Grace Lee Up-Close and Personal in ‘Patrol ng Pilipino’
Posted: February 14, 2012 at 5:41 am
Grace Lee Up-Close and Personal in ‘Patrol ng Pilipino’
Filipino-Korean DJ, TV host, and interpreter Grace Lee has hit recent news headlines for dating the country’s most eligible bachelor, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III whose love life has been a media circus for the past year.
Tomorrow, February 14, in “Patrol ng Pilipino,” showbiz reporter Marie Lozano dishes out fascinating information about the woman of the hour and the newest apple of PNoy’s eyes. Know how she met PNoy and how her life has changed since the president confirmed they are dating.
Will the meticulous public approve of her and PNoy’s potential romantic relationship despite their 23-year age gap?
Meanwhile, join Jorge Cariño as he goes to Dumaguete City, which was recently ravaged by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake along with other towns in Negros Oriental. Watch the account of the experts from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on how the earthquake led to the landslide that generated aftershocks and tsunami alerts that sent victims into pandemonium.
“This tragedy has strengthened my goal to deliver news and information to citizens, to help them prevent harm and get their lives back on track,” Jorge said.
Know the stories behind the news tomorrow, February 14, in “Patrol ng Pilipino” after “Bandila” on ABS-CBN or watch it earlier on DZMM TeleRadyo (SkyCable Channel 26), 9:15 p.m.
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Grace Lee Up-Close and Personal in ‘Patrol ng Pilipino’
Latest Coaching Additions to the New York Jets: A Fan's Opinion
Posted: at 1:03 am
The smoke has finally started to settle in the New York Jets organization. Amid all of the locker room drama, coaching decisions were made. The bones of the team are in place. Lots of new faces will be on Gang Green's sideline this upcoming season. Like it or not, here are some of the newest members to the Jet's 2012 coaching staff.
Tony Sparano, offensive coordinator
The hiring of Tony Sparano came as a surprise to me. While I was glad to see Brian Schottenheimer leave, I am not sure that Sparano is the right guy for New York. His overall performance with the Miami Dolphins was not great—especially before he was fired during the 2011 season.
Sparano did have a couple of good seasons with Miami before it fell apart. Time will tell if he can get the Jets to the Super Bowl. If he can give the offense a clear vision and work with Mark Sanchez's strengths—New York could see a post-season in 2012.
Karl Dunbar, defensive line coach
It was the defense that got the Jets to an 8-8 season. Without them their record would have been abysmal as the offense was broken. Karl Dunbar is heading to New York after spending six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. His record with the Vikings is impressive and he has the ability to make New York's defense the best in the NFL.
Justus Galac and Paul Ricci, assistant strength and conditioning coaches
Justus Galac is coming to the New York Jets from Villanova where he was the strength and conditioning coach. He does not have NFL coaching experience—but that should not be an issue.
Paul Ricci has some NFL experience with the Seattle Seahawks and Philidelphia Eagles. His latest position was with Texas Tech, as the Director of Basketball Performance.
I have high hopes for the New York Jets in 2012. The new coaches bring great experience to a struggling team. If they can get the players under control, Gang Green might make it to the post-season.
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Lynda Altman grew up just outside of New York City. She has been a Jets fan all of her life. She is disappointed that New York did not make the post season this year. You can contact her @LdyJetsFan on Twitter.
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Exercise a Defense Against Dementia: Study
Posted: at 1:03 am
MONDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Here's another reason to get into shape: Physical activity may reduce the risk of dementia-related death, according to a new study.
Researchers assessed the health of more than 45,000 men and nearly 15,000 women, ages 20 to 88 years, in the United States and grouped them into one of three fitness categories -- low, middle or high.
After an average follow-up of 17 years, about 4,050 participants died. Of those deaths, 164 were attributed to dementia (72 vascular dementia and 92 Alzheimer's disease). Of those 164 deaths, 123 of the people were in the low-fitness group, 23 were in the middle-fitness group, and 18 were in the high-fitness group.
People in the high- and medium-fitness groups had less than half the risk of dying as those in the low-fitness group, the researchers concluded.
