a lesser extent, Social Security.
First there are many similarities. Benefits have been promised and are being paid that are unsustainable in the long term.
I and other eligible residents get cost of living increases in Socail Security and the amount I pay for Medicare has not kept pace with cost of benefits I receive.
These imbalances will increase as more baby boomers become eligible for Medicare and Social Security. Current tax levels are not sufficient to meet rising health care costs and growth in the agin eligible populaiton.
Sounds a bit like public employees and benefit costs except this time WE are the public employees (the ones who got benefits that are not sustainable) and the Congress representing us (like the council represents voters) passed the benefits.
I think both sets of unsustainable benefit proises require shared solutions. For Medicare and Social Security I am willing to have additional means testing (which would require me to pay more) and some means of reducing duplicative or medically unnecessary test by having Medicare tighten approval requirements. Just as new city employees throughout the country are accepting benefit packages less generous than long-time employees have, I am open to some changes in benefit levels for future Medicare and Social Security recipients. And I think the Social Security tax should be levied on incomes above $110,000 just as the Medicare tax is.
Similarly I don't think the entire burden of bringing city employee benefits into sustainability should fall on the employees or reducing services that othere may like.
Do posters have any ideas about shared solutions to lcoal employee beneifts and those we as Americans are or will get from Medicare and Social Security--both sets of which are unustatinable as currently organized. Shared means we all put some skin in the game.
Comments (41)
a resident of Atherton
on Jul 14, 2012 at 3:13 pm
Peter Carpenter is a registered user.
Shared solutions require that the public agencies and the recipients of the unsustainable compensation and pension benefits negotiate new compensation and pension benefits which are both fair and sustainable. In many cases that has occurred but where it has not occurred then other measures must be taken.
It does not matter, except to historians, how these unsustainable compensations and pension benefits were granted/achieved; what matters is that they are no longer affordable.
a resident of Atherton
on Jul 14, 2012 at 3:26 pm
Peter Carpenter is a registered user.
Daniel Mitchell, professor-emeritus at the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management, blamed poor planning by those who negotiated the contracts.
"There is the Warren Buffett quote that when the tide goes out, you find out who has been swimming naked," he said. "Pensions are a problem because they weren't properly funded in the past, and now the bills are coming due when dollars are scarce."
a resident of University South
on Jul 14, 2012 at 3:39 pm
stephen levy is a registered user.
Interesting posts Peter.
The point I am making is that with regard to Medicare and Social Security WE are the recipients of these unsustainable arrangements.
In both cases these arrangements are contracts (legal or social) and between TWO parties.
How would you share responsibility between recipients and others re moving toward sustainability with regard to Medicare and Social Security?
And what parallels if any do you draw between public employees and Medicare and Social Security recipients as the beneficiaries in shared responsibility solutions?
If you are asking public employees to shoulder all of the burden of finding sustainability are you then asking seniors to reduce their current Medicare and Social Security benefits as the ONLY part of shared solutions to that long-term budget dilemma?
a resident of Midtown
on Jul 14, 2012 at 4:12 pm
What does "sustainability" mean to you? I don't recall that our anestors, in this country, had such a guarantee. Do you?
a resident of University South
on Jul 14, 2012 at 4:31 pm
stephen levy is a registered user.
I don't understand what point you are trying to make.
By sustainable I meant levels of benefits and contributions to pay for them that did not create budget deficits over the long term.
a resident of Atherton
on Jul 14, 2012 at 4:37 pm
Peter Carpenter is a registered user.
"How would you share responsibility between recipients and others re moving toward sustainability with regard to Medicare and Social Security?"
Our elected representatives are constantly negotiating this issue and they wil be forced to make changes in the current system. They will, in the process, find a formula which shares the pain.
"And what parallels if any do you draw between public employees and Medicare and Social Security recipients as the beneficiaries in shared responsibility solutions?"
Again it should be a negotiated solution - but if the unions (like the MPFPD union) refuse to negotiate then they will be faced (as was the MPFPD union) with an imposed solution.
a resident of Midtown
on Jul 14, 2012 at 4:39 pm
> Current tax levels are not sufficient to meet rising health care costs and growth in the agin eligible populaiton.
Tax receipts, or tax rates, Stephen? You need to expalin.
a resident of Midtown
on Jul 14, 2012 at 6:02 pm
Many of your premises are incorrect:
1) The unsustainable pension & medical benefits were foreseen & could be predict, especially in such an educated community as Palo Alto; all of our elected officials, and the "top-notch" management staff know that our economy goes through cycles, yet they have approved benefit increases never factoring in the times when we will have a recession.
In the past, many of these elected officials and senior city management knew they would be long gone when the pension & medical benefits would blow up, and decided it was easier to kick the can down the road with the unions, especially since some of these politicians were supported by the union in their election campaigns.
2) Obamacare was suppose to hold down health care costs - how did that work out? it hasn't.
3) Several recent articles on CalPERS & CalSTRS have said the professionals wanted to lower the rate of return from 7.75% to 7.25%; the politicians would only let them lower it to 7.5% - why? a lower rate of return means the state and city governments would have to contribute even higher amounts and that would mean even greater cuts to services - More kicking the can down the road by politicians, and you don't hear unions raising any issue about this either, because they don't want to see more layoffs.
4) It not the aging baby boomers causing the retirement issue; it's the generous benefits of allowing government workers to retire as early as 50 years old. What if public safety people had to wait until 67 like everyone else who pulls social security? Or what if those public safety workers who retire at 50 because of the physical demands of the job were to take over functions like dispatch, customer service jobs, etc?
5) There were years that politicians decided not to budget contributions - instead they spent the money, instead of saving for a rainy day; buying votes.
Many of these have to do with union behavior - who are some of the largest campaign contributors - government worker unions. And they contribute to politicians who will vote for more benefits for the government workers. So to say "... nothing to do with employee behavior, public unions or any cause that can be reasonably be construed as the public employees fault." is at best naive, at worst being a shill.
You state most posters don't have "skin in the game"; most posters probably pay income taxes, capital gain taxes, sales tax, property taxes and inheritance taxes - so yes, they do have skin in the game. And many of these posters have been warning for years about the public sector worker benefit bombs, but politicians haven't been listening.
But if you want an idea for a solution, here's one: the city should pay the penalty or tax mandated by Obamacare (around $2000 per employee), and have the employees purchase their own health care on the exchanges that are suppose to be set up. Since these unions are such big supporters of Obamacare, let's see them walk the walk.
a resident of Midtown
on Jul 14, 2012 at 6:35 pm
> By sustainable I meant levels of benefits and contributions to pay for them that did not create budget deficits over the long term.
Stephen, if the level of benefits are not sustainable, then how can they be sustained? You seem to be offering a circular argument. Please explain. Aren't you really talking about raisng taxes?
a resident of College Terrace
on Jul 14, 2012 at 9:55 pm
"2) Obamacare was suppose to hold down health care costs - how did that work out? it hasn't."
What are you talking about? Most of the provisions haven't even gone into effect yet.
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Jul 15, 2012 at 2:20 pm
I have to say, I typically disagree with Mr. Levy's assertions.
When it comes to government's ability to run government, California is a doozie at just about every level. There are so many angles to all this.
I get the sense that with numerous government entities (city of Stockton, et.) there was negligence with full knowledge that taxpayers would be "on the hook" or have to "bail out" or "deal with it" -- in future, down the line when wildly generous med/pension schemes, capital building expenditures, etc., etc. prove outrageously costly and unsustainable. It's not just a question of being a bit optimistic, it's about sweetheart deals with unions to the extreme detriment of taxpayers.
I am really conerned about those government officials who deal with/negotiate with union officials - AND many of the union officials. We already went through some well-documented horror situations with country treasurers. These people don't seem too accountable - however, we really need to find ways to make decision makers more accountable (start with city councils). Please study issues and candidates closely and always vote.
It isn't merely a slowdown in the economy or some such excuse to account for difficulties we taxpayers now face with regards to outrageous union agreements (bennies, health, retirement schemes)- it's out and out negligence, lack of reasonable business acumen or even caring about public dollars. Look no farther than the California state legislature. It has nothing to be with being a "tea-bagger" I am nothing of the kind - but anyone with any common sense knows the state of California has exceptionally poor leadership and representation and the fiscal situation is disgraceful.
a resident of Fairmeadow
on Jul 15, 2012 at 2:33 pm
> It does not matter, except to historians, how these unsustainable
> compensations and pension benefits were granted/achieved;
> what matters is that they are no longer affordable.
On the contrary, it matters immensely. We need to know exactly how this happened, so that we can construct the necessary policy/legislative structural changes to try to avoid these pitfalls in the future.
We certainly know that there was a time that public sector unions were no legal. It certainly would benefit us all to have a very detailed history, name-by-name and law-by-law, that got us into this mess. It's not clear that we can hold the politicians accountable, but we can unravel the legislative structure which they have put in place that generally protects public sector unions, and their cost escalations.
