text:
Entrepreneurs and managers of startup companies and small business often under-value the "root" value of their enterprises. Similar to how a car, if it simply runs no matter how poor its condition, has a baseline value, so does a business.
At Growthink, we like to call this a business' "flywheel" value. By this we refer to the value of a business that comes simply from the core aspects of its existence – the assembly of a team of people committed to a common cause, an ability to process business from customers/clients (incorporation, a business bank account, etc.), a brand/history in the marketplace, and the learning/information/intelligence advantages that accrue to the business' principals via the expertise gained from repetitively grappling with and meeting client product and service expectations.
This "flywheel" value is borne out by statistics that, contrary to public perception, show that most businesses – once started – do NOT go out of business at the very high rates usually surmised. A survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business' Education Foundation bears this out. While the "common wisdom" is that 9 out of 10 small businesses fail within the first 3 years, the NFIB estimates that over the lifetime of a business, 39% are profitable, 30% break even (providing a living for the principals), and 30% lose money, with 1% falling in the "unable to determine" category.
In other landmark study in this regard in the Journal of Small Business Management, a study was conducted of 5,196 startups in 51 managed shopping centers across Australia over a 30 year period. The statistics showed that over 1/3 of all businesses survive 10 or more years, with less than 6% of theses businesses filing for bankruptcy within a decade.
What does this mean? While for sure growing a successful business requires large doses of talent, perseverance, opportunity, and yes luck, it is by no means an insurmountable challenge. And while weighing the risks and costs of originating and growing a business keep in mind the very large opportunity costs of NOT doing it. And don't be overly swayed by the naysayers who rely on faulty failure statistics for their pessimism.


text:
By Jennifer Gregory
Jennifer Gregory is a journalist with over 17 years professional writing experience. Jennifer blogs via Contently.com.
You have the right software. People are actually signed up to come to your webinar. You even have a few funny stories to tell. But if you are not able to keep your audience engaged in the presentation, you will be just a person on the other end of the computer screen and your webinar will not produce the maximum results.
Use these insider secrets to host a successful webinar that will help build your business and nurture your relationships with customers.
Think Back to College Speech Class
Even if you have the most fabulous graphics ever on your slides and make the audience laugh, you need informative, interesting, and relevant content to make your webinar a success. Get to know the needs of your audience and plan content that will help them meet their goals—which will in turn help you meet yours. Make sure that you provide information that your customers can directly apply either to their professional development or their current job.
Think about what you learned in your college public speaking class and carefully plan out what you are going to say. You might even want to revert from everything digital to using notecards. "All good stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end," says Brad Karash, President of JB Training Solutions. "When making a presentation, think about how you can weave in your main points with smooth transitions."
Practice, Practice, and Practice Again
If you appear unorganized, ramble during the presentation or waste time fumbling with the software, your participants will begin searching Craigslist for a new lawnmower or play Angry Birds on their smart phone instead of paying attention to what you are saying. One of the secrets to keeping the audience's attention is to appear confident, knowledgeable and professional. You should also make a conscious effort to eliminate annoying speech habits, such as the dreaded "um" and "eh" disease.
Wayne Turmel, author of Six Weeks to a Great Webinar and 10 Steps to Successful Virtual Presentation, suggests that you have two full dress rehearsals of the webinar with the first practice run being at least 10 days before the webinar. "Rehearse with someone who is not on the same network as you are," says Turmel. "Very often visual speeds and graphics look different than they do on the presenter's nice fast LAN."
Stand Up and Smile
At his first webinar Karash presented while sitting down and received only a 48 percent engagement rate. The next time he stood up and his rate skyrocketed to over 80 percent. "It may sound over the top, but your voice sounds different when you are standing up," says Karash .
While you are on your feet, put a big smile on your face and be overly animated. "You may feel fake at first, but on the other end, you genuinely sound more alert, pleasant and fascinating," says Karash.
And You Over There in Ohio
One of the challenging aspects of a webinar is to create a personal connection between you and the audience. So make the webinar as interactive as possible.
Karsh recommends using people's names in the presentation when possible, taking questions for the audience via chat, and building in quizzes and surveys to keep participants engaged. "Don't go more than 10 minutes without some kind of interaction," says Karash.
After you sign off the webinar, take some time to critique your own performance and review the surveys to find out your audience's opinion. Incorporate suggestions into your next webinar. When you make conscious efforts to engage the audience, odds are that many of your attendees will be back for more. Without a doubt, webinars are one of those things that get easier each time you do one.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
It was my last day in Athens after spending several weeks producing two exciting television shows on Greece. My brain was fried. I was concerned I was getting a cold, and I felt that getting sick was God's way of telling me to slow down. Instead of heading out on a shoot, I ditched work and spent the day lounging poolside on the rooftop of my hotel. Thankfully, it worked. The next day, I felt recharged.
After 30 years of travel, I've figured out what I need to do to stay healthy when travelling. For me, wellness starts at home. An early-trip cold used to be a given until I learned this trick: Plan as if you're leaving two days before you really are. Keep that last 48-hour period sacred (apart from your normal work schedule), even if it means being frenzied before your false departure date. You'll fly away well-rested - and 100-per-cent capable of enjoying the moment.
Anyone who flies through multiple time zones has to grapple with jet lag. It's simple to spring your wristwatch six to nine hours forward, but body clocks don't reset so easily. After crossing the Atlantic, your body wants to eat when you tell it to sleep and sleep when you force it to go to the Louvre. You can't avoid jet lag, but you don't have to condemn yourself to zombiedom either. On the flight over, I eat lightly, drink lots of water, avoid coffee and alcohol, and minimize sugar. The in-flight movies are good for one thing - nap time. With two or three hours' sleep during the flight, you'll be functional the day you land.
On arrival, plan a good walk. Jet lag hates fresh air, daylight, and exercise. Stay awake at least until the early evening. You'll probably awaken very early on your first morning. Get out and enjoy a "pinch me, I'm in Europe" walk, as merchants set up in the marketplace and the town slowly comes to life. This will probably be the only sunrise you'll see in Europe.
To stay healthy, it's crucial to get enough sleep. Most people need seven to eight hours a night. It's tempting to go, go, go while you're in Europe. As if channel-surfing on a great TV with an infinite number of channels, there's always something enticing beyond what you can comfortably experience. The best way to stay healthy is to pace yourself and know your limits. Rather than a marathon of museum-going, I punctuate my sightseeing with café stops.
Now, a word about European water. I drink tap water and any water served in restaurants. Read signs carefully, however: Some taps, including those on trains and airplanes, are not for drinking. Look for a decal showing a glass with a red "X" over it, or a skull and crossbones. Even with safe drinking water, you may still get sick. Our bodily systems are the most pampered on earth. Some travellers struggle with the bacteria in European water, which are different from those in North American water.


text:
Americans feel that choosing their health care benefits is the second-most difficult major life decision that they face, second only to saving for retirement.
The findings come on the heels of a new survey by Aetna (NYSE: AET). The Empowered Health Index Survey found that survey participants thought that the proper selection of health care benefits was more difficult than purchasing a car, making decisions about medical tests, parenting and selecting other types of insurance.
Consumers found health care benefit decisions to be exceedingly difficult because of the cluttered and confusing literature that they receive explaining the benefits to them. Eighty-eight percent of survey respondents said that the available information was "confusing and complicated."
Eight-four percent responded that there was conflicting information in the literature received while 83 percent said that it was hard for them to surmise which plan was best for them.
The survey also found that consumers rarely monitor the cost of their health care. Forty-three percent of respondents said that they rarely or never track how much money they spend on out-of-pocket-costs.
Other survey findings include: Four in ten survey respondents have skipped a dose of medication and 76 percent of consumers in "fair" or "poor" health have admitted to skipping a medication. Over three quarter of respondents said that they believed that the health care law was important to them but 41 percent signaled that they would like more information on the legislation.
A resonating positive aspect of the survey was that consumers are aware of the importance of benefits, they just feel that they are under-resourced rendering them unfit to make educated decisions.
"We need to need to make the process of choosing and using health benefits easier for consumers. The survey results will help us continue to develop and enhance tools, programs and products to drive consumer engagement and empower people to live healthier lives," said Mark T. Bertolini, Aetna's chairman, CEO and president.