The study appears in the February issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
"These findings support physical-activity promotion campaigns by organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association and should encourage individuals to be physically active," study author Riu Liu said in a journal news release.
"Following the current physical-activity recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine will keep most individuals out of the low-fit category and may reduce their risk of dying with dementia," Liu added.
Liu conducted the study as part of her dissertation at the University of South Carolina. She is now a postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
While deaths in the United States associated with heart disease, breast cancer and stroke have declined in recent years, deaths related to dementia and Alzheimer's rose 46 percent between 2002 and 2006, according to the release.
The study doesn't prove that exercise will prevent dementia, however. Other factors may also come into play.
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The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about dementia.
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Exercise a Defense Against Dementia: Study
Northwood Church members work at weight loss challenge
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KELLER -- On Feb. 25, Northwood Church in Keller will have a community-wide event that will feature health screenings and a presentation by Phil and Amy Parham, authors of the "90-Day Fitness Challenge."
The event is a culmination in the church's "Losing It" series. For the month of February, Northwood's Sunday services have featured contestants from "The Biggest Loser" talking about the connection between physical and spiritual health. But perhaps of most interest to the congregation will be the results of a four-week weight loss challenge between two teams of its members, including the senior pastor Bob Roberts.The genesis of the event was a Bible study-fitness class at the church taught by personal trainer Laurie Graves, a Northwood member.Roberts said he wanted to spread the message to the community, many of whom also are battling weight issues."It's not just a matter of being overweight," he said. "It's what it does to self image, your health. And it translates to other things, even to a skinny person. What do you have in your life that's creating defeat?"Graves said the pastor took the program up another notch when he offered to weigh himself during worship services.Graves and Josh Fender, another personal trainer, formed two teams of church members to compete for the biggest percentage weight loss for the team as a whole. Each Sunday during the competition, team members are weighing in. Fender is training four men, including the pastor. Graves is training two couples.Graves has spent much of her life in fitness and weight loss after overcoming her own weight issues.In her teens, Graves said she battled anorexia and bulimia before heading in the opposite direction and putting on pounds.By the time her second child was born eight years ago, Graves was 90 pounds overweight and feared that she'd pass the family's predisposition to her 7-year-old and newborn daughters.With the help of two personal trainers, she lost the weight. Three years ago, Graves' became a nationally certified personal trainer and began helping others develop healthier lives. .Two of her clients ended up competing in the "The Biggest Loser" television reality show.Graves incorporated a spiritual element into her programs, teaching a two-hour class at Northwood Church that included both Bible study and fitness.Last week, Graves took Jodi and Kurt Pafford and Dawn and Brad Zieger through a one-hour workout using a stretch strap, boxing gloves, 20-pound rope swings and small weights to tone muscles in every imaginable part of their bodies.Even working out in Graves' open garage, the couples were sweating through their black workout pants and T-shirts emblazoned "Team Graves-- Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself-- Hebrews 12:1."But it was only their second workout night and both couples, in their 30s with 5-year-old children, were excited about the chance to lose the weight they hadn't managed to do on their own.Kurt Pafford, said that, at 5-feet-8 inches tall, he has battled to control his weight most of his life. He said he is now 90 pounds overweight and would like to put a dent on that before he accompanies his church on a mission trip to Vietnam next month.His wife, Jodi, has even farther to go. At 316 pounds she said she never shared her weight with anyone, until she stepped on the scale in church Feb 5 Feand posted it on her blog, jodisjourneytoobedience.blogspot.com, where she is sharing her experience with a much larger audience."It's freeing not to be held down by trying to hide a number," she said. "I want people to have the freedom I have. It's held me down so long."Brad and Dawn Zieger said they knew they needed to get in shape but couldn't manage to do it while they were going to college and working full time while raising their son. When they graduated from University of Texas at Arlington in December, they decided the time was right.The church challenge also has been good for their relationship, they said."It's joined us in a common mission," Brad said.Staff writer Sandra Engelland contributed to this report.Martha Deller, 817-431-2231
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Retirement Management Analyst (RMA(SM)) Designation Expands Into Level 1 Curriculum and Level 2 Curriculum
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BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire -02/13/12)- The Retirement Income Industry Association (RIIA) expands the curriculum for the Retirement Management Analyst (RMA(SM)) designation, an advanced science-based education program in retirement income planning and management. Previously offering Core and Advanced topics in one curriculum, the development of RMA(SM) training responds rapidly to industry demand to better educate financial services professionals -- from financial advisors to skilled call center personnel -- to serve pre-retirees and retirees.