We also need to have it etched in stone that this mess was created by politicians, who took money--in one form or another--from unions, and other special interest groups, like trial attorneys, to create laws that have driven up the cost of medical care, for instance, in ways that we now call "unsustainable".
Yes, it very much matters how we got here. The same goes for the current financial system meltdown. Saying, for instance, it doesn't matter finding out how the LIBOR was manipulated, it just matters admitting that it was will only lead to other financial frauds in the future. Same is true with this matter of unsustainable government spending.
a resident of Fairmeadow
on Jul 15, 2012 at 3:02 pm
Steven Levy writes:
1) Agreements were made about benefit levels and the cost sharing responsiblities of employees that now look unsustainable and out of step with changes in private company benefits
2) Health care costs have continued to rise far above the rate of growth in the economy.
3) Investment returns on state and local pension contributions have declined below levels assumed by pension fund managers.
4) The number of aging and retiring workers is growing as the large baby boom generation is aging.
5) There were years in the early 2000s in which cities and the state did not make pension contributions.
The last four causes have nothing to do with employee behavior, public unions or any cause that can be reasonably be construed as the public employees fault.
Assumption #2 is clearly false, since labor costs are the most significant driver of health care costs. Labor unions are a significant portion of the health care labor force. Moreover, there is the issue employee individual behavior that contributes to health care claims. Smoking, leading to various cancers, is something that drives up health care costs. To what extent public sector unions can influence their rank-and-file is an open question, but to suggest that the unions should have no influence here is just naïve, or misguided.
Assumption #3 ignores the fact that unions have members/representatives placed on pension fund boards of directors. While the average rank-and-file member doesn't have much say in who this representative is, or does, none-the-less, these people have influence in the direction of how CalPERS/CalSTRS manages its money. The locals should be paying attention to the direction, and results, of CalPERS/CalSTRS, since its their money on the line. If they don't, then they have failed, to some extent, to help direct the pension funds to the fullest of their capabilities.
Assumptions #4 and #5 suggest that the unions could not have hired their own economists and made projections about the financial health of their pension funds in the coming years.
Chicago's Union Pension Scandal — A $56 Million Scam On The Taxpayers:
Web Link
As Chicago's pension system spirals out of control after years of overpromising and underfunding by politicians, a scandal involving union leaders and their powerful political allies underscores the corruption that threatens many states and cities across the country. TheChicago Tribune recently exposed a scheme in which 23 former unionized city employees stand to earn upwards of $56 million in pension benefits because of a sweetheart deal enacted by the Illinois legislature.
The number of pension-fund frauds that have been perpetrated by union officials, with the general knowledge of the rank-in-file, ultimately has resulted in untold billions disappearing from taxpayer-backed funds. Mr. Levy's suggestions seem to ignore these facts, or perhaps he doesn't pay attention to these contributions to our current state of affairs.
Additionally, pension "spiking", including fraudulent disability claims by predominately public sector employees, also has generated untold billions in additional pension liabilities. To suggest that "employee behavior" is not responsible for "spiking" and fraudulent claims defies the imagination.
As to Levy's attempts to deflect the argument away for the mess here in Palo Alto by dragging Social Security in the picture—that's old news. Every year the CBO/GAO, as well as each of the individual agencies, outlines the financial health for these particular benefits in our "social net". In all cases, these agencies are destined to run out of money within the next thirty years. Why? Because they are a Ponzi scheme, and no one in the US seems to have the courage to do anything about it. As Pogo said a long time ago: "We have met the enemy, and they are us!"
a resident of Downtown North
on Jul 16, 2012 at 10:26 am
"the state of California has exceptionally poor leadership and representation and the fiscal situation is disgraceful."
In a democracy, people get exactly the government they deserve. (Who first said that, BTW?)
Our city leaders have to negotiate with their employees, but they are not required to negotiate stupidly. And it ain't the union types who are getting the big checks, it's the pensioned-off management slickies.
a resident of Community Center
on Jul 16, 2012 at 1:17 pm
Paul Losch is a registered user.
We must get past the partisan rhetoric, think and execute public employee benefits going forward that are sustainable.
One of my adult children is starting a job next month as a public school teacher. He and his cohort need a different arrangement for their benefits if they work in public service.
Elected officials at all levels, local, state, national, threw too many bones for decades. Not to denigrate the hard working people who have been critical to our country's accomplishments.
But, the current formula needs a reformulation. It will ugly and difficult.
a resident of Atherton
on Jul 16, 2012 at 1:20 pm
Peter Carpenter is a registered user.
"execute public employee benefits going forward that are sustainable."
The only way to do that is to convert all existing and new employees to a defined contribution pension where there is no unfunded liability.
a resident of Community Center
on Jul 16, 2012 at 3:56 pm
The solution for public pensions is the same for Social Security and Medicare: Cap the expenses at a fixed percentage of GDP.
For Medicare - cap the expense at a limit of 4% of GDP. Cut benefits in the formulary, drug benefits, payments to companies, procedures to doctors, death-spending, etc. until the limit is met. (Rationing)
For Social Security - let's recognize it is a generational transfer, and there is no benefit beyond transferring a certain amount. 7% of GDP is the most recent value. Let's just cap it. Then make trade-offs within that cap - trade off retirement age, means-testing, benefit levels. (rationing)
Once the cap is set, then the fair thing to do is to make negotiated tradeoffs in service vs need.
For public pensions - same deal: cap the expense at a percentage of annual tax revenues. Then negotiate between prior employees (pensioners) and new employees. The current unfairness is that current retirees get all the take with established long-term contracts; while new employees get jacked. The taxpayers is not here to bail anyone out.
That is one reason why defined benefits are most useful: it pushes ALL the decisions and information into today's dollars. By avoiding long-term, unknown, undefined commitments, you can have a fair negotiation. Once everything has been moved to today's dollars, and capped at a limit that is sustainable, then let the negotiations begin fairly.
a resident of Community Center
on Jul 16, 2012 at 3:58 pm
ugh - typing too fast. One correction:
"that is why defined CONTRIBUTION is most useful: it pushes all the decisions and information into today's dollars."
(not defined benefits. Sorry)
a resident of Downtown North
on Jul 16, 2012 at 5:33 pm
"convert all existing and new employees to a defined contribution pension where there is no unfunded liability"
Please give us some background so we can judge your cred, Mr. Carpenter. What type of pension do you have, how was it funded, who managed the investment details (not the overall allocations, but the day-to-day details), and how has it fared in this economy?
a resident of Downtown North
on Jul 16, 2012 at 10:15 pm
@ Peter Carpenter who wrote, "There is the Warren Buffett quote that when the tide goes out, you find out who has been swimming naked."
Not a pretty picture if you think this is the Palo Alto equivalent of Harry Reid's "17 angry old white men".
a resident of University South
on Jul 17, 2012 at 11:08 am
stephen levy is a registered user.
There are five main causes of the fiscal challenges facing local and state governments across the country caused by rising benefit costs:
1) Agreements were made about benefit levels and the cost sharing responsiblities of employees that now look unsustainable and out of step with changes in private company benefits
2) Health care costs have continued to rise far above the rate of growth in the economy.
3) Investment returns on state and local pension contributions have declined below levels assumed by pension fund managers.
4) The number of aging and retiring workers is growing as the large baby boom generation is aging.
5) There were years in the early 2000s in which cities and the state did not make pension contributions.
I think it is interesting that the same situation is true for the promised benefits for Social Security and Medicare. As the baby boomers age and more and more people become eligilbe for Social Security and Medicare, the promised benefits are not matched by existing revenue streams.
Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries (current and future) did not cause the rise in the older population, did not cause the rise in health care costs, and did not cause the slow economy that reduced revenue growth. Just as public unions did not cause these parts of the retirement benefits challenge.
Probably we are ALL participants in not enacting solutions sooner--either for local and state governments or for Social Security and Medicare.
While there are differences in the detaisl most state and local governments and most people who talk about reforming Medicare and Social Secuirty agree that agreements for new people coming into these programs should change to reduce future costs.
But what about existing participants either who are now eligible or will become so soon and who have made plans around receiving current benefits.
Posters are quick to change plans for current public union employees regardless of earlier promises and contracts. Do you also favor changing Medicare and Social Security arrangements for people who are now or will be shortly eligible? If so, how would you do that and why is it fair?
One poster above did notice the similarity between public employee benefits and Social Security and Medicare promises. While I don't agree with his solution it is directly responsive to the common challenge of promised benefits not sustainable under current financing procedures.
Are there other posters not so consumed with hatred for city employees, managers and the council who can suggest arrangements that they would apply to themselves as current or future Medicare and Social Security beneficiaries and public employees.
a resident of Atherton
on Jul 17, 2012 at 11:23 am
Peter Carpenter is a registered user.
Stephen asks " Do you also favor changing Medicare and Social Security arrangements for people who are now or will be shortly eligible? If so, how would you do that and why is it fair?"
Thanks for getting us back on topic.
YES I favor changes in Social Security that include increasing the income limit on withholding and changing to later retirement dates.
