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

18-02-2012 17:07 When we're finally ready to set out on a personal journey to better health and fitness, it all starts with one question. "Why." If we can answer this question honestly, we'll have greater success at reaching our goals. For more health, fitness and weight loss tips visit me at my blog: catrinaishungry.wordpress.com on my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com and on twitter: twitter.com PrayFit DVD: http://www.amazon.com

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How to lose weight- Tip #1 - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UrcqnMy5ik

18-02-2012 18:57 Most approaches to nutrition dwell on calories, carbs, fats, proteins. Instead of creating lists of restrictions and good and bad foods, I coach my clients to create a happy, healthy life in a way that is flexible, fun and free of denial and discipline. No one diet works for everyone. I will guide you to find the food and lifestyle choices that best support you. I will also help you to make gradual, lifelong changes that enable you to reach your current and future health goals. Could one conversation change your life? Schedule a free initial consultation with me today!

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Fayetteville NC Health Wellness

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire -02/19/12)- As the February 29th deadline approaches to make a contribution to a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and as part of its ongoing commitment to improving financial literacy, BMO Financial Group will be providing daily retirement tips during the month of February from BMO Retirement Institute Head Tina Di Vito's new book 52 Ways To Wreck Your Retirement...And How To Rescue It.

Tip Number 37:

Take Advantage of tax gifts such as the Tax Free Savings Account

When the Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) was introduced in 2009, it changed the way Canadians approached savings and investing. While tax-efficient vehicles such as RRSPs or registered pension plans allow Canadians to defer or postpone tax on investments earned, payments out of these accounts are fully taxable as ordinary income. With a TFSA, withdrawals are completely tax free, regardless of whether they are drawn from cash or returns on different investment vehicles held within it. TFSAs provide a big tax saving opportunity that Canadians should use by doing the following:

-- Take advantage now: Open a TFSA and maximize your available
contribution. If this is the first year you're getting a TFSA, you can
invest up to $20,000 and contribute the $5,000 maximum each year
thereafter. For those with children over 18, encouraging them to open
and contribute early could mean they may never pay income tax on any
investment income they earn.
-- Double-up: Open a TFSA for a spouse or common-law partner to double-up
on tax-free savings.
-- Continue to take advantage during retirement: Continue to use your TFSA
to your advantage well after you retire to help minimize tax on
investment income, maximize OAS entitlement, provide flexibility to pay
for unexpected costs without increasing your taxable income or to
preserve the tax-free status of any inheritance you have received.

Tip Number 38:

If you own U.S. property, account for estate taxes as part of your succession plan

While there is no estate tax in Canada, many countries impose estate tax on succession duties, including our neighbour south of the border. Canadians who own U.S. property may have to pay U.S. estate tax at the time of death. This applies to real property, such as vacation homes, furniture or vehicles, and stocks or options to acquire stocks issued by a U.S. corporation. Without proper planning ahead of time, this substantial tax could significantly hamper your succession plan.

To minimize U.S. estate taxes, consider the following:

-- Review your net worth with your financial advisor to determine your
exposure to U.S. estate tax.
-- Look for opportunities to invest in U.S. securities through Canadian
mutual funds.
-- Speak to a financial expert to determine whether it is appropriate for
you to hold U.S. investments in a Canadian holding company.
-- If your current U.S. vacation or secondary property isn't being used,
sell it and move furniture and other related belongings to Canada.

For more information on retirement: http://www.bmo.com/retirement.

Get the latest BMO press releases via Twitter by following @BMOmedia.

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BMO Retirement Tips of the Day: Take Advantage of the TFSA & Plan Ahead for Possible U.S. Estate Taxes

The decision about whether to opt for Roth tax treatment of your retirement assets--where you pay taxes upfront in exchange for tax-free withdrawals later on--requires you to make a judgment about whether your taxes will be higher in retirement than they were while you were working.

That's a lot harder than it sounds, as my colleague Adam Zoll explored in this article (http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=537102). Not only does itinvolve divining what tax rates are apt to be on a macroeconomic level by the time you retire, but you also need to bear your own personal situation in mind. For lower earners who are early in their careers, it's likely that their income tax brackets will be higher in the future than they are today, making Roth contributions and conversions a good bet. For older savers, that might not be the case.

