Archive for February, 2012
How to Boost PC Game Performance for Free – Video
Posted: February 15, 2012 at 4:50 am
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How to Boost PC Game Performance for Free - Video
Minnesota's per capita personal income compared to its neighbors
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How is Minnesota doing compared to other states? Are we falling behind? Staying ahead? People ask these questions whenever I give a public talk. Those questions lie behind much of the policy discussion going on in St. Paul about the governor's job plan, right-to-work laws and tax policy.
Over the next few weeks, I'll take you on a guided tour of some data that sheds light on how well Minnesota is doing relative to other states and what these data imply about public policy. This week, I'll focus on one measure: per capita personal income. The take away: As Garrison Keillor says, we're above average, but it hasn't always been that way.
Minnesota in the long run
Per capita personal income equals the total amount of income earned by residents of a state divided by that state's population. (The complete definition is available here. In 2010, per capita income in Minnesota reached $42,847, while the national average hovered at $39,945 in 2010.
Per capita income is not in and of itself a measure of well-being. However, when adjusted properly for changes in prices, per capita income does tend to be positively associated with many things people value, including a high material standard of living, better health and life expectancies, and better education. These are the data I use in the figures below.
The figure below shows the raw data on Minnesota's per capita income relative to the national average. Notice the U-shaped pattern: Minnesota started out at the national average, fell below it, and then steadily climbed above the average.
Source: 1880-1920: Richard A. Easterlin, "Interregional Differences in Per Capita Income, Population, and Total Income, 1840-1950." [PDF] National Bureau of Economic Research, 1960; 1929 to present: Bureau of Economic Analysis
The line is smooth from 1880 to 1920 because we do not have annual data before 1929. Our best estimates are that Minnesota was at the national average in 1880, was slightly above in 1900, then fell to about 85 percent of the national average in 1920. Annual data begin in 1929 and confirm Minnesota's position.
Terry Fitzgerald, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, first presented the data for 1929 onward in a 2003 article which tells an important story: Starting at 85 percent of the national average, Minnesota reached parity in the 1960s and has been above average since the 1970s.
How did Minnesota become above average? We'll explore this question over the coming weeks, but here's the short version: High rates of labor force participation (especially by women), investments in human capital (such as education and health care), and investments in physical capital (both by private funders and public agencies) contributed to Minnesota's strong economic performance.
Minnesota and its neighbors
We often hear of how Minnesota must compete with its neighbors for businesses and jobs. We ultimately care about these things because they help determine our citizens' standard of living. So, how does Minnesota stack up against our neighbors, namely Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota?
Let's start by smoothing the data so that we can see the long-run trend. (For those who are interested: I applied a Hodrick-Prescott filter just as Fitzgerald did in his work.) Here is what we get for Minnesota:
Now, let's compare this with Wisconsin over the same period:
Minnesota's per capita income exceeded Wisconsin's starting in the 1960s. Not only that, but Wisconsin fell relative to the national average at the same time as Minnesota rose. Comparing Minnesota and Iowa tells a similar story:
Average income in Minnesota exceeded Iowa's in the early 1960s and never looked back.
How about the Dakotas? We hear quite often how well they are doing, so let's take a look. Here is South Dakota versus Minnesota:
South Dakota certainly grew steadily over the past 25 years, but its average income still hasn't reached the national average. Further, the high points in the late 1940s, the mid-1970s and the late 2000s all correspond to periods of high prices for agricultural commodities, pointing to a potential weakness in South Dakota's economy.
The situation is even starker when we compare Minnesota and North Dakota:
North Dakota exhibits the same patterns as South Dakota; they are exaggerated by the importance of oil and gas extraction in North Dakota and thus make their economy even more subject to booms and busts.
What about some other states?
Two states to which Minnesota is often compared are Indiana and Texas. Indiana, for example, recently passed a right-to-work law and this will no doubt be cited in our Legislature's debates on this issue. Texas is known as a low-tax, small government state that its governor, Rick Perry, cited as an example that the rest of the nation could follow.