Yes I favor changes in Medicare which increase pre-enrollment contribution rates and some adjustment of co-pay for individuals who are still receiving higher levels of current income.
a resident of University South
on Jul 17, 2012 at 12:06 pm
Thanks Peter for staying on point and putting some of your skin in the game for solutions.
These are thoughtful proposals as is considering defined contribution plans for new public employees as part of solving retirement fisca challenges.
a resident of Palo Verde
on Jul 17, 2012 at 4:28 pm
I question the ethics of Social Security withholding. The average person is led to believe that their retirement benefit will be proportional somehow to their lifetime contribution. Turns out to be something like replacing 90% of your average annual wage up to $9000, then maybe 32% of your next $45,000, and only 15% of amounts above that up to the income limit. Few people are aware of how diminishing their return is. I would suggest that the very progressive part of this tax be subsumed into the federal income tax where it belongs. FICA withholding should phase out, to say maybe just 2% of wages exceeding $54,000. The shift could be revenue neutral and we'd see our 28% bracket jump to 40% (to include the so-called employer's half of the 12.4%), more accurately reflecting that our tax money is going into the big pot rather than our own account.
I'm not in my area of expertise (if any) here, but I'm compelled to challenge raising the income limit on Social Security withholding. It's an underhanded way to extract another 6.2% from high wage earners while accusing them that their federal tax bracket remains unchanged at an historically low 28% (or 33-35 for those way up there). If higher income taxes are truly deemed necessary, then let's raise the income tax rates where everyone will see it, not hide them and feed the flames of envy. (An opposing view is expected from people with substantial interest or dividend income.)
a resident of Community Center
on Jul 17, 2012 at 10:50 pm
Stephen - I appreciate your blog, but why the assumption that taxpayers have to put MORE skin in the game? Some of us are being skinned alive already.
We are taxed for services; not for the purpose of resolving bad faith corrupt negotiations; not for guaranteeing health care costs; not for aging populations! These are all risk items that every private sector employee carries.
Why the assumption that somehow public workers can foist these risks off onto taxpayers?
Same goes for Medicare and social security. We ALREADY provide the benefit of these programs. Our skin is 100% of all the skin in those games.
Cap the costs, lower the benefits to live within the cap. Update annually for people already retired.
Public emoyee unions: I would do the exact same if law allowed.
What we can do is tax state pensions over $75k at a rate of 70% . That is still well above median income and will return excess funds back to the state. Such a scheme is legal and fair - it returns at least a small fraction of the corrupt bargain that unions gamed from politicians.
a resident of Greater Miranda
on Jul 18, 2012 at 5:59 am
Gotta say. I spent a lot of time writing 2 on-topic posts re: Medicare and SS reform, and how the principles relate to our pension/promises reform. They were there yesterday, and gone today. What happened? On topic, respectful, part of answering the question asked about supporting Medicare/SS reform..why removed? Long, yes, maybe too long and detailed?..but these are not topics for soundbites.
a resident of University South
on Jul 18, 2012 at 8:19 am
stephen levy is a registered user.
Perspective, here is the post you wrote for the other pension blog. Thanks for responding to the topic with your ideas.
Yes I favor both SS and Medicare reform to SAVE the programs for the next generation coming up.
1) No reason to give full benefits at 65. Anyone 55-60, works till 66 for benefits, with an incentive ( like now) for every year of delay until 70.
2) 50-54 works till 67, with incentives to 71.
3) 45-49 works till 68, with incentives to 72
4) 40-49 works till 69, with incentives to 73
5) under 39 works till 70, with incentives to 74.
Change the SS contribution system..let us buy into PRIVATE investments that we KEEP and use as we choose, that we can then will to our children or charities or whoever we wish. Those who don't want to do this, fine..rely on smaller govt payouts. Those who do know that 40 years in a private investment for retirement gives a much higher return on the money than our govt. And it is OURS. Don't trust folks to do it? Have an automatic SS withdrawal like now, but give an opt-out into a private investment account for some percentage of the money.
Medicare: Let us buy insurance we want to buy, and KEEP IT our whole lives, that covers what we WANT to cover depending on what we are willing to insure against. It is insane that we, the taxpayers, spend 50% of the Medicare dollars on the last 6 months of life. Why? There is no stop to the medical intervention that happens when people are clearly failing and dying..monthly hospitalizations for heart failure or pneumonia are common. How to control it? Not the government telling me I am "too old" or "too sick" to get treatment..ME deciding what level of insurance I am willing to buy. Give me voucher, if you insist on government paying..let me buy the insurance I want with it. I may choose to not pay for insurance when I am 80 that covers heart transplants, dialysis, total hip replacements and major cancer surgeries. My choice.
If that is too scary for government-dependent folks, there is no solution other than to limit services based on age and/or illness.There needs to be a limit on at what level of function a total hip or heart surgery is useful. The problem is that if we have govt deciding this "limit", there will be people who do NOT get these surgeries who are actually quite capable of living 10 more useful years. That worries me. There needs to be a limit on how long one can be paid for in nursing homes. We now have a system where the nursing homes have no incentive to get the patients strong enough to return home..and keep them the "100 days" that they are "entitled to" by Medicare A, especially if they are covered for the other 20% by MediCal or private sub-insurance. Everybody is happy with it..the patient for staying, the nursing home for the money. No incentive to work and get OUT to home. Time for a PPO system like was instituted for hospitals in the 90s.
a resident of Midtown
on Aug 10, 2012 at 10:55 am
In today's Daily Post there is a headline stating that each and every Palo Alto citizen owes more than $9k to service exisiting benefit obligations. This grim estimate, by a public benefits expert, assumes a better than 7% internal return by CalPers. This past fiscal year, CalPers returned only about 1%.
Unless I am missing something important, we are facing a crisis!
a resident of University South
on Aug 10, 2012 at 11:07 am
stephen levy is a registered user.
The Post article is a good reminder of a fiscal challenge not yet solved.
I think everyone agrees that the current level of benefits (health and pensions) reflect promises that are hard to keep. The Daily Post cites Joe Nation as referencing three causes---high levels of benefits, years in which cities did not contribute and overly optimistic assumptions on rates of return--at least in light of the recent recession.
I think the debate is over how to move toward sustainability for the future and how the costs should be shared among beneficiaries and the public.
I have argued in this thread that both parties contributed to the unfunded liabilities and, like with Medicare and Social Security, beneficiaries will need to contribute more and new enrollees should expect lower benefit levels. I also think the broader public will need to put something in the pot as our share of a problem we all allowed to be created.
a resident of Midtown
on Aug 10, 2012 at 11:55 am
Stephen, if the actual return on CalPers internal return is %3 (possibly optimistic), instead of over %7 (the current absurd prediction by CalPers), how much will every Palo Alto citizen be obligated to pay?
a resident of University South
on Aug 10, 2012 at 12:07 pm
stephen levy is a registered user.
Jon, there is no clear answer to that. Residents will probably not have to shoulder the full burden as employees are and will be asked to contribute more and benefit levels for new employees will be lower than currently.
So the unfunded liability will begin to shrink (hopefully). And I think a reasonable expectation for rate of return coming out of a recession is in the 5-6% range but probably not 7 1/2%.
But no doubt this is not an easy challenge to solve.
a resident of Midtown
on Aug 10, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Stephen, I have some market-based CD investments (about $200k) spread out through various models through my local bank. The principal is protected (FDIC), since I am risk averse. Of the three current models, my highest rate of return is about %3; my lowest is 0.9%. Since CalPers should be largely risk averse, in order to make sure that its principal is not eroded, how do you suggest that 5-6% is a reasonable rate of internal return? Isn't CalPers being absurdly unrealistic about its estimates? Aren't you, a professional economist focused on California issues, also being optimistic?
I just don't see it, Stepehn. Where is safe growth, above %3 (for CalPers) going to come from? California is sinking, not rising. If you accept, for the sake of argument, the %3 internal rate for CalPers, where does that put us? Remember, last year it was only 1%.
a resident of University South
on Aug 10, 2012 at 12:43 pm
stephen levy is a registered user.
Public pension funds manage for total return over the long run. They have a mix of fixed income securities, stocks and physical assets. They are not all or primarily invested in short term fixed income securities.
Yes, fixed income yields are very low now but that is not expected to last over a 10-30 year horizon. If they do, I will indeed be optimistic. Yields will remain low for a while but the big jump in payouts is also not expected in the near term.
Also if economic growth does not return to normal levels my rate of return assumption will be optimistic.
But all folks who do the forecasting out 10-20 years expect a return to full employment and normal economic growth.
Still it is reasonable to plan for lower returns than 7 1/2% per year.
a resident of Midtown
on Aug 10, 2012 at 1:27 pm
Stephen, the assumptions of the past, when our economy was in high gear(e.g dot.com, real estate bubble), should not be relied upon. It is much safer to assume a 'new normal', then deal with the fundmentals on the ground. The figure of 3%, or less, seems to me to be about right.
