The ANGEL Home Page: An Overview – Video
Posted: March 17, 2012 at 8:32 pm
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The ANGEL Home Page: An Overview - Video
Cash boost for carers
Posted: at 11:14 am
Cash boost for London Colney carers
5:10pm Friday 16th March 2012 in News By Manisha Mistry
A CARERS support group in London Colney has received a cash-boost to allow it to continue helping those in need.
Just more than 500 has been allocated from Hertfordshire County Council's locality budget to the Dawn to Dusk scheme.
Dawn to Dusk, a carer support self help group, plans to run an extended excercise course in May 2012 at The Charles Morris Hall in Tyttenhanger Green.
The money will pay for the therapist, refreshments, printing and posting and a small contribution to volunteers who regularly help with transport.
The group aims to run three, ten week courses a year. These include exercises that can be done at home, massage, art therapy, poetry writing and flower arranging. Any person who is a carer is welcome to attend.
These activities can help the carers, and the people they care for, by helping them develop new interests.
The remainder of the money needed has come from carers contributions and Awards for All from the Big Lottery Fund.
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Thai PM orders curb on high consumer product prices
Posted: at 11:14 am
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Thailand News.Net Saturday 17th March, 2012 (IANS)
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra Saturday ordered authorities to speed up measures to contain high consumer product prices caused by the massive flood last year, Thai News Agency reported.
The premier, on her weekly programme "Yingluck Government Meets the People", said last year's flood crisis was the major factor that caused high prices of consumer products, reported Xinhua.
She said consumer goods prices were lower when compared with the same month last year but the flood had forced many factories to halt their operations, while many distribution centres could not deliver the products, eventually causing prices to increase as demand was much higher than the supply.
However, she expressed confidence that the high prices of food and consumer products would return to normal by June this year.
The ministry of commerce and relevant offices would implement measures to ensure that prices of consumer goods were reasonable, particularly those of eggs and palm cooking oil, said the premier.
The prime minister said the government believed the rise of world oil prices would be only short term and would not intervene in domestic oil prices, but measures would be taken to ease the impact on the public.
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End of an era: Stansbury retires
Posted: March 16, 2012 at 9:20 pm
STARKVILLE -- After 28 years in college basketball -- including 22 years at Mississippi State University, 14 years of which he served as head coach of the men's team -- Rick Stansbury decided to do something else with his life.
"It's time in my life to start a new chapter (and) step away from coaching," Stansbury, who will continue to work at MSU in an as-yet undetermined capacity, said Thursday. "And I'm ready for it."
On March 13, 1998, Stansbury took over the head coaching position at MSU. And he proceeded to become the became the school's all-time wins leader, the ninth-winningest coach in league history, with 11 post-season appearances.
"A lot of coaches can stay at one spot too long," Stansbury said. "I don't want to be one of those coaches. I want to be able to do things and make decisions to step away from this, when it's my decision."
MSU Athletic Director Scott Stricklin and Stansbury both stressed its was the Bulldogs coach's decision to walk away from the program, with two years remaining on his contract, which was scheduled to pay him between $1.4 million and $1.5 million per season.
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End of an era: Stansbury retires
BBC School Report Day – Body Image, xBox and fitness! – Video
Posted: at 9:20 pm
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BBC School Report Day - Body Image, xBox and fitness! - Video
Health and fitness agenda: England's International Fitness Showcase
Posted: at 9:20 pm
Coming up, England welcomes thousands of fitness fans from around the globe at the annual International Fitness Showcase in Blackpool.