"The big news is -- as the content of RMA(SM) curriculum grows through subsequent editions of the text book and resources -- the formalized distinction between Core and Advanced topics moved to its next step of planned evolution," explains Francois Gadenne, Executive Director and Chairman of RIIA. "In the 4th Edition of the RMA(SM) Curriculum available during our Spring Conference (March 19/20 in Chicago),the program of study Core vs. Advanced differentiation matured into Level 1 Curriculum and Level 2 Curriculum."
Level 1 Curriculum trains staff professionals on core retirement income topics, enabling them to speak more knowledgeably to clients entering into, or managing, this critical stage of retired life. Call center representatives, agency staffs, defined contribution phone representatives and others interacting daily with clients greatly benefit from this training.
Level 2 Curriculum takes the training to the next level, equipping financial services professionals who manage their own practices such as wealth management teams, independent financial advisors, insurance agents, Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) and dually registered representatives with deeper understanding of more advanced topics that help them effectively serve clients with emerging retirement issues. The greatest benefits go to organizations training all client-facing associates, putting everyone on the same page and enabling them, as teams, to offer retiree clients services they need.
Launched in 2009 through requests from RIIA members and in response to demand from financial advisors and consumers, the RMA(SM) designation is the only scientifically-based, rigorous retirement planning education and certification serving the financial services industry including defined contribution and retail distribution organizations, financial advisors, broker dealers, banks and insurance companies. Individuals earning the RMA(SM) designation are uniquely prepared to deliver retirement income solutions and services to clients who want a secure income stream and ongoing professional management throughout their retirement years. To help RMA(SM) candidates prepare for the exam, RIIA partnered with software providers and leading universities.
"Continual RMA(SM) program enhancements including annual curriculum updates are the result of RIIA members asking for more precise, disciplined, scientific-based instruction to support financial advisors, call center personnel, and other professional practitioners to better serve the millions of Baby Boomers in retirement," comments Stephen Mitchell, Director of Advisor Education for RIIA.
About the Retirement Income Industry Association (www.riia-usa.org)
Founded in 2006 by leading financial companies, advisors, associations and academics, the Retirement Income Industry Association (RIIA) provides a rigorous, research-driven, household-focused foundation for developing retirement solutions to serve retirees today and into the future. A non-profit organization, RIIA achieves its mission through a unique View Across the Silos allowing members to see change and disruption before others while achieving competitive advantage through RIIA-provided space, discussions, advanced education, market insight, research, comprehensive data, standards and thought leadership for successful retirement income management. RIIA members span the entire industry and include banks, insurers, mutual fund companies, brokerage houses, financial advisors and distributors, plan sponsors, researchers, technology companies, marketing firms, academics, and industry media.
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How Long Should I Work Before Retirement?
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Most Americans no longer aspire to retire early. Workers are increasingly pushing back their desired retirement age and wondering if they will be able to retire at all.
The age workers expect to retire has increased from an average of 60 in 1995 to 66 in 2011, according to a Gallup poll. The proportion of people aiming to retire early has plummeted from 50 percent in 1995 to 28 percent in 2011. Most Americans now expect to retire at age 65 or later.
[See The 10 Best Places to Retire in 2012.]
"It's just not possible for people to work for 30 or 40 years and support themselves on their assets for another 20 or 30 years," says Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. "Many people saw their 401(k)s decimated by the recession, and many people also saw their house lose value."
The recession has accelerated the trend of Americans pushing back their retirement date. Almost half (46 percent) of people age 50 and older say they now plan to retire at a later age than they did three years ago, and the reason is often because the value of their 401(k) and other retirement investments has declined, according to a recent Towers Watson survey. Unsurprisingly, workers depending on their 401(k)s to finance retirement are planning longer delays than people with a traditional pension.