Here is Minnesota versus Indiana:
Indiana went in exactly the opposite direction of Minnesota since World War II, with per capita income about 85 percent of the national average.
How about Texas versus Minnesota?
The Lone Star State shows a pattern similar to the Dakotas, with booms and busts in oil and farm prices driving per capita incomes. And, despite low taxes and little regulation, Texas still hasn't reached the national average in per capita income.
Implications for policy
These data are only the first pieces of a larger puzzle we must assemble in order to think about economic policy in Minnesota. However, they paint a very clear picture. First, Minnesota did well since World War II both in absolute terms and relative to our neighbors. Second, Minnesota performed better than states such as Indiana and Texas that are held up as examples of low taxes and minimal government.
Obviously, the past doesn't predict the future. It could be that the factors that made Minnesota above average no longer apply in the early 21st century. But before we enact radical reforms to improve our competitiveness, let's spend some time ensuring that we have the record straight. We'll keep assembling that record in the coming weeks.
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Minnesota's per capita personal income compared to its neighbors
The Little Black Book of Fitness Business Success Now Available in Paperback
Posted: at 4:49 am
The bestselling “The Little Black Book of Fitness Business Success” is available in paperback
Elizabethtown, KY (PRWEB) February 14, 2012
The Little Black Book of Fitness Business Success, an Amazon Bestseller, is now available in a paperback edition. The book, written by Pat Rigsby, offers tools and strategies to make personal training businesses successful.
Released in May of 2011, The Little Black Book of Fitness Business Success climbed the bestseller lists on Amazon, peaking as the number 1 bestselling book in “Small Business” and number 3 in “Business and Investing.” It reached number 36 for books of all kinds.
In addition to the Kindle edition which was recently released, the book is available on Amazon.com in paperback.
The author of the book, Pat Rigsby, is an expert on growing small fitness businesses. “I wrote this book with the hope of teaching personal trainers how to position themselves in the market,” Rigsby said. “Many have the fitness knowledge, but need to learn how to market their services.”
Rigsby is the co-owner (along with Nick Berry, a contributor to the book) of Fitness Consulting Group, a leading fitness business development group. He is co-owner of several fitness businesses in the FCG family of companies, including two of the fastest growing fitness franchises: Athletic Revolution and Fitness Revolution.
Despite his own personal success in the fitness industry, Rigsby is eager to share tips with others. Through his Fit Business Insider website (FitBusinessInsider.com), he shares tips and provides information on how to build fitness businesses, as through [personal trainer marketing.
The Little Black Book of Fitness Business Success presents personal trainers with ways to improve every aspect of their business: from tapping high return areas to taking advantage of preexisting assets.
Those interested in learning how to grow their fitness business can purchase the book now in paperback or Kindle versions from Amazon. It is available in paperback here.
About Pat Rigsby: Pat Rigsby is the co-owner of Fitness Consulting Group, a leading business development consulting firm within the fitness industry. He is also the co-owner of the Fitness Revolution and Athletic Revolution franchises, co-founder of the International Youth Conditioning Organization (http://iyca.org), and co-owner of Fit Business Insider.
Fit Business Insider provides personal trainers, coaches, and fitness business owners around the world with business building programs, coaching, consulting, and resources.
To learn more about growing your fitness business, visit fitbusinessinsider.com.
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The Little Black Book of Fitness Business Success Now Available in Paperback
The Best in approved Online Training! – Video
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The Best in approved Online Training! - Video
OGA Rules of Golf Online Education – Lesson One – Video
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OGA Rules of Golf Online Education - Lesson One - Video
Thesys International Celebrates Innovation With Interactive Campaign
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ANAHEIM, CA--(Marketwire -02/14/12)- Thesys International, a new education technology business that supports schools with a hybrid online/classroom approach to education, is celebrating innovation with an open dialogue via Twitter, Facebook and its blog (http://blog.thesysintl.com), inviting readers to submit and rate their favorite innovations as well as providing its own ratings on today's most innovative ideas and concepts.