text:
|Message view
|« Date » · « Thread »
|« Date » · « Thread »
|Deepak Sharma <deepakmc...@gmail.com>
|Re: Contributor Meeting Minutes 05/28/2010
|Sat, 29 May 2010 03:03:35 GMT
Hi All, I am from India and involved with Hadoop for last 1-2 month. I am planning to start Hadoop tutorial in India and would need help here. Please let me know some really good tutorials on Hadoop and also if you all can suggest what all can be included in the course content , such that this becomes a job oriented course. Looking forward to your reply. Thanks, Deepak On Sat, May 29, 2010 at 6:07 AM, Chris Douglas <firstname.lastname@example.com> wrote: > This month, the MapReduce + HDFS contributor meeting was held at > Cloudera Headquarters. > > Announcements for contributor meetings are here: > http://www.meetup.com/Hadoop-Contributors/ > > Minutes follow. No decisions were made at this meeting, but the > following issues were discussed and may presage future discussion and > decisions on these lists. > > Eli, I think you have all the slides. Would you mind sending them out? -C > > == 0.21 release update == > * Continuing to close blockers, ping people for updates and suggestions > * About 20 open blockers. Many are MapReduce documentation that may be > pushed. Speak up if 0.21 is missing anything substantive. > * Common/HDFS visibility and annotations are close to consensus; > MapReduce annotations are committed to trunk and the 0.21 branch > > == HEP proposal == > (what follows is the sketch presented at the meeting. A full proposal > with concrete details will be circulated on the list) > > * Based on- and very similar to- the PEP (Python Enhancement Proposal) > Process > * Audience is HDFS and MapReduce; not necessarily adopted by other > subprojects > - Addresses the perception that there is friction between > innovation/experimentation and stability > * Not for small enhancements, features, and bug fixes. This should not > slow down typical development or impede casual contribution to Hadoop > * Primary mechanism for new features, collecting input, documenting > design decisions > * JIRA is good for details, but not for deciding on wide shifts in > direction > * Purpose is for author to build consensus and gather dissenting opinions. > - All may comment, but Editors will review incoming HEP material > - Editors determine only whether the HEP is complete, not whether > they believe it is a sound idea > - Editors are appointed by the PMC > - Mechanism for appointing Editors and term of service TBD > - Apache Board appoints Shepherds for projects somewhat randomly, > to projects. A similar mechanism could work for incoming HEPs > - Proposal *may* come with code, but not necessarily. > Drafting/baking of the HEP occurs in public on a list dedicated to > that particular proposal. Once Editors certify the HEP as complete, it > is sent to general@ for wider discussion. > - The discussion phase begins on general@. The mailing list exists > to ensure the HEP is complete enough to present to the community. > - Some discussion on the difference between posting to general@ and > posting to the HEP list. Completeness is, of course, subjective. If > the Editor and Author disagree whether the proposal affects an aspect > of the framework enough to merit special consideration, it is not > entirely clear how to resolve the disagreement. > - In general, the role of the Editor in the community-driven > process of Hadoop is not entirely clear. It may be possible to > optimize it out. > - Once discussion ends, the HEP is passed (or fails to pass) by a > vote of the PMC (mechanics undefined). In Python, the result is > committed to the repository. A similar practice would make sense in > Hadoop. > * Which issues require HEPs? > - Discussion ranged. Append, backup namenode, edit log rewrite, et > al. were examples of features substantial enough to merit a HEP. Pure > Java CRC is an example of an enhancement that would not. Whether an > explicit process must be in place to determine whether an issue > requires a HEP is not clear. > - Viewing HEPs as a way of soliciting consensus for an approach > might be more accurate. Going through the HEP process should always > improve the chances of a successful proposal > > * Evaluation > - The proposal may be rejected if it is redundant with existing > functionality, technically unsound, insufficiently motivated, no > backwards compatibility story, etc. > - Implementation is not necessary, and is lightly discouraged. > Feedback is less welcome once code is in hand. > - Purpose is to be clear about the acceptance criteria for that > issue, e.g. concerns that the proposal may not scale or may harm > performance > - Dissenting opinions must be recorded accurately. Quoting would be > a safe practice for the Author to encourage HEP reviewers not to block > the product of the proposal. > > * The testing burden and completion strategy may be ambiguous > - Whether the proposal affects scalability may not be testable by > the implementer. Completing the proposal to address all use cases may > require considerably more work than the Author is willing or motivated > to invest. > - The HEP discussion on general@ should explore whether such > objections are merited and reasonable. For example, a particularly > obscure/esoteric use case could be included as a condition for > acceptance if the dissenter is willing to invest the resources to > test/validate it. The process is flexible in this regard. > - But it is not infinitely flexible. Backwards compatibility, > performance regression, availability, and other considerations need > not be called out in every HEP. > - Traditional concerns need to be documented. Acceptance criteria > should ideally be automated and reproducible in different > organizations > > == Branching == > * A patch and a branch are isomorphic from a policy perspective. Of > course, they are functionally distinct: branches are easier to > collaborate on and are, generally, longer-lived than are patches. But > special policies need not be derived to account for these differences, > which concern the production of the code, not its review and > acceptance. > * Some developers find branches to be easier to review than very large > patches and easier to merge, given a toolchain that supports this. > - Subversion currently is difficult to adapt to this model > - Could be done on a HEP-by-HEP basis, as a condition for acceptance > * Eclipse Labs > - Branded version of Google Code (same functionality, w/ Eclipse brand) > - Not official Eclipse projects, but associated with Eclipse > - Apache/Hadoop may consider a similar strategy > - Distinct from Apache Labs, as one need not be a committer, follow > its rules for releases, etc. > > == Contrib == > * Modules (such as fuse-dfs) are not actively maintained in the main > repository and would benefit from a release schedule decoupled from > the rest of Hadoop > * With few exceptions, the contrib modules have smaller, often > discrete groups of maintainers. It may be worth exploring whether > these projects could live elsewhere > -- Deepak Sharma http://www.linkedin.com/in/rikindia
|View raw message


text:
China-Japan Island Dispute Could Become Flashpoint
While North Korea has garnered attention as Asias top hotspot, experts worry that the real problem is between Beijing and Tokyo over the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which China calls the Diaoyu Islands.
Over the past month, rhetoric has soared between new nationalistic leaders in China and Japan as each deploys hardware to the region.
Chinas increased ship and air patrols to the islands have prompted an unprecedented response from Japan: Keep out or we will use force to keep you out. Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said, Japan is determined to protect its land, water and air.
And to help its key ally, Americas top military leaders have told Beijing that if the shooting starts, Washington is treaty- and duty-bound to back Tokyo.
That, in turn, has prompted China to declare the islands a core interest in a bid to force Tokyo and Washington to back down, a move thats unlikely to work.
I think the potential calculated escalation is high, said Wallace Chip Gregson, former assistant defense secretary for Asian and Pacific security affairs under President Barack Obama. China seems to feel it is in their interests to keep tensions high, and Japans tough response meets with political approval across the country. The potential for miscalculation is always there with so many ships and airplanes confronting each other.
I think China takes US obligations seriously, and they are working to drive a wedge between the US and Japan. I dont think they expected a strong response from Japan, but now that national prestige is involved in each country, they are stuck, Gregson said.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagels reaffirmation of US sup-port for Japan came last week after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a Japanese reporter April 26 that the Diaoyu Islands are about sovereignty and territorial integrity. Of course, its Chinas core interest.
The core interest declaration rattled Tokyo and Washington. The phrase is usually reserved for sensitive Chinese territorial concerns. In March 2010, Chinese officials began declaring the South China Sea as a core interest on par with its claims over Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang.
Huas statement was deleted from the official transcript issued by Chinas Foreign Ministry.
It is on the tape, said Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. However, when the transcript was issued, that sentence was deleted. The transcript remains the official account. Obviously, someone believed it should not have been said.
China is cautious in using the term core interest, said Su Xiaohui, strategic studies research fellow, China Institute of International Peace, Beijing. The reason is that when we define something as a core interest, it means that it is not negotiable and China will defend it with all our might.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry source echoed Sus comments by saying Huas comments were a signal to the world that the Chinese government attaches more importance to this sovereignty issue and is willing to defend its sovereignty. Whatever it takes.
Su said Chinas definition is not important.
The reality is that it is difficult for China to step back. It is not only a problem between China and Japan. It is related to the US position, the South China Sea issue, etc. If we failed in dealing with the problem appropriately, the spillover effect would be disastrous.
China has been ramping up tensions near the islands for the past 16 months. The most recent incident occurred April 23 when eight Chinese marine surveillance ships entered the 12-nautical-mile territorial zone off the islands.
Huas statement was both surprising and expected, said Jingdong Yuan, a China security specialist at the Centre for International Security Studies, University of Sydney. There is a possibility China has a new policy regarding territorial disputes.
China would keep the status quo if one challenges it; otherwise, it will now seek to set a new benchmark or redefine the status quo, as it has been doing with regard to Senkaku, Jingdong said.
There were relatively few intrusions into the vicinity of the island group before September 2012; now it has become a matter of fact where China is basically demonstrating its de facto, at the minimum, co-administration while ever more loudly claiming its sovereign rights to these islands, Jingdong said.
Zhuang Jianzhong, vice director of the Center for National Strategy Studies, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, had a different take on the Hua comment. Zhuang said the Diaoyu Islands dispute is different from Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang.
Though it touches upon sovereignty and territorial disputes, the importance of this issue in the sense of a core interest is less than the previous ones, he said. China is willing to discuss the island dispute with Japan, whereas there is no room for negotiation on the other three.
Source: By WENDELL MINNICK, TAIPEI defensenews.com News 4 May 2013
Photo: China-Japan Senkaku Island Dispute Could Become Flashpoint (Photo by Natural Earth Mapping Darta, Military Times Research./John Bretschneider )


text:
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1 mint tea bag
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 4 cups blackberries
- Plain whole-milk Greek-style yogurt
Recipe Preparation
Pour boiling water over tea and steep 1 minute. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Cool. Divide blackberries among 4 bowls.
Pour mint tea syrup over berries. Spoon dollop of yogurt atop berries and serve.


text:
Alberta 'berta T-shirt - Womens
Those of you Albertians get it!
*They have a high-quality, super-soft vintage feel (60% cotton, 40% polyester)
*Machine washable, pre-shrunk, and made to last
*They are a great way to show your Canadian pride
*An Ole also makes the perfect gift!
How does Ole clothing fit you ask? Amazing!
Click here to see size chart
*Ground shipping is only $3 per shirt on all Canadian orders!
$6 to USA, and $12 to everywhere else.
Questions? Please check out our FAQ Page.


