text:
Who should investors turn to for financial advice?
Brokers, advisers and planners have different training and credentials and charge based on varying fee models and commissions for products they recommend. And even when markets are strong, as they are now, it is important to know what professional standards apply in each case.
Some are held to a so-called fiduciary standard, which requires them to act in a client's best interest. But others aren't. The Dodd-Frank Act, signed into law in 2010 amid the financial crisis, gave the Securities and Exchange Commission authority to require brokers to meet the fiduciary standard, but the SEC is still pondering a possible rule.
For now, investors should interview investment professionals just as they would a job candidate, says Ohio Securities Commissioner Andrea Seidt, president of the North American Securities Administrators Association.
Inquire about the credentials and licenses they hold to help ensure you are entrusting your money with someone who can meet your needs. Ask how they are compensated, whether they're paid by the hour, are on retainer, make a commission from trades, or collect a percentage of the assets they manage. Check their backgrounds with state regulators, and run names through BrokerCheck, a website run by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or Finra, an industry-funded Wall Street watchdog.
"People spend more time researching a car for $20,000 than they do when handing over their life savings," Seidt says.
• Brokers. Brokers can buy and sell securities — stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other products — for customers or for their own accounts. They must pass exams to qualify with state securities regulators and Finra. They are often employed by Wall Street banks, whose products they may favor even if a better or lower-cost option is available from another firm.
Some brokers like to call themselves "financial advisers" or "investment consultants." But they aren't obligated to give what they consider the best advice. Instead, they are required only to recommend "suitable" investments based on a customer's risk profile, financial status, age, investment goals and liquidity needs, among other factors.
That means, in practice, that they can recommend investments with high fees or conflicts of interest that can benefit themselves or their firms ahead of the clients.
"Unfortunately, when the market is going up in value like it is now, unsuitable investments are really hard to identify," says Jason Doss, president of the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association.
Unsuitable investments become more obvious when markets sour, exposing unforeseen risks. Finra opened 560 arbitration cases involving the sale of unsuitable products to investors through May, on pace to surpass last year's total of 1,243 cases.
• Registered investment advisers. These advisers, also known as RIAs, are typically regulated under state and federal laws that require them to act solely in the best interests of their clients.
Registered investment advisers who manage less than $100 million must register with their state securities agency, while those who manage more than that are generally required to register with the SEC. RIAs are also required to disclose conflicts of interest.
Still, not everyone who is supposed to act in a client's best interest does so. Finra opened 975 arbitration cases involving an alleged breach of fiduciary duty by a financial professional through May this year.
• Certified financial planners. Investors who want a professional to look at all their assets and liabilities and develop a plan for reaching their financial goals might opt for a certified financial planner. Many brokers and registered investment advisers are also CFPs.
CFPs must pass an exam administered by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, an industry group. They also need three years of professional experience in financial planning or two years of apprenticeship, and have to undergo a background check.
Like RIAs, CFPs are supposed to adhere to a high standard. They must act in "utmost good faith, in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the best interest of the client," according to the CFP Board rules of conduct.
Depending on whether CFPs are also practicing insurance agents or brokers, they may, however, recommend only products on which they earn commissions or other payments. Investors should ask if a planner's offerings are limited, and why.
So which investment professional is right for you? First, figure out what you want from the relationship. An adviser or a planner might be a better choice if you want help from someone who is looking at the bigger picture or you are worried about being pushed to make risky investments.
On the other hand, a broker who comes with references from family or friends and who has a clean record with state regulators might offer more diverse financial products than an independent planner or adviser, Seidt says.
With all investment pros, experts say investors should request that the terms of the relationship, including fees and commissions, be put in writing. And stay vigilant.
"It's not just once and done," Seidt says.
More from MarketWatch:
10 things rich people do better than you
Sneaky malware lurks on your computer until you log into your bank


text:
Happy Halloween!
Hello readers! It's Happy Candy Day here at HBIC Headquarters. I'll be off for most of the day as I will be calling the play-by-play for the Manitoba Bisons as they battle the Calgary Dinos in women's hockey, and then it's home to hand out candy. Everyone be safe today, and make sure you let your parents check your haul of candy, kids, before breaking into the snacks!
Until next time, keep your masks on for the night!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The first non-obvious advancement of the United Sciences technology was scanning inside a cavity—that is, putting a scanner in a hole. It was considered impossible to get light in and out of a small hole for the purposes of imaging because all conventional 3D scanning technology used only forward illumination to scan the surface of objects and not their interior. United Sciences turned scanning inside out by developing a proprietary lens structure that projected radial illumination within the cavity thereby enabling the scanner to project sideways within a cavity.read more...
Only technology capable of accurately scanning and measuring a hole or cavity through non-contact means
3D ear scan on Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple
As many as 7 million holes on a single airplane frame need to be inspected.


text:
7:14 "I will fight for people's rights. Anybody whose human rights uh are wronged or taken away I will try and fight for them. I will go to Russia. I'm going to Russia in December or November and I will try to me Putin on I will try to talk to him. I don't know what good it will do but unless you build a bridge ahh, it's no good putting up a wall saying I'm not talking to these people the only thing that gets solved is by talking to people umm"
7:58 "As an AIDS organization we support the marginalized as well umm, you know the very very poor people that are getting left behind, the drug users, the people in prison. Umm you know if we leave people behind in society, then society is going to crumble. We have to do on this journey of aids and of human rights we have to try and take everyone with us and uh, I deeply believe that and umm many people might disagree with me but I'm certainly you know if anyone doesn't have their basic civil rights I get crazy!"
8:46 "The new Pope has done wonderful. I mean he's excited me so much by his humanity and taking everything down to the humility of faith no matter what it is, what faith you have, what religion you have, who you believe in, what you believe in he stripped it down to the bare bones and said it's all basically about love and taking everybody in inclusiveness umm"
9:29 "Of course and and and I don't see why Catholic priests have to be celibate. That's crazy! You know these are old and stupid things umm and the church hierarchy might be you know uhh, up in arms about it the traditionalists but the times have changed we live in a different time. If Jesus Christ was alive today, I cannot see him as the christian person he was and the great person he was saying this could not happen umm. He was all about love and compassion and forgiveness and and trying to bring people together and that's what the church should be about."
"Who am I to judge?"


text:
Math is hard!
Emily Yoffe, who makes a living out of charmingly embarrassing herself on Slate, has a new quest -- to learn to add 2 and 2. Apparently when she starting writing this article (in which she takes a crazy-intense Japanese math course) she was at a first-grade level.
These results forced me to consider that the real reason for my abysmal math skills might be that I was profoundly stupid. Yet even the stupid are supposed to be helped by the Kumon method. Founded 50 years ago by Toru Kumon, a Japanese math teacher, Kumon is not one-on-one tutoring, but a highly regimented system in which students progress by moving incrementally through increasingly advanced drills. I was intrigued by trying mathematics Japanese-style. I found encouraging a recent article in the Wall Street Journal that pointed out that while more men score very high on math in the United States, in Japan the sexes do equally well. Then there was the Brookings Institution study of international math achievement, which found that the U.S. ethic of trying to make math relevant, as opposed to the Japanese ethic of just getting math right, meant the Japanese swamped us in world rankings. ... I accept that this unshakable attachment to drills and repetition may be why the Japanese are better at math than Americans. But it may also be why the Japanese invented ritual seppuku.
Kumon also apparently has a reading program. Anyone know if there's a literacy gender gap in Japanese students?


