Is health care a right? I have no idea. What I do know is that treating it like a right can be hazardous to our health. Here's my debate on the issue with a doctor who thinks health care is a right and the government should provide it.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Comment on 這是一個沒有名字的主義，它需要深深的思考 by Angel
我覺得對這個議題有興趣的人
就會去了解”兩性工作平等法”、
“性騷擾防治法”、還有”民法親屬篇”。
因為法律是道德的最低標準
大家可以看看那些立法者是如何看待女性的
我曾經標過”台灣性別平權”的紀錄片
請了黃玉珊擔任導演(他是一個資深的電影/紀錄片導演，得過多項大獎)
但是我跟公視另一個資深的女性導演都沒得標
我覺得原因很簡單
10多位委員，只有兩個女性:一個是政府官員、一個是學者
因為每個人都是站在自己立場思考，所以我沒站在男性角度思考，沒得標理所當然。簡報結果通知後，
我的前老闆大罵我：你就是沒有把男性放進去，才沒得標的。
我：我有放彭婉如的老公，他是男性。(其實老闆只想罵我)
老闆：不夠多。性別平權怎麼沒男性。(他只想要我承認錯誤)
我的前老闆是個沙文主義者，
他曾經說:馬英九不是男人！自此我認定他是沙文主義者。
因為他不會認為馬英九是動物，所以他認為馬英九應該是”女的”(懦弱…)
我對著我的沙文主義老闆說：如果男女平等的話，就不用說性別平權了。
如果大多是的男性不是立法者、不是總統、不是主管，
就不用說性別平權了。
我真的想說的是：
BOSS不要一附被員工欺負的樣子，好像你很聰明，員工都很笨，
也不想想這些笨蛋，應徵的時候都很聰明，都被你應徵進來，
不過大家都是因為變成你的員工，才變笨的。
你的權力很大，領的薪水很多，卻不會讓員工獨自思考，
不會領導比你小30歲的員工，你用30年前的管理方式，
想要管理所有員工，我們只好裝傻，只有我會跟你說實話，
所以我被你討厭，因為實話是最難讓人相信的，實話最不舒服。
所以我很笨，我笨到覺得你會懂，我曾經以為你會懂。
抱怨了一推
不如推薦大家看我的”總經理的新衣”
總經理在台灣(別的國家我不熟)
是一個資本主義+沙文主義的代表
但是這是教育、媒體、政治教導我們的
想要三從四德的女性
會活的比較舒服
想要當副總統的女性
雖然不是聖人
但是我很敬佩他
Comment on 美國經濟衰退，Web 2.0又破泡了嗎？ by Angel
“世上有沒有點子，可以一開始就賺錢，然後，又帶有網路上最純正的感染力？”
我覺得這個問題要改變問法，就會有答案。
世界上有沒有點子，可以用最純正的感染力，然後可以賺錢？
這是社會企業的概念、”共好”的概念、雙贏的概念、永續的概念
LOHAS的概念
這是我的點子的概念
為什麼我要在網路實踐呢
我可以去像NGC提案，拿12萬美金完成節目，或許會有金鐘獎
但是So What?!
我不過是在幫美國人做節目
給美國的白人男性看(他們的最大觀眾群、他們自己)
不過很有趣的是
NGC的主管，除了老闆，幾乎都是女性^^(這是題外話)
所以答案是YES
但是做法有一千種
最好的方法 不是最快的方法 也不是最快賺錢的方法
所以若水還是有大企業的迷思
能不能成功 到底我跟若水誰會先成功
有錢就能成功嗎
我想時間會告訴我們!
Cheer Up, It’s Baseball Season
Billy Crystal takes BP with the Yankees in preparation for an exhibition game against the Pirates.
[BP pitcher] Martinez, prodded by Jeter, playfully tossed a pitch behind Crystal’s helmet during BP. Crystal was equal to the moment, walking toward the mound and pointing his bat.
Crystal ended the 90-minute session with his best swing of the afternoon. The righty lined what would’ve been a double down the left-field line, then lingered a few extra minutes talking with Triple-A hitting coach Butch Wynegar about mechanics.
“I was surprised. You could tell he’s been working at it,” Martinez said.
The Pirates’ manager doesn’t have a problem, but I like their pitcher’s remarks the best:
“It’s a no-win situation for me,” [lefty Paul Maholm] said, smiling. “I’m supposed to get the guy out. If he gets a hit off me, though, I might to have hang ‘em up after the game.”