text:
Rushinbear;842859910 said:
McIlwain has his strengths, as the others have theirs. If he can't find a passing lane, he'll be better off taking off than trying to throw on the run. Can't see enough of his arm on this vid. Then, again, he's a frosh there. Time will tell.
He throws very well on the run.


text:
Washington's Blog
August 19, 2010
|The former Burlington Coat Factory building that will make way for the "Ground Zero Mosque" is seen in lower Manhattan.
The Founding Fathers believed in freedom of religion, and tolerance of all religions. The Constitution enshrines freedom of religion.
As such, anyone who tries to ban Islam as evil is anti-American.
As Greg Palast argues, if we ban mosques because some Muslims are murderers, we should also ban churches because Timothy McVeigh was a Christian.
Indeed, we should also ban synagogues because some Jews commit terrorism (see second bulleted paragraph).
Of course, anyone who sees their religion as the "good guys" and the other guy's religion as "evil" is living in a cartoon.
As Christian writer and psychiatrist M. Scott Peck explained, there are different stages of spiritual maturity. Fundamentalism – whether it be Muslim, Christian, Jewish or Hindu fundamentalism – is an immature stage of development. Indeed, a a Christian fundamentalist who kills others in the name of religion is much more similar to a Muslim fundamentalist who kills other in the name of his religion than to a Christian who peacefully fights for justice and truth, helps the poor, or serves to bring hope to the downtrodden.
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
- {openx:49}
But there is another meaning to the Ground Zero controversy.
Nice Gesture … Now Can We End the Crusades?
The war on terror is largely a religious war.
As I pointed out in January:
ABC News is reporting that U.S. military weapons are inscribed with secret 'Jesus' Bible codes [the military subsequently endorsed this practice]
Conservative Christians were the biggest backers of the Iraq war …
One of the top Pentagon officials involved in the Iraq war – General William Boykin – literally:
Sees the "war on terror" as a religious war between Judeo-Christian civilization and Satan, with Islam of course cast in the latter role.
Jeremy Scahill describes Boykin as:
A Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence under Bush. Boykin was part of Donald Rumsfeld's inner circle at the Pentagon where he was placed in charge of hunting "high-value targets." Boykin was one of the key U.S. officials in establishing what critics alleged was death-squad-type activity in Iraq.
Boykin's crusade is also important because one of his assigned jobs was:
Speeding up the flow of intelligence on terrorist leaders to combat teams in the field so that they can attack top-ranking terrorist leaders. It can easily be speculated that it is this urgency to obtain intelligence, and an uncompromising religious outlook backed by a [crusader] mentality, that has led to the lower echelons in the US military to adopt Saddam Hussein-like brutalities.
Moreover, the U.S. military has just been busted trying to convert Afghanis to Christianity (the same thing happened in Iraq).
As Scahill notes:
What's more, the center of this evangelical operation is at the huge US base at Bagram, one of the main sites used by the US military to torture and indefinitely detain prisoners.
The bottom line is that – while torture was ordered by the highest level Bush administration officials in order to create a false link between 9/11 and Iraq – it seems like many of those who enthusiastically rallied around torture looked at it, literally, as a religious crusade.
Fresh food that lasts from eFoods Direct (Ad)
As I wrote on May 25th:
According to French President Chirac, Bush told him that the Iraq war was needed to bring on the apocalypse:
In Genesis and Ezekiel Gog and Magog are forces of the Apocalypse who are prophesied to come out of the north and destroy Israel unless stopped. The Book of Revelation took up the Old Testament prophesy:
"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."
Bush believed the time had now come for that battle, telling Chirac:
"This confrontation is willed by God, who wants to use this conflict to erase his people's enemies before a New Age begins"…
There can be little doubt now that President Bush's reason for launching the war in Iraq was, for him, fundamentally religious. He was driven by his belief that the attack on Saddam's Iraq was the fulfilment of a Biblical prophesy in which he had been chosen to serve as the instrument of the Lord.
And British Prime Minister Tony Blair long-time mentor, advisor and confidante said:
"Tony's Christian faith is part of him, down to his cotton socks. He believed strongly at the time, that intervention in Kosovo, Sierra Leone – Iraq too – was all part of the Christian battle; good should triumph over evil, making lives better."
Mr Burton, who was often described as Mr Blair's mentor, says that his religion gave him a "total belief in what's right and what's wrong", leading him to see the so-called War on Terror as "a moral cause"…
Anti-war campaigners criticised remarks Mr Blair made in 2006, suggesting that the decision to go to war in Iraq would ultimately be judged by God.
Given that the Iraq war really was a crusade, the fact that the Pentagon is now saying that it may have to leave troops in Iraq for another decade shows that the crusade is still ongoing under Obama.
Indeed, churchgoers are more likely to back torture of suspected terrorists than atheists (and see this), and torture is apparently still continuing under the Obama administration.
So if Obama wants to create better relations with the Islamic world, he might want to start by ending the Crusades.
Pulling combat troops out of Iraq was a good first step. And high-level intelligence and military leaders have suggested some constructive ideas for Afghanistan. See this and this.
And if Americans want to practice a little Christian charity, how about providing medical care to the heroes who pulled survivors out of the rubble on 9/11, and are now dying due to our neglect?
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!


text:
Bishop Grimes tops Morrisville-Eaton in girls Sec III soccer semifinals
DEWITT - Morrisville-Eaton's bid to repeat as Class C-2 champion ended Tuesday night at Christian Brothers Academy.
Top-seeded Bishop Grimes used a goal by Kennedy Yearby in the eighth minute to take the lead then Guhin scored with 21.8 seconds left in the half to make it 2-0. BG (16-2) built the lead to 3-0 before an M-E comeback made things interesting. The Cobras wound up a 3-2 winner and will play for the title later this week.
Alex Guhin set up the first goal with a shot from 20 yards. M-E goalie Shelby Brown made the save in a crowd but lost the rebound and Yearby, a freshman, was unmarked five yards from the goal for an easy tap-in.
Guhin and Seanna Laneve nearly teamed for another BG goal in the 11th minute but the latter's shot went high.
The first great scoring chance for coach Duane LeBlanc's M-E squad came in the 33rd minute, and just after BG had a goal disallowed for offsides. All-State sophomore forward Jessie Murray eluded three defenders on the right wing, cut inside and hit a left-footed shot just wide from 20 yards.
Murray created another good chance in the 39th minute but her pass to a tightly guarded Shelby Widger was volleyed over the crossbar.
Coach Paul Hemsley's Cobras regained the momentum late in the half when Guhin hit a seemingly innocent direct kick into the box from 40 yards. An M-E defender tried to head it away from the crowded goal mouth but deflected it in instead.
At that point M-E (10-7) had overcome BG's slight edge in possession. Any hope of regaining the momentum quickly ended soon after Murray shot was pressured wide 90 seconds into the second half. The Cobras earned a corner kick 90 seconds later and Guhin sent a perfect cross to Yearby who headed it past Brown from three yards out.
To M-E's credit, the players didn't give up. Murray would have scored moments later if not for a great charge by BG goalie Jillian Firenze. Jenna Kent, Danielle LeBlanc and Jessica Chandler made key plays to deny Yearby and the other BG forwards from converting great scoring opportunities. LeBlanc's team finally broke through for a goal in the 73rd minute when Shelby Widger's corner kick couldn't be cleared by BG's defense and Taylor Pearsall knocked in the loose ball. Pearsall stunned BG with 1:45 to play with another goal but the top seed did not allow another shot in the closing seconds to hang on for its 3-2 win.
"We made it interesting at the end, but that was the extent of our offense," coach LeBlanc said. "We really didn't have 11 players hustling to the ball. We had some waiting for balls to come to them and you can't have that in a sectional game.
"We didn't play our best game, but I tip my hat to them (BG)."
M-E (10-7): Taylor Pearsall 2-0. Saves - Shelby Brown 5.
Bishop Grimes (16-2): Kennedy Yearby 2-0, Alex Guhin 1-2. Saves - Jillian Firenze 6.


text:
After a dry spell in the middle of the last decade, neo-soul has been enjoying a second renaissance. In recent years, Erykah Badu, Raphael Saadiq, Maxwell, and Bilal have all released albums that either stand as career bests or mark exciting reinventions. With his fifth album, Back To Love, Anthony Hamilton becomes the latest neo-soul veteran to outdo himself. If the record isn't quite the radical makeover of some of Hamilton's more adventurous peers, it's nonetheless a sterling continuation of the singer's ever-widening palette. Where Hamilton's past albums have lured in listeners with their slow, sensual pull, Back To Love grabs them outright with the soul man's punchiest, most immediate batch of songs yet.
The Curtis Mayfield-channeling title track opens the album on familiar terrain, but from there, Back To Love branches out eagerly. "Writing On The Wall" suits a bump-and-boogie hip-hop rhythm with crisp funk horns, while the Keri Hilson feature "Never Let Go" is a woozy, ecstatic update of the adult-contemporary duets of the '80s.
The "Pretty Girl Rock" singer isn't the album's most unlikely collaborator—that title goes to '90s R&B stalwart Babyface, who produced and co-wrote three tracks that put Hamilton's velvet-and-granite croon to work, including the bluesy, Southern-soul stomp "Mad" and the gripping "Pray For Me," a take-me-back plea disguised as a devotional. These collaborations would have been unthinkable in the classicist early years of neo-soul, when Babyface's studio-glossed productions ran antithetical to the genre's organic values. But Hamilton isn't concerned with such divisions on Back To Love. With an open mind, he draws from any era and style of soul and R&B that might prove a good match for his agile voice and in-the-moment songwriting, and discovers that pretty much all of them do.