text:
Our professional capture pages come with a contact manager and autoresponder system that can help you GENERATE MORE OPTIN'S and CLOSE MORE for your business! We have the HOT NEW pages added every month. We also have company specific pages and industry generic pages. We can even customize a Custom Splash Page page for you!
Experts have shown that it often takes 7 or more ad exposures before prospective customers actually make a purchase. With our Custom Splash Pages & autoresponder follow ups, your opt-in prospects will automatically receive your message the essential seven or more times over a period of days, weeks, and even months when they request important information from you.
A lead capture page is a small one page website that allows your visitor to enter their contact information to request more information on your product or opportunity.
Instead of having your visitor search through your entire website reading through pages and pages of information a lead capture page is designed to be simple yet deliver a very direct message about your business opportunity or products. A lead capture page also allows you to collect each interested prospect information. From there you can follow up with them with an autoresponder series of messages which will highly increase your rate of signups & sales.
An autoresponder is much like a fax-on-demand system, where you call a number or, in this case, email a specific email address, fill out a form on a website or do something, like buying something online and get an instant reply .
Internet marketing and online business people agree that email autoresponders are the greatest marketing tool ever invented. Why? Because it gives people instant access to information!
Plus it saves you time and effort. Imagine having to manually write 100's of emails to people that respond to your ad (That would take hours to do). With our built in autoresponder the person instantly receives a personalized email from you with your contact information.
What do we provide?
We Provide Custom Splash Pages & autoresponder follow up systems. Our system allows you to choose one of our various custom splash pages (800+). With our system you also receive a built in 13 series autoresponder follow up system that will build your prospects trust in you & your opportunity. You now have a virtually unlimited opportunity to advertise to your now "opt in" subscriber.
Never be in the dark about what advertising methods work best. We have made it easy for you to setup ad campaigns so you can see which campaign is delivering the best results. You can also see detailed statistics about who is visiting your pages and what type of conversion ratio your capture page has.
What's included in your package?
Order Your Own Capture Page & Marketing System Now!
$17.95/ Month
$169.95/ Year
$299.95 - Special Lifetime Membership
Limited Time Offer!
Contact us for a quote!
Two page designs start at $250 (Leads opt-in page then redirect to info page & 10+ autoresponders ) - More info
We also have Done For You Marketing Campaigns available!
We suggest using a capture page for any paid traffic campaigns!
Text: CSP Callback to 800-497-5613 To Request A Callback! Please allow 1 Business day!


text:
I have spent over two decades advising clients on best strategies for technology adoption.
I am currently leading the push in AI and intelligent automation for Capgemini's Business Services.
I am a computer scientist by education, a technologist at heart, and can offer a wealth of cross-industry experience to my clients.


text:
Rob Liefeld's run on Deathstroke concludes in this issue, with the end of the Deathstroke/Lobo battle. Bare with me, as I'm still a little sketchy on how this issue ended.
It turns out the that Lobo's release was orchestrated by Maxim (who hired Deathstroke at the start of this story) were the ones who released Lobo. The goal was to lead him and the Omegas (the alien children of Lobo's victims) to some sort of spaceship (so Maxim could loot its weapons supply), and Deathstroke's purpose was to take out Lobo and clean up their mess.
So how does Deathstroke off Lobo? He impaled the Czarnian with the poor alien's own super motorcycle, flies the two of them into the upper atmosphere, and blows Lobo up. Well that was short-lived. Maybe it's just because I'm a big fan of the character, but it seems like a cop-out to have killed him off that quickly and easily.
Deathstroke ends the story by telling off Maxim for putting the Omegas in danger for his own personal gain. Before he leaves he stops to flirt with Zealot (the Omega's bodyguard), awkwardly kissing her and leaves. And that's it.
Now I know I'm biased; I do like Liefeld's stuff a lot. But this issue, well, it was pretty confusing plot wise. And that's a shame, because I think he really over-thought it. The story could have been a lot simpler. The other thing I noticed was that the book was light on backgrounds. There were a noticeable amount of panels without them. But I guess that was a sacrifice that was made to make sure the book came out on time.
The best part of this story was the brief epilogue, where Sheba (Lobo's girlfriend that was assumed to be deceased) is actually alive and well, albeit in suspended animation. I know the concept is borrowed from Lobo's Back, but there is definitely something cool about imagining a female Lobo terrorizing the New 52.