25th Salon Mondial Body Fitness Formexpo March 16-18 Paris, France
Similar to Canadas Canfitpro and the USs IHRSA, Frances massive Salon Mondial Body Fitness Formexpo expects to draw some 20,000 visitors and 100 international companies. Check out the latest products and trends, or take classes in a range of techniques offered by Leaderfit, Reebok, Les Mills and Crossfit, among others. http://www.vivelaforme.com Facebook Twitter
8th International Fitness Showcase (IFS) March 23-25 Winter Gardens Blackpool, UK
This program packs more than 200 different fitness sessions into three days, designed for fitness instructors, trainers, and the public. Comparable to Inner IDEA in the US, IFS is one of Europe's biggest fitness conventions. Expect classes on The Fit Zone, Gravity, Modern Pilates, and much more. http://www.chrysalispromotions.com
5th BaliSpirit Festival March 28 - April 1 The Purnati Center for the Arts, Batuan, Bali, Indonesia
While deep-pocketed yogis have a variety of far-flung locales and events to choose from, BaliSpirit attracts a devoted crowd of more than 4,500 to one of the trendiest yoga spots on the planet. Celebrates global yoga, dance, and music. http://balispiritfestival.com Facebook Twitter
15th Natural & Organic Products Europe April 1-2 London, UK
The only trade show for natural and organic products in the UK, the Natural & Organic Products Europe showcases natural, organic, biodynamic, fair trade, artisan, and sustainable products -- from beauty and supplements to sports nutrition to pure ingredients. While not nearly as large as Natural Products Expo West or Vivaness, the show annually attracts trade buyers from across the world and expands every year. http://www.naturalproducts.co.uk Facebook Twitter
27th FIBO April 14-17 Essen, Germany
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Health and fitness agenda: England's International Fitness Showcase
Grasmick Kicks Retirement To Curb – Video
Posted: at 9:19 pm
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Grasmick Kicks Retirement To Curb - Video
Should Your DNA Affect Your Retirement Planning?
Posted: at 9:19 pm
Despite all of the numbers and ratios surrounding it, retirement planning is not an exact science. You want to put enough away in your savings accounts to live comfortably throughout your golden years, yet knowing precisely how long those will last -- and accordingly, how much money you'll need -- is impossible.
But while you can't know exactly when you'll die, some of the latest developments in DNA research make it possible to tease out genetic traits that may offer clues about the length of your life. Could tests like these someday impact your retirement planning -- particularly if you learn your lifespan may stretch beyond the average?
Telomeres and aging
Research has indicated that your telomeres may offer some useful clues about your potential lifespan. Telomeres are pieces of DNA found at the end of chromosomes. As people age, their telomeres shorten. Shortened telomeres can also signal an increased risk for heart disease. According to a University of Copenhagen study, shortened telomeres are linked to an increased risk of heart attack and early death by 50 and 25%, respectively.
Life Length is a manufacturer planning to roll out a blood test to measure telomeres. The test, expected to be available in Europe and Asia this year, will cost $700. A member of the company's scientific advisory board told ABC News last year that the test would be able to predict within a decade an individual's biological age -- a potential clue in determining the person's lifespan.
But if a $700 test doesn't sound prudent to you, it's not the only thing you could use in estimating how long you''ll live. Since longevity -- or the lack of it -- runs in some families, looking to your parents and grandparents can offer some insight on what kind of lifespan you might expect.
Longer lives for everyone
Once you have some clues on how long you may live, what can that information mean for your retirement? Certainly, you don't want to quit saving for retirement -- even if you don't think you'll make it much past age 65. Medicine has come a long way in recent years. Consider the fact that the average life span was only 47.3 years for those born in 1900, and is now 77.9 for children born in 2007. Make no mistake: Your father's death at 59 is no reason to short-change your retirement.
So how much do you need? Perhaps more than you think. Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the average 50-year-old will spend $1.4 million on their way to age 81. Those who hit age 100 can expect spending during the second half of their lives to top $2 million.
In addition, centenarians aren't a rarity anymore. The Census Bureau estimates there will be more than 600,000 individuals aged 100 or older by 2050. At the same time, the Census Bureau estimates the average retirement age will actually drop. In 2050, it estimates the average age at retirement will be 63. So while the average retirement period is expected to be nearly 22 years, centenarians will need enough in reserve to cover at least 37 years.