BTW, my investments are not fixed income based, they are market based, with principle protection. I invest in commodities, BRIC, etc. Yet, my top return is 3%, which is why I suggest 3% as a target model for discussion, and this may be optimistic for CalPers.
So, Stephen, for the sake of argument, and assuming a 3% CalPers internal rate of return, how much do we Palo Alto citizens owe in obligations? Joe Nation says about $9k per citizen, based on much higher rates of return. At 3%, how much do we owe? A simple, back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests about $20k. Do you agree? Or is it even worse?
a resident of University South
on Aug 10, 2012 at 2:04 pm
stephen levy is a registered user.
Jon, I am going to stop now since I have given you my answers and you seem intent on arguing with me.
If you want to do hypothetical math exercises, do them yourself.
a resident of Midtown
on Aug 10, 2012 at 2:15 pm
Stephen, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Why have you stepped out of a very rational discussion?. I simply asked you about a 3% internal return for CalPers, given that last year it was 1%.
Simply taking your marbles out of the game will not change the game. You are a professional economist, yet you refuse to consider realist potential models. 3% is a realistic potential number for CalPers, maybe even optimistic.
I think you owes us better than that, Stephen.
a resident of another community
on Aug 10, 2012 at 4:35 pm
If I may be so bold. I believe Steve can't waste his time debating with someone who is totally clueless about Calpers.
Jon, here's a good place to start: Web Link it's a link to a Calpers press release. It's obvious you have been drinking the media and Jim Keene Kool Aid trying to blame pensions for the economic downfall.
a resident of Midtown
on Aug 10, 2012 at 5:19 pm
"The 124 billion dollars of income in the nine-year period 1999-2007 has been reduced in half by the combined losses of 67 billion in 2008 and 2009. This totals to 57 billion dollars of investment income during this 11-year period, or about 5.1 billion a year on an investment portfolio of 261 billion in October 2007 and down to 186 billion in October 2008. This is a 2.5% return on investment over the 11-year period." (Wikipedia)
2.5% is less than 3%. I want to know what Palo Alto citizens will owe, if the CalPers internal return is 3%. I am not asking for fairy dust, which is what helped to get us into this mess.
a resident of Midtown
on Aug 10, 2012 at 9:03 pm
In case Stephen or "Ex-employee" do not understand, a 7% internal return for Calpers will double the investment principle in about (10)years (with no subtractions for beneficiaries); however, if the return is 3%, then it is about 24 years. These are huge differences, in terms of local budgeting decisions. CalPers requires contributions from its participants, like Palo Alto.
A reasonable analysis would suggest that Palo Alto is in a HUGE hole, and we will not be able to dig ourselves out without major budget cuts and large tax increases. Stephen Levy does not like to talk about it, seriously, but Joe Nation has raised the issue, in a light-weight way. Both of them have rose-colored glasses on, though.
Think about 3% CalPers growth, which is larger than in the past decade or so, then calculate how much of our City general fund will be spent on supporting CalPers. It's ugly, but we need to face the ugly, going forward. It's not going away.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Aug 12, 2012 at 12:24 am
Stephen Levy, while I appreciate your contribution to the discussion of both a corrupt CalPERS and mis-information , I can't more emphatically disagree with you point (5):
"5) There were years in the early 2000s in which cities and the state did not make pension contributions."
Every city in this state has made every pension contributions CalPERS has required and they are the organization that sets the rates, and many have paid significantly more by trying to buy down their debt (CalPERS charges 7.75% interest on unfunded liabilities) or selling Pension Obligations Bonds, a gamble, in an attempt to reduce their debt service. At NO TIME have cities paid anything less than what CalPERS charges.
Your knowledge is either suspect or your opinion is self serving, and I'm guessing your comments are self serving.
What really happened is CalPERS was 132% funded in 1999-2000 (32% more funds than what was required to meet current/future pension obligations). BUT...The public employee unions viewed that money as their own and wanted a distribution - even though the excess dollars really represented a taxpayer reserve (the taxpayers assume ALL the risk). Using their financial muscle, CalPERS (and the unions control CalPERS because they control the CalPERS Board due to their majority voting power) pushed legislation -SB 400 & AB 616 that increased pension benefits by 50%, and in many cases retroactively, which essentially consumed the entire taxpayer reserve.
Now that the markets have struggled, and the reserves have been consumed by the ridiculous level of increased benefits, and funding levels are down to sub-sixty percent levels, we get to here from people like you that claim it is all someone else's fault.
And what taxes are you asking me to support? BTW, The PD contract is a JOKE - who negotiated that mess?
a resident of Midtown
on Aug 17, 2012 at 10:00 pm
Moody's is now seriously considering a general downgrade of California municipal bonds. It just keeps getting worse for our cities, including Palo Alto.
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text: SINCE 2006~ THE HANDWOVEN BLOG~ about land and homes on the land in Asheville, N.C. ~ News you can use from The Experts: Land and home trends,"design-for-all"advantage,information from ePRO® NAR®GREEN & Eco Certified ® Real Estate professionals. "Boomers" and "Land Lovers" like us can enjoy the benefits of our experience, advanced training and top-ranked quick start guides. (see below) (:) The Necessary Disclaimer! We disclaim liability for damages or losses, direct or indirect that may result from use of or reliance on, information contained in the blog or for accuracy of comments or opinions of visitors to our blogs.


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The first indie release by Amel Larrieux – and a great one! Amel's sounding stronger than ever here – working in stripped-down territory that recalls her earlier work, yet which also put her in the forefront of underground soul artists keeping the genre fresh and strong. After years singing with Groove Theory, Sweetback, and on other projects, Larrieux's vocals are incredible – deeply-crafted, but never overdone and cloying – sliding around with a style that's sweet and righteous at the same time, and set here amidst arrangements that have some great twists and turns. Nicely defying cliche, Amel's got a sound here that's fresher than ever! Titles include "For Real", "Congo", "Sacred", "Giving Something Up", "Beyond", "All I Got", "Say You Want It All", and "Dear To Me". (Out of print.) © 1996-2017, Dusty Groove, Inc.
If something is noteworthy, we try to note it in the comments — especially if it is an oddity that is the only wrong thing about the record. This might include, but isn't limited to, warped records, tracks that skip, cover damage or wear as noted above, or strictly cosmetic flaws.
We have only one grade for non-new CDs at Dusty Groove — "Used CD". This grade is somewhat all-encompassing, but we choose it because we try to offer Used CDs in the best shape possible. All of our Used CDs are guaranteed to play without skipping or flaws. If you purchase a Used CD from Dusty Groove, you have 1 week to play it to determine that it plays correctly — and if it does not, then you may return it for a full refund.
With our Used CDs, you can expect the disc to be free of all but the lightest of surface marks — clean, and not dirty at all. You can also expect the case to be clean (we often change the cases ourselves — putting fresh cases on Used CDs we handle) — and you can expect the booklet to be in good shape, unless noted otherwise. We will list any specific details/defects underneath the item — so look for notes on cutout marks in the case, stamps on the barcode, or details like that.


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Lovely Apartment Near Time Square
Size65 m²
Floor No.
- Family/child friendly
- Internet/WiFi
- Kitchen
- Air conditioning
- Towels
- Parking available
Accommodation summary
|51st Street, 07047 North Bergen, United States
|Property type
|Property ID
|Acceptance rate
|Response time
|A few hours
|Calendar updated
This apartment is located on a GROUND FLOOR and it is approximately 800 Sq. Ft. It has 1 private bedroom, 1 bathroom, living/dining area and kitchen (open layout). The kitchen has a microwave, toaster, coffee maker and a full size refrigerator. In addition, it has CENTRAL AIR/CENTRAL HEAT. BEDROOM - King Size Bed (sleeps 2 ) - Double Day Bed (sleeps 2 ). KITCHEN AND LIVING/DINING AREA - Queen Sofa Bed (sleeps 2) - Dinette Set (4 people) - 40" TV. BATHROOM - Shower - Tub. SOME OF THE AMENITIES - Fresh linens and Towels - Wireless Internet Access - Hair Dryer - Iron and ironing board - Body Wash - Shampoo - Conditioner - Parking.
We also provide pick up/drop off services to JFK, La Guardia and Newark Airports for an additional cost. Please contact us for rates and any other information
North Bergen is located on the other side of the Lincoln Tunnel and it is approximately 20 minutes away from TIMES SQUARE AREA/MIDTOWN MANHATTAN/PORT AUTHORITY BUS TERMINAL. We are closer to Midtown Manhattan than staying in New York itself in places like Brooklyn, The Bronx and Queens. NYC transportation is only 2 blocks away, the NJ Transit Bus # 159 runs 24/7, the bus fare is $3.20 one way, but if you buy a minimum of 10 tickets at the vending machines located at Port Authority Bus Terminal, you pay only $2.70 per ticket. In addition, train and ferry services are also nearby.