text:
Waterfalls & Ponds
Delightful Watergardens in Pewaukee, WI
A snapshot of our work!
Garden Medium (1,000 - 5,000 sq ft.) Pond Stone / Rock Water Feature Waterfall
Comments / Questions
Beautiful ponds, would love to be able to have you do one for me.
Add Comment or Question
Login to add comments.


text:
I spent three years in the mid-aughts living in Wilmington, Del., i.e. the Hoboken of Philadelphia. From 2003 to 2006 I got to watch the Philadelphia Eagles in lieu of spending my autumn Sundays watching the season break somewhere inside Chad Pennington's upper body. It was a great time to be on the inside of Philadelphia insanity. I was there for both the high point of the Andy Reid-Donovan McNabb era and its low point.
Reid and McNabb both return to Philly tonight—Reid as coach of the Chiefs; McNabb to have his number retired—seemingly decades removed from their run of four straight NFC championship game appearances. To the eternal consternation of people in Philadelphia, three were merely NFC championship games and nothing more. Only once did the Eagles go to the Super Bowl and all anyone remembers is that McNabb may have thrown up (he didn't). To the eternal consternation of people like me (and places like Cleveland, probably), this was never enough for the local fans. Under Reid and McNabb, the Eagles provided something sorely lacking for many teams: a full season of meaningful, enjoyable games and a deep run in the playoffs. Routinely. In an NFL where an 8-8 record exerts a sort of gravitational pull, dragging teams down into mediocrity, lifting them up into meh, the Eagles could count on success.
But McNabb sometimes threw interceptions and Reid sometimes fucked up the clock, and because those were obvious flaws, readily apparent to anyone watching from the 200 level or the sofa, Philly fans elevated them into inescapably tragic ones. (Listening to Eagles fans during this era, you'd have thought coaching was nothing more than a matter of competent clock management.)
So they weren't legends. The agony. You know which quarterbacks the Jets had throwing footballs at or near receivers while Reid and McNabb were busy being less than legendary? A list:
- Ray Lucas
- Rick Mirer
- Vinny Testeverde
- Chad Pennington
- Quincy Carter (!!!)
- Brooks Bollinger
- [sigh]
- Kellen Clemens
- Brett Favre
- Mark Sanchez
That's a quarterback a year. I don't have the stomach to look into other franchises like the Browns, but you get the picture. Organizational stability is so hard to come by—that's by design in the NFL—and Philly had it damn good for damn long, and if the ball had bounced a little differently the city might have a championship, too. They were the '90s Bills except just a little worse, which is still better than most. Most of Nassau county would sign up for that in a heartbeat. Hell, Bills fans would sign up for that right now.
Super Bowls are overrated. It's fun to win one (I imagine). It feels great (I guess). But the hardest thing in the NFL is sustaining success, season after season, with all those downward forces working against you, and that's what Reid and McNabb accomplished together. For a little while, they beat gravity. Remember that tonight, while you watch Chip Kelly's shiny toy of an offense go zooming around the Linc. Remember that Reid and McNabb were better than just about everyone else in the NFL for a long time. And remember how difficult that is to pull off.
Photo credit: Getty


text:
For Immediate Release
Patricia Kiernan Johnson;
New York, NY — OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, announces the next four sessions of its ongoing
Making Connections
series, a professional development and networking program nurturing the next generation of performing and creative artists.
Making Connections
is geared toward early-career artists including singers, composers, librettists, designers, directors and others who work in, or would like to work in, opera.
During the course of the full 2008-2009
Making Connections
season, which runs from September through May, OPERA America will present a total of 18 different sessions. Each begins with an hour-long panel discussion followed by an informal reception where attendees have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with the panelists, providing a unique networking opportunity.
"One of the most exciting aspects of
Making Connections
is this direct exchange between the participants," stated Marc A. Scorca, President & CEO. "In the increasingly competitive arts community, often it's not only what you know, but who you know that can make a difference. Through
Making Connections
, OPERA America is able to foster a real dialogue between aspiring artists and decision-makers in the opera community."
In the next session,
"New Works Opportunities with Music Schools"
on Tuesday, November 18, young composers and librettists will have the opportunity to meet composer
Conrad Cummings
(Eros and Psyche). The session will be moderated by
Gordon Ostrowski
of the Manhattan School of Music.
Former singers will discuss their varied post-performance career paths in
"Career Transitions for Singers"
on Wednesday, November 19. The roundtable will be led by
Jane Bunnell
, now a teacher at DePaul University;
Darren K. Woods
, general director of Fort Worth Opera and
Ana De Archuleta
, president of ADA Artists Management.
"Choosing a Training Program"
on Tuesday, December 9, offers inside advice from representatives of some of the most important training programs in the country: Maryland Opera Studio, Seattle Opera and Pittsburgh Opera. This session will be moderated by
Laura Brooks Rice
, a teacher at Westminster Choir College and co-director of its CoOPERAtive intensive training program.
Just in time for the audition season, on Wednesday, December 10, Soprano
Lauren Flanigan
, Artist Manager
Ken Benson
and Metropolitan Opera Associate Artistic Administrator
Lenore Rosenberg
will discuss
"Putting Your Best Foot Forward in an Audition"
In addition to these four sessions, OPERA America's
Making Connections
program will present nine additional workshops from January through May 2009.
Making Connections
sessions take place from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and are held in the OPERA America offices at 330 Seventh Avenue at 29th Street. Following each panel discussion, casual receptions give attendees an opportunity to network with experts. Admission is $5 per session for OPERA America members, $10 for non-members. For additional information on individual sessions and speakers, contact OPERA America at 212-796-8620 or
. Those interested in attending any of the sessions may register online at
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
Upcoming OPERA America Making Connections Schedule
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
New Works Opportunities with Music Schools
Speaker: Conrad Cummings, composer
Moderator: Gordon Ostrowski, Manhattan School of Music
Workshop: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Reception: 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Career Transitions for Singers
Speakers: Jane Bunnell, DePaul University; Darren K. Woods, Fort Worth Opera; Ana De Archuleta, ADA Artists
Moderator: Anne Choe, Kaufman Center
Workshop: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Reception: 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Choosing a Training Program
Speakers: Justina Lee, Maryland Opera Studio; Peter Kazaras, Seattle Opera; William Powers, Pittsburgh Opera
Moderator: Laura Brooks Rice, Westminster Choir College
Workshop: 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Reception: 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
(note later time)
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Putting Your Best Foot Forward in an Audition
Speakers: Lauren Flanigan, soprano; Ken Benson, CAMI; Lenore Rosenberg, The Metropolitan Opera
Moderator: Anne Choe, Kaufman Center
Workshop: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Reception: 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
OPERA America leads and serves the entire opera community, supporting the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera.
Artistic services help opera companies and creative and performing artists to improve the quality of productions and increase the creation and presentation of North American works.
Information, technical, and administrative services to opera companies reflect the need for strengthened leadership among staff, trustees and volunteers.
Education, audience development and community services are designed to enhance all forms of opera appreciation.
Founded in 1970, OPERA America's worldwide membership network includes nearly 200 Company Members, 300 Associate and Business Members, 2,000 Individual Members and more than 16,000 subscribers to the association's electronic news service. In 2005, OPERA America relocated from Washington, D.C. to New York as the first step in creating the first-ever National Opera Center. With a wide range of artistic and administrative services in a purpose-built facility, the Opera Center is dedicated to increasing the level of excellence, creativity and effectiveness across the field.
OPERA America's long tradition of supporting and nurturing the creation and development of new works led to the formation of
The Opera Fund
, a growing endowment which allows OPERA America to make a direct impact on the ongoing creation and presentation of new opera and music-theater works. Since its inception, OPERA America has made grants of nearly $11 million to assist companies with the expenses associated with the creation and development of new works.


