Saturday, November 3, 2012

Former Teachers? Union Leader Speaks Out Against Tenure

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-teachers-union-leader-speaks-against-tenure-191200105.html

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Friday, November 2, 2012

Romney seizes on uptick in unemployment rate

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) ? Mitt Romney says the one-tenth-of-a-point increase in the unemployment rate to 7.9 percent is, quote, "a sad reminder that the economy is at a virtual standstill."

The Republican presidential nominee says voters will decide Tuesday between what he calls stagnation and prosperity.

He made the comments in a statement while traveling from Norfolk, Va., to Milwaukee, to continue campaigning in the final days of the White House race.

Romney argues that President Barack Obama's policies have crushed America's middle class, and that the nation can do better. He's also promising to make real changes that will lead to a real recovery.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/romney-seizes-uptick-unemployment-rate-132450078--election.html

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Video: Could 'Bama really beat NFL team?

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21134540/vp/49644779#49644779

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Which Age Group Is Most Pessimistic About ... - Retirement Homes

It?s not difficult to find doom and gloom retirement projections and online retirement advice, but a new study from the Pew Research Center which found the age group most pessimistic about their retirements is not Baby Boomers, but those in their late 30s.

As reported by the Associated Press newswire, while about 40 per cent of all American adults say they worry about retirement, almost half of those between the ages of 35 and 44 express concern. And perhaps the most worrying statistic is that three years ago, in 2009, only about one-fifth of this age group said they were concerned about retirement.

If you think that?s surprising, you?re not alone; even the authors of the study appeared surprised.

?I think most people would expect those on the cusp of retirement ? ages 55 to 64 ? would be the most concerned about financing their retirement, (so) the finding that the peak is now occurring among adults roughly 20 years younger is notable,? co-author Richard Morin told the newswire.

One of the major factors related to the pessimism of those in their 30s and 40s is their disproportionate financial loss in the recent recession, where they lost more than 10% more money ? through decreased home values and stock declines ? than the amount of money lost by Baby Boomers.

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Source: http://www.retirementhomes.com/library/which-age-group-is-most-pessimistic-about-retirement/

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Thursday, November 1, 2012

Diversifying Your Retirement Portfolio | Advanta IRA Trust - Real ...

nestegg 300x234 Diversifying Your Retirement Portfolio?If variety is the spice of life, diversification is the heart and soul of investing.? You hear it on the news, your friends and colleagues talk about it, and just about every class you take when pursuing a business major mentions diversification at least fifty times. ?Everyone knows how important it is to diversify, but that doesn?t mean it?s easy to do. You not only have to have enough money, but you also have to judge each investment in relation to the rest of your portfolio as well as on its own. ?If you want your portfolio to provide the best possible returns while also limiting the risk of major losses, you have to diversify.?

Diversification is essential when it comes to retirement investments; there is nothing more important than lowering the risk of loss. ?Considering the ever-changing tax code, the possibility of further tax hikes, and markets that have no consistent trends, it?s now especially critical to spread your money around in various assets.

You know it?s never a good idea to have all your eggs in one basket.? You want to diversify your retirement portfolio, but can?t decide how. ?Luckily for you, there are not only many different investments you can choose from, but also different account types as well. ?You can choose to go with a Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, 401k or even a SEP IRA if you meet the qualifications. (For more information on the different types of retirement accounts, click here: http://www.advantairatrust.com/self-directed-iras/plan-types/ ). Once you have decided on the type or types of IRA that work for you, you can then decide on the actual assets you want to invest in. ?However, don?t think you are limited to investing only in stocks, bonds and mutual funds. ?There are a variety of other nontraditional assets that you can choose to invest in with a self-directed IRA that would help diversify your portfolio immensely. ?You can invest in real estate, gold, silver, LLCs, futures/forex, notes and mortgages, all within your tax sheltered retirement account. (For more information on nontraditional investment options, click here: http://www.advantairatrust.com/investments/).

Investing in stocks and bonds is important, but it is also important to diversify your portfolio and invest in nontraditional investments as well. ?You can even invest internationally. ?The possibilities are endless.? You know what you need to do to be successful in your retirement investments, and now it is up to you to get out there and make it happen!

If you have any questions or are interested in establishing a self-directed IRA account, please contact our office at 239-333-1031, and we would be happy to assist you!

Source: http://www.selfdirectedirasforlife.com/diversifying-your-retirement-portfolio/

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Northeast struggling to get back to normal

NEW YORK (AP) ? Two major airports reopened and the floor of the New York Stock Exchange came back to life Wednesday, while across the river in New Jersey, National Guardsmen rushed to rescue flood victims and fires still raged two days after Superstorm Sandy.

For the first time since the storm battered the Northeast, killing at least 59 people and doing billions of dollars in damage, brilliant sunshine washed over the nation's largest city ? a striking sight after days of gray skies, rain and wind.

At the stock exchange, running on generator power, Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave a thumbs-up and rang the opening bell to whoops from traders on the floor. Trading resumed after the first two-day weather shutdown since the Blizzard of 1888.