You can enjoy the best of both worlds by staying in this beautiful apartment, enjoy New york all day long and come back to this peaceful and quiet neighborhood which is also very accessible to Hoboken, the official home of the famous Carlo's Bakery of Cake Boss and the birth place of Frank Sinatra. Hoboken is only 3 miles away, you can take the train ($2.10 one way ) and you can be there in 10-15 minutes to enjoy trendy shops, restaurants and the breathtaking New York Skyline. It is also minutes away from the Meadowlands and Giants Stadium. Walking distance to supermarket, liquor store, groceries, bakeries, diner, shops and different ethnic restaurants located on Bergenline Ave. If it is one of those days that you are tired from walking all day in the city, you have the options of ordering food to be delivered from different places like Pizza Hut, Chinese Restaurants, Thai Food Restaurants, Mexican Food, Domino's Pizza, Papa John's Pizza, Sushi & Gourmet Chinese & Japanese Food. etc. You will have the convenience of everything whether it is a short walk or a phone call away.
House rules- Absolutely NO smoking is allowed in the apartment. You would need to go outside.
- Garbage should be taken out to trash cans located by the parking lot (rear).
- No other guests are allowed to stay overnight unless is authorized by us.
- If any additional guests stays overnight, there will be a charge of $100 per person.
- No wild parties. This is a quiet neighborhood and you should respect neighbors.
- No loud noises after 10:00pm and before 10:00 am.
- Please help us save the planet by shutting off all the lights when are not needed.
- SUMMER TIME: Thermostat (COOL) should be set to 72 degrees when not home.
- WINTER TIME Thermostat (HEAT) should be brought down to 62 degrees when not home.
- Please make sure all coffee makers are off before you leave every morning.
- No pets.
- No food eating in the bedroom.
|Price for > 2 guests
|14 € per guest/night extra
|Check-in after
|Check-in before
|On arrangement
|Check-out before
|Cancellation Policy
Reviews of this property
If you are looking for a place that´s home away from home, you found it with Ruth and Henry, as well as with Manny who was our driver from JFK to our apartment, if possible, we would have given at least a 10 star rating!
We´ve got a hearty welcome at the airport, in conjunction with a free sightseeing thru Manhattan. Our apartment was in one word gorgeous! The fridge was stocked with food which served us (party of 5) for at least 2 days, that was just awesome!
Within 15 minutes you will be downtown NYC, the instructions from our hosts were extremely helpful, a supermarket (Extra Supermarket) is just 5-10 minutes away.
We highly recommend this apartment and Ruth, Henry and Manny to everyone!
Hope to see you all soon,
Tanja and family
Very nice place to stay for holidays. Very good public transports nearby. Very good kitchen. Problem with the noise from a machine inside a locked room, maybe for the hot water (all night long which was a little difficult to fall asleep).
Ruth was very helpful in explaining how a family of six can best park and cruz thru NY. The apartment was also comfortable and we were welcomed with some goods in the fridge. Many thanks
Ruth is an absolutely perfect landlady. She is very courteous, kind and very sympathetic. She takes care of their tenants very, very good and she is always there for you. The apartment is perfectly clean, tastefully decorated and completely beautiful. The location is also fantastic. It left nothing to be desired. We travel a lot, but we've never been in such a great apartment. We thank you very much for everything, Ruth. We hope to see you again soon. God bless you ...
A beautiful apartment in a fantastic area with quick and easy transport straight to new York city. Ruth, Henry and Manny were all very helpful with transportation and tourist tips about where to have the best experience. I would happily recommend this apartment to anyone and would gladly stay there again. Thanks again Ruth Henry and Manny!
Reviews for this host's other properties
Fabulous. Spacious. Friendly.
Loved the house. The fantastic beds. The warm welcome. Thank you so much!
Try to fly to Newark, as JFK will almost certainly guarantee huge traffic jams.
That's an experience in itself. :)
Very well located apartment! The Patterson bus in 15 minutes at Port Authority for $ / ride and stop 3 around the corner, what more could you want?
The bed is a dream! The kitchen fully equipped with everything you need and for the first hunger Ruth gave us a loaf of bread, butter, milk, eggs and coffee provided. In the living room the couch and two armchairs can be pulled out to a bed. All very comfortable! We were completely satisfied and would definitely come back! Thanks again to Ruth!
Sehr gut gelegene Wohnung! Mit dem Patterson-Bus in 15 Minuten am Port Authority für 3$/Fahrt und Haltestelle um die Ecke, was will man mehr?
Das Bett ist ein Traum! Die Küche komplett ausgestattet mit allem was man braucht und für den ersten Hunger hat uns Ruth ein Brot, Butter, Milch, Eier und Kaffee bereit gestellt. Im Wohnzimmer kann die Couch und der Zweiersessel zu einem Bett ausgezogen werden. Alles sehr komfortabel! Wir waren rundum zufrieden und kommen gerne wieder! Lieben Dank nochmal an Ruth!
Very nice little apartment. It all started with a reliable, friendly and fast Mali contact. We were picked up from the airport. Although the apartment is located outside but is extremely well connected. The bus stop is right outside the door. The owner we met. Very sympathic. For our stay was everything available, even in the refrigerator, everything was for breakfast.
We can absolutely recommend the landlords and housing.
Sehr schöne kleine Wohnung. Alles fing mit einem zuverlässigen, freundlichen und schnellen Malikontakt an. Wir wurden vom Flughafen abgeholt. Die Wohnung liegt zwar außerhalb ist aber extrem gut angebunden. Die Bushaltestelle ist direkt vor der Tür. Den Vermieter haben wir kennengelernt. Sehr sympathisch. Für unseren Aufenthalt war alles vorhanden, sogar im Kühlschrank war alles fürs Frühstück.
Wir können die Vermieter und die Wohnung absolut weiterempfehlen.
A week NY, to the apartment of Ruth and Henry was just right. It was mainly the proximity to Manhattan, the minutes per Chickenbus in 15. was reached. And then the well-appointed apartment with a great king size bed. Granted, the living room was something very exposed to Sraßenlärm, but we got used to it soon, Manhattan's even louder.
Henry picked us up and drove back to Newark. We were able to check out late. At the beginning he gave us a filled Fridge. Just because. There were great days and Chickenbus drove us well and every few minutes from the house in the City. Thank you Ruth and Henry. We got along very well.
Eine Woche NY, dazu war das Apartment von Ruth und Henry genau richtig. Es war vor Allem die Nähe zu Manhattan, das per Chickenbus in 15 min. erreichbar war. Und dann die gut ausgestattete Wohnung mit einem tollen King Size Bett. Zugegeben, das Wohnzimmer war etwas sehr dem Sraßenlärm ausgesetzt, aber wir gewöhnten uns bald daran, Manhattan ist ja noch lauter.
Henry hat uns abgeholt und auch wieder nach Newark gefahren. Wir konnten spät auschecken. Zu Beginn übergab er uns einen gefüllten Fridge. Einfach so. Es waren tolle Tage und der Chickenbus fuhr uns gut und alle paar Minuten direkt vom Haus in die City. Danke Ruth und Henry. Wir kamen prima miteinander aus.
Nice property, very easy to get into NYC from here on the 'Chicken Bus' which is more frequent than a taxi, costs $3 each way and seem to run all night long. The property is in a quiet neighborhood with some shops nearby which have general stores, a liquor shop and a pizza place (if you haven't eaten a load already in NYC).
Henry picked us up when we arrived on the boat and was a charming host showing us the lower Manhattan area as we drove to the apartment.
Property was a good size with all of the amenities you need, the property had received some water damage which was pointed out to us on arrival. My only criticism would be that the damage was rather unsightly as well as the loose electricity sockets in every room and the ducting for the cables not being fixed properly which exposed cables and pipes.(would not pass as a rent able property in the UK!!).
Saying that the property was charming and full of character and as I say in terms of location it is probably quicker to get into the City than actually being in the City and certainly much closer than staying in Brooklyn which was our other option!
Would have been nice to have met Ruth, but Henry picked us up on our last day after collecting our bags from the apartment and met us by Chelsea Market then drove us to JFK which was a lovely way to round of or time in NYC with yet more great service.
We would certainly stay again!!
- Quality assured accommodation
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The high stakes of hiring
Page Tools
Recruiting a new person for a role is always something of a gamble. Loren Gary investigates how managers can tip the odds in their favour
Companies face new challenges that are quite distinct from those they faced in the war for talent days of the late 1990s. "Back during the dot-com boom, companies were so hard-pressed to fill positions that they lowered their standards," says Kevin Berchelmann, president of human capital consulting firm, Triangle Performance.
In todays leaner environment, budgets are tighter and there is more responsibility on everyones plate. When a new position is created, there is more pressure to fill it with the right person.
But even with all that, companies still do not invest enough time, thought, or resources in their hiring processes. Too many managers focus on the tasks required to perform a job rather than on the skills and behaviours necessary for success in that position. As a result, they do not have a clear sense of the qualities they need in a candidate.
Knowing what you want
Professor Joseph Weintraub, an organisational psychologist at Babson College, recommends that before you even post a job opening, draw up a list of the five or six competencies necessary for success.