Comment on 老闆找你抽根煙，說「NO」才是尊重他 by nchild
文化是人樹立的，當然有人可以倡議拒抽拒喝，樓上地獄犬所言五百萬的訂單肯定不是發生在網路界，至少以參加網路方面聚會，或是談合作經驗而言，還沒有一次有其他產業的這種文化，若是文化未定形，肯定更有機會，不過這方面要擴張到傳統業界，的確難度高很多。
話說回來，五百萬是不是怎樣都可以？性交換可以嗎？需要違法可以嗎？每個人對於交易的取捨不同，更何況說不之後就失去五百萬是未經證實的假設。說到這，我也必須承認，有時候不能盡如人意，我可以請朋友尊重我，我也尊重他們，可碰到開會就要吸菸的主管、老師，我還沒有guts去拒絕。
我只覺得，煙跟酒有一個差異是共處一室互相尊重下最大的障礙，喝酒除非喝倒掛又吐的狀況，否則不會對其他人有太大影響，而真正到此狀況，喝酒者也會很不舒服，但抽煙不同，實在很難"盡量不要吸到"，吸到對非吸菸者就是非常不舒服的。
說到這，不如像卿沄一樣來許個願望。
不抽煙的人也能同理吸煙的人的心情，我希望有誰能發明不傷害身體的菸，讓吸菸的人以及身旁的親友，身體都能健健康康，免於尼古丁的殘害。
最早的時候由提出希望，可是的希望更加入了對吸菸者的體諒與關懷，實在太窩心了！ 我不吸菸，但我尊重吸菸者自由選擇的權利，只希望吸菸者同樣能尊重非吸菸者。
General Discussion :: Found very good anti-spyware program!
Auteur: Anonymous
Sujet: Found very good anti-spyware program!
Posté le: Sam 22 Mar 2008 12:35 (GMT 1)
Sujet Réponses: 0
Hi
I recently had big problem with spyware and malware. My computer was really slow. Lot's of popups were thrown up. Then i had enough and i decided to do something about it. I googled some spyware programs and then i got to this nice homepage of Spyware Removal. I checked info written on the site and got really excited. So i decided to download it and got really suprised. It really worked as it was written and as Spyware programs should work. I think this is the one of the Anti Spyware program i ever have seen.
I recommend this spyware and adware removal program to everyone who i know and has problems with his/her PC. I hope i wrote some valuable information for you guys. Because this page was really valuable to me.
Sujet: Found very good anti-spyware program!
Posté le: Sam 22 Mar 2008 12:35 (GMT 1)
Sujet Réponses: 0
Hi
I recently had big problem with spyware and malware. My computer was really slow. Lot's of popups were thrown up. Then i had enough and i decided to do something about it. I googled some spyware programs and then i got to this nice homepage of Spyware Removal. I checked info written on the site and got really excited. So i decided to download it and got really suprised. It really worked as it was written and as Spyware programs should work. I think this is the one of the Anti Spyware program i ever have seen.
I recommend this spyware and adware removal program to everyone who i know and has problems with his/her PC. I hope i wrote some valuable information for you guys. Because this page was really valuable to me.
Technology-Superstitious Administration
It’s not a computer unless you can prove to the TSA that it’s a computer … and the older members who can’t tell a computer from a Lite-Brite won’t necessarily take the word of the younger members who can recognize a modern-generation Mac when they see it.
I’m standing, watching my laptop on the table, listening to security clucking just behind me. “There’s no drive,” one says. “And no ports on the back. It has a couple of lines where the drive should be,” she continues.
A younger agent, joins the crew. I must now be occupying ten, perhaps twenty, percent of the security force. At this checkpoint anyway. There are three score more at the other five checkpoints. The new arrival looks at the printouts from x-ray, looks at my laptop sitting small and alone. He tells the others that it is a real laptop, not a “device”. That it has a solid-state drive instead of a hard disc. They don’t know what he means. He tries again, “Instead of a spinning disc, it keeps everything in flash memory.” Still no good. “Like the memory card in a digital camera.” He points to the x-ray, “Here. That’s what it uses instead of a hard drive.”
The senior agent hasn’t been trained for technological change. New products on the market? They haven’t been TSA approved. Probably shouldn’t be permitted. He requires me to open the “device” and run a program. I do, and despite his inclination, the lead agent decides to release me and my troublesome laptop. My flight is long gone now, so I head for the service center to get rebooked.
At least this guy had the sense not to try to “touch the items in the inspection area” while they were debating whether it was a wooden duck or a witch. The day the TSA actually single-handedly makes me miss my flight might be the day I start driving on all my trips.
