Impressive!

Last week I asked Morningstar.com readers to sum up their philosophies on investing during retirement in 15 words or fewer, and did they ever deliver. Posts rolled in fast and furiously, nearing 150 in number as of this writing.

Some readers kept their posts focused strictly on investing and other money matters; living frugally and managing downside volatility were key themes among many posts. Other posters interpreted their assignments more expansively; their comments reflect the view that a successful retirement depends on a lot more than portfolio performance.

Although I've tried to summarize the key themes in this article, there were many many more worthwhile posts than I could excerpt here. Please click on this link (http://socialize.morningstar.com/NewSocialize/forums/p/301800/3222133.aspx#3222133) to read the complete thread or share your own philosophy on managing your assets during retirement.

'I Just Want to Be Comfortable'Many users' retirement-related investment philosophies revolve around frugality, both in the years leading up to retirement and during it.

Tommygr9 dispensed this simple formula: "Save like mad. Live below your means."

Bujia is on the same page. "Before retirement: save and invest. After retirement: spend less than you earn."

Lsulaw10 provided a rule of thumb for how much to save, advising, "Save 10% of your income. Be disciplined, be consistent, stay diversified."

Melankfo believes that the starting point for financial success during retirement revolves around having reasonable--and realistic--goals. "I don't want to be rich--I just want to be comfortable."

Several posters also weighed in on the virtues of getting started early. Cliff, keying off of Albert Einstein's famous quote, advised, "Use the 'most powerful force in the universe' . . . compounding!"

Excerpt from:
Your Retirement-Planning Philosophy, in 15 Words or Fewer

The Alexandria Symphony scored a trifecta in its program at the Schlesinger Concert Hall on Saturday (repeated on Sunday).

The Stravinsky Firebird Suite that opened the evening was a showcase for the orchestras power and its sharp-edged responses. The world premiere of conductor Kin Allen Kluges Meibuki Regeneration, written to memorialize the victims of last years Japanese earthquake and tsunami, was the culmination of a week of violinist Midoris residency with the orchestra and five local high schools. It brought 40 young musicians to the stage (along with the Arlington Childrens Chorus) to perform alongside the ASO professionals. As if to further underscore Midoris increasing focus on working with young people, it featured her protege, violinist Simeon Simeonov, as soloist. Midori herself capped off the evening with a reading of the Mendelssohn Concerto that was, in the first movement, at least, more like her own personal conversation with the composer than a public performance.

In its first performance, Meibuki Regeneration came across as a modest and restrained evocation of sorrow and hope. In two movements,Lament and From Winter to Spring, Kluge plays more with colors and textures than with line. The modal feeling of the Lament and the icy harmonics of the second movement that warm up as Spring and Regeneration approach may be predictable stuff, but Kluge does it well. He might not have achieved some of the other effects he describes in his notes; the childrens chorus was more an agreeable hum than a mighty wind over the landscape, and the Spring round sounded more like an oscillating motif than a deceptively simple theme. In the spirit of Midoris residency, Kluge wrote this to be both accessible to student musicians and sophisticated enough for public performance, and he seems to have done a good job of it.

Reinthaler is a freelance writer.

Visit link:
Review: Midori and the Alexandria Symphony in concert

JAMESTOWN, Pa. Club T owner and Jamestown native Travis Hobson, 22, has discovered a formula for success born from a personal pet peeve.

We had to go to other towns if we wanted to find something to do, Hobson said of his teen years. On weekends, you wanted to do something with your friends and there was nothing.

The 2007 Jamestown High School graduate quickly found ways to occupy his time; as an eighth grader, he was holding talent shows with friends. In high school, he was directing his own music videos for local bands and making a profit working as a wedding DJ on weekends. Despite his busy schedule, Hobson recognized that there were plenty of other teens just like him who wanted to have fun without getting into trouble.