More time to save. Saving enough to fund a 30-year retirement is extremely difficult. Postponing retirement allows you to reduce the number of years you'll need to finance and gives your assets more time to grow. "Many people at the end of their work life are making the best money they ever have," says David Weir, director of the University of Michigan's Health and Retirement Study. "In those last few years, once their kids are out of college and they have paid off their mortgage, for many people, this is when they really have the ability to save."
[See 8 New Retirement Rules.]
There are many tax advantages to delaying retirement. Workers age 50 and older can contribute up to $22,500 to a 401(k), $5,500 more than younger workers can defer paying tax on. Older workers can also contribute $1,000 more to an IRA than people under 50. If you are still working, you can also delay required minimum distributions from your 401(k). Traditional 401(k) withdrawals are generally required after age 70 1/2. But if you are still employed and don't own 5 percent or more of the company sponsoring the retirement plan, you can continue to delay withdrawals from your 401(k) and the resulting income tax bill. However, distributions from traditional IRAs are required even if you are still working.
Bigger Social Security checks. Social Security benefits are calculated based on your 35 highest-earning years in the workforce. If you continue to work and currently earn more than you did earlier in your career, you can boost the size of your Social Security payments.
Delaying the date you sign up for Social Security also results in bigger monthly checks. While you are eligible to claim your payments beginning at age 62, your payout will be reduced unless you wait until your full retirement age, which for most baby boomers is 66. Your payments will further increase for each year you delay claiming up until age 70. "For people who have average to above-average health, many of them would do better by delaying claiming Social Security to get a better benefit," says Weir. These higher payments continue for the rest of your life and are indexed for inflation.
[See How to Finance Life Until 100.]
Health benefits. Purchasing an individual health insurance policy in your 50s or early 60s can be difficult and extremely expensive. Waiting until at least age 65 to retire eliminates a potentially huge retirement expense: retiree health insurance. Most workers (65 percent) base their retirement date on their eligibility for Medicare at age 65, Towers Watson found. Continuing to work for a company that provides benefits is one of the most cost-effective ways to find health insurance before age 65. There's also some evidence that delaying retirement has health benefits. "People have a social network at work, and they have friends and activities through the workplace that help keep their mind nimble," says Olivia Mitchell, director of the Pension Research Council at the University of Pennsylvania. "In countries with early retirement, there are much greater rates of mental and physical decline."
But when you retire isn't always a choice. Some people find themselves pushed into retirement ahead of schedule by job loss, health problems, or the need to care for family members. Almost half (45 percent) of retirees say they left the workforce earlier than planned, often due to circumstances beyond their control, according to a 2011 Employee Benefit Research Institute survey.
Second careers. Retirement is no longer a one-time, permanent event. "People are less likely today to move directly from full-time employment to full-time retirement," says Richard Johnson, a senior fellow and director of the program on retirement policy at the Urban Institute. Instead, exiting the workforce is becoming more gradual, with many employees moving to another job before leaving the workforce completely. "The baby boomers are completely reinventing the idea of retirement," says Mitchell. "They were starting to mull over this whole creative set of ideas, including working longer, changing careers, going to part-time work, having a bridge job, and becoming consultants before the financial crisis hit."
[See The Growing Challenge of Funding Retirement.]
But delaying retirement can be difficult at a time when there aren't enough jobs to go around and older workers are at the top of the pay scale. "If you want to keep working, it is a good idea to have a job lined up before you quit your current job. It can be very risky to assume you will leave this job and find another one," says Johnson. "You're probably getting paid more with your current job than you would at a new job. Most people who change jobs at older ages get a pretty significant pay cut."
Workers who need to fund their retirement years with personal savings have three choices: "You have to either save more, work longer, or cut your standard of living in retirement," says Munnell. "The best thing is to try to keep working full time as long as you can."
Twitter: @aiming2retire
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How to find a retirement saving plan that works for you
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Everyone has a different idea for how they want to spend their retirement. Given how varied people's goals are, why is it reasonable to think that everyone should have the same retirement saving plan?
My parents and Sarah’s parents are roughly the same age. Their retirement-age experieces are much different than each other.