Via Ace’s headlines.
Comment on 老闆找你抽根煙，說「NO」才是尊重他 by haryewkun
> 不煙不酒者，應該以面對一般人的心去面對他們，最好根本就忘了他是
> 吸煙、喝酒這回事。想尊重他們的「特殊」，就是得忘了「他們是特
> 殊」這件事，用最原本原本的自己，來面對他們。讓他們都知道，每個
> 人都有自己的深度。
這邊可能有點一廂情願的地方在於，你認爲"用最真、最坦誠、不作僞的一面面對對方，對方便會認爲你是在尊重他"，可是事實上並不一定。
我們用最真、最坦誠、不作僞的一面去面對對方，對方不一定覺得我們在尊重他。反而很可能有別的猜測，或者即使明明知道你有道理，卻依然會不爽。
有很多時候，"存在有其道理"。如果不是有其必要，有些業務人員陪客戶喝酒喝到吐，難道是因爲業務人員自己想要找苦頭吃？
誰不想用"最真、最坦誠、不作僞"的一面去面對人？哪一個社會新鮮人，不懷抱過這樣的夢想：不用戴面具、不用婉轉奉承、不用拍馬屁、不必鑽研，那該多輕鬆……
Being Aware of the Additional Costs of Credit Ding
Being Aware of the Additional Costs of Credit Dings by Jon Arnold
Nobody wants blemishes or dings on their credit report. It just does not make good business sense, even for Joe Average Consumer and his household budget. When you start getting dings on your credit report due to late payments and overdue accounts, now your existing accounts and any new accounts you may want to open, such as a loan for a new car, look at you as a higher credit risk. That pushes you up into a higher interest rate on that loan.
And if you have enough dings on your credit report, your existing accounts can also raise the interest rate that you are paying. You may not realize it, but your existing accounts probably do a credit check on you every year or every couple of years to make sure you are still the credit risk they thought you were when they opened your account. If you are a significantly worse credit risk, you may get a letter from them stating that they have decided to raise your interest rate to cover their additional perceived risk.
Note that I'm talking about 'dings' on your credit report. Hopefully you don't have a full-fledged fender bender like an account being charged off, or a total head-on like a bankruptcy. You can still work with those, but you have just made your task quite a bit tougher, both in terms of time and in terms of your efforts to straighten it out.
While it's bad enough to have some dings on your credit report because of some unexpected things that popped up, there is an additional cost there, in real dollars, that most people aren't aware of. Those credit blemishes can also raise your car insurance rates.
The auto insurance industry is now starting to use your credit score as one of the determining factors when they establish the rate you will be required to pay for car insurance. If you do not use credit very much, and even if you don't have any blemishes, your credit score might be too low to make an accurate determination of what kind of credit risk you are, so your car insurance rates might be quoted higher.
The theory used by the car insurance companies is that your credit score is a direct reflection on your character and your credit worthiness, and their studies allegedly indicate that someone with a lower credit score is a higher risk driver. Interestingly enough, the Federal Trade Commission also supports those studies and findings with studies of its own, which indicate that credit-based insurance scores are a pretty accurate predictor of the number and cost of claims. At this time, the top 14 car insurance companies utilize the consumer's credit score to establish rate premiums.
What can you do about it? A lot, although most consumers are not aware of what they can and should be doing on a regular basis. The bottom line is that you need to raise your credit score. We're not talking some illegal activity here or some scam artist. The fact is that most credit reports contain errors, and the more errors you have, the worse your credit score will be. So when you add in a couple dings, your score is reflected as worse than it really is. It is your right to have an accurate credit report, but if you don't take action to get it corrected, nobody else will either.
For more insights and additional information on how to Raise Your Credit Score please visit our web site at http://www.credit-help-center.com
Article Directory: Article Dashboard
Nobody wants blemishes or dings on their credit report. It just does not make good business sense, even for Joe Average Consumer and his household budget. When you start getting dings on your credit report due to late payments and overdue accounts, now your existing accounts and any new accounts you may want to open, such as a loan for a new car, look at you as a higher credit risk. That pushes you up into a higher interest rate on that loan.
And if you have enough dings on your credit report, your existing accounts can also raise the interest rate that you are paying. You may not realize it, but your existing accounts probably do a credit check on you every year or every couple of years to make sure you are still the credit risk they thought you were when they opened your account. If you are a significantly worse credit risk, you may get a letter from them stating that they have decided to raise your interest rate to cover their additional perceived risk.