text:
Proposed design of NC illegal immigrant licenses sparks concern
A new driver's license expected to be issued to some illegal immigrants in North Carolina has prompted state lawmakers and immigrant rights groups to voice concerns over the proposal.
The proposed North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles license has a bright pink stripe and the bold words "NO LAWFUL STATUS."
The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles announced last week they would begin issuing the licenses March 25 following a lengthy legal review. The Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program grants valid federal work permits to qualified applicants brought to the U.S. as children without legal authorization.
Some Republican lawmakers in the state have balked at the idea, filing a bill Thursday to bar the DMV from granting the licenses until at least June.
Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page told MyFox8.com that the licenses will benefit participants in the DACA program, since officers are required to take a person into custody if he or she were breaking the law and had no form of identification.
"If he has an identification, there's a better chance he's going to get a citation or a warning and sent on his way versus ending up at the magistrate's office and ending up in the local jail," Page told the station.
"This will save both the DACA immigrants and law enforcement officers time and money," he said.
Cinthia Marroquin, a 22-year-old Raleigh resident awaiting approval for a DACA permit, said the longer the license issue is delayed, the longer it will take for her to get a job and drive herself to work. Even if she is able to get one, she is worried about presenting a license declaring she has "NO LAWFUL STATUS" at a police roadblock or while writing a check at the grocery store.
"A lot of us are just scared," said Marroguin, who came to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 15. "We just want to be able to get a job and drive to work. Having that license is just going to show everybody you're here illegally, just buying a beer or writing a check. You don't know how people might react."
The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina also takes issue with the designation.
"North Carolina should not be making it harder for aspiring citizens to integrate and contribute to our communities by branding them with a second-class driver's license," said ACLU attorney Raul Pinto. "There is simply no reason for officials to stigmatize people who are in the U.S. legally with an unnecessary marker that could lead to harassment, confusion, and racial profiling."
Almost from the moment President Barack Obama announced the program in June, states across the country grappled with how and whether to issue driver's licenses to those granted legal presence.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said it is up to officials in each state to make their own determination about what to do. Many states, such as Oregon and Georgia, have announced that they will grant driving privileges to those eligible.
In Arizona, where Republican Gov. Jan Brewer has pledged that DACA youths will not get driver's licenses, the state's DMV still lists federal work permits among the documents making people eligible for one.
The issue is especially politically charged in North Carolina, where current state law ordains a driver's license will be issued to anyone who holds valid federal documentation of their "legal presence" in the United States.
The office of the state's Democratic attorney general in an opinion last month said that under federal law, DACA participants have a "legal presence," even if they do not have "lawful status." Therefore, state law requires that DACA participants be granted licenses. Republican Gov. Pat McCrory's administration of agreed, announcing last week the DMV would begin issuing the licenses.
That has upset many conservatives in McCrory's own party, including Rep. Mark Brody (R-Union). He is one of four freshmen legislators who introduced a bill Thursday to bar DMV from issuing licenses to DACA participants before June 15, potentially giving time to craft a permanent change to state law.
Brody said he believes strongly that the DACA program violated the U.S. Constitution because it was implemented without congressional approval. Obama said last year he was forced to take executive action by the decades-long failure of Congress to consider meaningful immigration reform.
"We need a time out," said Brody, a construction contractor. "We don't need to have the federal government dictating to us how we are supposed to issue licenses in this state. We do it, and that's a privilege we have under our Constitution."
Among the concerns raised by Brody and other bill sponsors is that illegal immigrants might use their new licenses to access social programs or register to vote, despite the bright pink markings. An extensive 2011 review of the state's 6.4 million registered voters by the N.C. Board of Elections found 12 instances were a non-citizen successfully cast a ballot.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/24/pink-stripe-proposal-for-nc-illegal-immigrant-licenses-sparks-debate/#ixzz2LvSDmJrA


text:
Electronics » Connectors » 0.1″ (2.54 mm) Female Headers »
0.100" (2.54 mm) Female Header: 1x3-Pin, Right-Angle
This connector is a single-row, 3-pin, right-angle female header strip designed to match 0.1" male headers. The order quantity must be a multiple of five.
|Specs (5)
|Pictures (1)
|Resources (0)
|FAQs (0)
|On the blog (0)
These 0.1" female header strips are commonly used as low-cost connectors for custom-made cables or perforated prototyping PCBs. The standard spacing is the same as on most solderless breadboards and matches 0.1" male header strips. Our female headers are available in a variety of commonly used pin counts:
We also carry straight versions of these headers:
Dimensions for 0.1″ right-angle female headers in millimeters.
People often buy this product together with:
|0.100" (2.54 mm) Female Header: 1x4-Pin, Right-Angle
|0.100" (2.54 mm) Female Header: 1x2-Pin, Right-Angle
|0.100" (2.54 mm) Female Header: 1x3-Pin, Straight


text:
Off Tangent Thoughts (OTT) is a kickass meme my girl Charvi of Not Just Fiction fame started.
"Off Tangent Thoughts(OTT) is a bi-monthly meme that has a basic list-based format wherein bloggers express their points in the form of a short or long list with the points under the list being merely a couple lines or even complete paragraphs. Bloggers are also free to use headings or bring in other variations- put your own spin on it if you like. After all it's just about letting your thoughts run wild!"
This week's prompt is "Thoughts you have when someone interrupts your reading".
I missed the first two tags because I'm the absolute worst™ but I'm here this time.
…mostly because C virtually dragged me kicking and screaming to my laptop to do this.
You see, if I write all my murderous plans here, people will be on guard, ya feel? Because, boy, do I have plans for people who interrupt my reading.
The 5 extremely specific ways in which I will kill you if you ever interrupt my reading
1. Have you heard of War and Peace, sweetheart? The 1392 page-long, life-affirming masterpiece?
Yup, I will take that beautiful novel and whack it on your head repeatedly until you die.
2. Do you know how books with mould and mildew smell? Aww, don't worry if you don't. You're gonna get extremely familiar with it, ya know, as I slowly smother you to death with it.
3. The prettiest edition of Fahrenheit 451 is the one with the spine made of match striking paper. And I always have a matchbox on me.
Oh, you wanna know why I'm talking about this? I'm going set your head on fire, of course! Adios, baby!
4. Did you know I'm not a big fan of J.K. Rowling anymore? But that I own a shitload of Harry Potter merchandise that I have no idea how to use? Yeah, one of those pretty wands is going to shoved so far down your throat, you'll be shitting jinxes for a month. If you don't choke on it and die first, that is.
5. There may be no music playing but still, I had earphones on so nosy pricks like you would leave me alone. And yet, you chose to interrupt my reading anyway.
Do you know what happens to interrupters like your bony ass?
They get strangled. With earphones.
Hang on, I have a secret option number 6.
And it's gory.
It's insane.
It's wicked.
Would you like to know what it is?
Interrupt my reading to find out, yo.
~ Shruti


text:
Financial Divorce Solutions works with those facing a separation or divorce situation and uses a process that helps to reach a mutually acceptable agreement. The process is supportive, considerate, sensible, constructive and allows for the management of conflict.
Learn more
Financial Divorce Consultant
Accredited Family Mediator
Ask the Expert
When I drive down south Pelham I often think that I should contact you. I am very thankful that we went through the mediation process with you and arrived at a separation agreement that met our children and each of our needs. I realize now how thorough it is. I really appreciated your knowledge and
Gail is very friendly and knowledgeable. And that the work is thorough and you are guaranteed to know way more about separation/divorce than when you started which makes you feel a lot BETTER.
Gail, Thank you again for the information and advice you've imparted and the warmth with which you do. It is much appreciated! You truly are one of a kind.
Gail was chosen by my wife and I to address the financial solutions of our separation in a compatible way. This being a very emotional stressful undertaking I found myself concerned with the feelings that, being female, Gail may naturally side with my wife. During all of our sessions I soon realized nothing could be
Going through changes in life are difficult. Gail Belchior was, and continues to be, an empowering person. I was able to navigate through the necessary paper work with confidence and had a genuine understanding of what needed to be done. The process was clear, organized, focused and very timely. Having had Gail work with me
I wanted to say, Thank you again for chatting with me a couple weeks back; I found it extremely informative. You definitely have introduced a great service to those going through difficult times!
Gail's experience and insight helped me through a troubling period, saving both time and money over normal legal fees! I would recommend her and her services.
I want to thank you for all your help and support - you were instrumental in helping me weave through this difficult process. I am now officially separated - the judge signed on Monday. I am officially a home owner - as of last Friday. The pension is in the process of being transferred to
My thanks to Gail for all her help during such an emotional time. She explained what to expect from the courts and worked on an offer that was best for both of us. We would not have been able to mediate a settlement without her. We first met Gail in late 2014 but didn't start
Recently, I was referred to Gail Belchior to assist me complete my Net Family Property statement. I found Gail to be very knowledgeable, sensitive and helpful throughout our conversations, emails and meetings. Gail helped to correct errors and provide a better understanding to the final decision for the equalization payment owed to me by my
Client writes regarding Future Lifestyle Projections……Just catching up on emails after another week away. This has been great and given me a great planning and assessment tool. I'm a little concerned for work consistency right now, but all I can do is continue on my same path and continue to network in Toronto. I'm comfortable
Just wanted to thank you once again for being part of our meeting yesterday with my lawyer. You will never know how much I appreciate having you there to help me with the decision. I slept so much more soundly last night. Even with the storm going on. It was a pleasure meeting you both
The emotional toll of divorce is hard enough and to add the stress of dealing with the financial implications is overwhelming. Gail provides an invaluable service and provided options on how to deal with separating your financials and allowing you to move on with your own life. Without Gail's assistance the process of separating would
It was an absolute pleasure to work with Gail on one of my first collaborative family files! She is the epitome of professional excellence and having her as a member of the collaborative team to provide guidance and expertise in terms of the financial issues was the key to our success.
We finally got our separation agreement signed off by our lawyers in early March 2015 with very minor changes, so we want to send you a huge, overdue thank you for the work you did for us in creating the financial statement and parenting plan and Family Mediation document. We are happily separated now and
My brother referred me to you. I really want to thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today. You gave me some very good advice and recommendations. It was very helpful and you have a useful website too. I joined your mailing list. I appreciate your consult and clarity in
I've known Gail for many years and find her to be a dedicated and caring person who works closely with her clients to provide options for the best possible financial outcome.
Very early on in our separation, it was recommended to me by a few people that we should perhaps consider securing the services of a mediator to assist in the process of arriving at a final separation agreement. We did just that, and we have worked through this potentially stressful exercise with Gail Belchior. I
Being able to work with Gail makes the future financial picture clearer so it's easier to make decisions today.
Gail, your comments and assistance are appreciated and certainly were instrumental to bringing this file to a resolution. This would have been a greater challenge without your help! Thanks so much. We will be sure to share the Separation Agreement with you once complete and of course reach out during or after the next meeting
Thanks once again for your work on our behalf. It is always such a pleasure dealing with you even though we have to discuss such and sort out our sensitive financial and family support matters with you. Also I appreciate your views on the bigger picture of the support and care for our young adults.
Gail was always there for me whenever l needed her, since l am an older client it was hard for me to understand the workings of the court, Gail always walked me through the process, without tiring of me repeating my questions, until l got it. Gail is an amazing, qualified, kind person, and l
I have enjoyed working with Gail on numerous files. She brings neutrality and financial expertise which provides great value for spouses going through a separation. Gail's mediation training is especially useful in managing/diffusing what is often a very emotional and difficult time for many people.
I can't believe it's really all done, Gail! And I can't imagine having done it without you. Thank you SO MUCH for your guidance through it all. And your referrals to Erik and Sandra. They too were so integral to the outcome.
Money Matters Services & Solutions
Address: P.O. Box 846 | Fonthill, ON | L0S 1E0
Office: 905.892.4058
Cell: 905.329.7720