To help gather insights into the latter question, I recently surveyed Morningstar.com's many retired readers about their tax experiences, both pre- and post-retirement. Posting in the Investing During Retirement section of Morningstar.com's Discuss boards. I asked them whether their tax rates had gone up or down during retirement. Posters shared their own observations and how they navigated the "to Roth or not to Roth" question themselves. Several posters also weighed in with their own strategies for keeping their in-retirement tax rates down. Click here (http://socialize.morningstar.com/NewSocialize/forums/p/299270/3200784.aspx#3200784) to read the complete thread or share your own experience.

'My Retirement Tax Bracket Is Radically Lower'
Many posters noted that their in-retirement tax brackets were lower than when they were working, and that was, at least in part, by design. Several retired or soon-to-be retired readers said their lower earned incomes in retirement had helped; others noted that they had taken maximum advantage of asset location and tax-advantaged investments such as municipal bonds to limit their in-retirement income. However, posters' responses also alluded to the fact that managing tax brackets becomes more difficult past age 70 1/2, when seniors are required to begin taking minimum distributions, or RMDs, from their traditional IRAs and 401(k)s; those distributions are taxable.

Capecod's response to my query was unequivocal: "My retirement tax bracket is radically lower than pre-retirement. That is a consequence of one, no work compensation/earned income; two, living off Social Security and a portfolio composed largely of tax-free munis; and three, holding growth and higher-yielding taxable assets in an IRA with mandatory distributions still several years in the future."

Hanneral has employed similar strategies--and a few others--to keep taxes down in retirement. "My tax rate has dropped a lot [in retirement]. I have moved many of my high-return stocks to the tax-deferred account. I also added a number of munis to my holdings several years ago while their rates were more favorable. I also make maximum use of opportunities like donating unused time-share properties to charity. I have been retired now for 14 years and these steps have aided in keeping my tax rate low."

The same holds true for ThePrune, who shared, "Before retirement our married filing jointly tax bracket would have been 28%, but by making use of tax-deferral savings such as 401(k), 403(b) and 457 plans, we were able to push ourselves down into the 25% marginal tax bracket. After our recent retirement our marginal tax rate rate has dropped from 25% down into the middle of the 15% bracket. And I have a long-range tax planning strategy to keep it in the 15% bracket, even once required minimum distributions begin."

Hoodee is using a similar playbook: "My tax bracket went down dramatically and has stayed down in the 12 years since retirement. I can manage my investments to time capital gains so that I pay little in taxes; also, when I was working, my adjusted gross income was much higher."

Snorton is taking tax management a step further still: "I'm not yet retired, but I expect to pay less tax because I will be able to control how much I draw from taxable assets, unlike now where everything is taxed. I hope to change our official residence to a tax-free state where we have a second home to escape California's 10% (and rising) tax."

Poster audreyh1, who also participates in the Early Retirement Forum, has observed it's not uncommon for tax rates to go down during retirement. She wrote, "Many retirees seem to be able to stay in the 15% tax bracket. It may also be that some are receiving part of their income as capital gains and qualified dividends which are taxed at the 15% rate. Some of retirees have reported that they way overestimated the taxes portion of their retirement budget."

Audreyh1went on to provide a few additional reasons that retirees often see their taxes decline. "The total tax burden drops as well as a retiree is no longer paying Social Security or Medicare taxes. During the past decade, the amounts an older investor can put aside into tax-deferred retirement accounts has increased a lot. Back in the 1990s, the amounts that could be tax-deferred were much more limited. So perhaps newer retirees won't see such a drop in taxes if they were able to invest heavily in tax-deferred accounts before retiring."

Rossinator, with a big share of overall assets in taxable accounts, exemplifies Audrey1's point: Those with taxable assets can take advantage of a variety of maneuvers to keep taxes down, something those required to take RMDs cannot do. "My taxable investment account is a good deal larger than my retirement account (now a Roth IRA). The good news about this is that I can pass the Roth on to my heirs (hopefully), and I can manage my capital gains in my taxable account. I have been looking at my taxes for 2011 and noticed that my capital loss carry forward will run out on the 2011 tax return. So I won't have an extra $3,000 to deduct from income in 2012, but my tax rate in future years should still be substantially lower in retirement."