text:
African Burial Grounds - More than 20,000 African-Americans are interred at the burial ground in Lower Manhattan, discovered during construction on a federal office building in 1991. Visitors to this site, maintained by the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture can look at photos,a map of historic African-American sites in New York and take a virtual tour of the burial ground.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle - The main focus of this site, published by the Brooklyn Public Library, is to give readers access to an online archive of the Brooklyn Eagle. Each daily paper from late 1841 through 1902 is available; there's also tips for research, and a history and timeline of the paper. In total, there are 147,000 pages of newspaper to read.
Brooklyn Genealogy Information Page - This Web site is intended as a jumping off point for Brooklynites researching family histories. Visitors can search for their last names and find the email addresses of possible relatives; there's also a list of links to personal genealogical pages and a place to add your own. But this site is also chock-full of obscure Brooklyn history. There is a page of obsolete street names, lots of old maps, histories of old disasters, and neighborhood stories reprinted from old newspapers.
Early Films of New York - On this Library of Congress site, visitors can watch 45 silent films of New York City, made between 1898 and 1906. Visitors can browse or search the database, read short background essays, and get a suggested bibliography for further reading. The films themselves seem to work better on PCs than they do on Macs.
Ellis Island Immigration Museum - Once the gateway for millions to America, Ellis Island is now home to a first-rate museum that chronicles the turn-of-the-century immigrant experience. Website includes virtual family scrapbooks and an Ellis Island genealogy search.
Forgotten New York - Site creator Kevin Walsh promises a "gateway to a New York City that existed long ago -- and still exists in a hidden form today." Categories include signs, cemeteries, street scenes ("Abandoned hospitals, ancient theatres, Brooklyn's old ballpark.."), street lamps, subways ("Outdated signs, doorways to nowhere, closed stations, disappeared and forgotten routes"). Pictures and stories. (11/12/03)
Harlem 1900 - 1940: An African-American Community - This site stemmed from a 1991 exhibit by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, and has continued to be updated since. The site's two dozen short articles are about Harlem during the time of its renaissance, focusing on activists, the arts, business, the community, sports, writers and intellectuals. Also included are a timeline of the Harlem Renaissance, and tips for teachers who want to incorporate the site into lessons.
Inventing Gotham - Part of a high school course for students at Fieldston High School in the Bronx, this website is an interactive map of New York -- or Manhattan at least. By clicking on marked locations, visitors can read student-written histories of that spot. The Student Web Page Projects icon on the sidebar also includes links to websites that the students have created themselves.
Lower East Side Business Improvement District - The website for the Lower East Side Business Improvement District, which promotes the historic Orchard Street shopping district. The site includes a calendar of events and lengthy lists of historical sites and businesses in the area.
Lower East Side Conservancy - The website for the Lower East Side Conservancy, an oganization whose mission is to promote and preserve Jewish culture on the Lower East Side. The site contains 360 degree interior views of two historic synagogues, a map of more historic synagogues on the Lower East Side, and information about walking tours given by the group.
Lower East Side Tenement Museum - The website for the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Content on the site is a mixture of historical material and information about urban housing and immigrant life today. The site's features include a virtual tour of a Lower East Side tenement with audio files, illustrations of federal detention centers for immigrants, and photo essays on urban housing policy. The site also features a Lower East Side 'merchant of the month,' and provides information for educators and the general public about the museum itself.
Lower East Side Tenement Museum - The website for the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Content on the site is a mixture of historical material and information about urban housing and immigrant life today. The site's features include a virtual tour of a Lower East Side tenement with audio files, illustrations of federal detention centers for immigrants, and photo essays on urban housing policy. The site also features a Lower East Side 'merchant of the month,' and provides information for educators and the general public about the museum itself.
LTVsquad.com - The LTV squad claims to be the city's oldest existing exploration team. This site documents their explorations through the city's "abandoned and/or unseen infrastructure." It is regularly updated with new photos.
Netherworld Online - This site is about going places in the city where you're not supposed to go. It includes enough diatribes, photographs, and links to keep anyone interested in "urban exploration" busy for some time. It says over and over that it is no longer regularly maintained, but its old stuff is still useful.
New York History - An eclectic mixture of New York History-related information and products. Early 20th century images, vintage photos on e-cards, and an early history of the New York Yankees. In large part, this is a site for buying things about New York's history, rather than for using as a research tool.
New York: A Documentary Film Online - For those who didn't get enough from the 14 and a half hour movie, the accompanying website to Ric Burns' acclaimed New York: A Documentary Film has a wealth of information about the city's history. The "Hidden New York" section has 360 degree tours of a dozen historical locations in the city; the interview gallery has excerpts from interviews with 36 prominent New Yorkers, from El Doctorow to Peter Vallone. Interactive features abound, and everything on the site is attractively presented.
NY Historical Society - The regularly updated homepage of New York Historical Society includes a daily "This Day in New York History," as well as illustrated descriptions of past, present and future exhibitions. Also available is information about the group programs and an online store.
Protecting Health for 200 Years - The New York City Department of Health turns 200 in 2005 and it has set up a page on its Web site celebrating its bicentennial. Among other things, the site has a timeline of public health in New York City, and a chart comparing public health in the city today to what it was like in 1805 (when major concerns for the upstart department were wild hogs running through the streets and animal carcasses decaying in public spaces). The calendar of events lists some interesting-sounding lunch forums to be held throughout the year, but doesn't have dates for them.
Satchmo.net - The Louis Armstrong House and Archives opened as a museum in October 2003. On the accompanying website, visitors can take a video tour of the house, and listen to Armstrong's home recordings. There is also information about current exhibits, a Louis Armstrong timeline, and a calendar that informs visitors about upcoming events at the house, and important dates in Armstrong's life.
Seneca Village - This site is based on information from the book Park and the People by Elizabeth Blackmar and Roy Rosenweig. Seneca village, located between 82nd and 89th streets between Seventh and Eighth Avenues was New York's first known community of African-American property owners. African-Americans lived in alongside Irish and German immigrants in Seneca from 1825 to 1857, when it was destroyed to make way for Central Park. This site offers pictures of original maps, census documents and information about Seneca Village and its evacuation.
Tamiment Library & Robert Wagner Labor Achives - New York University's labor archives contains various print, photographic, film, and oral history collections examining "the complex relationship between trade unionism and progressive politics and how this evolved over time." Its Web site gives a guide to this material (located in the NYU library), in addition to including several online-specific exhibits.
The History Box - This attractive site is intended to be used as a resource for historians and genealogists. The most useful sections are the directories, with entries for various topics -- Broadway, Business Matters, Inns, Occupations -- that pull together articles from elsewhere on the web and present them in one place.
The Living City NYC - This site is a timeline following issues of New York City's public health from the 1860s to the 1920s. Each decade has its own page. Major events, like the Great Blizzard of 1888 and the Tenement House Act of 1901 also get their own entries. There are also a few special exhibits on topics such as street cleaning. The site is a joint project by Columbia's school of public health, the National Science Foundation, and the Center for the History & Ethics of Public Health.
The Village Voice at 50 - The Village Voice published a special edition celebrating its 50th anniversary last week. Its Web incarnation includes a series of essays about theater, the gay movement, black journalism and other subjects by Voice writers, a neat timeline of the history of the city through the magazine's eyes over the last 50 years, and 50 front covers to remember, among other things.
Walks in New York and Elsewhere - This blog is a running commentary on the walks that architectural historian Sandra Levine takes around New York City, illustrated with photographs. Levine gives her perspective on the city's most well-known areas -- and some of its less-traveled ones as well.
Weeksville Society - Weeksville was a black community in nineteenth-century Brooklyn. Physical evidence of the community was first discovered in 1968, leading to restoration and archeological efforts in the area, now Bedford Stuyvesant. This site, dedicated to telling the story of the original and rediscovered Weeksville, offers photos, articles and information about visits, as well as audio interviews with those involved in the restoration and archeological processes.


text:
Two people died in a three-car collision on Monday night on the outer loop of the Beltway, according to reports from the Associated Press and Washington Post.
Maryland State Police told the Washington Post that the incident occurred around 7:40 p.m., when the driver of a Chevrolet Malibu hydroplaned on a curve and slid across the highway and spun into a Toyota pickup truck. A Chevrolet Silverado then hit the Malibu, police said.
Two passengers, a 30-year-old woman and 17-year-old male both from Silver Spring, were taken to hospitals with life-threatening injuries but later died, police said.
The 36-year-old driver of the Malibu also sustained serious injuries. All others involved had minor injuries, police said.
The crash closed all lanes of the outer loop near Connecticut Avenue on Monday night, as a light rain continued to fall in near-freezing temperaturs.
Photo via TrafficLand


text:
I have GREAT news! Last weekend, I bought a car! It's so cute and red, but kind of squeaky and old (Hey, it gives it character!). I have to love it anyway — having a car is going to make my life so much easier!
The first week I moved to college, somebody rear-ended my old ca
r going 60 mph. Thankfully, I was fine, but my car was another story. It was crushed and totally undrivable. That made getting around a little difficult. I learned how to take the bus, but waiting for the bus in the snow and cold is NO fun. I dreaded taking the hour-long bus ride to work on the weekends. Sometimes it was late or never came at all. All I could think about was how much I wanted my old car back.
Now that I have a new car, I can drive to work easily, go out on the weekends without worrying about catching the last bus and go on surprise road trips... which is exactly what I did last weekend!
More From Seventeen
My boyfriend was recently offered a really awesome job two hours away, so I only get to see him on the weekends. My weekdays get kind of lonely sometimes without him, so I knew exactly how to fix that! Thursday night, I decided to surprise him and drive to his apartment with his favorite movie — Jackass 3D! My friends and I ritually go out to dinner and a movie on Thursdays, so he had no idea I was coming. When I showed up, I called from his front porch and told him I had different plans for that night... and they involved me, him and a movie. He was totally shocked, but really happy to see me. We had a great weekend in Chicago. I was totally sad to leave :\
Along with surprise road trips, I plan to use my car A LOT. I love the independence of having my own wheels. I can't wait to drive all over, maybe somewhere even farther than Chicago next time!
What is your dream car?