It helps to think of someone in that position who did an average job as well as someone who did an excellent job. What were each persons specific behaviours, skills, and characteristics? Your answers will help you isolate the competencies that make for outstanding performance in that position.
"Subordinates are often better at spotting a good manager than the person supervising the position," says BJ Gallagher, president of consulting firm, Peacock Productions.
So if you are the hiring manager, make sure your list of key competencies comprises a 360-degree view of the position. Include peers and direct reports in the hiring interviews. At the end of the process, hold a calibration session, in which you bring all the interviewers together to share their observations and evaluations of the candidate, says Weintraub.
History repeating Too much interview time is spent on topics that will not help determine whether a candidate has the requisite skills. "The best predictor of future success is past behaviour," says Gallagher. "Spend your precious interview time asking very specific, very behavioural questions."
Do not ask a candidate what his greatest strengths and weaknesses are; rather, ask him to tell you about a time when he had too much on his plate or had to deal with an angry customer. As for any tests you give to candidates, make sure they relate to the specific position. Take behavioural and personality assessments.
Although such instruments can yield fascinating insights, they often "require us first to identify a personality trait that corresponds to the behaviour were interested in and then to figure out how to measure that trait,"writes Malcolm Gladwell in a recent New Yorker article.
The more contextualised the assessment - the more directly it tests for the specific job-related behaviour you are interested in - the better.
Trial by fire
Some companies prefer a different kind of test: the so-called stress interview, in which a group of interviewers tries to rattle the candidate.
How a candidate responds to this kind of pressure is "rarely an accurate predictor of how a candidate will perform under the actual pressures associated with the job," says Bob Losyk, a consultant who is the author of Managing a Changing Workforce: Achieving Outstanding Service with Todays Employees.
A more useful alternative: solicit the candidates thoughts about how to deal with a dilemma your unit is currently facing.
In the interview, do not get too hung up on whether a candidate has had the specific experiences you would like. Instead, look for the general competencies - resourcefulness, interpersonal savvy, a knack for problem solving, time-management ability - that are revealed through the experiences the candidate describes.
Team player In this regard, managers who have not done much hiring in recent years should be especially mindful of how the need to work across units has increased; during the interview process, they should seek evidence of the ability to do this.
In todays flatter, more decentralised organisations, initiatives succeed not so much because someone has declared that certain groups must work together but because an enterprising manager has skillfully worked the system, assembling the necessary resources and buy-in.
"Working across functional lines requires the ability to collaborate, communicate, and engage others," says Michelle Reina, president of research-consulting firm Chagnon & Reina Associates.
At the core, it is about relationship building, because you cannot just be self-serving in your attempts to get others onboard; to be successful, you have to be sensitive to others needs as well.
Going on instinct
"All the research indicates that we tend to hire and promote people like us," says Gallagher, co-author of Who Are "They" Anyway? A Tale of Achieving Success at Work Through Personal Accountability.
"When we go with our gut in making a hiring decision, were subconsciously evaluating ourselves. We have this gut feeling that there is good chemistry between us and the candidate, and then use logic to rationalise that feeling."
Intuition can play a meaningful role in hiring decisions, but only after you have done a lot of hard work to find people who think differently from you. This is especially important for senior management teams, where the desire for compatibility typically is very strong.
"Top teams often agree in principle with the idea of finding divergent thinkers, but when they see a like-minded thinker, that candidate becomes the bar that no different-thinking candidate can surpass," says Berchelmann.
It is difficult to find people who fit the senior teams culture and who also think differently, he acknowledges - which is why it will not happen unless you are very intentional about including both criteria in your search.
False economy Do not lose a highly qualified candidate because she wants $6,000 to $10,000 more than what you are offering. Even though money is rarely the most important factor in a candidates decision to take the job, it is still significant. "I dont want to bring anyone in, especially to a senior position, whos uncomfortable with his compensation," says Roy DiPasquale, COO of the general contracting firm Moorhouse Construction.
But should you agree to pay a new hire that much more than his peers? "Questions of parity come up all the time," says Berchelmann. "If all the qualified candidates for a position are expecting to get paid $10,000 more than all their peers in your organisation, then youve got an internal issue you need to address."
Demanding too much The desire to find the perfect candidate often leads a hiring manager to "look for more qualifications than the job actually requires," says Brad Turkin, executive vice-president of Comforce, a staffing and consulting firm.
"When you hire overqualified people, they may soon become unhappy when they learn that the position isnt sufficiently challenging," says Turkin.
The number of qualified candidates is forecasted to shrink over the next five years. As a result, no manager will have the luxury of believing that the ideal person is out there.
This does not mean you will have to lower your standards, but it does mean you will have to accept the fact that everyone has deficiencies, says Lisa Jacobson, founder and CEO of Inspirica, a one-to-one tutoring firm.
"A person gets really good at his job by doing it over and over. Ive learned to trust that process, so hiring becomes a matter of finding someone whos a seven on your rating scale and then building him up until hes a 10." Copyright 2005 Harvard Business School Publishing (Distributed by New York Times special features)
Skills versus attitude
Southwest Airlines is known for a hiring policy that emphasises attitude - defined as the fit between the candidates orientation and values, and those of the organisation - over skills.
Training can provide skills, the thinking goes, but if a candidate does not share the organisations values from the outset, no amount of training will remedy the situation.
When it comes to filling senior-level roles, however, the experts tend to agree that skills are just as important as organisational fit.
To be sure, fit is a crucial factor to consider. For example, if the company wants new blood to help take the organisation in a different direction, but the candidates values and orientation do not mesh with that strategy, hiring that person to a senior position "would be 10 times more damaging than hiring a similar-minded person to a lower level," says Babson College management Professor Joseph Weintraub.
Christine Lloyd, head of organisational development and change for Nokia, concurs. "Some of the worst senior-management hiring mistakes weve made have been around fit," she says. "At that level, its not just what the individual achieves thats important; its also how she achieves it."
But all that said, applicants should not even be considered for a senior position if they lack certain essential skills, says Stowe, organisational systems consultant Michelle Reina.
These key skills include financial responsibility, the ability to think strategically, cross-functional business expertise, and the ability to influence and persuade - along with a track record of success employing these skills and the market credibility that comes with it.
On top of these basic skills, companies are increasingly looking for evidence that a senior-level candidate is aware of the kinds of behaviours he is modelling and is "sensitive to the impact that change and transition will have on people and able to promote high engagement and high levels of collaboration," says Reina.
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Much of the promise of improvement in patient safety, outcomes and efficiency of care from the adoption of EHR systems lies in the ability to exchange health information between systems. However, the lack of adoption of standards for clinical data has led to a lack of interoperability between systems.. One strong intent of the EHR incentives programs is to enable HIE by fostering adoption of clinical data standards.
• Compatibility & Information Exchange
• HIMSS HIE Toolkit Directory
• State Health Information Exchange Program
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: What is Health Information Exchange?
• AMA Overview of HIE
These links are for research only. They are not endorsed by The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).


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Preparing to Travel
1. Obtain a passport and Visa if needed.
Find out the visa requirements for the country in which you plan to study and apply for your passport. Start this process as early as possible.
2. Make financial arrangements.
Meet with your financial aid counselor and work with a counselor in the Center for Study Abroad to apply for any special study abroad scholarships or financial aid.
3. Familiarize yourself with student conduct and safety abroad.
Students overseas are required to adhere to the UR "Standards of Conduct" and should follow recommended safety guidelines.
4. Review health care recommendations and requirements.
Important information regarding your physical and emotional health prepared by the UHS Health Promotion Office.


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Sheryl Sandberg - Facebook COO, ranked eighth on Fortune's list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business - has become one of America's most galvanizing leaders, and an icon for millions of women juggling work and family. In Lean In, she urges women to take risks and seek new challenges, to find work that they love, and to remain passionately engaged with it at the highest levels throughout their lives.
Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg's provocative, inspiring book about women and power - grew out of an electrifying TED talk Sandberg gave in 2010, in which she expressed her concern that progress for women in achieving major leadership positions had stalled. The talk became a phenomenon and has since been viewed nearly 2,000,000 times. In Lean In, she fuses humorous personal anecdotes, singular lessons on confidence and leadership, and practical advice for women based on research, data, her own experiences, and the experiences of other women of all ages. Sandberg has an uncanny gift for cutting through layers of ambiguity that surround working women, and in Lean In she grapples, piercingly, with the great questions of modern life. Her message to women is overwhelmingly positive. She is a trailblazing model for the ideas she so passionately espouses, and she's on the pulse of a topic that has never been more relevant.
©2013 Sheryl Sandberg; 2013 Random House Audio
Always moving. Always listening. Always learning. "After all this time?" "Always."
"Lean In, Lead On"
Sheryl Sandberg had me at, "I gained 70 lbs!"
I had heard a lot about this book, but I really wasn't sure that I could relate to this woman. At all. I expected a book by a carefully made up, wealthy, privileged woman with an excellent education in a token leadership position. I expected someone with a lot of help who could "do it all", with little – if any – credit to the people who helped her do it.