Innovation is part of the core mission at Thesys, and the company is hoping to draw more attention to creative ideas and spark some valuable discussion about how innovation can transform American education. The tweets, posts and blogs in Thesys' innovation campaign are intended to inspire educators and administrators alike to embrace the benefits of new ideas.
"We're celebrating innovation of any type, in any field, and encouraging participants to rate them and think creatively about how those innovations could apply to education," says Alan Rudi, Principal Solutions Strategist at Thesys International. "The best solutions to any challenge can come from anywhere -- especially when we share ideas and work together. Our hope is that we can gather those who are passionate about improving education, bounce ideas off one another and create some exciting possibilities for the future of American education."
Thesys' early blog posts will explore educational applications of interactive digital books, delve into the genesis of "Eureka!" moments and the process of innovation, and introduce a rating system designed to showcase innovations throughout history and how they can be reimagined to apply to the field of education.
Thesys International launched in 2009 as a division of Fairmont Education Group, Southern California's leading educational provider. The company designs and implements hybrid education programs to enhance high-school classrooms while supporting schools and empowering teachers. Thesys builds partnerships with schools to implement eLearning programs quickly and effectively, allowing administrators to drive the end product. Arming teachers with the necessary tools to make learning environments relevant and inspiring is a crucial step in Thesys' ability to enhance student outcomes. For more information about the turnkey solutions Thesys provides, visit http://www.thesysintl.com.
About Thesys International LLC: Launched in 2010, Thesys International, LLC, is an educational service provider that supports schools with a hybrid online/classroom approach to education. As a division of the Fairmont Education Group, Thesys represents the culmination of thought, curricular innovation and evolution of the classroom Fairmont has supported since 1953. Thesys works alongside educators and provides a curriculum that works with schools' existing standards and protocols to help students reach their full potential. Thesys International is dedicated to providing high school students the optimal balance of online and in-person learning, making education more relevant for a new generation. For more information about Thesys' turn-key systems and its innovative hybrid education approach, visit http://www.thesysintl.com, call 714-234-2727 or email arudi@thesysintl.com.
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Thesys International Celebrates Innovation With Interactive Campaign
Appreciation – A Life Coach Antony Birks Video Affirmation – Life Coaching – Video
Posted: February 14, 2012 at 11:10 pm
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Appreciation - A Life Coach Antony Birks Video Affirmation - Life Coaching - Video
Life Coach Amy Kleine shares about the benefits of Life Coaching in Career Planning – Video
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Life Coach Amy Kleine shares about the benefits of Life Coaching in Career Planning - Video
Woosha ready for life without Suma
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MOVING ON: Eagles coach John Worsfold will no longer have Peter Sumich by his side after the assistant's defection to Fremantle. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Herald Sun
Peter Sumich won’t be alongside him.
For the first time in his decade-long senior coaching career, Worsfold will be without his trusted right-hand man as West Coast prepares for battle in two shortened NAB Cup games against Essendon and Fremantle.
Sumich, who won two premierships as a player and one as an assistant coach with the Eagles, joined the Dockers’ coaching staff last October in a major coup for the port club.
But Worsfold said the pair had been able to maintain their friendship despite being on opposite sides of one of the AFL’s most fierce rivalries.
“Suma and I… we have a relationship where we don’t need to ring each other each week to say hello,” Worsfold said.
“We catch up irregularly, whether that’s in person or over the phone.
“Nothing’s really changed in my relationship with Sum, and we don’t talk in code or anything like that when we talk - we both talk openly about issues we have.”
Worsfold compared the situation to his relationship with Gold Coast coach and fellow duel-premiership defender Guy McKenna.
“I can go a couple of months without hearing from Bluey - they’re usually the best two months of the year,” Worsfold joked.
“We’re mates and we have good relationships but we’re pretty flat-out doing our jobs.”
The West Coast coach admitted it was “different” beginning pre-season training without his long-time assistant, but said Sumich’s departure had opened the door for new coaching opportunities at the club.
“It’s not strange (without Sumich),” Worsfold said.