For Morningboy1, lower in-retirement tax rates are, at least in part, a sign of the times in which we live. "My tax rate went down because the interest rate went down and some banks went bust."

'It Is Hard to Reduce Our Taxes as Some Have Done'
Other posters, meanwhile, haven't seen a substantial change in their tax rates in retirement relative to what they paid while they were working. Those retirees who are deriving a big share of their income from pensions, RMDs from traditional retirement accounts, and Social Security were the most likely to report that their tax rates had stayed the same or even gone a little bit higher in retirement; they exert less control over their income streams than those retirees with big shares of their portfolios in taxable accounts and those who have yet to start taking RMDs.

For poster DennyF, keeping taxes--and income--level was part of the plan. "Our marginal tax rate (25%) has remained the same. But that was an expected outcome of our financial planning. Our goal was to work until our pension and Social Security benefits matched our pre-retirement income."

The same goes for Hondo, who noted, "We have remained in the same tax bracket that we were in before retirement. We both receive pensions and RMD income, plus I have Social Security, and we must take the standard deductions on our tax return. Therefore, it is hard to reduce our taxes as some have done."

Mdgardner concurred. "Our rate is about the same as before retirement. Most of our income is from combined pensions and Social Security and puts us into the 25% bracket."

Nittwit's post hints at the fact that for many seniors, retirement doesn't mean completely saying goodbye to the workaday world, and that can increase the tax bill. "I am retired 'on and off,'" this reader wrote. "This means that when managing my property and finances leaves me with too much free time, I seek employment. My wife is 10 years younger and loves to work and works for good people (boy does that make a difference), and so for tax purposes we still work. Our effective tax rate according to Turbo Tax for 2010 was 14.5%. My projections do not see that effective rate changing when we both retire although our official tax rate will decrease."

Mjlevine, like Nittwit, has also continued to work, which in turn has had implications on the tax front. "No one seems to consider the person who chooses never to retire because they love their work! I'll be 70 1/2 this year and will have to start taking RMDs. I'll still be earning as much as before, part of my Social Security is taxable, and I'll owe tax on my distributions. My bracket will therefore actually be higher!"

'So Far So Good'
Posters also weighed in on the pros and cons of converting traditional IRA and 401(k) assets to Roth status; doing so will reduce in-retirement tax bills and reduce the amount of money that must be distributed during their lifetimes. (Owners of Roth IRA accounts, in contrast with traditional IRA owners, are not required to take taxable required minimum distributions.)

Dipiranha notes that the ability to take tax-free IRA distributions keeps in-retirement taxes at or close to zero. "Before I retired two years ago, I was paying about 25% Federal, 14% self employment tax, and 9% California tax. Seventy percent of my money is in a Roth and 30% in Taxable IRAs. I pull just enough out of my taxable accounts to avoid any tax and the rest of my yearly expenses comes out of the Roth."

Poster WOODJ believes the decision to convert traditional IRA assets to a Roth IRA has helped increase in-pocket income during retirement. He shared his complete strategy for reducing in-retirement taxes in the thread, concluding. "Paying no taxes means that all of our income can be spent on the good things in life."

Jomil has also been pleased with the decision to convert: "I converted the last of the 'alphabet soup' of deferred compensation plans and IRAs to Roths in 2010. So far no regrets or worries about 'what ifs.'"

FidlStix, not yet retired, thinks that the possibility of higher tax rates in the future bolsters the case for converting traditional retirement vehicles to Roth. "Since taxes are sure to go up substantially in the years ahead, I'm thinking hard about biting the bullet and rolling 10% of my 401(k) into my Roth (backdoorwise) when I retire."

Paulbrown notes that being in a low tax bracket when the conversion takes place can make a conversion advantageous; his post also alludes the fact that reducing taxable income from other sources reduces the taxation of Social Security benefits. "I thought the only advantage [to conversion] was that it would lower my RMD, and I may never have to take more than what is required. When I did [the conversion] seven years ago I was already in the 15% bracket with no earned income, only Social Security, and RMD from IRAs. I was hoping I could also have less than 85% of our Social Security that was taxable. So far, so good."