Fleeing to cash won't protect retirement savings
Posted: at 9:19 pm
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- I'm a 65-year-old retiree who has a comfortable pension and retirement savings that, for now at least, I don't need for living expenses. About a year ago I moved my savings into cash because I was worried about the unstable stock market and the crisis in Europe. I hate to see this money earn nothing, but I don't want to lose it if the stock market dives. Should I leave my savings in cash? Invest it in short-term bonds? Should any of it go into stocks? -- Don S.
Given all the turmoil in the economy and the financial markets the past couple of years, it's not surprising that you want to be careful about keeping your retirement stash secure.
But fleeing to cash to protect your savings is an ill-advised move that can backfire. In fact, in your case it already has.
Since you pulled out of the market a year ago, stocks have gained almost 10%, while bonds have returned roughly 7%. Which means that even the most conservative mix of stocks and bonds would have given you a much better return than, say, a money-market fund, which likely earned less than 0.1% over the past year. So in the short-term at least, your gambit didn't pay off.
As for the long-term, moving to cash and staying put would make your savings safer in the sense that your money will be insulated from the market's gyrations. But there's a big drawback as well.
The returns on secure vehicles like savings accounts, money funds and the like barely keep pace with inflation over long stretches. After paying income taxes on gains, the real value of your savings could actually shrink as you age.
So if a dash into cash isn't the right way to go, what's a 65-year-old who doesn't want to see his nest egg scrambled to do?
Your first move should be to adjust your focus to the longer term. Right now, you're thinking only of how to protect your savings from what may happen in the market over the next few weeks or months.
Based on life expectancy for someone your age, you have a 50-50 chance of living another 20 years or so. And since life expectancy represents only the average life span, you have a good shot at living much longer. So even though you're retired, you should invest as if you'll be doing so for a long time. I generally tell retirees they should plan as if they'll live into their early 90s, longer if they come from a family with a history of longevity.
That means you want to invest your savings in a blend of stocks, bonds and cash that will not only give you some protection from short-term market drops, but enough long-term growth potential to maintain the purchasing power of your nest egg as well.
Retirement asset mix – stocks, bonds and cash
Posted: at 9:19 pm
I'm a 65-year-old retiree who has a comfortable pension and retirement savings that, for now at least, I don't need for living expenses. About a year ago I moved my savings into cash because I was worried about the unstable stock market and the crisis in Europe. I hate to see this money earn nothing, but I don't want to lose it if the stock market dives. Should I leave my savings in cash? Invest it in short-term bonds? Should any of it go into stocks? -- Don S.
Given all the turmoil in the economy and the financial markets the past couple of years, it's not surprising that you want to be careful about keeping your retirement stash secure.
But fleeing to cash to protect your savings is an ill-advised move that can backfire. In fact, in your case it already has.
Since you pulled out of the market a year ago, stocks have gained almost 10%, while bonds have returned roughly 7%. Which means that even the most conservative mix of stocks and bonds would have given you a much better return than, say, a money-market fund, which likely earned less than 0.1% over the past year. So in the short-term at least, your gambit didn't pay off.
As for the long-term, moving to cash and staying put would make your savings safer in the sense that your money will be insulated from the market's gyrations. But there's a big drawback as well.
Best Places to Retire
The returns on secure vehicles like savings accounts, money funds and the like barely keep pace with inflation over long stretches. After paying income taxes on gains, the real value of your savings could actually shrink as you age.
So if a dash into cash isn't the right way to go, what's a 65-year-old who doesn't want to see his nest egg scrambled to do?
Your first move should be to adjust your focus to the longer term. Right now, you're thinking only of how to protect your savings from what may happen in the market over the next few weeks or months.
Based on life expectancy for someone your age, you have a 50-50 chance of living another 20 years or so. And since life expectancy represents only the average life span, you have a good shot at living much longer. So even though you're retired, you should invest as if you'll be doing so for a long time. I generally tell retirees they should plan as if they'll live into their early 90s, longer if they come from a family with a history of longevity.
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Retirement asset mix - stocks, bonds and cash