I, on the other hand, joined the Army for the college benefits, and I put myself through law school. I don't aspire to manage a corporation. In fact, indirectly, I work for one of the people she mentions in her book. I am an attorney, and I want to be the best litigator I can be. I am also the proud mother of two teenagers, and I worry that I shouldn't have worked outside of the home – but that wasn't a choice I had.
I was wrong about Sandberg. Like me, and the rest of us, she is real. Sandberg's a sociologist, a critic, a coach, a realist. Sandberg gives props to important leaders from Warren Buffet to Betty Freidan, and to her administrative assistant and her friends. Bravo! Sandberg, get out your pom-poms - Tip O'Neil is calling from the grave.
Sandberg doesn't mention "Games Mother Never Taught You" by Betty Lehan Harrigan (1987), but that is analogous to some of the tactics she recommends. Yes, it would be better if we (women) didn't have to bend to the (male) rules, but we do. Harrigan's book is a guidebook, and as helpful as Freidan's "The Feminine Mystique" in some ways.
There is a hysterically funny tale involving an eBay corporate jet and an itchy child's head, but for real fun, skip to Chapter 6 (7 on audible) and listen to the first minute. Sandberg reminds us even while we should do what we would do if we weren't afraid, motherhood keeps us grounded.
Oh, and did I mention – Sandberg is the COO of Facebook – and she really does know what she's doing?
This book is fantastic. Lean In!
[If you found this review helpful, please click the Helpful button. That's why I write these reviews!]
"Make your life count - no matter what you do"
I write this review as a way to invite EVERYONE to read this book.
The only character is my favorite - the woman who cares to make her life engaging and important to herself and those around her.
This is a book written as a manifesto and manual for changing the way women behave and are regarded. How you regard yourself and how our culture regards you.
I became accustomed to the narrator but would have preferred a more mature and mellifluous voice. I think the more mature voice might have also had more credibility.
For me, there is a nasal edge that grates ever so slightly the entire book.
All I could think was "Ms. Sandberg must have been mentoring or sponsoring this person".
No. In fact, this book is to be really listened to - the more attention paid, the better the results.
Also, there is a companion website that is spectacularly effective and interesting for building skills.
I might actually purchase the book as well as having listened to it. There are sections I will want to read again and again.
"full of useful info...without the corporate-speak"
Full disclosure: I'm a guy.
Wow, if women in corporate America have been walking around with these insecurities for the past too many years, there is a lot of repairing to do. Sandberg lays out a wide range of sensible solutions to pick from; all designed to allow women (or men) to perform at their highest level. If enough folks read this book and are able to bring its solutions to the workplace, we could probably add another percentage point or two to GDP growth! Narration is great.
Book nerd for life!
"Lean in...to this book!"
The entire story! Sheryl was open and authentic, honest and forthright. She gave us information about her path as well as suggestions for how women can do it better. An official favorite.
Highly recommended, for women AND men.
"Redefining Feminism"
Sherly Sandberg has redefined feminism to what women of my generation had always hoped it could become, a movement that gives people of both genders the freeedom to become all they choose to be. The book is well written and honest with specific suggestions on how women and men can make the workplace and home more supportive to allow for these choices. She shares her own personal experiences and success without arrogance, but in a manner that shares her learning with others to support them in their own journey.I bought the book in print for my son and daughter-in-law who are expecting their first child in July - a daughter. I bought the book for my daughter and all of her friends. She is early twenties just beginning her career. Sheryl has provided a road map by sharing her knowledge that will provide young women with information many of us wish we had had during our careers. Outstanding book which I believe will become a turning point in the feminist movement world wide.
Sheryl Sandberg isn't afraid to share. Everything is extremely personal and inspiring. I am recommending this book to my male friends. I believe that they will be able to understand and help with gender equalities if they read Sheryl's book.
Elisa's voice is similar to that of Sheryl's. I am glad that I listen to it rather than read it.
"I battled with the narration"
The narration was fine most of the time. The narrator often had a voice that sounded like she was a doll or consoling a child. It just felt like she was trying to sound extra girly and her voice was an octave higher than it should be. The topic of this book made me feel like that kind of sound was not appropriate for the book. The editing made it so it was sway between these different tones, I didn't love it. I didn't let these feelings ruin the book for me. I just would have preferred a different narrator.
Due to the statistics and facts that accompany each anecdote it would make it a bit painful to listen to in one sitting.
For the most part, I really liked her message. I like the stuff about work, but things related to having kids doesn't apply to me right now, so I found it less interesting. I think this book is definitely worth the read.
"Wow--if you're a mother/working women, a must read"
A must read!
Maybe some women don't need to hear this; maybe they are already aware and changing or simply not this way, but as an executive with almost two decades of experience, this one captured my attention and then left me gaping in horror--I was hearing her describe me! Only, I thought I was alone. I wanted to hear more--who was this intruder and how did she escape?
This is one I will keep in my office and hand out like candy
"Very inspiring!"
I would definitely reccomend this to a friend.
Even way (and I mean, wayyyyy) before I was a mother to my two children, I had always wondered how I would ever be able to juggle both work and motherhood. As a now stay at home small business owner, I still struggle to find the answers to my self or the family.
The author tackles the issue with her own highly professional career experiences with plenty of scientific data to back up.
Easy to read and very inspiring. Definitely a huge eye opener.
By the time I finished reading, I felt like as if I was given a clear path to the solutions, although it will not come without the help of my husband, now I see where I should put my full effort in achieving a good balance between work and home.
One thing though that I wished to see was how companies could provide a flexible work time without economical penalties... If there's any way!
But overall I'm very happy to have read the book and also given the media attention this book is getting already, I'm thrilled to see the movements that are coming along the way!
Thank you Sheryl for inspiring us women!
"Insightful book, with warm, energetic narration"
The book takes a frank look at issues affecting women in the workplace, cutting a swathe through the veil of political correctness around the topic. Sandberg takes no prisoners in her frank look at the subject, attacking gender stereotypes propegated by both men AND women. It's a unique voice in the discussion on modern feminism and honestly one that's needed.
"As a black woman let me say this!"
So many people who reviewed this had said it was hard to relate to her because she was Jewish and came from a middle class background. As a black woman from the lower class background I still found myself nodding and even clapping along to what was being said. This is a MUST read.
"Fantastic!! A must read for women and men!"
Inspiring, engaging and very interesting. Excellent narrative, uses data and information from a variety of sources to make objective points.
"Incredible thought provoking and powerful"
A clear look at the inequality that still plagues women on everyday life and how we must look and consciously identify our own barriers as well as those that people place in our way.
I found this book educational, with data backing up statements, thoughtful and very very powerful. By the end of this book, I found I was owning up for my own failing for not 'Leaning In' but also with a resounding commitment to 'sit at the table' and 'speak up'.
I believer that everyone should read/listen to this book at least once in their life. I would also recommend any person - Man or Women should listen to this book to ensure that they do not fall into systemic problems that have not yet been eradicated.
To shake things up, I would recommend an autobiography 'How to be a Woman' by Caitlin Morgan.
Whilst the narrative was good, I had to speed up the narration.
I needed to hear this advice. reading this was like having high quality mentoring. Thank you!
Definitely gave me a new perspective, made me look from a different angle. thank you
One if the best books I've listened to on audible, definitely read or listen to this book
"Great book!"
A good narrator, great topic of the book. I have only realised how very relevant it is upon reading it. I enjoyed the own-life stories and the data support. Highly recommended!
"This should be school curriculum reading"
I have listened to it twice already. There are stories and facts and figures that I want to be able to quote to people.
Shona Rhimes, year of yes. Both are inspiring books that every young person (of any gender) should read before leaving school.
Yes, although her voice gets a little irritating if you listen for too long. I gave performance 3 stars simply because it would have been nice is Sheryl herself had narrated it.
At many times I was shocked to hear how Sheryl and other women have been treated in the workplace.
Listen to this to understand how you could make the world a better place.
"good, but a bit oversimplified"
a really interesting book on a very important issue, but it sometimes the author oversimplified certain points to have more impact. Nevertheless I'd recommend it both for men and women as it's giving you a good insight on what we can do together to maximize the gain from the available workforce.
"Thought it was a self help book for women"
I thought this was a self help book for women in business, its not. I am not going to shun the book it is very interesting and the beginning section is really strong. But her tips come through her experiences which is wonderful but it nearly feels this book is used to clear up some issues that have been about in the press. And to also make Facebook look like the perfect company. So it started to grate on me.
Better off listening to 'do less, get more' by she wasmund.
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Scroll Lantern
- Overview
The intricate cut-out surface of our lantern adds stylish detail and texture to candlelight displays.
- Medium holds one votive candle.
- Large holds a 3" diameter, 6" high pillar candle.
- Made of wrought iron with a bronze finish.
- Dimensions & Care
- Medium Overall: 7.25" diameter, 13" high
- Medium Chain: 20.5" long
- Large Overall: 9" diameter, 18" high
- Large Chain: 28.5" long
- Wipe frame with a soft cloth.