So when his DJing on the weekends proved popular and he saw promise in the basement of the restaurant where he rented storage space, Hobson, 18 years old at the time, opened a teen dance club. At first, dances were held monthly, but the events proved so popular that Hobson threw them every weekend. Before long, he was considering finding a permanent space. When a building went up for sale across from Mark Twain Manor, 210 Liberty St., Hobson purchased it. While still running the dance club, Hobson rehabbed the building and in April 2011, opened Club T at its 215 Liberty St. location.

People say to kids, Dont do this, dont do that. But then they give them nothing to fill the void. Thats what this place does fill a gap.

In its current incarnation, Club T fills that gap in multiple ways, By day, the venue is an inviting and surprisingly sophisticated sandwich shop boasting fresh ingredients and free Wi-Fi. But by night, the space is transformed, blazing with dozens of lights, TVs playing music videos, a second-story DJ booth manned by Hobson and a spacious dance floor. It is a setting where tweens and teens feel free to dance their hearts out to a mixture of top 40 and dance classics. Karaoke is also featured.

Not only do they have a place to go, but they feel like its their place, he said. The club offers two three-hour dance nights a week; on Fridays, grades 3-6 are on the floor; Saturday nights are reserved for grades 6-12. Cover charge is $6 per person and attendance averages 60-70 per night, Hobson said. Club rules require all attendees to sign in; those who leave before the end of the dance cannot return. Other club rules include forbidding bullying or profanity. Violation of the rules means expulsion from Club T, with a probationary period to follow.

Hobson said that Club Ts dozens of regulars have created a community that ensures the rules are followed, and he has few problems during events.

We have some self-policing going on from are regulars. They tell (new visitors), Hey, you cant do that, he said.

Club Ts staff have worked hard to make sure that the business keeps its reputation in the community as a safe and fun venue for youths.

Go here to see the original:
Travis Hobson has found formula for success

By GARY D. ROBERTSON, Associated Press

GREENVILLE, N.C. Bill Faison played the maverick's role last fall by scrutinizing what he called fellow Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue's inactivity about high unemployment and spending cuts by the Republican-led Legislature and by promoting his own jobs plan.

The Orange County state House member traveled like a statewide candidate, speaking to Democratic groups and their allies. While the medical malpractice attorney said he wouldn't run for governor unless Perdue stepped aside, he also predicted publicly she would quit the race.

Faison's forecast came true Jan. 26 when Perdue announced she wouldn't seek re-election. He got in the race two days later. He said people are hyping his ability to push Perdue out.

"No one would be able to force someone out of a race like a sitting governor," Faison said in an interview, adding that going around the state to talk about putting people back to work "is something that ought to be above reproach."

The 65-year-old Faison is now keeping to the same format he used as a quasi-candidate, hoping personal interaction with voters will reap electoral rewards. He was willing to spend two hours in Greenville at the end of a long day of campaigning to meet a combined 25 Democrats.

As one of six hopefuls for the Democratic nomination, Faison now has new predictions: That his performance in April televised debates will separate him from his leading rivals, Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and former U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge; and that the electorate will gravitate toward him in the May 8 primary and in November against the presumptive Republican nominee.

"With your help, I'll go beat Pat McCrory this fall," Faison told 10 people at the organizational meeting of the Pitt County Young Democrats at a downtown Greenville bistro. "I don't think it'll be a huge beating, but I'll beat him."

Faison doesn't lack confidence or personal wealth. His campaign had more than $500,000 as of Dec. 31, almost all of it in the form of his personal loans. He's already run a commercial on television. More personal funds likely are needed if he wants to make a TV ad splash in the primary campaign's final weeks.

Faison is keeping the jobs plan he's promoted since September the anchor of his gubernatorial campaign.

Visit link:
Faison predicting success with NC gov's run

Here is a guest post from Andy Chan, vice president of the Wake Forest University Office of Personal and Career Development, and Jacquelyn S. Fetrow, Reynolds Professor of Computational Biophysics and dean of Wake Forest College. From April 11-13, they will co-host Rethinking Success: From the Liberal Arts to Careers in the 21st Century, a national conference to examine issues related to the relevance and value of the liberal arts education to the workforce today.