Scotty believes that estate-planning considerations bolster the case for converting to Roth status. "With the Roth IRA the returns can be passed on to their children as tax-free extensions since the tax has already been paid upfront. At least this is with current law."

For texasboy, the decision to convert was driven by his desire for tax diversification--the ability to draw assets from vehicles with varying tax treatment. "I believed in spreading investments out among vehicles so I have traditional/Roth/401/403(b) depending on my ability to fund in any given year. That way I can pull from vehicles as each year's needs dictate would be best."

Both estate planning and tax diversification played a role in Rule72's decision to convert part of the household's IRA assets. "I will probably stop conversions once we are about 50/50 split in the Roth versus a traditional IRA. At least in our case it appears beneficial to pay more taxes now so 'the family' can pay less overall. And since we won't convert 100% I guess that means we've hedged our bets on the future taxing of tax qualified accounts. I reserve the right to adjust my spread sheet and change my opinions as the tax rules change."

Other posters weren't as sold on the benefits of converting traditional IRA assets to Roth. Hondo wrote, "I did convert some traditional IRA money to Roth before retiring. Looking back, I'm not sure that was a wise decision. Perhaps Roth conversions are good if the person is young, but I now feel it is unwise if the person is near retirement. In general, I don't believe in paying a tax before you have to."

Capecod was on the same page, noting that the appropriateness of a Roth conversion varies by individual. "For what it's worth, I've never understood the appeal of converting a traditional IRA to a Roth, but perhaps those with higher net worths see tax/estate planning advantages that don't apply to my family."

Johnep also did the analysis and concluded that Roth conversions weren't for him. "I went from top of 25% bracket to mid-point. Using pension and Social Security now but [being required to take] RMDs in a few years will put me back in high range of 25% bracket. I looked very closely at Roth but could not see the benefit starting now. A clear benefit for those starting much younger."

See More Articles by Christine Benz

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Do Tax Rates Go Up or Down in Retirement?

Today's Weather

Catskill, NY

Published: Sunday, February 19, 2012 1:30 AM EST

SHENENDEHOWA — Travis Blank swam two personal-best times and the Taconic Hills boys varsity swim team scored 90 points to finish ninth out of 15 teams in the Section II small school swimming championships Saturday at Shenendehowa High School, according to an email from TH coach Tom Russo.

Blank broke two Titans records he set Friday at the Section II Trials — in the 200-meter free and 100 back — and shaved two seconds from his state qualifying time in the former while improving by three-tenths of a second in the latter. Blank is the first TH swimmer to qualify for states.

“I was pleased with our teams’ performance,” Russo said. “Travis Blank swam two personal bests and is moving on to states. Brian Ostrander swam his fastest 100 free in the last swim of his high school career. That’s a great way to close out your season.”

Albany Academy took the Section II small school title with 365.5 points, followed by Queensbury (322); Amsterdam (261.5), Glens Falls (256), Gloversville (254), Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (217), Canajoharie-Fort Plain (160), Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk (94), Taconic Hills (90), Hudson Falls (46), Christian Brothers Academy (37), La Salle (37), Galway (35) and New Lebanon (13).

TH results: 200 Medley Relay, 9th, 1:58.55, Brian Ostrander, Cody Campeta, Travis Blank, Steven Essig; 200 Free, 3rd, 1:50.45, Travis Blank; 200 Free Relay, 9th, 1:49.65, Steven Essig, Brian Ostrander, Justin Muller, Cody Campeta; 100 Back, 3rd, 55.20, Travis Blank; 400 Free Relay, 8th, 3:55.04, Brian Ostrander, Cody Campeta, Justin Muller, Travis Blank.

 

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Titans’ Blank swims personal bests, readies for states

KASIE HUNT SALT LAKE CITY — The Associated Press Published Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012 8:07PM EST Last updated Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012 10:39PM EST

Mitt Romney returned to Salt Lake City on Saturday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 2002 Winter Games he helped lead, but the GOP presidential candidate has come under attack for urging the federal government to provide big bucks for Olympic expenses.