Note that I'm talking about 'dings' on your credit report. Hopefully you don't have a full-fledged fender bender like an account being charged off, or a total head-on like a bankruptcy. You can still work with those, but you have just made your task quite a bit tougher, both in terms of time and in terms of your efforts to straighten it out.
While it's bad enough to have some dings on your credit report because of some unexpected things that popped up, there is an additional cost there, in real dollars, that most people aren't aware of. Those credit blemishes can also raise your car insurance rates.
The auto insurance industry is now starting to use your credit score as one of the determining factors when they establish the rate you will be required to pay for car insurance. If you do not use credit very much, and even if you don't have any blemishes, your credit score might be too low to make an accurate determination of what kind of credit risk you are, so your car insurance rates might be quoted higher.
The theory used by the car insurance companies is that your credit score is a direct reflection on your character and your credit worthiness, and their studies allegedly indicate that someone with a lower credit score is a higher risk driver. Interestingly enough, the Federal Trade Commission also supports those studies and findings with studies of its own, which indicate that credit-based insurance scores are a pretty accurate predictor of the number and cost of claims. At this time, the top 14 car insurance companies utilize the consumer's credit score to establish rate premiums.
What can you do about it? A lot, although most consumers are not aware of what they can and should be doing on a regular basis. The bottom line is that you need to raise your credit score. We're not talking some illegal activity here or some scam artist. The fact is that most credit reports contain errors, and the more errors you have, the worse your credit score will be. So when you add in a couple dings, your score is reflected as worse than it really is. It is your right to have an accurate credit report, but if you don't take action to get it corrected, nobody else will either.
For more insights and additional information on how to Raise Your Credit Score please visit our web site at http://www.credit-help-center.com
Article Directory: Article Dashboard
Risks by the foreign exchange on Forex
Risks by the foreign exchange on Forex by Tomas Anderson
The Forex is essentially risk-bearing. By the evaluation of the grade of a possible risk accounted should be the following kinds of it: exchange rate risk, interest rate risk, and credit risk, country risk.
Exchange rate risk. Exchange rate risk is the effect of the continuous shift in the worldwide market supply and demand balance on an outstanding foreign exchange position. For the period it is outstanding, the position will be subject to all the price changes. The most popular measures to cut losses short and ride profitable positions that losses should be kept within manageable limits are the position limit and the loss limit. By the position limitation a maximum amount of a certain currency a trader is allowed to carry at any single time during the regular trading hours is to be established. The loss limit is a measure designed to avoid unsustainable losses made by traders by means of stop-loss levels setting.
Interest rate risk. Interest rate risk refers to the profit and loss generated by fluctuations in the forward spreads, along with forward amount mismatches and maturity gaps among transactions in the foreign exchange book. This risk is pertinent to currency swaps, forward outright, futures, and options (See below). To minimize interest rate risk, one sets limits on the total size of mismatches. A common approach is to separate the mismatches, based on their maturity dates, into up to six months and past six months. All the transactions are entered in computerized systems in order to calculate the positions for all the dates of the delivery, gains and losses. Continuous analysis of the interest rate environment is necessary to forecast any changes that may impact on the outstanding gaps.
Credit risk. Credit risk refers to the possibility that an outstanding currency position may not be repaid as agreed, due to a voluntary or involuntary action by a counter party. In these cases, trading occurs on regulated exchanges, such as the clearinghouse of Chicago. The following forms of credit risk are known:
1. Replacement risk occurs when counterparties of the failed bank find their books are subjected to the danger not to get refunds from the bank, where appropriate accounts became unbalanced.
2. Settlement risk occurs because of the time zones on different continents. Consequently, currencies may be traded at the different price at different times during the trading day. Australian and New Zealand dollars are credited first, then Japanese yen, followed by the European currencies and ending with the U.S. dollar. Therefore, payment may be made to a party that will declare insolvency (or be declared insolvent) immediately after, but prior to executing its own payments.
Therefore in assessing the credit risk, end users must consider not only the market value of their currency portfolios, but also the potential exposure of these portfolios. The potential exposure may be determined through probability analysis over the time to maturity of the outstanding position. The computerized systems currently available are very useful in implementing credit risk policies. Credit lines are easily monitored. In addition, the matching systems introduced in foreign exchange since April 1993 are used by traders for credit policy implementation as well. Traders input the total line of credit for a specific counterparty. During the trading session, the line of credit is automatically adjusted. If the line is fully used, the system will prevent the trader from further dealing with that counterparty. After maturity, the credit line reverts to its original level.