text:
In his new book The 4-Hour Body, author of The 4-Hour Workweek Tim Ferriss makes the giant leap from get-rich-quick guru to extreme fad diet guru. As you can see from the above graphic describing his book's principles, taken from the book trailer, something doesn't quite add up here.
Ferriss original book took the idea of leverage from The Pareto Principle (the 80/20 rule) to extremes. The original notion is that 20% of one's efforts (e.g. customers) lead to 80% of one's results (e.g. revenue). Ferriss' version was that you should be utterly ruthless and hyper-competitive in order to create your own small business that gives you the free time to brag about how much free time you have while endlessly promoting yourself. This book launched the entire "lifestyle design" cottage blog industry (Ferriss himself coined the phrase). But in the NEW! and IMPROVED! The 4-Hour Body, Mr. Ferriss claims that one can do oh so much more with oh so much less (and leaving 2.5% mysteriously unaccounted for to boot).
This is a long post. Here's the tl;dr version: Tim Ferriss is a fraud*. But you already knew that, didn't you. *sigh* Such is the foolishness of critiquing such figures.
So what exactly can one do to hack one's body into superhero levels of fitness in an instant with Ferriss' magic bullet secret information never before released to the drooling, gullible public? Here is a summary taken directly from the Amazon product page (with my snarky comments in red):
Thinner, bigger, faster, stronger… which 150 pages will you read? None, thank you. And don't thinner and bigger cancel each other out?
Is it possible to:
Reach your genetic potential in 6 months? Uh, no. But appealing to laziness sells scammy books, doesn't it.
Sleep 2 hours per day and perform better than on 8 hours? Sounds really dangerous. But snort a little Adderall and you'll have no problem finishing that paper.
Lose more fat than a marathoner by bingeing? Ah, better living through gluttony. Also, long slow distance running is probably the worst exercise method to lose fat.
Indeed, and much more. This is not just another diet and fitness book. This is not another totally transparent con. Tim Ferriss is not a fraud. Do not pay any attention to the man behind the curtain.
The 4-Hour Body is the result of an obsessive quest, spanning more than a decade, to hack the human body. It contains the collective wisdom of hundreds of elite athletes, dozens of MDs, and thousands of hours of jaw-dropping personal experimentation. Can any of this be independently verified? From Olympic training centers to black-market laboratories, from Silicon Valley to South Africa, Tim Ferriss, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The 4-Hour Workweek, fixated on one life-changing question:
For all things physical, what are the tiniest changes that produce the biggest results? Atomic energy, probably. You're not gonna go "quantum" on me, are you?
Thousands of tests later, this book contains the answers for both men and women.
From the gym to the bedroom, it's all here, and it all works.
YOU WILL LEARN (in less than 30 minutes each):
How to lose those last 5-10 pounds (or 100+ pounds) with odd combinations of food and safe chemical cocktails. *NOTE: Results not typical. These claims have not been tested by the FDA and are not intended to cure or prevent any disease. These methods are also probably stupid and dangerous.
* How to prevent fat gain while bingeing (X-mas, holidays, weekends) What ever happened to moderation?
* How to increase fat-loss 300% with a few bags of ice Magic fat-melting ice!
* How Tim gained 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days, without steroids, and in four hours of total gym time You mean steroids?
* How to sleep 2 hours per day and feel fully rested First off—why? Second—lack of sleep can cause brain damage and memory loss while simultaneously making you more likely to cause a deadly traffic accident.
* How to produce 15-minute female orgasms Here is some evidence from brain research suggesting bigger and more frequent orgasms lead to dopamine crashes for up to several weeks not to mention increased likelihood of infidelity.
* How to triple testosterone and double sperm count That's easy: watch Conan the Barbarian over and over.
* How to go from running 5 kilometers to 50 kilometers in 12 weeks That's just asking for a permanent injury.
* How to reverse "permanent" injuries You'll need that tip after multiplying your running volume by 10x in 12 weeks and…
* How to add 150+ pounds to your lifts in 6 months Good luck with those totally destroyed joints.
* How to pay for a beach vacation with one hospital visit Is that from the hernia because of too heavy weight lifting? And what exactly are you proposing here—insurance fraud?
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are more than 50 topics covered, all with real-world experiments, many including more than 200 test subjects.
You don't need better genetics or more discipline. You need immediate results that compel you to continue. Ah, I'm glad I don't need virtue to achieve my narcissistic desires, just magic bullet shortcuts. I just knew TV was right and mom was wrong!
That's exactly what The 4-Hour Body delivers.
About the Author
TIMOTHY FERRISS, nominated as one of Fast Company's "Most Innovative Business People of 2007," is author of the #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and BusinessWeek bestseller, The 4-Hour Workweek, which has been published in 35 languages.
Wired magazine has called Tim "The Superman of Silicon Valley" for his manipulation of the human body. He is a tango world record holder, former national kickboxing champion (Sanshou), guest lecturer at Princeton University, and faculty member at Singularity University, based at NASA Ames Research Center. I've got some things to say about these "qualifications" below….
When not acting as a human guinea pig, Tim enjoys speaking to organizations ranging from Nike to the Harvard School of Public Health.
If it Looks Too Good to Be True…
I'm sorry to be a sourpus and all, but some things aren't possible, and other things really aren't advisable. Many amazing things are indeed possible for human beings to learn and develop, but almost all of them require enormously focused efforts over long periods of time, cultivating such boring old virtues like patience and persistence (but who wants THAT stuff?).
Speaking of stuff, once upon a time, Tim Ferriss promoted a product advertised on television infomercials called "Super Blue Stuff":
In 2002, 6 years before this testimonial was uploaded to YouTube, the FTC fined Blue Stuff, Inc. for $3m for false advertising in making claims to cure chronic pain on its infomercials. From an ABC investigation of Super Blue Stuff:
DOCTOR DANIEL FURST, UCLA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: If it had any real data behind it, we would have heard about, and we certainly have not.
HUNTER: (Voice Over Tape) Dr. Furst says, if some consumers are getting some relief, that may be because Blue Stuff contains ingredients like menthol, which are known to be effective for minor aches and pains and which are commonly available in many over the counter remedies. But those looking for a miracle cure for severe pain may well be in for a cruel surprise.
FURST: Testimonials carry a lot of weight to the person, but they have absolutely no scientific validity in and of themselves. Everybody may feel better for one reason or another, but it may have nothing to do with the substance that they're talking about.
How to Kick Ass By Picking On Guys Half Your Size
In his first book, Tim Ferriss, "Kick Boxing Champion," openly brags about how he won his kickboxing match through what basically amounts to cheating while barely remaining within the rules. Most fighters cut some weight in order to not have to fight against opponents much larger than themselves if they are straddling two weight classes. But Ferriss, using a radical dehydration technique, cut so much weight for the weigh-in and then re-hydrated again that he was much bigger and heavier than his opponents. He then won on a technicality by pushing his much smaller opponents out of the ring. He never technically did any kickboxing at all, more like shoving.
Many people associate the martial arts with cultivating virtues like discipline, mental focus, with diligent practice. Picking on guys half your size makes you a bully, not a champ. Ferriss is no champion of kickboxing—he is a champion of cutting corners, of grandiosity, and of deception.
Ferriss elsewhere gives his strategy for becoming a "guest lecturer" at an Ivy League college: rent out a room and hold a talk on campus. You've technically lectured on the campus grounds now. No, you weren't actually invited by the University nor endorsed in any way whatsoever, but technically you're being honest, right? By the way, did you know I'm the world's best personal development blogger? I just held a select international competition and declared myself winner, so technically it's true. No, you don't get to vote—sorry, those are the rules!
My Virtual Assistants Absolutely LOVE My Book!
Some people suspect or imply that Ferriss may have hired his army of third-world virtual assistants to post 5-star reviews of The 4-Hour Workweek which suspiciously has 1000's of reviews, most short and 5 stars. A 1-star review on Amazon also suspects foul play:
Are the reviews being gamed …?, April 2, 2010This review is from: The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated: Expanded and Updated, With Over 100 New Pages of Cutting-Edge Content. (Hardcover)
Too many of the five star reviews are by people who have only written one review ever … which happens to be for this book. I would guess 50% of the 5 star are that way. Seems strange. I have no evidence obviously – this is simply an observation.
In fact I am sympathetic to the material … not 5 star quality … but saying something important by saying that you must know who you are, what you want and learn to focus – and do it with some ease, poise and grace. Doing so will help you be the best you can be. No problems there.
Popular blogger Penelope Trunk was receiving enthusiastic comment spam promoting Ferriss' first book when she confronted him about it. He denied any involvement, but upon further insistence from Trunk later replied that he'd "make sure there were no more comments like that" on her blog. Ms. Trunk also reports that Ferriss pulled a bait-and-switch tactic when he first met her at SXSW in order to promote his book, and implies that in her opinion, he is "full of shit" and self-centered. Was Ferriss paying his VA's to comment on Trunk's and possibly other peoples' blogs? It may not be illegal to do so, but it sure isn't above the board either.
For his most recent book promotion, Ferriss held a contest to artificially inflate sales of his book in order to jump to #1 on Amazon and get on the NY Times Bestseller list and thus be famous for being famous, a tactic also used by the Kardashian sisters.
One of Ferriss' claims that supports his new book is that he supposedly gained 34 lbs in 28 days. Some experienced bodybuilders on the Bodybuilding.com forums find this claim to be extremely unlikely if not outright fraud. Other experienced bodybuilders were equally skeptical. On his original BodyBuilding.com article, Ferriss claims:
Before and after measurements, including underwater hydrostatic weighings, were taken by Dr. Peggy Plato at the Human Performance Laboratory at the San Jose State University. Though this ridiculous experiment might seem unhealthy, I also managed other health goals without the use of statins (see the pre-bed supplementation). No joke.
Here are a few comparative shots. Oh, and I forgot to mention, all of this was done with two 30-minute workouts per week, for a total of 8 HOURS of gym time.
Later on his blog, he revised his claim to only 4 hours of gym time, hence the "4-hour body." Was his math just wrong the first time (2 workouts x :30 x 4 weeks = 4 hours not 8 hours), or is he having trouble keeping his story straight?
Meanwhile, Dr. Peggy Plato says he used her name without permission and she cannot verify his results.
This is the response that I have sent to people who have seen Tim Ferris' website or blog and have contacted me:
I don't know anything about Tim Ferris's exercise regime. He came through our Sport and Fitness Evaluation Program for some testing a number of years ago. He did not provide any information about his purpose. In fact, I only found out that he put my name on his website after receiving an inquiry from someone who had seen the website and asked if I could confirm his results. I cannot — he signed a consent form that states that individual results will not be disclosed. Although he contacted me about being retested, I am not willing to do that because he is apparently using my name and San Jose State University for his commercial purposes, without asking for permission or notifying me of this.
Peggy Plato
Note also that one of the supplements Ferriss used in his alleged transformation was Ferriss' own BrainQuicken BodyQUICK, which is advertised at the bottom of the article.
YouTube-famous bodybuilder "Scooby" debunks such claims of rapid muscle gain and says most post-pubescent individuals can expect to gain 5-10 lbs of muscle per year at best, unless they have superior genetics (in which case slightly more) or are using steroids. Scooby does not sell any products and all his videos are free (he has only 3 or 4 affiliate links that I can find on his site and discloses that they are affiliate links). Personally I'm more inclined to believe the soft-spoken Scooby on this one. Others claim that one can gain more muscle than that, but only if you had it in the past due to a phenomenon bodybuilders call "muscle memory." Here's how one person responded to Ferriss' claims:
I'm surprised no one caught this yet.
Can you gain 34lbs of muscle in 4 weeks? No!
Can you regain 34lbs of muscle in 4 weeks? Yes!
This dude used to have that muscle, lost it and gained it back.
Casey Viator did something similar when he worked with Arthur Jones. He went through a period of time "detraining" prior to his stint with Jones and Nautilus.
Then just like magic he gained several pounds of muscle quickly. When in reality all he did was regain the muscle. And as everyone knows regaining is pretty easy, especially if it's done immediately after losing it.
In other words, Ferriss might have technically gained 34lbs in 28 days but nobody can confirm this, and he may have been regaining lost muscle not gaining new muscle. As we've seen already, the "shoving people much smaller than him" champion doesn't seem to above such borderline fraudlent tactics.
"Lifestyle Design" and The 4-Hour Con
One of the premises of the 4-Hour Workweek is Ferriss' claim to have gone from $40k per year to $40k per month with his BrainQuicken LLC supplement company. According to Stephen Barrett, an industry watchdog, dietary supplements are a largely unregulated industry and have been a consistent source of consumer fraud that the FDA can do little if anything about. Reviews of BrainQuicken (also branded as BodyQuick) are not particularly favorable either (emphasis mine):
BrainQuicken is a health supplement manufactured by the company of the same name. The same product is also sold under the brand name BodyQuick. BrainQuicken was founded by productivity guru Tim Ferriss, but he has since sold the company. BrainQuicken (aka BodyQuick) claims to improve study skills, memory, athletic performance and as a safe stimulant. The claims made by the manufacturer are not supported with any scientific data however. The official website frequently mentions a 60-day, 110% money-back guarantee, yet when this option is investigated the website says this offer is "on hold", and the product is only available from online retailers. Thus, there seems to be no real money-back guarantee or free trials of this product available.
The official website of BrainQuicken reads like a television informercial, with dozens of testimonials from people from all professions. In addition to improving cognitive function, BrainQuicken also claims to aid in strength training, improving reaction speed and circulation, and in hang-over prevention.
But Wait, There's More!
Some suspect that Ferriss may have made fraudulent or misleading claims about his income from BrainQUICKEN that he stated in The 4-Hour Workweek. Once again, the math doesn't add up. A devotee of Ferriss' methods attempted to copy Ferriss' supplement business for his lifestyle design project and found that his market research showed the numbers Ferriss claimed didn't match up with the business and market realities:
Do the math yourself, and anyone can quickly see that BrainQUICKEN does not generate anywhere near that income.
As it is written it is straightforward, but it does lead people to believe that Tim made 40k in income every month from BQ. Even a cursory view of easily verifiable numbers shows that this can't have come from BQ (not to mention zero spending on google ads).
I also researched the heck out of the business model in developing GameBRAIN. That is when the cracks in Tim's muse story came from. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but after imitating BQ to a certain extent, it was like an onion. Lots of good layers to dig through, only to find a few rotten ones.
This wouldn't be the first time a get-rich-quick guru made a false income claim in order to sell a get-rich-quick product based around his fake success. The Salty Droid caught get-rich-quick internet marketer Irwin "Frank" Kern admitting on video to that very thing. Kern says in this video that he didn't make a dime before his first venture made money (which was later determined an illegal pyramid scheme by the FTC and Kern was sued for every last penny of his profits), yet his first venture claimed he had made $115,467.21 the year prior. From one of the slides on the video:
Was Ferriss' first "muse" business—a business that pays you enough to live off in just 4 or less hours a week—actually his book deal, the book that supposedly contained the secrets to his already achieved success?
Maybe he really did gain 34 lbs in 28 days through some miracle supplementation and working smarter, not harder. Or maybe…just maybe…he fudged a bit. Maybe he doctored the photos up a bit, or used a radical dehydration technique to lose a lot of weight and then quickly put it back on, or otherwise cut corners in order to make it appear as if he had done something more amazing than he actually did. After all, we're talking about Mr. Ruthless, Mr. Win by Technicality, a man willing to take advantage by any means possible—even if it bends the rules, or the truth—as long as it gets the results he's looking for in the end. I have no doubt that Tim Ferriss has lifted weights and tried supplements, but this information does raise serious doubts that he has achieved the things he claims to have achieved—the very things that form the basis for his books and his fame.
What Color is Your Lifehacking Hat?
Tim Ferriss is certainly a lifehacker, in the sense of a kid who always plays video games with cheat codes, content to win without putting in the real effort of skill acquisition, lacking patience and persistence and an ability to play fair with others. This is "black hat" or at the very least gray hat lifehacking: self-absorbed, anti-social, and ruthless.
There are also white hat lifehackers. Like the kids who took apart their parent's 486 PCs just to see how they worked, white hat lifehackers are curious, inventive, follow their interests wherever they go, and are often willing to lend a hand just because they want to share their knowledge with others. White hat lifehackers are curious about what they can do with their lives just to see what's possible and how things work, not necessarily to achieve anything or to win at some game of money or fame. They push the buttons of their minds just to see what they do, filled with a childlike wonder and curiosity. Inquiry and invention—for its own sake—is more important than "success."
We are all a mix of both good and bad motivations, but what we choose to cultivate makes a big difference in the long run.
No doubt Ferriss will ignore this blog post, as he has already been criticized many times by others and has posted his policy on dealing with "haters" on his blog (note the attempt at garnering search engine traffic for the "tim ferriss scam" keyword phrase in his blog post title). Unlike Bill "Push-Button Zen" Harris, Ferriss is much more PR savvy and understands that fighting legit criticism is bad for business, so he simply ignores it.
By the way, one of Ferriss' friends is a guy named Tucker Max. Max is famous for being a psychopathic drug-using womanizer and telling the internet about his sexual conquests in detail, then being sued by one of the women he manipulated and wrote about (he had posted her real name in his online stories). Max used this lawsuit as a way to get more publicity, which got his book onto the NY Times Bestseller list. Ferriss cites Max as a marketing genius for his kissing (or rather manipulating) and telling.
Tim Ferriss isn't the only one with a principle. I've got a principle too—it's called the Dunning-Kruger effect. And it explains a lot:
"One of the painful things about our time is that those who feel certainty are stupid, and those with any imagination and understanding are filled with doubt and indecision." ~Bertrand Russell
"The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity." ~W.B. Yeats
*Note to Ferriss and his lawyers: I can neither confirm nor deny any of the specific factual claims made by or against Timothy Ferriss by others that I have quoted or linked to in this article. I am presenting this information merely for educational and entertainment purposes. However, it is my opinion that Timothy Ferriss is a fraud and his books are a scam and it is well within my legal rights to express this publicly on my blog as these are not factually verifiable claims and therefore constitute protected free speech. My intent is not to harm but solely to provide consumer protection from frauds in the personal development industry so that we can advance our field, as well as provide entertainment to my blog readership.
UPDATE 1/14/2011: Haters, please read the addendum before commenting.
Powered by Facebook Comments
Tags: 4-hour body, 4-hour body scam, 4-hour work week scam, 4HWW, Four Hour Work Week, four hour work week scam, the 4 hour body, Tim Ferriss, tim ferriss scam, timothy ferriss scam