“As much as I like him, I'm not fretting. It was different.
“(Development coach) Adrian Hickmott has been brilliant, so that’s someone who’s got an opportunity to get back into the AFL system with the movement of coaches that goes on.”
Follow Chris Robinson on Twitter: @CJKRobinson
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Woosha ready for life without Suma
Former Lincoln, Manatee football coach Eddie Shannon elected to FHSAA Hall of Fame
Posted: at 11:10 pm
BRADENTON -- Eddie Shannon will turn 90 on March 7, and he just might have the best birthday party of his life.
The diminutive giant received what might be the biggest news of his life Tuesday when he learned he was voted into the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame.
Many will tell you it was long overdue. Shannon kind of feels that way, but he won’t say it, at least not publicly. It’s not his way of doing things.
But still he couldn’t hide his excitement after receiving the news.
“I feel good it’s a long time coming. I am happy about it,” Shannon said. “I never thought I would make it, but so many people played a role in it. I want to thank Mike Knowles the most. He got the things going.”
The 5-foot-3 giant of a man goes into the hall as coach/contributor stemming from the combined 34 years he spent coaching football and teaching at the old Lincoln Memorial High School and then Manatee High.
He officially retired from teaching and coaching at Manatee in 1987 but says, “I never retired from the team.”
Shannon lost just two games in his seven years as the Lincoln head football coach before the school was closed in 1969 for integration and students went to Manatee and Palmetto.
Shannon coached some of the area greats, including Ray Bellamy, who broke a color barrier when he went to Miami and became the first African-American to play football at a major college in the South. He coached Henry Lawrence, Manatee County’s greatest professional football player who spent 13 years in the NFL and won three Super Bowls.
“I wrote a letter recommending him. He deserves it because of all the things he did to promote peace and harmony and the way he coached kids to be respectful,” says Ed Dick, who recruited Bellamy for Miami. “He brought peace to Manatee High when the crazies were out there with guns. People would’ve been hurt if Shannon and Lawrence had not calmed things down.”
Despite all the accolades on the field, Shannon’s greatest achievement might have come in 1969, when he become the unofficial peacemaker during the turbulence that shook Manatee High during its first year of integration.
Shannon put in 15 years at Lincoln and 19 at Manatee. In his typical modest ways, he said he is thankful to the kids at Manatee from both races who chose to listen to him. But he made it that way.
People still talk about a day in 1969 when there was a near riot at Manatee High and Eddie was home sick with the flu. He got a call from the principal because it was thought only Shannon could stop the chaos. He did.
“I lost my color when they called me,” Shannon recalled. “I was the go-between and the whole thing in a nutshell is that kids had to find out they could do things together.”
Shannon’s list of laurels is long.
He was the personal trainer to tennis great Althea Gibson, he carried the Olympic Torch for the 1996 Olympics, and in 2004 he received the Manatee County Distinguished Citizen Award.
“I don’t know how to compare going into the hall of fame to the other things, but I know it’s great and it’s a good feeling. You can’t compare them because everything is different,” he said.
Knowles, a longtime Manatee High coach and FHSAA hall of famer, started the ball rolling with the nominating process. The candidacy picked up steam with people from all walks of life in the Manatee County community, including several judges and high ranking public figures joining the movement.
“What he has done for kids in Manatee County from all walks of life is incredible,” Knowles said. “I took up this because of all the things I kept hearing from people in the black community and outside of it. He certainly deserves it.”
Shannon, who will inducted during ceremonies in April, is the third Manatee County resident to go into the FHSAA Hall of Fame, joining Knowles and former Manatee High principal and head football coach Wheeler Leeth, who went in as an administrator.
“I am very excited for Eddie and his family and the whole Lincoln Memorial Community,” Knowles said. “It’s a great thing. The state has done a good job of recognizing those who worked hard, are good people and loved kids. Eddie Shannon is a perfect example of that kind of person.”
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Former Lincoln, Manatee football coach Eddie Shannon elected to FHSAA Hall of Fame