Wake Forest Vice President for Career Development Andy Chan talks with students in the universitys Reynolda Hall. (WFU/KEN BENNETT)Seniors graduating this May started their college careers shrouded by the dark cloud of economic insecurity. In September 2008, they were eager freshmen adjusting to campus life when the subprime mortgage crisis forced Lehman Brothers to file for bankruptcy. Four years later, many college students, recent graduates and their families remain paralyzed with fear and pessimism by the dismal prospects for turning a diploma into a paycheck. Although the economy may be recovering, the world of work has fundamentally changed.

Innovative technology, higher productivity, international outsourcing and our self-service economy have replaced thousands of entry-level jobs that were once ready-made for college graduates, and are now gone forever. In addition, the competition for jobs is fierce as employers raise their sights in recruiting new talent.

The March 2012 Duke University/CFO Magazine Global Business Outlook Survey of chief financial officers projects increased hiring which will bring the national unemployment rate below 8 percent by the end of the year. However, nearly half of the employers actively trying to fill vacant positions are struggling to find qualified applicants. Extremely selective recruiters have their choice of attractive candidates ranging from ambitious college grads to experienced Gen-X professionals to humbled baby boomers desperately needing work. The old get a good college education and youll be successful adage isnt nearly enough today and it may not be enough for job-seeking college grads in the 21st Century.

Politicians have fueled the fear and pessimism by questioning the value of college and especially the liberal education both in terms of cost and content, trumpeting the need for a technically skilled workforce as a solution to our floundering economy. Ironically, China, Singapore, South Korea and other Asian countries are adopting the opposite position by investing in the creation of high school and university curriculum to provide a liberal education in hopes of developing nimble, adaptable and creative thinkers. Concerned that their traditional system only produces stellar test takers, but few innovators and inventors, they are moving towards the educational model that America seems ready to leave behind.

Employers are seeking candidates who have the critical, creative thinking and interpersonal skills that result from a liberal education, plus the technical skills required for the job and finally, the hunger and passion to do and learn whats required to be an outstanding and productive contributor for the firm. According to former Procter & Gamble chairman A.G. Lafley, The formula for businesses trying to compete in todays economy is simple: hire employees with the mental agility, leadership and passion to navigate constant change in other words, hire those who are liberally educated. Sound advice when you consider the CEOs of Dell, JP Morgan Chase, Walt Disney Company, IBM, and FedEx were liberally educated.

Here are a few recommendations for liberal arts colleges to more deeply realize and communicate the value of the liberal education for the world of work today:

Develop partnerships that bridge the career development office with the faculty and academic advisors. Students demand to know how their choice of major will affect their career options. By sharing these data and student examples with the faculty and academic advisors, the career development office becomes more vital to students and to the faculty. With the endorsement and influence of the faculty, students utilize the complete range of resources offered by the career development office starting from their first year on campus.

Provide opportunities for faculty to understand the needs of employers. When professors understand why employers hire certain students, they can articulate how the academic material can be applied variety of work settings and help students recognize and better market this knowledge and skills. They can also more effectively mentor students and provide career advice and connections.

Make internships and/or research projects an integral part of the student experience. Make sure the student demonstrates the drive to stick with a research problem for longer than a semester. A survey by the Association of American Colleges and Universities found that 84 percent of executives at private sector and non-profit organizations expressed a desire for students to complete a significant project before graduation to demonstrate their depth of knowledge and a passion for a particular areas, as well as their acquisition of broad analytical, problem solving and communication skills.

Read the original post:
Six tips for liberal arts colleges to produce employable grads

MEMBERS of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) are unhappy about options for their personal development provided by the organisation, a survey conducted by a University of the West Indies (UWI) academic has revealed.

The concern was a recurring feature of the survey, which gauged the perceptions of 869 police officers towards the constabulary's strategic reform and modernisation process.

There are just over 8,000 members of the JCF.