So instead of touting his role as savior in the wake of a bribery scandal, as he usually does, Romney told finger-wagging stories about cutting the budget for decorating the city and for building the giant cauldron that held the Olympic flame.

“We had to cut back on spending, as you probably know,” Romney told the crowd gathered at the EnergySolutions arena for a performance of Stars on Ice.

He walked in with figure skater and gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi, who offered the argument Romney usually makes on the campaign trail. Because of “the fire he lit from within, the games were a tremendous success,” she said, referring to the games' theme song, “Light the Fire Within.”

Romney was hired to lead the Salt Lake Olympic Committee after a bribery scandal threatened the games. The success of those Olympics, he says during the campaign, help make the case for his bid for the White House.

“I led an Olympics out of the shadows of scandal,” Romney told conservative activists this month, repeating a claim he has made dozens of times on the campaign trail.

His time running the games has proved a boon in other ways. Ahead of his remarks, Romney held a high-dollar fundraiser in Salt Lake with many of the business and community leaders he worked with at the Olympics.

The fundraiser was hosted by Fraser Bullock, who helped him run the Salt Lake Games. Bullock is also major donor to an super PAC that is supporting Romney's bid. Several people listed as associated with the group, Restore Our Future, were on a list of special guests for Saturday night's ice skating ceremonies.

In brief remarks to Olympic staff and volunteers and again at the skating event Saturday night, Romney said he cut millions from the budget to decorate the city and argued some of the venues built in Salt Lake cost much less than they had in other cities that had hosted winter games.

Romney said he cut the cauldron's budget back to $500,000 and eventually secured an $8 million donation to pay for the enormous, clear glass structure where the Olympic flame burned during the 2002 games.

Romney's opponents are attacking his record at the games, with both Democrats and GOP presidential rival Rick Santorum criticizing Romney for helping to secure millions in federal earmarks that helped cover Olympic costs.

“One of the things he talks about most is how he heroically showed up on the scene and bailed out and resolved the problems of the Salt Lake City Olympic Games,” Santorum said during a campaign stop in Columbus, Ohio. “He heroically bailed out the Salt Lake City Olympic Games by heroically going to Congress and asking them for tens of millions of dollars to bail out the Salt Lake games — in an earmark.”

Democrats made those claims, too, in a web video released Friday. They highlighted comments from Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 GOP presidential nominee who's a longtime critic of federal support for the Olympics and other international sporting events.

McCain called the Olympics “an incredible pork-barrel project for Salt Lake City and its environs.”

Romney's campaign says most of the money went to provide security in the wake of Sept. 11. The games were held about five months after the terrorist attacks and were the first major international event since the al-Qaida strikes.

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Mitt Romney cites Olympics success, rivals are leery

19 February 2012 – Pupils of famed coach Victor Chegin dominated at the Russian winter national Race Walking championships in Sochi.

Held Saturday (18) in the city that will host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, thew weather corresponded to the name of those Games as the Walkers were obliged to compete against the snow and cold rain.

It was decided that two stars - Olga Kaniskina and Anisiya Kirdiapkina – wouldn’t take part in the Women’s 20 km race. Chegin was sure that in their absence it would be  Vera Sokolova who’d win. But she was later disqualified.

As a result it was Elmira Alembekova who finished first with a 1:25:27 personal best, an excellent performanceby the 21-year-old race walker! The 19-year-old Yelena Lashpanova was second, a minute behind the new champion, clocking 1:26:30. Irina Umanova, 21, clocked 1:26:47 and finished third. The trio also won the national U-23 titles in a race run simultaneously.

The 25-year-old Andrei Ruzavin clocked 1:17:45 to take the men’s 20 km title, five seconds ahead of the 23-year-old Sergei Morozov. World University Games champion Andrei Krivov got the well deserved bronze – 1:18.24. Stanislav Emelyanenko who is 21 got the laurels in the Russian Championships for U-23. The glorious quartet of Chegin’s pupils occupied the first four lines at the world’s top list results of the season.

While the 35-kilometre distance is not a standard one for race walkers it is traditional for the Russian nationals. Two-time World 50km champion Sergey Kirdyapkin won it clocking a personal best of 2:25.41. Unexpectedly it was 20-year-old Mikhail Ryzhov who gained the silver medal in 2:25:28. Ivan Noskov was third in 2:26:32.