Dictatorship risk. Dictatorship (sovereign) risk refers to the government's interference in the Forex activity. Although theoretically present in all foreign exchange instruments, currency futures are, for all practical purposes, excepted from country risk, because the major currency futures markets are located in the USA. Hence, traders have to realize that kind of the risk and be in state to account possible administrative restrictions.
Tomas Anderson is the editor of www.go-see.info - a free Article Directory, where anyone can submit articles or find free content for the website.
Article Directory: Article Dashboard
The Forex is essentially risk-bearing. By the evaluation of the grade of a possible risk accounted should be the following kinds of it: exchange rate risk, interest rate risk, and credit risk, country risk.
Exchange rate risk. Exchange rate risk is the effect of the continuous shift in the worldwide market supply and demand balance on an outstanding foreign exchange position. For the period it is outstanding, the position will be subject to all the price changes. The most popular measures to cut losses short and ride profitable positions that losses should be kept within manageable limits are the position limit and the loss limit. By the position limitation a maximum amount of a certain currency a trader is allowed to carry at any single time during the regular trading hours is to be established. The loss limit is a measure designed to avoid unsustainable losses made by traders by means of stop-loss levels setting.
Interest rate risk. Interest rate risk refers to the profit and loss generated by fluctuations in the forward spreads, along with forward amount mismatches and maturity gaps among transactions in the foreign exchange book. This risk is pertinent to currency swaps, forward outright, futures, and options (See below). To minimize interest rate risk, one sets limits on the total size of mismatches. A common approach is to separate the mismatches, based on their maturity dates, into up to six months and past six months. All the transactions are entered in computerized systems in order to calculate the positions for all the dates of the delivery, gains and losses. Continuous analysis of the interest rate environment is necessary to forecast any changes that may impact on the outstanding gaps.
Credit risk. Credit risk refers to the possibility that an outstanding currency position may not be repaid as agreed, due to a voluntary or involuntary action by a counter party. In these cases, trading occurs on regulated exchanges, such as the clearinghouse of Chicago. The following forms of credit risk are known:
1. Replacement risk occurs when counterparties of the failed bank find their books are subjected to the danger not to get refunds from the bank, where appropriate accounts became unbalanced.
2. Settlement risk occurs because of the time zones on different continents. Consequently, currencies may be traded at the different price at different times during the trading day. Australian and New Zealand dollars are credited first, then Japanese yen, followed by the European currencies and ending with the U.S. dollar. Therefore, payment may be made to a party that will declare insolvency (or be declared insolvent) immediately after, but prior to executing its own payments.
Therefore in assessing the credit risk, end users must consider not only the market value of their currency portfolios, but also the potential exposure of these portfolios. The potential exposure may be determined through probability analysis over the time to maturity of the outstanding position. The computerized systems currently available are very useful in implementing credit risk policies. Credit lines are easily monitored. In addition, the matching systems introduced in foreign exchange since April 1993 are used by traders for credit policy implementation as well. Traders input the total line of credit for a specific counterparty. During the trading session, the line of credit is automatically adjusted. If the line is fully used, the system will prevent the trader from further dealing with that counterparty. After maturity, the credit line reverts to its original level.
Dictatorship risk. Dictatorship (sovereign) risk refers to the government's interference in the Forex activity. Although theoretically present in all foreign exchange instruments, currency futures are, for all practical purposes, excepted from country risk, because the major currency futures markets are located in the USA. Hence, traders have to realize that kind of the risk and be in state to account possible administrative restrictions.
Tomas Anderson is the editor of www.go-see.info - a free Article Directory, where anyone can submit articles or find free content for the website.
Article Directory: Article Dashboard
Scenarios :: RE: Playing police?
Author: AnthonyM83
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 3:08 am (GMT -5)
Topic Replies: 19
Scaramedic wrote: Not slamming you Anthony but, that's just plain stupid. -cut-
It's sad to see L.A. county hasn't changed the system Johnny and Roy worked in. WTF do you need FF's for, is the patient on fire? Bad system. I don't know how you can stand it. And it LOOKS plain stupid...especially when there's also a medic intern plus an EMT trainee....that's 10 people in a living room at times.
Sometimes I just wait outside, but I also want to hear what goes on for the times they send the patient with us BLS-only when it's really ALS criteria. It's frustrating, but at least I'm getting call volume experience. Once I'm a medic, I'll afford enough gas to commute out of county for work.