The survey was conducted last year by Dr Kadamawe Knife, lecturer in strategic management and planning at the UWI. Its findings were launched at a press conference at the Police Officers' Club on Hope Road in St Andrew, Friday.

"Things that relate to personal development within the force, those are the things that persons have concern about, as well as things that relate to fiscal management," said Dr Knife, presenting the findings of the survey which was paid for by the United States Agency for International Development.

"Fairness surrounding promotion, the disciplinary process, transfer, grievances, all of those things we find relating to persons' perception of how they will move forward if they see the JCF as their long-term profession. These are the things that persons have a problem with," continued Dr Knife, citing the allocation of resources as the other major concern raised by respondents.

"These we need to work on some more," he said, outlining that 34.8 per cent of responders deemed the Human Resource Practices and Employee Performance Management as good, 18 per cent said it was bad, while 47.2 per cent said it was nuetral. Dr Knife said the fact that so many persons were indifferent to it is, in itself, cause for concern.

The study was the second of a series reviewing the accomplishments of the constabulary strategic review programme launched by the Ministry of National Security in 2007.

Among the other variables looked at were organisational climate, leadership, management and supervision, communication, organisational culture, fiscal management, operating procedures and practices, strategic planning, and vehicle, equipment, technology, and facilities.

The areas of organisation climate/culture, communication and equipment were also areas of much concern, Dr Knife said.

See more here:
Unfair promotions, questionable spending irk cops, study shows

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RlK2dHHJz4

31-03-2012 11:08 Renee Hobbs examines how audiences respond to media messages that are "almost true," like the Mike Daisey monologue on Apple computers and the KONY2012 video by Jason Russell. Audiences engage with works that blend journalism and art because they must be active interpreters who use conversation, relationships and sharing to develop coherent meanings. Controversial "almost true" messages make evident the relevance of media literacy key concepts and the value of supporting critical thinking, analysis and creative multimedia composition activities in the context of K-16 education. This talk, "How Audiences Respond to the Merging of Art, Online Journalism and Advocacy" was delivered at the Symposium on Online Journalism at The Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law on March 30, 2012.

See the article here:
How Audiences Respond: Online Journalism and Advocacy - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TStIdO06Pq0

31-03-2012 22:44 Use the videos to improve your American English and learn about news events, science, health, economics, and correct your standard English pronounce.

Originally posted here:
【91VOA Learn English】Getting a Free Education, in Huge Online Classes - Video

BAMRUNG AMNATCHAROENRIT The Nation

THE Taipei April 2, 2012 1:00 am

James Jeng, chairman of Taiwan's second-largest airline, said last week that Taipei enjoys a good geographical location for transpacific flights. The transit time at Taoyuan Inter-national Airport is only two to three hours. EVA operates 45 flights per week to those markets.

Passengers come from Singapore, Malaysia, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok. Especially from Vietnam, half of them arrive for flight connections to North America. From Bangkok alone, EVA has 10 flights scheduled per week. It has a code-sharing agreement with Bangkok Airways so its passengers can conveniently continue on to destinations across the Kingdom.

Asean, especially Thailand, is an important market for EVA. Since the Asean Economic Community will materialise in less than three years, the firm would look at this market "carefully".

EVA's ambition is to play a bigger role in the global aviation industry. Its membership application to Star Alliance, the world's largest airline grouping with 26 members, was unanimously accepted after a year-long discussion. Now, EVA will have to spend a year working on the integration process, with strong support from Air China, based in Beijing, as the mentor airline.

Pandit Chanapai, executive vice president for commercial affairs of Thai Airways International, the national carrier, said the entry of EVA into the group would help strengthen THAI's network by adding destinations that it cannot reach. Vancouver is an example. THAI's passengers can fly from Bangkok to Taipei then transfer to an EVA aircraft bound for Vancouver. THAI's passengers will enjoy benefits on both segments, especially mileage points for redemption.