text:
Russia's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft, a Mars probe that malfunctioned, is expected to fall back into Earth's atmosphere as early as this weekend. It will crash to our planet's surface, but is unlikely to hurt anyone on the ground. These 10 facts won't hurt either:
1 Where does Earth's atmosphere end and outer space begin? NASA defines an astronaut as someone who has flown 50 miles above sea level. But some international groups prefer to define space as the area beyond the Karman Line, which is about 62 miles above sea level.
2 Living in space can cause subtle changes in the human body. For example, some astronauts find that their tastes in food change. "One of my favorite foods on the ground is shrimp, and up here I can't stand it," said International Space Station astronaut Peggy Whitson.
3 Speaking of food and space, South Korean researchers spent more than $1 million on kimchi that astronaut Yi So-yeon took to the International Space Station in 2008. Scientists had to develop a special version of the pickled cabbage dish to address fears that it would offend crew members from other countries with its smell or that it would start "bubbling out of control" in space conditions.
4 Neil Armstrong misspoke when he uttered the first words on the moon in 1969. He was supposed to announce, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." But he left out the "a," producing a sentence that didn't really make sense. (Without the "a," "man" would mean the same thing as "mankind.") But, of course, everyone knew what he meant.
5 Sitting in the Centaurus constellation about 20 light years from Earth is star BPM 37093, also named Lucy. The white dwarf is one huge diamond, scientists say, that weighs in at 10 billion trillion trillion carats and is about the size of our moon.
6 In 1993, a meteoroid destroyed the European Space Agency's communication satellite Olympus. Don't think Hollywood explosion. Scientists suspect it was damaged by a few pebbles, and in trying to regain control, so much fuel was lost the satellite was rendered useless. While space shuttles, space stations and satellites have received minor damage from flying space rocks, the Olympus is the only satellite to be rendered useless.
7 Before "The Big Bang Theory" was a TV show, it was an explanation for the development of the universe, and much of the credit (for the theory, not the TV show) goes to a former Chicagoan. Edwin Hubble set the Illinois high jump record while at Wheaton High School, won a Rhodes scholarship, and earned a doctorate at the University of Chicago. But the ultimate honor — the Nobel Prize — eluded him because some Nobel officials didn't think astronomy fit into the physics category.
8 The word "jovial" comes from Jove, another name for the god (and the planet) Jupiter. The god was considered jolly, so those who are similarly good-natured are jovial. But in space terms, a "jovian planet" is not at all jolly — it's a planet that, like Jupiter, is composed primarily of gases rather than solid matter.
9 When you point out the Big Dipper to your child, be careful not to call it a constellation. It's an asterism, or a collection of stars within a constellation or in multiple constellations that form another shape. Another famous asterism is Orion's Belt. There are 88 official constellations, including Orion, Gemini, the zodiac signs and Ursa Major, which includes the Big Dipper.
10 The ashes of more than 100 humans have been launched into space, including those of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry and hippie icon Timothy Leary. But the first human ashes to leave the solar system are expected to be those of Clyde Tombaugh. The remains of the astronomer who discovered Pluto are aboard the New Horizons spacecraft, scheduled to fly past Pluto in 2015 and take photographs, then depart our solar system.
Mark Jacob is a deputy metro editor at the Tribune; Stephan Benzkofer is the Tribune's weekend editor.
Sources: "Handbook of Space Engineering, Archaeology, and Heritage" by Beth Laura O'Leary; "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Weird Word Origins" by Paul McFedries; "Meteors in the Earth's Atmosphere" by Edmond Murad, Iwan Prys Williams; "The Nobel Prize" by Burton Feldman; "Don't Know Much About the Universe" by Kenneth C. Davis; "Star Clusters and How to Observe Them" by Mark Allison; "The Handy Astronomy Answer Book" by Charles Liu; spaceflight now.com; The New York Times; snopes.com; chicagomaroon.com; "People of the Century" by CBS News; BBC News; Toronto Globe and Mail; planetfacts.org; science.nasa.gov; dictionary.reference.com; universetoday.com;


text:
Sing in joy as He will, can and does redeem you, and His Grace falls down on you like…
(right click and select "Open Link in New Tab" to listen as you read)
Rejoice as He has taken all your inequities upon Himself.
Know you are saved and will be healed with faith in Him!
Psalms 2: (Remember, with just a little faith, ask Him.)
8 Ask of me,….
Psalms 3: (You will be happy today, lifted in spirit, delivered immediately.)
3 … you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
8 From the LORD comes deliverance.
Psalms 4: (He does hear you, answers you and protects you.)
1 Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him.
Psalms 5: (Speak to Him, let Him know your desires, issues and challenges and He will help you the instant you ask.)
2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
12 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
Psalms 6: (With just a little faith, ask and you will receive.)
2 Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony.
4 Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.
9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.
Psalms 9: (He is in front of all your struggles, battles and challenges.)
9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Psalms 10: (He hears you.)
17 You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
Psalms 13: (Trust in Him and be thankful.)
5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.
Psalms 14: (Seek an understanding, knowledge, wisdom and a relationship.)
2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
Psalms 16: (Now here it comes, all His blessings poured out upon you, now, immediately and going forward for ever. The new foundation of your Life is established now!)
1 Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."
3 As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.
5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalms 17: (He will make things right for you, you do not have to, He does it!)
1 Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer — it does not rise from deceitful lips.
2 May my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right.
6 I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.
7 Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you…
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings
15 And I — in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.
Psalms 18: (He will help you against every enemy, every problem and issue you face, He will save you and make you stronger then anything on earth.)
1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved...
6 In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the LORD ? And who is the Rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.
35 You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.
46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!
Psalms 23: (And now, that "little faith" we discussed, is opened up in understanding, the source to stand on now and forever and His blessings will overwhelm you.)
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalms 25: (Now He will lead you, hold your hand and your heart, into a new, safe, prosperous and peaceful life.)
4 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;
5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.
10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
15 My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.
18 Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.
20 Guard my life and rescue me;let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you
Psalms 27: (Now you have His strength, His protection and His attention!)
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?
7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face! "Your face, LORD, I will seek.
13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Psalms 28: (We call on Him, He hears us, and blesses us forever.)
6 Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.
8 The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
9 Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Psalms 29: (You can now believe that the Word you read is His Word and with your faith in His Word you are blessed with peace.)
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.
11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.
Psalms 30: (He will get you through your trials and He will raise you from despair, misery, pain, illness or any trouble.)
1 I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths…
2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.
4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name.
6 When I felt secure, I said, "I will never be shaken."
7 O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm;
8 To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:
10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help."
11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Psalms 31: (There will still be times (seasons) when you face significant challenges, some that may seem like it is the end, but have faith He will deliver you.)
1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.
9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.
14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."
15 My times are in your hands; deliver me…
16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.
17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I have cried out to you;
24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.
Psalms 32: (In faith, share your guilt and receive forgiveness and a building up of wisdom from within.)
1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD " — and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Psalms 33: (We know He is. Our faith is Hope in Him.)
4 For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.
11 … the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.
13 From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind;
14 from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth-
15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.
20 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.
Psalms 34: (With Faith and Hope, He will save you!)
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
22 The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.
Psalms 35: (He is your ultimate protector, your super hero, a strength for which there is no match.)
1 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.
10 … You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
23 Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord.
24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, O LORD my God;
Psalms 36: (He will preserve you and align you with others of the same heart and belief.)
5 Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.
7 How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.
9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
10 Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.
Psalms 37: (Live His Way and your Life will be incredible, awesome and unbelievable!)
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret — it leads only to evil.
11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.
18 The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
23 If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;
24 though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.
27 Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever,
29 the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.
39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
Psalms 38: (These verses show the extreme and uttermost sufferings we may go through, so please wait patiently and call for His Grace.)
1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.
4 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.
9 All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes.
15 I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God.
18 I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.
21 O LORD, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God.
22 Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior.
Psalms 39: (Here are more descriptions of our human behaviors that are a short coming in His eyes, but again, there is a message of Hope.)
7 "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.
8 Save me from all my transgressions;
Psalms 40: (So in the midst of trials and tribulations, keep your thoughts in line with His Word.)
1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust..
5 Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.
8 I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.
10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me.
17 Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay.
Psalms 41: (Your faith, goodwill and testimony to others will be rewarded!)
1 Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.
2 The LORD will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land
3 The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.
4 I said, "O LORD, have mercy on me;
10 But you, O LORD, have mercy on me; raise me up,
12 In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.
13 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen


text:
So a new year is upon us. Thank God. I hope. 2005 in many ways was a trying year. One that saw the multiplication of death that came in the form of natural disasters as well as those of the man-made variety.
During this time of year, some say "tis the season to be jolly� but I also wonder about the Christmas platitude which speaks of "peace on earth� and "goodwill to men.� Peace surely was scarce on earth last year. From the Iraq quagmire, to the conditions of genocide in Africa and the riots in France and Australia, the world is far from peaceful. An October 8th earthquake in the PakistanKashmir North West Frontier Province regions has left 73,000 dead and 2.5 million homeless.
Here, we experienced Katrina peeling the ugly scab off of this country's lies regarding race and class. And in this tragic, ongoing story bureaucratic bungling, incompetence and apathy contributed to a death toll that officially stands at around 1,300 while 6,600 people remain uncounted for. To add insult to injury many evacuees now face eviction in states unfamiliar to them. And "goodwill among men� well, that goes up in smoke with every U.S. missile, insurgent IED (Improvised Explosive Device) and suicide bomb that further bloodies the soil. Officially, more than 2,200 U.S. soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq with 9,000 wounded. However, some state that the real figures are much higher. How can this be? Well, a story is circulating that states that those soldiers who die, during surgery in places like Germany, for war-related injuries are not counted among those dying in combat. The idea here is that they didn't technically die on the battlefield. And we have seen other instances of how these crooks use semantics to obscure the truth.
Like when the president was asked about the number of Iraqi dead. He responded by claiming that "30,000 more or less have died as a result of the initial incursion and the ongoing violence against the Iraqis.� What's instructive here are two things. First, many agree the true figure is around 100,000. And the other thing is the mendacity of his hair-splitting. It's not the war he started that is killing the Iraqis but the "ongoing violence against the Iraqis.� Somebody should have asked him "ongoing� by whom. At any rate, let's be clear, goodwill has taken a back seat to greed, for we should know by now that this war is all about profiteering.
In 2005, we saw the unraveling of the deceptions created by the Bush Administration. Scandal after scandal emerged. And from Plamegate to Spygate this administration is looking worse than the one we had during Watergate. They leaked the identity of CIA Agent, Valerie Plame because her husband Ambassador Joseph Wilson's findings contradicted their NigerIraq uranium fables. Scooter Libby has been indicted in this sordid tale of treason, but what was Carl Rove's role?
They also created fake news at home using the likes of Armstrong Williams and James GannonGuckert in their attempt to pervert the truth. If that weren't enough, we now know that the Pentagon is involved in planting propaganda in the Iraqi media. And according to the General Accounting Office have set aside a quarter of a billion for "public relations.� And now, with the revelation that the NSA (National Security Agency) has been spying on Americans we know that "Big Brother� is watching. The president claims that he is doing so to protect Americans which is a dubious claim at best. But equally dubious is his assertion that he is legally within his presidential powers to do so and that the Congress had authorized such actions. The Congress says different.
In a Congressional report released January 7th, the report's authors state that the administration's argument that they are legally justified to pursue this course of action "does not seem to be…well-grounded.� They also added that "it appears unlikely that a court would hold that Congress has expressly or impliedly authorized the NSA electronic surveillance operations here.� Senator Frank Lautenberg, (D, NJ) addressing the issue said "it looks like the president's wiretapping was not only illegal, but also ensnared innocent Americans who did nothing more than place a phone call.� Carl W. Tobias, a constitutional law specialist at the University of Richmond states that "ultimately, the administration's position is not persuasive.�
Moving forward into this year, I think that this country must ask itself a fundamental question which is: given the persistently illegal actions of this administration how can we avoid drawing up articles of impeachment against them? What else must we see? How many more scandals must there be? Fifty million was spent impeaching Clinton for lies about Monica. So why shouldn't we impeach and remove these scoundrels for lying about this war?
Please send comments to [email protected]
To subscribe to or advertise in the world's favorite Pan-African weekly newspaper please call (212) 481-7745. To comment on this article contact [email protected]
Milton, are you denying or finding it insignificant that the TPLF attacked a federal army base...
Black Star News has been producing stellar investigative journalism since 1997, including focusing on police brutality and other abuses targeting marginalized communities. We have broken several major stories. We welcome news tips to [email protected] and [email protected]
We need your advertising support to produce strong journalism, especially during periods of economic instability, so please contact [email protected] for advertising rates and long term packages.
Black Star News has been producing stellar investigative journalism since 1997, including focusing on police brutality and other abuses targeting marginalized communities. We have broken several major stories. We welcome news tips to [email protected] and [email protected]
We need your advertising support to produce strong journalism, especially during periods of economic instability, so please contact [email protected] for advertising rates and long term packages.


text:
1 - 1 of 1 results (0.88 seconds)
Sort By:
IACA Strengthens and Unifies the African Actuarial Practicespecialties. It has been eye- opening to see the direct link between instrumental matters discussed within ... actuary at WesBank with broad experience in health care, social security and banking, based in Johannesburg ...
Description: This article briefly describes my journey within the actuarial profession as a volunteer. IACA's initiatives in Africa are also discussed.Hide
- Authors: Kudzai Chigiji
- Date: Sep 2017
- Competency: Communication>Persuasive communication; Leadership>Professional network leverage; Professional Values>Public interest representation; Relationship Management>Relationships and trust; Strategic Insight and Integration>Influence decisions
- Publication Name: International News
- Topics: Actuarial Profession>Professional associations; Actuarial Profession>Professional development


text:
In the Battle of Kardashians vs. Dr. Oz, French Senate votes Kardashians
Voulez-vous deny that Ottoman Turks committed genocide against Armenians during World War I ce soir? Not for long.
The New York Times reports that the French Senate has just passed a bill that would make it a criminal offense to deny that the deaths of Armenians at the hands of Turkish armed forces between 1915-1916 constituted genocide.
The controversial bill, which has yet to be signed by President Sarkozy, states that any individual denying the deaths were genocide would face a jail term and a fine of about $58,000.
The Armenian government estimates that 1.5 million individuals were killed during the period in question. The Turkish government rejects the "genocide" label and contends that the total number of deaths was actually less than 1.5 million, which is kind of a weak strongest point, guys.
The Times adds that:
"In Turkey, the public affirmation of the Armenian genocide is treated as a crime, on the premise that it is an insult to Turkish identity."
Turkey argues that the bill would limit freedom of speech in France.
[Image via AP]


text:
I took the floral theme and layout of Kylie's original project and turned my card into a Birthday card. I can never have too many of these!
I have admired various cards using watercolour and white heat embossing and this was the perfect opportunity to try this technique myself. I have to say, I loved it. It made water colouring so easy and I didn't have to be particularly careful as the ink stayed within the lines when I laid it down. Great for a beginner!
I used the beautiful line art stamps from the Oh So Succulent stamp set for my background and a simple banner for my sentiment. I didn't want to hide the watercolouring panel behind a lot of fussy layers. I also used watercolour paper as this stands up to a lot of water really well. Don't be afraid to mix colours together either, that was the fun part!
Join us this week with your reinvention of Kylie's sweet card and upload your project to the gallery. We would love to see what you do! See you at Global Design Project!
All product used in this project are listed below. Shop Stampin' Up! Products with me!
If you live New Zealand, I would love to be your Demonstrator. When you shop Online with me, please the current host code (in my side bar) and allow Demonstrator contact, so I can thank you properly with the gift of a card when you place an order.