text:
Collection items
Showing 5 results
Burney GospelsManuscript
This beautifully illuminated copy of the Greek Gospels was created in two stages. The text was copied out in the 2nd hal...
Cappadocian Gospel lectionaryManuscript
The bishop Stephanos commissioned this Gospel lectionary. It was written in 980 at Ciscissa in Cappadocia. It is laid ou...
Gospel-book from LebanonManuscript
This 10th-century copy of the Gospels in Greek contains fine decorated headpieces at the beginning of each gospel. The v...
Guest-Coutts New TestamentManuscript
Copied and illuminated in the middle of the 10th century, this manuscript is a remarkable example of book production in...
Sermons of Gregory of NazianzusManuscript
The theological treatises of Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329–389?) were hugely important for the Greek church in the Middle...


text: The Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve has 3000 square kilometers and is spreaded along six municipalities, Alandroal, Barrancos, Moura, Mourão, Reguengos de Monsaraz and Portel. Included in the Reserve is the Alqueva Dark Sky Route which integrates accommodation, restaurants and activities. This Route has already people prepared to guide the astro-tourists and we have telescopes. The entrepreneurs of the Route are adapted to this product and for example they have late breakfast, late check-out, brunch, late lunches, late dinners, etc, small things that are important for the ones that use the night.


text:
COVID-19 updates
Quality CareFind out why Mayo Clinic is the right place for your health care. Make an appointment.
Meet the StaffFind a directory of doctors and departments at all Mayo Clinic campuses. Visit now.
Research and Clinical TrialsSee how Mayo Clinic research and clinical trials advance the science of medicine and improve patient care. Explore now.
Visit Our SchoolsEducators at Mayo Clinic train tomorrow's leaders to deliver compassionate, high-value, safe patient care. Choose a degree.
Professional ServicesExplore Mayo Clinic's many resources and see jobs available for medical professionals. Get updates.
Philanthropy at Mayo ClinicYour support accelerates powerful innovations in patient care, research and education. Give today.
Mayo Clinic offers appointments in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota and at Mayo Clinic Health System locations.
Subscribe to Housecall
Our general interest e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.
The first few months of pregnancy — the first trimester — are marked by rapid changes for both you and your baby.
For you, first trimester physical changes might include breast tenderness, fatigue and nausea. Your emotions might range from excitement to anxiety. For your baby, the first trimester is a time of rapid growth and development. Your baby's brain, spinal cord and other organs begin to form, and your baby's heart begins to beat. Your baby's fingers and toes even begin to take shape.
If you're in your first trimester, make an appointment with your health care provider to begin prenatal care. You'll find out what to expect during the first trimester and beyond. What you learn can help you take the best care of yourself and your baby.
Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.
Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic.
Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below.
A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.org," "Mayo Clinic Healthy Living," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.


text:
Towards the end of the 17th century, politicians and bureaucrats in the City of London were facing a problem not unlike the one faced by many aging cities in the early 21st century. For years, they had made promises to pay lifetime pensions to their residents, but hadn't bothered to properly estimate what those liabilities were currently worth — or how much to set aside to pay pensions. In the same vein, insurance companies were offering individual annuities to people of all ages, but were charging them a flat fixed price regardless of how old or how young they were.
In fact, various kings and queens were in the habit of borrowing money from their loyal subjects, with a promise to pay them back a lifetime pension, but had similarly never bothered to set aside or compute reserves to make those payments. According to some historians, the French treasury issued life annuities instead of regular bonds, at extremely generous yields that were the same for young and old alike. This resulted in the eventual bankruptcy of the treasury, prior to the French Revolution.
Against this backdrop, the Royal Society decided to assign this problem in early 1690 to a young and confident scientist by the name of Edmond Halley. Mr. Halley attacked this problem in a rather novel way and came up with the first formal expression for the value of a pension annuity. Yes, that is the astronomer Edmond Halley with the famous comet named after him, last seen around the solar system in 1986 and next expected to visit in the year 2061.
The astronomer Edmond Halley was a mere 35 years-old when he tackled the pricing of individual annuities, but was already widely known and respected in scientific circles around England and beyond. He wrote a famous article, which was eventually published in the year 1693 by the Royal Society in its Philosophical Transactions, where he displayed the first reliable life table. He also took the opportunity to summarize his thinking about mortality rates as a function of age, and, most importantly, laid down the foundations for determining what a pension annuity is worth.
Why a famous astronomer — who spent his time gazing at stars and comets in far-flung observatories around the world — would have been interested in working on a rather morbid problem of determining mortality rates is rather puzzling. One can speculate that his sudden interest in death might have been kindled by the fact that his father — also called Edmond Halley, a wealthy aristocrat and businessman — was alleged to have been involved in the Rye House plot. For those of you who are not English history buffs, this was a plot to kill King Charles II and his brother James in April of 1683. Anyway, to make a long story short, the king and his heir were spared and the conspirators were caught, tried and mostly executed, except for the ones who committed suicide. It's not clear if he was involved in any way, but Edmond (senior) Halley was a known associate of some of those involved and was found dead, likely murdered and completely naked except for his shoes, floating in a local river in April 1684.
Ok. I'll get back to that story and the problems this caused Edmond (junior) Halley the astronomer, later.
Take the Pension or a Lump Sum?
Nowadays, most large employers around the world — whether in the public or private sector — offer some sort of retirement savings plan to their workforce. Would you rather get a lifetime pension annuity of $1,000 per month, or a lump sum of $300,000? Are you better off taking the money out of a retirement savings plan and buying your own pension annuity? There are some tough questions people face as they near retirement, and this is precisely where Edmond Halley's pension annuity equation comes in really handy.
In sum, having an equation to figure out what a pension annuity is worth, or what it might cost to buy one, is clearly one of the most important issues that must be contemplated around retirement. For many retirees, it is the single most important decision they face.
As you can see from the table, if you wait to purchase your pension annuity until a later age, it will be cheaper. Likewise, if interest rates move-up, your pension will become cheaper to acquire as well.
Imagine that you are 70-years-old, and entitled to a pension annuity of $3,000 per month starting immediately. Further assume that your employer offers you a lump-sum of $306,000 now, instead of the pension annuity. So, should you take the money or keep the pension? This sort of dilemma is faced by hundreds of thousands of people, annually, as they approach retirement. But here is how to address the financial aspects. The $3,000 monthly pension is $36,000 annually. The $306,000 that you are being offered to walk away, is exactly 306/36 = 8.5 times the annual income. Now, look at the column under the age of 70. You will see that the value of 8.5 is in between the interest rate of 7% ($8.74) and 8% ($8.16).
What does this mean? Well, the $306,000 the company is offering you to forfeit the pension, is a good deal, only if interest rates in the market place are higher than 7.5%. Under those conditions you are getting a fair deal. But, if market interest rates are at 6%, then you aren't getting a very good deal — they should have offered you a larger lump sum — and you are probably better off taking the pension annuity.
Back to Halley's History
The circumstances surrounding the death of Edmond (senior) Halley remain a mystery to this day, with some arguing that he committed suicide — perhaps out of fear of his involvement in a lurid royal plot? — and the police claiming he was murdered by petty thieves.
One thing is for certain — the stress around the death of his father distracted him from his astronomical research and he did very little formal work around the time. The one thing he did — in marked contrast to all his other work — was write a paper about calculating life and death, and computing insurance and annuity values. Perhaps it was on his mind.
Halley's Comet has had quite a profound impact on people over the years. The great American writer and satirist Mark Twain said the following, according to his biographer. "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet."
In ancient times comets were often blamed for floods, earthquakes, disease and destruction. And, Halley's comet welcomed more than a fair share of bad news. Its first appearance in the Common Era took place in the year 66, which was on the eve of the rebellion and eventual destruction of the Jewish temple by the Romans, memorialized in a drawing of Halley's comet over the city of Jerusalem. The list of momentous (sad) historical events continues thorough the ages, including its appearance in 1759 — the year of Halley's vindication — corresponding with the Conquest of Canada.
The next appearance of Halley's Comet — technically the perihelion, when it comes closest to the sun — is scheduled for the 28th of July 2061. On that particular date I hope to be retired, approaching the age of 95 in good health — trying to beat the Gompertz odds — and enjoying my wife, kids and grandkids, living off my university pension which is quite valuable according to Halley. And, unlike Mark Twain, I hope not to go out with it.
Reprinted by permission of the publisher, John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd., from The 7 Most Important Equations for Your Retirement, by Moshe A. Milevsky. Copyright © 2012 by Moshe A. Milevsky