It should be noted that all the athletes mentioned except Umanova, who started her career in the Republic of Chuvashiya, are the pupils of Chegin. The Russian winter nationals were again dominated by walkers from the Republic of Mordovia.

Chegin who recently celebrated his 50th birthday, was evidently happy but as always laconic in his replies to our questions.

“Yes, I’m satisfied with the results of our nationals. It means that in the Olympic season we are on our right track," Chegin said.

"What did I like most of all? I would surely say that for me the achievements of our young racers mean a lot. Look – most of the medalists are young and gained the victories not only in the Russian nationals but in the Championships for U-23. The only thing that distressed me is the disqualification of Vera Sokolova – she is a gifted race walker and her disqualification was unexpected. But in our events it happens so we do not lose our hopes.”

Nickolai Dolgopolov and Rostislav Orlov for the IAAF    

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More success for Chegin’s charges in Sochi

SALT LAKE CITY — Mitt Romney returned to Salt Lake City on Saturday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 2002 Winter Games he helped lead, but the GOP presidential candidate came under attack for urging the federal government to provide big bucks for Olympic expenses.

Romney was hired to lead the Salt Lake Olympic Committee after a bribery scandal threatened the games.

In brief remarks to Olympic staff and volunteers Saturday, Romney highlighted his own efforts to cut costs at the games and was careful to highlight the accomplishments of those who worked for him. He didn't mention his presidential run.

Romney said he cut millions from the budget to decorate the city and argued that some of the Salt Lake venues cost much less than they had in other cities that had hosted winter games.

Romney, who has sometimes been accused of taking too much personal credit for saving the games when many others contributed, was careful to acknowledge the support he received.

"I just want to say thanks to all those that lit the fire within. The accounting team, the legal team," Romney said, referring to the games' theme song, "Light the Fire Within," and rattling off the groups he had left off his list of people to thank.

See the original post:
Romney cites Salt Lake Olympics success, but his rivals are leery

SALT LAKE CITY –  Mitt Romney returned to Salt Lake City on Saturday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 2002 Winter Games he helped lead, but the GOP presidential candidate came under attack for urging the federal government to provide big bucks for Olympic expenses.

Romney was hired to lead the Salt Lake Olympic Committee after a bribery scandal threatened the games. The success of those Olympics, he says during the campaign, help make the case for his bid for the White House. "I led an Olympics out of the shadows of scandal," Romney told conservative activists this month.

In brief remarks to Olympic staff and volunteers on Saturday, Romney highlighted his own efforts to cut costs at the games and was careful to highlight the accomplishments of those who worked for him. He didn't mention his presidential run.

Romney said he cut millions from the budget to decorate the city and argued some of the venues built in Salt Lake cost much less than they had in other cities that had hosted winter games.

Romney, who has sometimes been accused of taking too much personal credit for saving the games when many others contributed, was careful to acknowledge the support he received.

"I just want to say thanks to all those that lit the fire within. The accounting team, the legal team," Romney said, referring to the games' theme song, "Light the Fire Within," and rattling off the groups he had left off his list of people to thank.

Romney also planned to greet several private receptions ahead of a planned speech at an ice skating exhibition celebrating of the anniversary.

"The Olympics was really the first place where the entire country got to know" him, said spokeswoman Gail Gitcho."It propelled him into the national spotlight."

But his opponents are attacking his record at the games, with both Democrats and GOP presidential rival Rick Santorum criticizing Romney for helping to secure millions in federal earmarks that helped cover Olympic costs.

"One of the things he talks about most is how he heroically showed up on the scene and bailed out and resolved the problems of the Salt Lake City Olympic Games," Santorum said during a campaign stop in Columbus, Ohio. "He heroically bailed out the Salt Lake City Olympic Games by heroically going to Congress and asking them for tens of millions of dollars to bail out the Salt Lake games Faeuro" in an earmark."

Democrats made those claims, too, in a web video released Friday. They highlighted comments from Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 GOP presidential nominee who's a longtime critic of federal support for the Olympics and other international sporting events.