THAI has turned its focus to the Asian market and is looking for major cities to add to its regional network. It flies from Bangkok to Taipei 14 times a week and is planning to increase the frequency to 15 in the future. Its load factor this month is 73 per cent on the morning flight from Bangkok and 82 per cent on the evening flight from Taipei. In October, THAI will add Taipei to its Phuket-Hong Kong route, with seven stopovers per week, as part of its plan to increase load capacity.

Becoming a member of Star Alliance will be a crucial step for EVA. The airline will be able to expand its global network where it has not gone yet, especially South America and Africa. It will be able to reach the European market with cost-saving cooperation, especially with members like Lufthansa and Austrian, amid the controversy over the collection of carbon emission fees by the European Union from airlines flying to the continent. EVA's major market is still China. EVA will enter the world's fastest-moving market via Air China. EVA serves 25 destinations in China from various cities in Taiwan with 105 flights per week, with some operated by its sister airline UNI Air. The airline plans to cash in on mainland China following the relaxation of political tensions between the two economies.

UNI flies mainly domestic routes, especially to remote islands. However, it is studying the feasibility of transforming itself into one of the low-cost airlines in Asia in the future, said Chang Kuo-wei, president of EVA Airways Corp. EVA Air was established in March 1989 and took off on its inaugural flight in July 1991. Last year, it carried 6.7 million passengers to domestic and 62 international destinations. Its fleet consists of 42 passenger aircraft and 17 freighters.

Continued here:
EVA woos Asean to make Taipei a hub

The Heart Fit Clinic has released its new Cardiac Yoga DVD program to reverse heart disease. Stress management after a heart attack can be a challenge but it is of paramount importance to know stress management techniques for your heart attack treatment and to start a cardiac rehabilitation program as soon as possible. Now everyone can take advantage of the Heart Fit Clinic cardiac yoga program to reverse this deadly disease process.

Calgary, AB (PRWEB) March 30, 2012

Heart disease is frightening and can be reversed but it takes a lot of dedication and correct information from cardiac rehabilitation heart health experts like those with the Heart Fit Clinic. Understanding essential cardiac yoga techniques after a heart attack is essential to the road to recovery.

The Heart Fit Clinic has released its new Cardiac Yoga DVD - to prevent and reverse heart disease. The success of their patients in a clinical setting has been in large part thanks to this program. Hundreds of patients with the clinic have been guided with this program and it is now available to everyone off their website. "Heart disease is frightening but there is something you can do about it and we have your solution to be a success with heart disease". says Diamond Fernandes, clinic director.

Lifestyle modification strategies are important for heart attack treatment to reverse and prevent heart disease. The Cardiac Yoga DVD program comes with a free heart health manual ($47 value). Individuals who have an acute or chronic medical condition (heart disease), are elderly, have limited mobility, or would like to practice a gentle and modified form of yoga will find the cardiac yoga DVD safe, empowering and helpful in optimizing health and healing.

Cardiac yoga to prevent and reverse heart disease lets patients know how to cope after a heart problem. Heart disease is an inflammatory disease. In this program, the Heart Fit Clinic will take you through some guided cardiac yoga sessions to get you on the right track for heart health.

Millions of people suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol and in this program the Heart Fit Clinic covers stress management technique to keep your blood pressure controlled. Seeing a heart health yoga expert can cost hundreds of dollars. The Heart Fit Clinic is able to deliver the best cardiac rehabilitation and heart attack and stroke prevention cardiac yoga DVD program for the fraction of the cost for $37 (limited time offer) . Now this program is also a part of their complete cardiac rehabilitation and heart attack prevention program. Contact their clinic via email or phone to live happier, healthier and longer.

The Heart Fit Clinic is the leader in cardiac rehabilitation and heart attack and stroke prevention program. Whether patients have had a recent heart attack or heart problem, past or trying to prevent heart disease this program will help people reverse heart disease.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/3/prweb9353371.htm

Excerpt from:
Cardiac Yoga DVD Released by Heart Fit Clinic