text:
Investment Updates
Make Sure That You Comply With All The RMD Rules
Published Thursday, June 11, 2015 at: 7:00 AM EDT
If you are retired and in your 70s or older, you're generally required to withdraw money from your employer-sponsored retirement plans and traditional IRAs every year whether you want to or not. Under IRS rules for "required minimum distributions" (RMDs), you must take a withdrawal each and every year for the rest of your life the year after you turn 70½. And the tax penalty for missing an RMD or taking out too little can be onerous.
Benefits of Contributing to Tax-Advantaged Plans
Having to take RMDs does little to undercut the advantages of putting money into 401(k)s and IRAs. With a 401(k) or other workplace plan, your contributions up to a generous annual limit are normally free from current taxes. For instance with a 401(k) plan, you can defer up to $18,000 of salary to your account in 2017, or $24,000 if you're age 50 or older, and your employer also may match part or all of your contribution. Then you get to choose from a variety of investment options, and investment earnings inside the account are exempt from current taxes.
The benefits for IRAs are similar. Your annual contributions are subject to specified limits. For the 2017 tax year, the limit is your earned income or $5,500 (or $6,500 if you're age 50 of older), whichever is less. Depending on your situation, your contributions may be fully or partially tax-deductible, especially in the early stages of your career. And here, too, you can choose from a variety of investment options, and earnings inside your account are tax-free.
Tax Treatment of Distributions
However, it's time to pay the piper when you take money out of these retirement plans. Generally, money representing tax-deductible contributions and earnings will be taxed at ordinary income rates of up to 39.6%.
Under the RMD rules, you must begin annual withdrawals by April 1 of the year after the year in which you turn age 70½, followed by RMDs in every subsequent tax year. The amount of the RMDs is based on your account balances at the end of the prior year and life expectancy tables provided by the IRS.
Although the RMD rules apply to everyone, you can postpone distributions from a company plan if you're still working full time and you don't own 5% or more of the company. That exception doesn't apply to RMDs from IRAs.
How to Figure the RMD
Generally, you can look up your age in the IRS table to determine how much of your account you must withdraw each year as an RMD. But there's an exception: If your spouse is your sole beneficiary and is at least 10 years younger than you are, you can use a joint life expectancy table to calculate the RMD. That option normally will produce a smaller required distribution than the one required under the table for individuals and may be especially beneficial to account holders who are in a second or third marriage.
Once you're required to begin RMDs, you can't miss a year. For instance, if you turn 70½ this year, you have until April 1 of next year to take your first RMD—but then you must take a second RMD by December 31 of that year.
If you have multiple accounts, the IRS provides more flexibility for IRAs than it does for employer plans. When you calculate the RMD for IRAs, you can take out the total amount from a single IRA or any combination of IRAs that you prefer, as long as the distributions add up to the required total. But if you have more than one workplace plan, you generally can't arrange your RMDs in this manner. Instead, you must take an RMD from each plan, based on the life expectancy table and the account balance.
Although these rules are complicated, you need to understand what's required of you, because the penalty for failing to take an RMD is severe—50% of the amount you should have taken. For example, suppose you're required to take a $10,000 RMD this year and you withdraw only $3,000. You'll owe a penalty of $3,500 (50% of $7,000 difference), on top of the regular income tax you have to pay.
But RMD rules don't apply to Roth IRAs during your lifetime. You can leave a Roth intact for as long as you like. However, when you die, your beneficiaries who receive Roth assets then have to comply with the RMD rules.
These rules can be tricky and you don't want to stumble into a huge tax liability. We can provide guidance with respect to your particular situation.
This article was written by a professional financial journalist for Advisor Products and is not intended as legal or investment advice.
© 2023 Advisor Products Inc. All Rights Reserved.
More articles
- Here Are 6 Common Roth IRA Mistakes To Avoid
- How To REALLY Get Ready For Your Retirement Years
- Here's What You Can't Do In An IRA
- Should You Roll Over Or Play Dead? 7 Factors
- Don't Be Caught In The Web Of This Stealth Tax
- Here Are The Latest Tax Traps, Tips, And Tricks
- 6 Common Estate Planning Myths: Here's The Reality
- What Should You Do If An Employee Asks For A Loan?
- How Will Your Retirement Distributions Be Taxed?
- Do You Know What Kind Of Business Not To Open?
- Learn The Ins And Outs Of Education Tax Breaks
- Seven Steps After A Spouse's Sudden Death
- Have Your Child Kick Into A Roth With A Reward To Boot
- Live Long And Prosper: Roll Out A Stretch IRA
- When Should Millennials Start Retirement Saving?


text:
How to file a flood insurance claim
The cost of flooding can be overwhelming. With 50% of flood claims coming in summer months, according to Farmers Insurance, it's expected that people will have questions about their flood insurance.
Here are answers to some of those questions.
How much will flooding cost to repair?
Just 1 inch of water in a home can cost more than $25,000 in repairs, according to FEMA. A foot of flooding can cost $29,000 in repairs to a 1,000-square-foot home.
Will my homeowners and renters insurance cover flood damage?
No. Most policies don't cover flood damage without a specific flood insurance plan.
How do I file a claim?
To start a claim, you should report your loss immediately to your insurance agent or company and ask them about payments. Your insurance adjuster will want to do an inspection. Prepare by taking photos or videos of the damage before moving anything or throwing anything away. Then work with your adjuster to define what your policy covers, discuss the claims process and determine your next steps. Finally, document your loss and receive your payment so you can begin the recovery process.
What if I'm not happy with my claim payment?
You should work with your insurer to request additional payments. If those are denied, FEMA has options for you.
When should I get flood insurance?
It takes about 30 days for flood insurance to kick in, according to insurance experts, so make sure you get flood insurance early. Once an event is imminent, it will be too late to get flood insurance.


text:
Best Bars to Become an Expert
YOU'RE DRINKING Scorpion ($8): Mescal in a bottle with a scorpion
Tequila worth drinking doesn't belong in a shot glass. This agave spirit deserves something more elegant, like stemware. Which is why Trébol's 90-plus tequilas come in sherry glasses—and with a side of advice. Tony Pepe, the affable beverage manager and bartender, dishes on the merits of his blancos, reposados, anejos, and mescals while guiding patrons on their self-directed tour through Jalisco, the Mexican state where tequila was invented. (Or take a formal lesson with a Trébol tequila tasting class.) If you don't like tequila straight, there's also an exhaustive margarita list. And to stave off the siesta, Trébol offers three-quarter-ounce tasters (for half the price of a regular shot) and a plate of warm corn tortillas to help fortify your tequila tour.
Vino Paradiso
YOU'RE DRINKING Love & Squalor 2008 ($14), a warm pinot noir from Amity
Sommelier Timothy Nishimoto takes the concept of a "flight" personally. In his Pearl District wine bar, he arranges triptychs of wines by his own travels. A recent summer sojourn through Germany, for instance, inspired the "Weissburgunder Wonders," a trio of outstanding pinot blancs. Three Australian Rieslings, "Fear Not the Riesling," represent a travelogue of his October tour down under. But worldliness should not mean pretentiousness. Nishimoto's wines are as approachable as the setting: comfy leather chairs, soft lighting, and a crowd of young, bejeaned regulars. "The wine list is user-friendly," says the Pink Martini singer. "Some grapes you've heard of and some you haven't." But they're all fruits you can afford—glasses start at $6, a fact that will send even the most recession-weary wine lover's spirits soaring.
Produce Row Café
YOU'RE DRINKING The Pale Rider ($9): Blanton's with Terminal Gravity IPA
"Whether you have a beer background or a whiskey background," says Produce Row owner Alan Davis, "this is where they all get along." When Davis, a bourbon man in a beer town, gutted and completely overhauled this longtime Central Eastside watering hole (the one-time site of the original McMenamins) in June with olive-green booths, mahogany wall panels, and a new covered patio, he also wanted to bring his love for snake poison to Portland's beerphiles. Enter the Row's whiskey-beer pairings. A can of PBR and shot of Jack this is not. From the bar's collection of more than 50 whiskeys, Davis sets up a carefully curated bourbon (served neat) with a seven-ounce glass of snob-worthy microbrew to bring out the nuanced flavors of both. Exhibit A: "The Redford," which couples the complex Woodford Reserve with Laurelwood's smooth and smoky Free Range Red. Now that's what we call playing nice.
The Secret Society Lounge
YOU'RE DRINKING St. George ($11): A goldish absinthe from a Bay Area distiller largely responsible for the drink's rebirth
When the US lifted its ban on absinthe three years ago, the Secret Society Lounge quickly resurrected the drink—and the culture of Bohemian mystique in which absinthe once thrived in late-19th-century Paris. Indeed, it's easy to imagine storied connoisseurs Van Gogh or Oscar Wilde calling on the drink known as "the green fairy" at this upstairs nook, where dim lights, heavy bookshelves, and a deep-red ceiling frame a lively scene—usually tightly packed. Squeeze in at the bar and mull over your seven absinthe choices (one of the largest selections in the city), including the bold Pernod, the spicy Pacifique, and the sweeter Trillium. Then make way for the louche, an ornate drip fountain that dissolves a sugar cube into your glass and slowly turns the green liquid cloudy. Hallucinatory? No. Mesmerizing? Mais oui.