_________________
Anthony
EMT
BLS Unit
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 3:08 am (GMT -5)
Topic Replies: 19
Scaramedic wrote: Not slamming you Anthony but, that's just plain stupid. -cut-
It's sad to see L.A. county hasn't changed the system Johnny and Roy worked in. WTF do you need FF's for, is the patient on fire? Bad system. I don't know how you can stand it. And it LOOKS plain stupid...especially when there's also a medic intern plus an EMT trainee....that's 10 people in a living room at times.
Sometimes I just wait outside, but I also want to hear what goes on for the times they send the patient with us BLS-only when it's really ALS criteria. It's frustrating, but at least I'm getting call volume experience. Once I'm a medic, I'll afford enough gas to commute out of county for work.
_________________
Anthony
EMT
BLS Unit
An Untouched Issue: The Aging of America
If I may interrupt the campaign for a moment to bring up a mega-issue that is barely discussed but will confront the next several presidents–the aging of America and its consequences.
Older people, according to most polls, are the most diligent voters. And according to a September Pew Research study, people 50 years and older are also among the most knowledgeable. Indeed, persons over 65 scored almost as well as college graduates on a current events quiz.
What's more, according to a May, 2007, Brookings Institution paper, "Mapping The Growth of Older America," the 77 million aging boomers, or "pre-seniors," will create a "senior tsunami" during the next few years as they prepare for retirement and their older years.
However, my experience writing a seniors column for the past 11 years tells me that millions of these boomers fear the prospects of growing older and having to quit work, and they view the future darkly especially now, as the stock and real estate markets have tanked. For many the crisis has come just as they needed the money for retirement in their 401(k)s.
These older Americans, boomers and the seniors of the World War II generation, are the fastest growing population group in the country, according to the Brookings study. They are part of what Dr. Robert Butler, a Pulitzer Prize winning aging specialist, calls "The Longevity Revolution," the title of his new book, which deals with the consequences of the remarkable increases in life expectancy in the 20th century.
But the growth in life expectancy, Butler told me in an interview, has also become a "paradox of longevity," for the aging of the nation has ignited fears widely expressed by demographers and conservative thinkers that society and its medical and nursing facilities and government budgets could be overwhelmed by what have called this "gray peril."
Indeed, the aging of the nation is, as Butler says, an imminent and great problem. But you wouldn't know it from the rhetoric of the presidential campaign. The candidates speak to an extent of obvious issues, like Medicare and Social Security. But little is said about the more fundamental and complex issues of aging.
As you might expect, the Democratic candidates offer helpful proposals on their Web sites for some current problems confronting today's seniors. Sen. Hillary Clinton has worthwhile suggestions to help improve nursing homes and pay for long term insurance. Sen. Barack Obama would tackle the coming shortfall in the Social Security trust fund by calling for a needed raise in the cap on payroll deductions for higher salaried workers. And both favor cutting back on the Bush administration's privatization of Medicare and aiming for universal health care.
Republican Sen. John McCain, who is 71 and eligible for Medicare and Social Security but will never need either one, has no proposals to strengthen them; he would cut them back in order to save money for further tax cuts.
The Democratic proposals and some Republican alternatives, however worthwhile, are palliatives. No one is speaking at all about the aging tidal wave and how the nation should prepare for it. If people live longer, there is a greater likelihood that they'll get sick. One in eight boomers may develop Alzheimer's; how shall they be cared for?
The less discussed problem for Social Security is not its future finances; which may be easily solved. What is not so easily solved are the trends that will make Social Security less dependable as a solid foundation for retirement security. According to Alicia Munnell of Boston College's Center for Retirement Security, Social Security was designed to replace 40 percent of the average worker's final income and it has done so until now. But that is going down to 30 percent in the next few years, because of rising taxes on Social Security, increasing the retirement age to 67 and larger costs for Medicare premiums, which are deducted from Social Security checks..
Furthermore, Social Security may become one of the last of the defined benefit pensions, for old-fashioned company pensions, which guaranteed payments for life based on salary and length of service, are disappearing. The reasons include the decline of unions, company bankruptcies, and naive faith in the market among younger workers. In place of pensions, employers have offered 401(k) plans, to which the employer may or may or may not contribute. They're a good deal for the bosses; all the risk and responsibility is with the worker. They are only lightly regulated. And unlike company pensions, workers can tap into their 401(k) if they need the cash. Indeed many people are using their retirement savings plans these days to prevent foreclosure on their homes or to pay medical bills.