McCain called the Olympics "an incredible pork-barrel project for Salt Lake City and its environs."

Romney's campaign says most of the money went to provide security in the wake of Sept. 11. The games were held about five months after the terrorist attacks and were the first major international event since the Al Qaeda strikes.

"There is a pretty wide gulf between seeking money for post-9/11 security at the Olympics and seeking earmarks for polar bear exhibits at the Pittsburgh Zoo," spokeswoman Andrea Saul said in a statement, taking a dig at Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator. "Mitt Romney wants to ban earmarks. Sen. Santorum wants more `Bridges to Nowhere."'

That's a reference to two proposed bridge projects priced at some $450 million, in sparsely populated areas of Alaska, that became a symbol for the proliferation of thousands of earmarks, or special projects sought by individual lawmakers, that were part of 2005 transportation legislation.

While security costs did increase dramatically after Sept. 11, Romney and his team pushed for federal aid long before the attacks. In the fall of 2001, the government already planned to spend about $342 million in non-Sept. 11 related costs, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Romney listed getting more federal dollars as one of the three priorities for his Olympic committee almost as soon as he took the reins in spring of 1999.

"I was going to be spending a lot of time in D.C.," Romney wrote in his book about the games, called "Turnaround."

And McCain's tirade came in 2000, well before the attacks.

After Romney took over, lobbyists for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee asked for money to support a tree planting program, anti-doping educational programs, cultural outreach, communications and Weather Service funding, among other areas. The committee hired lobbyists from top firms in Washington to help with the effort.

All told, according to Romney's account, the government spent about $600 million helping the Salt Lake Olympic Committee. An additional $1.1 billion was planned for projects like roads and bridges, infrastructure improvement projects that the government assumed would have paid for eventually, though the timing of the games may have sped up the construction.

Romney's record at the Olympics is viewed positively, and business and community leaders in Salt Lake City widely say he deserves significant credit for helping to lead the games in the wake of the bribery scandal.

Still, Romney is running as a deficit hawk and accusing rival Santorum of asking for millions in earmarks during his years serving as a senator from Pennsylvania. Earmarks are a potent issue with the conservative tea party voters that are a key part of the GOP primary.

"If you want a fiscal conservative, you can't vote for Rick Santorum. He says he's a deficit hawk. He's not!" Romney told supporters in Boise, Idaho, on Friday.

Santorum on Saturday accused Romney of hypocrisy in those attacks. "Now Governor Romney is suggesting, `Oh Rick Santorum earmarked,"' Santorum said. "Does the word hypocrisy come to mind?"

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Romney cites Olympics success, rivals are leery

Synopsis - Feb 17, 2012

General Information

Solicitation Number: NNJ12426521L
Posted Date: Feb 17, 2012
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Feb 17, 2012
Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No
Original Response Date: Mar 06, 2012
Current Response Date: Mar 06, 2012
Classification Code: A -- Research and Development
NAICS Code: 541511
Set-Aside Code: Competitive 8(a)

Contracting Office Address

NASA/Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston Texas, 77058-3696, Mail Code: BH

Description

NASA/JSC is hereby soliciting information about potential sources for Research Development and Advanced Technology Support (RDATS).

This notice is issued by NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) as a Request for Information seeking capabilities from industry. This document is for information and planning purposes and to allow industry the opportunity to verify reasonableness and feasibility of the requirement, as well as promote competition, subject to FAR Clause 52.215-3, entitled "Requested for Information or Solicitation for planning purposes." It does not constitute a Request for Proposal, Invitation for Bid, or Request for Quotation, and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contract.

This effort is a follow-on to an existing contract awarded under the Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) set-aside program. The NAICS Code for the proposed acquisition is 541511 and the small business size standard is $25,000,000. The maximum award value is anticipated to be under $15,000,000 over a 5-year period of performance.

No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service. It is the potential offeror's responsibility to monitor these sites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis.

Summary:

It is anticipated that JSC will issue a solicitation for the Research Development and Advanced Technology Support (RDATS) contract. NASA/JSC is seeking potential Offerors/Contractors that are in the SBA's 8(a) program to provide managerial, administrative, and technical support needed to provide the functions, products, and services in support of the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) and NASAs human spaceflight programs at JSC in Houston, Texas. The work will include custom software engineering and development applications and advanced technology solutions into mission control operations, computer simulation and modeling, data visualization and virtual reality, intelligent systems, training systems, flight crew operations, and information technology.