text:
Credit Monitoring in Abercrombie
A lot of things depend on your credit, for example loan approvals, insurance premiums, even the success of job applications. Having a good grasp on your credit can help you get ahead in life and save you time and money. Credit monitoring makes it easier to stay on top of your credit. Credit report monitoring service at Pacific Credit Repair gives you frequent access to your credit history, so you can check your credit report regularly. Credit monitoring service at Pacific Credit Repair alerts you whenever there are changes to any of your accounts, for example new accounts being opened in your name, a credit card balance increase, or negative information like a late payment reported by one of your creditors. Credit monitoring service helps you stay on track with maintaining a healthy credit score. Credit monitoring service at Pacific Credit Repair can help in preventing identity theft across Abercrombie.
Credit Repair in Abercrombie
Credit repair is the process of addressing and removing the questionable negative items that are impacting your credit profile. The credit industry can be a battlefield for those suffering from negative and derogatory credit scores. Many individuals have the disadvantage of higher interest rates, credit denials, and the inability to find experienced help to navigate through dark glades of economic world. Pacific Credit Repair is a growing credit restoration company specializing in restructuring and building your lost and bad credit. At Pacific Credit Repair we not only provide you with information and the education you need to continue raising your credit score in Abercrombie. Team Pacific Credit Repair is dedicated to help you to improve your credit score and get you approved once again.
We offer following services regarding credit repair in Abercrombie:
- Removal of Collections
- Removal of Late Payments
- Removal of Bankruptcies
- Removal of Judgments
- Free consultation
- Credit Monitoring
To improve your credit score, Team Pacific Credit Repair removes negative items from your credit report.
- Charge Offs
- Collections
- Late Payments
- Bankruptcies
- Foreclosures
- Repossessions
Credit Audit in Abercrombie
Credit Audit examines compliance with extant sanction and post-sanction processes/ procedures laid down by the bank from time to time.
Objectives of Credit Audit at Pacific Credit Repair in Abercrombie:
- Improvement in the quality of credit portfolio.
- Review sanction process and compliance status of large loans.
- Feedback on regulatory compliance.
- Independent review of Credit Risk Assessment.
- Pick-up early warning signals and suggests remedial measures.
- Recommend corrective action to improve credit quality, credit administration and credit skills of staff, etc.
At Pacific Credit Repair, one of the main factors that separate us from 99% of other credit repair companies in Abercrombie is our attorney-engaged audits. These audits are part of the reason we have such great success. Credit repair is an industry where most companies do nothing more than sending credit report disputes, re-sending disputes, and then repeating that process over again. AT Pacific Credit Repair in Abercrombie, when we audit creditors, we legally demand that they show us proof of their ability to report these items on your credit. Often times, they cannot provide proof so they are bound to remove those items from your credit. For better credit report in Abercrombie, rely on Pacific Credit Repair only.
Credit Repair Specialist in Abercrombie
Credit repair involves fixing your bad credit score. Credit repair is a process of disputing errors on credit reports. Many people do not have sufficient knowledge as how to credit repair themselves so they are in need of a credit repair company which has professional and experienced credit repair specialists. Pacific Credit Repair provides service for those entangled in bad credit report. Team Pacific Credit Repair in Abercrombie is highly educated who has ability to drag you out of bad credit report. If you have rejected a number of times because of your credit score, contact professionals at Pacific Credit Repair in Abercrombie to improve your credit score. We help thousands of people each year in Abercrombie in repairing their credit. With our team of professional at Pacific Credit Repair, our removal process is always watched out and streamlined to get your results throughout Abercrombie.


text:
Merck & Co. said Thursday that it's getting a new director of research and development, Dr. Roger M. Perlmutter, a former research executive at Merck and at Amgen Inc.
Merck, the world's third-biggest drugmaker by revenue, said Perlmutter will begin running Merck Research Laboratories on April 15.
He'll succeed Peter S. Kim, 55, who's overseen the labs since 2003. The two will work together initially, then Kim will serve as an adviser until leaving Merck on Aug. 1.
Steven Cragle, a spokesman for the Whitehouse Station, N.J., company, said the moves are part of long-term succession planning by CEO Kenneth C. Frazier and are unrelated to some recent failures of experimental drugs Merck had been testing.
Perlmutter, 60, served as executive vice-president and head of research and development at Amgen from January 2001 to February 2012. During that stretch, he oversaw development of several new pills and biologic drugs for cancer, endocrine and blood disorders, osteoporosis and inflammation.
Many of those areas are key ones for Merck, which has long been a leader in osteoporosis and cardiac medicines but has struggled in its efforts to develop biosimilar drugs. Those are medicines that are like, but not exactly identical to, biologic drugs, injected medicines that are produced in living cells rather than by mixing chemicals together, the way pills are made.
There are no biosimilar drugs approved in the U.S. yet, but they are expected to hit the market in the next several years. Because they will be somewhat cheaper than biologic drugs, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars a year, patients and health plans are eager for that.
Perlmutter, who holds medical and doctoral degrees from Washington University in St. Louis, was a professor and chairman of the Department of Immunology at the University of Washington before coming to Merck in February 1997. He served there as a senior vice-president and then executive vice-president of basic research and preclinical development, or laboratory and animal testing. He then moved to Amgen.
Kim likewise was a professor early in his career, teaching biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Under his tenure at Merck, the company developed more than 20 new drugs and vaccines. Those include Victrelis for hepatitis C, type 2 diabetes pill Januvia, HIV drug Isentress and the Gardasil vaccine against sexually transmitted diseases.
"Peter always felt that he would have a third chapter in his professional life," but hasn't disclosed his plans, Cragle said.
Linda A. Johnson can be followed at http://twitter.com/LindaJ_onPharma.