Most Americans don't have any such savings plans. The average American saving rate is below zero. And Munnell's studies have found that those workers who do have 401(k)s, don't save as much as they could or understand the market. As a result, says Munnell., even 25 years after such savings plans were established, the typical worker aged 50 to 64 has accumulated only $50,000 in their 401(k), not nearly enough for retirement.
In the face of a roller-coaster economy, job losses, fewer union protections, soaring Medical costs, little or no health insurance protection for workers, much less retirees, how can the boomers and those who come after them afford to retire? How will the nation handle the "paradox of longevity?" Or maybe we can’t afford and don’t want so many old people. Who in this long campaign–reporters or candidates–will ask such questions?
Celebrating I.F. Stone’s Birthday By Encouraging Independent Journalism
I.F. Stone's 100th birthday comes at what feels like a real low point in terms of the iconoclastic, independent journalism with which Stone is so unmistakably identified.
So it's particularly appropriate that the observations of Stone's birthday aren't just fond looks back at the rebel journalist's storied career; they have a strong focus on strengthening and encouraging independent journalism going forward.
There's a birthday party and panel discussion next week at NYU (you're all invited); a new ifstone.org Web site about Stone launched by his son, Jeremy Stone (come visit); and — most significantly — a new I.F. Stone Medal established by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University and its Watchdog Project.
The I.F. Stone Medal will be presented annually to a journalist whose watchdog work captures the spirit of independence, integrity, courage and indefatigability that characterized I.F. Stone's Weekly. The medal ceremony will be more than just a party: Each year, the winner will talk about his or her own work, after which a distinguished panel will try to identify some practical lessons from the award winner's experience.
Stone believed that strong dissenting voices are crucial to keeping the United States true to its democratic ideals. As Bob Giles, curator of the Nieman Foundation, writes in his announcement of the new medal: "It is this spirit of independent thinking that challenges punditry and conventional wisdom that we wish to honor. The press, as an independent bedrock of our democracy, and the freedom of journalists to stand alone and apart from mainstream ideas and political currents are under great stress. Today, Izzy Stone serves as a model of the resolute, provocative journalist who worked against injustice and inequity, and loathed pomposity and false posturing, often at personal cost."
Our industry right now is suffering from a grave lack of independence, manifested in self-censorship and timidity. The pressures are clear. The increasing corporate ownership of newspaper and television stations has literally undermined our independence and in too many newsrooms is making us more responsive to our stockholders than to our readers. It threatens to make our newsrooms faceless and interchangeable, and to make journalism the voice of the powerful. There's also the rise of television punditry, which rewards glibness and balance over sincerity and authoritative analysis. And there's the fearful triangulation and misguided contrarianism that seems to have replaced independence and speaking truth to power as the guiding principles of political reportage.
I.F. Stone is rightfully a hero to those of us who value independent journalism. Most significantly to me, Stone never squelched his voice — an informed voice, full of outrage and born of an unconcealed devotion to fair play, civil rights, civil liberty, free speech, truth in government, and peace on earth. These are the same nonpartisan, humanist values that have fueled our discipline's best work throughout history.
And as it happens, our industry is ripe for a revival in which we proudly express our journalistic passions. As I've written elsewhere – for instance, in a book review of Myra MacPherson's excellent I.F. Stone biography, "All Governments Lie!" and in a Watchdog Blog post on calling bullshit – the Internet and Jon Stewart are providing us with a daily lesson in how deeply the public values passionate truth-telling.
So the occasion of I.F. Stone's 100th birthday provides the perfect opportunity for us to focus on the need for journalists to be independent from inappropriate economic, political and personal pressures — and for us to celebrate those who live by the principles Stone embodied.
Presentation is Everything on eBay- Protect Your M
Presentation is Everything on eBay- Protect Your Merchandise and Your Reputation with These Practical Packaging and Shipping Tips by Rinovette
You may not consider your Packaging and Shipping details to be of much importance on eBay -?Hey; I?ve already sold the stuff?? right? Wrong! Proper packaging and shipping is one of the most important aspects of being able to bring Customers back for more purchases. These important details can make the difference in becoming an eBay Power seller - or not.
First; you must consider the overall presentation, what kind of impression does it make with your Customer. If you expect to be taken seriously as a seller, your packages must show this. You don?t get an opportunity to meet most of your Customers face to face or to show off your expensive looking office, lobby, location, or whatever. As far as your Customer is concerned, your packaging is your business as this is all they will physically see of it and it is how your business will be perceived.