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The Simple Dollar is a blog for those of us who need both cents and sense: people fighting debt and bad spending habits while building a financially secure future and still affording a latte or two. Our busy lives are crazy enough without having to compare five hundred mutual funds – we just want simple ways to manage our finances and save a little money.
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My parents are both retired in the traditional sense. They have a limited fixed income made up of Social Security and some pension money. Their house and vehicles are long since paid for, and since their house is relatively small and older, insurance and property taxes are low.
Sarah’s parents are a completely different story. Her father will probably work until he can’t, partially for income reasons and partially because I think he deeply enjoys his work on many levels. Her mother had a “pseudo-retirement” but couldn’t stand it, so she returned to work. Thus, their income level is significantly higher, but their expenses are higher, too. They have nicer cars and travel regularly.
My own “retirement” plans involve a mixture of working on my own side projects and doing volunteer work. Much like my in-laws, I don’t feel happy unless I’m working on large projects. When I find myself without such large projects, I tend to drift and feel depressed.
As for Sarah, I expect her to very oriented toward volunteerism and any grandchildren we might have to take care of.
It’s pretty clear from just a simple survey of my own life that everyone has a different life plan for their 60s and 70s. Some people intend to enjoy leisure and volunteer work. Other people are wired to be productive in various ways.
Think about it for a minute. What do you plan to be doing in your 60s and 70s? Is it the same thing that you expect all the people around you to be doing?
Given how varied the plans people have for their later life are, why is it reasonable to think that everyone should plan for retirement in the exact same way?
For example, let’s say my dream is to switch to a career path as a novel writer as soon as I possibly can, living off of my investment income starting at the youngest possible age. This means that I’d be choosing to live very lean in my 40s and 50s while I get some novels published, then enjoy more income from the combination of investments and book income in my 60s and 70s.
In that scenario, traditional retirement savings would serve a relatively small role. I might want to fund a Roth IRA or something to guarantee a bit more late-in-life income if needed, but most of my saving for the future wouldn’t be in retirement investments. I would focus instead on investing outside of retirement accounts to fund my dream.
On the other hand, a person like my father-in-law, who fully intends to work until he’s unable to do so, won’t need to live for twenty five years off of his retirement accounts. Much like my earlier scenario, the “traditional” use of a retirement saving plan doesn’t really fit his plans. It’s worthwhile for him to have some money in his retirement savings, but does he need to save for twenty five years of retirement?
I don’t have the ultimate answer as to how the people in the two above scenarios should be saving for retirement. However, it’s pretty clear that these scenarios don’t simply follow the “save 15% for retirement each year” plans that are often simply prescribed for people.
So, what does this mean for you?
First of all, thinking about your plan for your whole life pays off. We don’t always know exactly where our life is going to lead, but I’ll say that the general idea I had for my life when I was in my early twenties is more or less coming to pass. I envisioned having children and having a career that I had creative control over.
Naturally, big unexpected things can always derail those plans. I could get sick. Something else unforeseen could happen. In the vast majority of those scenarios, though, I’m not helped by having a lot of retirement savings, though I am helped by having assets on hand.
Second, understanding how to translate those plans into a financial plan is key. This might involve the aid of a financial planner, but at the very least, it involves some significant time studying investing options and knowing in what situations they’re most useful.
Finally, and this is key, just because you’re not saving for retirement doesn’t mean you’re not saving. If you have a future, it’s valuable to spend less than you earn and save for that future. No matter what your future self will be doing, he or she will be better off if he or she has money in the bank.
Retirement savings, in the form of a 401(k) or a Roth IRA, has certain advantages. However, those advantages only really matter if the direction of your life allows you to take advantage of them. Your life is not dictated by your retirement investment plans. Your retirement investment plans, if they’re needed at all, are dictated by how you live your life.
Spend less than you earn. Use retirement plans to help you for whatever you’ve got planned for your 60s, 70s, and later. Don’t assume that’s enough, particularly if you have a plan for your future.
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Adele 54th Grammys 2012 performance – Video
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1998 – PIXIELAND PART 1 – Video
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How to unharmfully speed up windows 7 and increase performance – Video
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