Kennedy and Newark Liberty airports reopened with limited service just after 7 a.m. New York's LaGuardia Airport, which suffered far worse damage and where water covered parts of runways, remained closed.

It was clear that restoring the region to its ordinarily frenetic pace could take days ? and that rebuilding the hardest-hit communities and the transportation networks that link them together could take considerably longer.

About 6.5 million homes and businesses were still without power, including 4 million in New York and New Jersey. Electricity was out as far west as Wisconsin and as far south as the Carolinas.

The scale of the challenge could be seen across the Hudson River in New Jersey, where National Guard troops arrived in the heavily flooded city of Hoboken to help evacuate thousands still stuck in their homes and deliver ready-to-eat meals. Live wires dangled in floodwaters that Mayor Dawn Zimmer said were rapidly mixing with sewage.

Thousands of people were still holed up in their brownstones, condos, and other homes in the mile-square city is across the Hudson River from New York.

And new problems arose when firefighters were unable to reach blazes rekindled by natural gas leaks in the heavily hit shore town of Mantoloking. More than a dozen homes were destroyed.

President Barack Obama planned to visit Atlantic City, N.J., which was directly in the storm's path Monday night and where part of the historic boardwalk washed away.

Gov. Chris Christie said he plans to ask the president to assign the Army Corps of Engineers to work on how to rebuild beaches and find "the best way to rebuild the beach to protect these towns."

Outages in the state's two largest cities, Newark and Jersey City, left traffic signals dark, resulting in fender-benders at intersections where police were not directing traffic. At one Jersey City supermarket, there were long lines to get bread and use an electrical outlet to charge cellphones.

Amid the despair, talk of recovery was already beginning.

"It's heartbreaking after being here 37 years," Barry Prezioso of Point Pleasant, N.J., said as he returned to his house in the beachfront community to survey the damage. "You see your home demolished like this, it's tough. But nobody got hurt and the upstairs is still livable, so we can still live upstairs and clean this out. I'm sure there's people that had worse. I feel kind of lucky."

?

As New York began its second day after the megastorm, morning rush-hour traffic was heavy as people started returning to work. There was even a sign of normalcy: commuters waiting at bus stops. School was out for a third day.

The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan, and the Holland Tunnel, between New York and New Jersey, remained closed. But bridges into the city were open, and city buses were running, free of charge.

On the Brooklyn Bridge, closed earlier because of high winds, joggers and bikers made their way across before sunrise. One cyclist carried a flashlight. Car traffic on the bridge was busy.

Bloomberg said it could be the weekend before the subway, which suffered the worst damage in its 108-year history, is running again. High water prevented inspectors from immediately assessing damage to key equipment.

The chairman of the state agency that runs the subway, Joseph Lhota, said service might have to resume piecemeal, and experts said the cost of the repairs could be staggering.

Power company Consolidated Edison said it could also be the weekend before power is restored to Manhattan and Brooklyn, perhaps longer for other New York boroughs and the New York suburbs.

The recovery and rebuilding will take far longer.

When Christie stopped in Belmar, N.J., during a tour of the devastation, one woman wept, and 42-year-old Walter Patrickis told him, "Governor, I lost everything."

Christie, who called the shore damage "unthinkable," said a full recovery would take months, at least, and it would probably be a week or more before power is restored to everyone who lost it.

"Now we've got a big task ahead of us that we have to do together. This is the kind of thing New Jerseyans are built for," he said.

Amtrak laid out plans to resume runs in the Northeast on Wednesday, with modified service between Newark, N.J., and points south. But flooding continued to prevent service to and from New York's Penn Station. Amtrak said the water in train tunnels under the Hudson and East rivers was unprecedented.

There was no Northeast Regional service between New York and Boston and no Acela Express service for the entire length of the Northeast Corridor. No date was set for when it might resume.

In Connecticut, some residents of Fairfield returned home in kayaks and canoes to inspect widespread damage left by retreating floodwaters that kept other homeowners at bay.

"The uncertainty is the worst," said Jessica Levitt, who was told it could be a week before she can enter her house. "Even if we had damage, you just want to be able to do something. We can't even get started."

The storm caused irreparable damage to homes in East Haven, Milford and other shore towns. Still, many were grateful the storm did not deliver a bigger blow, considering the havoc wrought in New York City and New Jersey.

"I feel like we are blessed," said Bertha Weismann, whose garage was flooded in Bridgeport. "It could have been worse."

And in New York, residents of the flooded beachfront neighborhood of Breezy Point in returned home to find fire had taken everything the water had not. A huge blaze destroyed perhaps 100 homes in the close-knit community where many had stayed behind despite being told to evacuate.

John Frawley acknowledged the mistake. Frawley, who lived about five houses from the fire's edge, said he spent the night terrified "not knowing if the fire was going to jump the boulevard and come up to my house."

"I stayed up all night," he said. "The screams. The fire. It was horrifying."

There were still only hints of the economic impact of the storm.