text:
US weighing steep nuclear arms cuts
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration is weighing options for sharp new cuts to the U.S. nuclear force, including a reduction of up to 80 percent in the number of deployed weapons, The Associated Press has learned.
Even the most modest option now under consideration would be an historic and politically bold disarmament step in a presidential election year, although the plan is in line with President Barack Obama's 2009 pledge to pursue the elimination of nuclear weapons.
No final decision has been made, but the administration is considering at least three options for lower total numbers of deployed strategic nuclear weapons cutting to around 1,000 to 1,100, 700 to 800, or 300 to 400, according to a former government official and a congressional staffer. Both spoke on condition of anonymity in order to reveal internal administration deliberations.
The potential cuts would be from a current treaty limit of 1,550 deployed strategic warheads.
A level of 300 deployed strategic nuclear weapons would take the U.S. back to levels not seen since 1950 when the nation was ramping up production in an arms race with the Soviet Union. The U.S. numbers peaked at above 12,000 in the late 1980s and first dropped below 5,000 in 2003.
Obama has often cited his desire to seek lower levels of nuclear weapons, but specific options for a further round of cuts had been kept under wraps until the AP learned of the three options now on the table.
A spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, Tommy Vietor, said Tuesday that the options developed by the Pentagon have not yet been presented to Obama.
The Pentagon's press secretary, George Little, declined to comment on specific force level options because they are classified. He said Obama had asked the Pentagon to develop several "alternative approaches" to nuclear deterrence.
The U.S. could make further weapons reductions on its own but is seen as more likely to propose a new round of arms negotiations with Russia, in which cuts in deployed weapons would be one element in a possible new treaty between the former Cold War adversaries.
Stephen Young, senior analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists, which favors nuclear arms reductions, said Tuesday, "The administration is absolutely correct to look at deep cuts like this. The United States does not rely on nuclear weapons as a central part of our security."
Even small proposed cuts are likely to draw heavy criticism from Republicans who have argued that a smaller nuclear force would weaken the U.S. at a time when Russia, China and others are strengthening their nuclear capabilities. They also argue that shrinking the American arsenal would undermine the credibility of the nuclear "umbrella" that the United States provides for allies such as Japan, South Korea and Turkey, who might otherwise build their own nuclear forces.
The administration last year began considering a range of possible future reductions below the levels agreed in the New START treaty with Russia that took effect one year ago. Options are expected to be presented to Obama soon. The force levels he settles on will form the basis of a new strategic nuclear war plan to be produced by the Pentagon.
The U.S. already is on track to reduce to 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads by 2018, as required by New START. As of last Sept. 1, the United States had 1,790 warheads and Russia had 1,566, according to treaty-mandated reports by each. The treaty does not bar either country from cutting below 1,550 on their own.
Those who favor additional cuts argue that nuclear weapons have no role in major security threats of the 21st century, such as terrorism. A 2010 nuclear policy review by the Pentagon said the U.S. nuclear arsenal also is "poorly suited" to deal with challenges posed by "unfriendly regimes seeking nuclear weapons" -- an apparent reference to Iran.
It's unclear what calculus went into each of the three options now under consideration at the White House.
The notion of a 300-weapon arsenal is featured prominently in a paper written for the Pentagon by a RAND National Defense Project Institute analyst last October, in the early stages of the administration's review of nuclear requirements. The author, Paul K. Davis, wrote that he was not advocating any particular course of action but sought to provide an analytic guide for how policymakers could think about the implications of various levels of nuclear reductions.
Davis wrote that an arsenal of 300 weapons might be considered adequate for deterrence purposes if that force level was part of a treaty with sound anti-cheating provisions; if the U.S. deployed additional non-nuclear weapons with global reach, and if the U.S. had "hypothetically excellent," if limited, defenses against long- and medium-range nuclear missiles.
In 2010, three Air Force analysts wrote in Strategic Studies Quarterly, an Air Force publication, that the U.S. could get by with as few as 311 deployed nuclear weapons, and that it didn't matter whether Russia followed suit with its own cuts.
New U.S. cuts could open the prospect for a historic reshaping of the American nuclear arsenal, which for decades has stood on three legs: submarine-launched ballistic missiles, ground-based ballistic missiles and weapons launched from big bombers like the B-52 and the stealthy B-2. The traditional rationale for this "triad" of weaponry is that it is essential to surviving any nuclear exchange.
As recently as last month the administration said it was keeping the triad intact under current plans, while also hinting at future cuts to the force. In the 2013 defense budget submitted to Congress on Monday, the administration proposed a two-year delay in the development of a new generation of ballistic missile submarines that carry nuclear weapons. That will save an estimated $4.3 billion over five years.
In congressional testimony last November, the Pentagon's point man on nuclear policy, James N. Miller, declined to say what options for force reductions the administration was considering. Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee's strategic forces subcommittee, unsuccessfully pressed Miller for key details about his policy review. As recently as last month Turner said in an interview that he feared the administration was bent on cutting the force.
In his written testimony at a Nov. 2 hearing chaired by Turner, Miller made it clear that the administration was making a fundamental reassessment of nuclear weapons requirements. In unusually stark terms he said the critical question at hand was "what to do" if a nuclear-armed state or non-state entity could not be deterred from launching an attack.
"In effect, we are asking: what are the guiding concepts for employing nuclear weapons to deter adversaries of the United States, and what are the guiding concepts for ending a nuclear conflict on the best possible terms if one has started?" he said.
Nuclear stockpile numbers are closely guarded secrets in most states that possess them, but private nuclear policy experts say no countries other than the U.S. and Russia are thought to have more than 300. The Federation of American Scientists estimates that France has about 300, China about 240, Britain about 225, and Israel, India and Pakistan roughly 100 each.
Since taking office Obama has put heavy emphasis on reducing the role and number of nuclear weapons as part of a broader strategy for limiting the global spread of nuclear arms technology and containing the threat of nuclear terrorism. That strategy is being put to the test most urgently by Iran's suspected pursuit of a nuclear bomb.
Robert Burns can be followed on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/robertburnsAP


text:
Karaoke Scene Magazine along with our members and international karaoke enthusiasts have joined together to provide the largest and most complete on line Karaoke Directory of venues in DUB!
You can assist in maintaining, updating and increasing this directory by supplying venues at clubs, bars, and restaurants that offer karaoke. Click the following link to Add a venue. Each venue has a separate page with details, for a small fee venues can supply additional information.
On each venue's page there is a link to provide updated information. Also, we have supplied a link to share the venue location through various Social Media networks.
Dublin Ireland Karaoke Club Directory | Venues providing Karaoke | Karaoke Scene Magazine Online
Karaoke Scene Magazine Online presents the largest and most complete online Dublin Ireland Karaoke Club Directory! List of Venues providing Karaoke provided by our members and international karaoke enthusiasts.
Karaoke, Scene, Club, Directory, Dublin, Ireland, Venues, Karaoke, online, members, international, karaoke, enthusiasts
Time: 0.0379 seconds


text:
All News Releases By Date
EPA awards Chicago Green Healthcare Initiative $500,000 to reduce energy use by hospitals
Release Date: 03/05/2010
Contact Information: Phillippa Cannon, 312-353-6218, firstname.lastname@example.com
No. 10-OPA023
CHICAGO (March 4, 2010) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has chosen Chicago to receive a $500,000 federal grant to reduce energy use by hospitals as one of 20 Climate Showcase Communities nationwide. Chicago has partnered with Health Care Without Harm to create the Chicago Green Healthcare Initiative. According to Chicago's Comprehensive Climate Action Plan, energy use by hospitals and other buildings is one of the primary contributors to the city's greenhouse gas emissions. The funds will help the partnership improve energy efficiency across the entire Chicago health care sector by 5 to 15 percent.
"Chicago's Green Healthcare Initiative is an innovative strategy to reduce greenhouse gases and cut energy bills for hospitals," said Cheryl Newton, EPA regional air division director. "Taking action on climate change is one of EPA's top priorities. EPA is pleased to support Chicago's efforts to fight climate change and help health care facilities throughout the city become carbon neutral."
The partnership will use EPA funds to help 22 hospitals reduce energy use by 5 to 10 percent and will provide educational assistance to a total of 111 hospitals to help improve their energy efficiency. Typically, hospitals increase energy use 1 to 3 percent annually.
EPA estimates that the amount of energy used by the U.S. health care sector contributes $600 million per year to healthcare costs through increased asthma and other respiratory diseases associated with air pollution.
The Climate Showcase Communities Grant Program is administered by EPA's State and Local Climate and Energy Program that provides technical assistance, tools and guidance to help state, local and tribal governments implement policies and programs to mitigate climate change.
A list of the 20 Climate Change Showcase Communities and profiles of each recipient is available at: https://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/local/showcase.
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.