The work will also include the infusion of advanced information technologies into the mission operations Mission Control Center (MCC) infrastructure for improving the information sharing effectiveness and efficiency as it relates to performing mission operations as it pertains to NASA programs. This includes unique technical information technology (IT) and programming support, computer-based training (CBT) techniques and crew on-orbit support system (COSS) development, and web-based technologies designed to integrate various complex data sources and support for existing manual workflow process using a central data repository for the analysis and reporting of MOD project information.

The contractor must possess knowledge of spacecraft operations and interactions with spacecraft systems including capabilities and limitations, skills in communicating with numerous highly specialized and different technical disciplines, and the ability to reconcile differences in an operationally practical way.

Technical expertise is required in the following areas:

-Aerospace Engineering and Mission Control Center Systems.

-Web based user interface connected to a database.

-Development languages including JAVA and JAVA Script.

-Databases such as Oracle, Structured Query Language (SQL) and Multi-Tiered Architectures.

-The ability to find open source tools and expertise in using these tools for advanced technology projects.

-Expertise in .Net, ColdFusion, Active Server Pages (ASP), Winchill, and Extensive Mark-up Language (XML).

Some targeted operating systems are New Technology (NT), Linux, UNIX and Windows.

Examples of developed functionality are a portal search feature, edit windows, and regular expression parsing and replacement.

The development environment is C programming language on a personal computer (PC).

Small business concerns that are capable of performing as prime contractors that meet the requirements of the synopsis are asked to submit capability statements. Capability statements must include the following information:

Name and address of firm

Number of employees

Ownership

Company size and note each category: Small Business (SBs), Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs) 8(a), HUBZones, Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSBs), Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs), Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs), and Historically Black Colleges and/or Universities (HBCU/Minority Institutions (MIs)

Number of years currently in business

Affiliate information such as parent company or joint venture partners

In addition, capability statements must address the following:

1) A list of customers covering the past five years. Highlight relevant work, contract numbers, role (prime or subcontractor), contract type, dollar value of each procurement, and point of contact (address and phone numbers). If work was performed as a subcontractor, please indicate percentage of work/subcontract dollar value.

2) Ability to meet the 50% requirement of work to be performed by the prime contractor as set forth in FAR 52.219-14 "Limitations on Subcontracting." Provide examples of three (3) past projects of relevant work experience with emphasis on work performed on a Federal installation. The provided examples are to indicate that the potential offeror is capable of performing the primary and vital functions of the contract in accordance with the Ostensible Subcontractor Rule, 13 C.F.R.121.103(h)(4)(2005).

In order to facilitate teaming arrangements, NASA intends to release the names, addresses and points of contacts of all respondents on the NASA website for this acquisition, unless specifically requested not to do so by the respondent. Again, this is a request for information only.

RESPONSES DUE: Interested parties having the capabilities necessary to meet or exceed stated requirements are invited to submit appropriate documentation and references as requested. Responses are required by 2:00 p.m. Central Time on March 6, 2012 Please reference NNJ12426521L in any response.

In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government is under no obligation to issue a solicitation or to award any contract on the basis of this synopsis. The Government will not pay for any information solicited. No evaluation letters and/or results will be issued to the respondents.

Potential offeror's are responsible to monitor these sites for the release of any future solicitations or synopsis. The Government intends to review the responses submitted by Industry. This data will not be shared outside the Government. The Government may use this data to refine requirements and develop a request for a proposal. Data that is submitted as part of Industry's response that is marked "Proprietary" will not be reviewed.

Point of Contact

Name: Cynthia W. Maclean
Title: Contract Officer
Phone: 281-244-5903
Fax: 281-483-3694
Email: cynthia.w.maclean@nasa.gov

Name: Chrystal D. Nevels
Title: Contract Specialist
Phone: 281-792-7842
Fax: 281-244-5331
Email: chrystal.d.nevels@nasa.gov

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NASA JSC: Research Development and Advanced Technology Support "RDATS"