Forecasting firm IHS Global Insight predicted it would cause $20 billion in damage and $10 billion to $30 billion in lost business. Another firm, AIR Worldwide, estimated losses up to $15 billion.

"The biggest problem is not the first few days but the coming months," said Alan Rubin, an expert in natural disaster recovery.

Some of those who lost homes and businesses to Sandy were promising to return and rebuild, but many sounded chastened by their encounter with nature's fury. They included Tom Shalvey of Warwick, R.I., whose cottage on the beach in South Kingstown was washed away by raging surf, leaving a utility pipe as the only marker of where it once sat.

"We love the beach. We had many great times here," Shalvey said. "We will be back. But it will not be on the front row."

___

Contributors to this report included Associated Press writers Angela Delli Santi in Belmar, N.J.; Geoff Mulvihill and Larry Rosenthal in Trenton, N.J.; Katie Zezima in Atlantic City, N.J.; Samantha Henry in Jersey City, N.J.; Pat Eaton-Robb and Michael Melia in Hartford, Conn.; Susan Haigh in New London, Conn.; John Christoffersen in Bridgeport, Conn.; Alicia Caldwell and Martin Crutsinger in Washington; David Klepper in South Kingstown, R.I.; David B. Caruso, Colleen Long, Jennifer Peltz, Tom Hays, Larry Neumeister, Ralph Russo and Scott Mayerowitz in New York.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/airports-stock-exchange-reopen-nj-devastated-142715604--finance.html

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Powerless in Connecticut seek unlikely refuge

DANBURY, Conn.--Sit down, plug in, power up, log in.

It's a morning work ritual for many, but not usually practiced steps? from a blaring antique merry-go-round and an Astroturf fantasyland with three-foot-high shiny worms and fire engines--not to mention Arby's and two Chinese restaurants if you count Famous Cajun Grill.

A fellowship of the wireless--some 100 people--bonded here Wednesday in order to work. These focused, coffee-chugging, laptop-hammering, shoulder-to-shoulder people sat in a setup reminiscent of a call center. Tips were traded: McDonald's signal was strongest; Sephora has comfortable seats nearby, but connectivity faded as more people showed up; no, you didn't need a password.

Together they turned the second floor of southern Connecticut's Danbury Fair shopping mall into a satellite office where a corporate titan of Manhattan might have plugged in next to a copy-shop manager. Many were in "hurricane casual"--some freshly showered, others looking not, some solo, others with full families in tow.

"I have a deadline at work, no power and three kids home from school," said Alicia Dempster of Danbury, a 17-year employee of research firm Gartner.

She heard about the mall setup--a dozen cafeteria tables put end-to-end with chairs and power outlets--from a friend who read about her dilemma on Facebook. Sandwiched between the mall's well-known antique carousel and the food court, the setup allows young ones to occupy themselves at a playground in the line of sight, while older ones work? or hit the stores.

Actual shopping, however, seemed fairly low on most priority lists. Brother and sister Rachel and Ben Grannis, 21 and 17, respectively, of Ridgefield, came here with their mother. They were taking things easy--the power was out in their home, the family's three phones needed charging and Rachel was getting cabin fever. "After we charge up we may walk around here," she said.

Craig Laurer from Danbury got to the mall early. The mobile employee works for a big telecom firm and is used to disruption, but even on the road you still need power.

"This is the epitome of mixed blessings," he said. "Right there, there's McDonald's, but can I just walk away and leave my corporate laptop here and go?" He struck a bargain with a neighbor to watch his gear while he headed off, then returned with coffee and a burrito.

For some of those stranded commuters and powerless work-from-homers, setting up shop at Danbury Fair is not unusual. A year ago, Hurricane Irene swept Connecticut, leaving Laurer and thousands of others in the dark.

"I had no power for eight days," Laurer said. "They set up this same kind of thing back then and I just assumed it would be here."

Melissa Eigen, Danbury Fair's marketing manager, said the mall can accommodate some 200 people needing a place to connect. Mall management has set up the power and work station three times following similar storms.

"We had power all three [times], so we were able to accommodate a large number of people and assist the community to stay connected," said Eigen. "We've also had a lot of people just be able to work from the mall and continue to manage their businesses." The carousel and play area, she noted, are added bonuses for parents.

On Wednesday, the kid's areas were packed, with an added atmosphere of surrealism thanks to it being Halloween. Many kids were in costume. Two toddlers in the playground were dressed head-to-toe as dalmations. A furry green lizard shambled past Charley's Subs. The mall puts on a special trick-or-treat every year and, on Wednesday, it was being planned for 4-6 p.m.

But despite the costumes, the vibe was not George-Romero-Dawn-of-the-Dead with zombies shuffling up the down escalators. Rather, it was sort of, well, nice.

"I like to believe that kindness comes out in people in times like these," said Dempster, who kept an eye on a work mate's belongings for a moment while he used the bathroom, "and that they will look out for each other."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/powerless-connecticut-families-commuters-seek-unlikely-refuge-stay-192120178.html

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