- Shipping & Return Info
UPS can deliver most in-stock items within 4-5 business days.
Next Day Delivery and Processing
We can arrange for next day delivery to most destinations within the contiguous 48 states, for an extra charge of $17.50 per address. If we receive your order by 6pm PT Monday through Friday, you'll receive your order the next business day; orders placed on Friday after 6pm PT through Sunday will arrive on Tuesday. Note: Next Day Delivery service is not available for some oversized items, White Glove Delivery, out of stock items, personalized items or for items shipped directly from the manufacturer.
Select oversized items have an additional delivery and processing surcharge; this charge is listed below the item price.
View the complete Shipping and Delivery Information page.
We take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of each and every Pottery Barn product and we hope you love your purchase. If for any reason you do not, you have 30 days – or 7 days for all Quick Ship upholstery items – to return your purchase for a full refund or exchange. You can return most non-furniture items to your local Pottery Barn store – FREE.
Delivery fees are non-refundable and prior purchases are not eligible for a price adjustment. The following items are non-eligible for returns or exchanges:
- Monogrammed items
- Mattresses
- Gift cards
- Special-order items (including made-to-order upholstery and custom order rugs)
- Final Sale items (identified by a price ending in $.X7 or $.X9)
- Items damaged through normal wear and tear.
Questions? See our full Returns Policy.
You May Also Need
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Filled Glass Votive Candle, Set of 16
Wall-Mounted Lantern Hook
Wall-Mounted Lantern Scroll Hook
Please Select: Nickel finish
- Free Fast Shipping


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Qatar Airways is leading the way in the development of cleaner-burning alternative fuels that reduce aviation's impact on air quality.
We have partnered with Qatar Petroleum, Shell, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Qatar Science & Technology Park, and Woqod to advance the use of alternative fuels on commercial flights.
Together, we are striving to make a cleaner-burning jet fuel with a Gas to Liquids (GTL) kerosene blend that would replace standard fuels across the industry.
GTL jet fuel is a semi-synthetic, 50-50 blend of GTL and conventional jet fuel and can be used without any modifications to existing aircraft and engines.
The fuel is virtually free of sulphur and aromatics. As a result, the aircraft engine will emit less sulphur oxide and other pollutants. The environmental benefits of this are likely to include improved air quality around airports.
GTL jet fuel has a higher concentration of energy and weighs less than conventional jet fuel. It also offers improved thermal stability, so engines can run at hotter temperatures. This could potentially lead to better fuel economy, decreased aircraft weight, improved range performance, and decreased carbon dioxide emissions for specific aircraft/route combinations.
Cleaner-burning fuels could become a major factor in future air quality improvement initiatives for the entire airline industry.
With this in mind, construction of the world's largest GTL production plant is currently underway in Qatar. But we aren't stopping there—we're also researching the use of biofuels.


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Local Sheriffs Support Governor's Prison Proposal
Governor wants to rent private cells to reduce overcrowding
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Jerry Brown wants state lawmakers to approve spending $315 million to rent cells in private prisons and county jails as an alternative to releasing thousands of inmates.
The reduction in crowding is needed to comply with a federal court order by Jan. 1.
The order was designed to improve medical care for inmates.
Brown is appealing the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court but wants to avoid a mass release of inmates in the meantime.
Local sheriff's support his plan.
San Luis Obispo Sheriff Ian Parkinson said, "I have stated previously that I support the governor's prison plan in concept. To do otherwise would mean California would be forced to release inmates from state prison who are simply not ready to be released. I am against the arbitrary release of 10,000 inmates into our communities because of the inherent safety risks to the public."
Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said, "I believe Gov. Brown's action to rent prison space is in the best interest of the safety of the community. Releasing 10,000 inmates before they have served their sentences will guarantee an increase in crime in our neighborhoods."
And Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said, "I strongly support Gov. Brown's approach to deal with this trying and complex problem."


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California Wedding + My Dream Dress, Part IDear Wedding Gods, please send me the amazing dress below so that I can wear it every day of my life. And if you could throw in the shoes, that would be awesome. And Dear Rebecca at Docuvitae Photography, weddings
View CreditsRead More


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Here is the request of a Pontiac-ized Holden.
nice! i liked the Buick version too.
that looks great!!! only, with pontiacs new name theme, it would be G8.
yeah, but being my design, I won't hurt it with such boring and forgettable names.
I love it. It would work so well as a Pontiac...hey GM, bring it.
hey GTOfan- when i was 12 my father brought home a brand new 1969 GTO. there was a Judge at the dealership, but it was too bright for my father. he got a dark blue 4 speed one with everything. here it is.
There's no smiley for what I'm feeling right now.Beautiful! Amazing! Asombroso! Magnífico! Bellísimo!too bad he found the Judge too bright
I like it, but I honestly hope GM doesn't do what you're doing. Changing the grilles won't make for a new car...the Impala, Grand Prix, and Monte Carlo (and whatever Buick gets) all better have some unique sheetmetal on them. Same goes for the Camaro and GTO. I don't want them to look anything like their Australian cousins or even each other, except for the basic body styles.
[image]http://ohv.prettyblack.jp/1971roadrunner2.jpg [/image]
OK, Holden introduces some of the hottest cars I've seen, ever. And you say that you don't want American versions to look anything like them? Wow..
Look what happened with the GTO.
[image]http://ohv.prettyblack.jp/1971roadrunner2.jpg [/image]
Thats not what I meant anyway. I meant that I don't want the American versions to look like the exact same car with a Pontiac grille tacked on.
[image]http://ohv.prettyblack.jp/1971roadrunner2.jpg [/image]
well, I changed the whole foglight thing so a Pontiac grill tacked on is not the case, look
lol I know, I'm not saying your design is bad or anything. I'm just saying that when the cars come out, they should have their own body lines and personality, at least some different headlights and hoods and whatnot.
[image]http://ohv.prettyblack.jp/1971roadrunner2.jpg [/image]
i want pontiacs to be holden rebadges, and chevy and buick to be unique. i love aussie cars
the newer one, the chop that is, looks fantastic! hell, they both do!


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I would love to help someone, however mitre's and FMQ are my two weaker links :wink: and I do not handquilt...
I do love to paper piece, as well as piece and applique :D:D:D
Welcome to the Quilting Board!
I would love to help someone, however mitre's and FMQ are my two weaker links :wink: and I do not handquilt...
I do love to paper piece, as well as piece and applique :D:D:D
You know more that I do. You can teach someone what you do know. I am sure there are some newbies that would like to learn anything.Originally Posted by amma
Hi Amma, Do you want to be my mommy?
I did one quilt when I was in high school. One more when I was pregnant with my daughter and how have joined a quilting group.
I have a Sample Quilt 38x58 at the point where I am adding sashing and I'll be doing quilted solid blocks on the corners.
And I've bought the material for one and pattern for 3 Geisha panels that I want to make into Window Quilts.
Are you interested?
What a great idea and thread!!
I am willing to adopt someone. I do FMQ (meandering only), not to good with SID and have EQ5 software. I do not have a longarm, but know how to use one.
If I can help someone, I am willing to do all I can. Just PM me.
I love this idea! I'm a newbie and would love to be adopted :) I'm still struggling with working out the kinks in my new machine (Janome 6600P) to be able to quilt well on it!
Daughter!!! (((HUGS))) :D:D:D:DOriginally Posted by tkhooper
PM me and we can exchange info :D:D:D:D
Momma!!! (((HUGS, right back at u)))Originally Posted by amma
I sent you a PM. or two...
stop, you're making me PIMP (Pee In My Pants, for you newbies)Originally Posted by tkhooper
I will be someone's quilt mommy..been at it for about 5 years. my FMQ is the pits..but i keep trying. so if it is just piecing,or helping with a pattern,i can do that!
What a great idea!
SO who was the next in line to be adopted?!
:lol: :lol: :lol:
ok I am reading and want to be adopted, :oops:
I have been quilting, or trying, for the last 5 yrs or so. I have yet to finish a large quilt. and have been in such a hurry I feel that my lap quilts are lacking :-( . I am new to the sewing machine as of September of '09. I have tons of stash but not as much time as I would like. So I guess the biggest help I need is on encouragement, finishing a quilt, and using my machine. I have a babylock quilters choice. I still need to learn SO many things. So if you think you can help me I would be grateful! :mrgreen:


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In order to provide you with the best in online staff training, Upstairs Solutions has joined Care2Learn, Essential Learning, and Silverchair Learning Systems to become Relias Learning. We now offer a larger library of online courses and a more efficient learning management system for tracking and reporting on employee training.
To learn more about Relias Learning and how our new system can help provide your staff with the training they deserve at a fraction of the cost of traditional training, visit our new website.


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photos <3
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Fri, Feb 22, 2013 at 2:32 PM
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Fri, Feb 22, 2013 at 1:27 PM
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Fri, Feb 22, 2013 at 10:54 AM
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Just got my account!!
I really didnt like seein my page with nuthin on it so i diced to post this on my blog so yah :)