Outer Packaging
The outer packaging, of course; needs to be sturdy and protective. Try to find packaging slightly larger than the item being shipped. The closer you can find to the size of the item, the less packing supplies you will need to use (saving cost) and ultimately the more secure the item will be.
In the same sense, trying to cram an item in a package that is obviously too small can damage the item and also just plain looks bad. *USPS has free shipping boxes in multiple sizes available on their website at usps.com. Hey;?they will even deliver them right to you for free also!
Inner Packaging
There are 2 important things to remember when packaging your eBay items.- Protection and Presentation. How well will the item be protected and how is it going to look to an excited buyer to have their purchase that they?ve been anticipating for 2 or 3 days to arrive wrapped carelessly in newspaper? - Not very Professional. Spend a few bucks on some bubble wrap or packing peanuts; the investment will definitely pay off with repeat customers. Not to mention the money and hassle you will save on replacements or refunds if the item shows up damaged.
* Check with some local Furniture stores as they often have packing supplies which their furniture arrives in that they just end up throwing away. They may even put it aside for you if they know you will be by on a regular basis to take it off their hands. (This helps their overhead also, as their dumpster is not filled up as fast) J
Shipping
If you ship a lot of items First Class (thru USPS); you can save a lot of money on Postage and/or gas back and forth to the Post Office by utilizing their Free pick up service. * Check out Stamps.com for First Class postage (you can print your own stamps) instead of rounding up to the next stamp. I should also mention that the boxes that USPS supplies are Priority boxes only, so if you offer the two choices in your listings; you?re all set.
Regardless of the type of shipping you do or the shipping company you choose; keep in mind what the Customer is going to see when your package arrives - Would you be excited to open it? Protect your merchandise, your Feedback and your Reputation and you will have tons of repeat customers.
Mike Campbell is an eBay Powerseller and has been selling on eBay since 2001. Pick up your Free copy of 'The Newbie Guide To eBay Riches.' http://www.ebaynewbieguide.com/newbieguide.html
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You may not consider your Packaging and Shipping details to be of much importance on eBay -?Hey; I?ve already sold the stuff?? right? Wrong! Proper packaging and shipping is one of the most important aspects of being able to bring Customers back for more purchases. These important details can make the difference in becoming an eBay Power seller - or not.
First; you must consider the overall presentation, what kind of impression does it make with your Customer. If you expect to be taken seriously as a seller, your packages must show this. You don?t get an opportunity to meet most of your Customers face to face or to show off your expensive looking office, lobby, location, or whatever. As far as your Customer is concerned, your packaging is your business as this is all they will physically see of it and it is how your business will be perceived.
Outer Packaging
The outer packaging, of course; needs to be sturdy and protective. Try to find packaging slightly larger than the item being shipped. The closer you can find to the size of the item, the less packing supplies you will need to use (saving cost) and ultimately the more secure the item will be.
In the same sense, trying to cram an item in a package that is obviously too small can damage the item and also just plain looks bad. *USPS has free shipping boxes in multiple sizes available on their website at usps.com. Hey;?they will even deliver them right to you for free also!
Inner Packaging
There are 2 important things to remember when packaging your eBay items.- Protection and Presentation. How well will the item be protected and how is it going to look to an excited buyer to have their purchase that they?ve been anticipating for 2 or 3 days to arrive wrapped carelessly in newspaper? - Not very Professional. Spend a few bucks on some bubble wrap or packing peanuts; the investment will definitely pay off with repeat customers. Not to mention the money and hassle you will save on replacements or refunds if the item shows up damaged.
* Check with some local Furniture stores as they often have packing supplies which their furniture arrives in that they just end up throwing away. They may even put it aside for you if they know you will be by on a regular basis to take it off their hands. (This helps their overhead also, as their dumpster is not filled up as fast) J
Shipping
If you ship a lot of items First Class (thru USPS); you can save a lot of money on Postage and/or gas back and forth to the Post Office by utilizing their Free pick up service. * Check out Stamps.com for First Class postage (you can print your own stamps) instead of rounding up to the next stamp. I should also mention that the boxes that USPS supplies are Priority boxes only, so if you offer the two choices in your listings; you?re all set.
Regardless of the type of shipping you do or the shipping company you choose; keep in mind what the Customer is going to see when your package arrives - Would you be excited to open it? Protect your merchandise, your Feedback and your Reputation and you will have tons of repeat customers.
Mike Campbell is an eBay Powerseller and has been selling on eBay since 2001. Pick up your Free copy of 'The Newbie Guide To eBay Riches.' http://www.ebaynewbieguide.com/newbieguide.html
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