dp Musings

Going Solar, Does that Make Sense?

2012-02-28T06:43:00.003-08:00

A neighbor of mine recently put in som solar panels on her roof. It looks pretty ugly since the panels sit on the front side (due south exposure) of her standard colonial roof. Solar panels aren't exactly pretty, but they are functional. So this has spurred some thinking about if it makes sense to install some panels on my house.

Which leads me to this interesting infographic that I ran across on the web. Not sure of the validity of the numbers since these guys are selling solar installations, but its a good read none the less.

Looks like Maryland and Hawaii have pretty short payback periods. Things that make you go hmmm.

Home Solar Power Discounts - One Block Off the Grid

Simple Joys In Life

2011-09-09T12:23:00.001-07:00

I love it when my kids get old school on me. Yeah, I like getting emails, instant messages or texts from them in the course of a day. But the occasional hand written note is a simple joy that hopefully will never go away.

Too Young To Fall

2009-08-12T23:17:00.001-07:00

Check out the song Too Young To Fall by Eddy Grant on midomi.com.

If you have midomi on your iPhone, click here to open this song in midomi.

Or click here to download midomi now.

Derikp

Sent from my iPhone

Music Choices

2009-06-01T09:01:00.001-07:00

So you want to share music on your site. Are there are many ways to do share music on your website/blog, etc, without requiring HTML mods? I'm not a JavaScript writeror even and Perl scripter, so I want a method that is easy and nearly idiot-proof.

Lets Try- IMEEM.com - Its easy, (like YouTube easy). No hosting of music, links to songs or snippets of songs. Tell me what you think about sound quality.

Everything Must Change - Oleta Adams

Todays Voices - John Chisholm

2009-05-15T20:25:00.001-07:00

Catch this before it goes. John breaking it down in terms of the green
economy.

Http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/myvoicedc/featured/Todays_Voices_John_Chisholm

Test #2

2009-05-13T12:51:00.001-07:00

Test body of post

Test from shozu

2009-05-13T12:49:00.001-07:00

Thought this might work as test from shozu

Sleepy head

2009-05-12T13:35:00.001-07:00

Test of shozu from iPhone

Fwd: Pics from Embassy Row today

2009-05-09T17:46:00.001-07:00

Here is a link of the long walk that Jillian and I did today. GoogleMaps with Street Pictures If you click on that link, you can take the walk with us without leaving the comfort of you your computer.

It was in honor of EU day May 9th, when supposedly the French foreign minister suggested to the coal and steel commission that there needs to be a united Europe (some 59 years ago). So all of the 27 countries in the European Union opened up there doors to visitors. Some had kid friendly activities like face painting, stickers and local food (for free). Some had more adult fare like wine or whiskey (guess which Embassy had the whiskey it certainly ain't hard). Italy had some hot cars parked outside and some fabu gelato (they say gellati) for $3. And the brits are true to the stereotypes of not having good food. I had bangers on a roll, Jillian did the right thing and had a hamburger. I was really proud of Jillian since as you see, we covered two miles on foot, in a hot day. But she had fun (so she said, I think she really meant it).

Currently these pictures below are only on my phone, so here are some tweets (referrals) to the pictures: Once on the referring page, you can select the "Twitpic" link to see the picture). This was the easiest way to get them out quickly and with the least amount of difficulty.

British Telephone Box

Denmark entrance

Romania

Hope you have fun looking at them as much as Jillian and i did seeing these interesting places.

Cheers,

Derik

Who 's First Lady to Polygamist President? - The Wall Street Journal.

2009-04-30T05:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a question that you don't see asked quite often. I'm not sure how you would answer this one. My first guess is To fall back on basic accounting rules I learned in college: FIFO (first in first out). But on second thought that probably doesn't apply to wives. Perhaps you have a suggestion.

Who 's First Lady to Polygamist President?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124104966891471003.html

The Wall Street Journal Mobile

Take Your Child to Work Day

2009-04-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

So here were two future computer tech gurus about to embark on a fun day with daddy @ MITRE. They both had pretty different experiences (I'm told), and both missed out on my fascinating discussion on tax administration. Aw schucks! Carmen got to see up close uses for unmanned aircraft, and Jillian got to land a plane in a flight simulator. I'm thinking how come I don't get to go to those meetings. LOL.

The also got to see the local weatherman Bob Ryan (whose slides about severe weather were also better than mine).

Tiger's Coming to DC

2009-04-29T20:48:00.001-07:00

So I hear Tiger is going to play again in DC. Who's going? For those who want tickets you can get them very easily at www.attnational.org/.

Not sure if we'll make it out this year, but I think we'll try.

eNewsletter - April 2009" src="http://image.exct.net/lib/fefd1577776107/i/1/e23b10fb-c.jpg">

TIGER WOODS LEADS EARLY COMMITS TO
2009 AT&T NATIONAL

Tiger Woods expanded his role from tournament host to also include tournament player, and officially announced he is entering the prestigious 2009 AT&T National during a news conference held April 20 at Congressional Country Club.

This is a test posting from my iPhone.

The Very Last Lecture...

2008-07-25T10:23:00.001-07:00

I guess I'm of age now. I'm not scanning the obits, but this was presented to me my Google news reader - and i'm glad it did.

The Last Lecture series of lectures was made much more famous by this one CMU professor Randy Pausch who had developed pancreatic cancer, yet talked to the audience about redefining your priorities and reaching your goals. Great video (on youtube/google and just about any emedia outlet). Its a great video, and he was a very interesting guy, not just for what he did in life, but his approach to it. He was very much of the same ilk as the subject of "Tuesday's with Morrie" yet thirty years younger.

I recommend this NY Times article on him, which has links to Randy's blog. Hopefully it will stay up even though the content will be dated after today. So long Randy....

Last Lecture Professor Randy Pausch, 47, Dies - Well - Tara Parker-Pope - Health - New York Times Blog

A Girl's Best Friend

2008-06-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

My friend Deborah shared this article with me in honor of Father's Day. It was a nice a very nice read and a reminder of all the little things that we do as Dads will ultimately impact our daughters. Not just the typical leading by example stuff, or model the behavior stuff that they take away. "How does daddy treat mommy?" Its the engagement with our little ones - how we dialog with them, hear what they do and say, and then react to it with reaffirming tones and serious interest. Not always is it easy, but certainly dads should strive for it deep engagement. It certainly has an impact. If not for your daughters, then do it for the guys they will meet down the road when they're dating.

A Girl's Best Friend from the Washington Post Magazine on Father's day 2008

"They're not going to need men?" I asked. This wasn't sounding exactly good, or right, or . . . something. Plus, I wasn't sure how she was getting this out of a slimy octopus/stinky hyena show.

Peak-Season Map at Epicurious.com

2008-05-29T08:34:00.000-07:00

Do you want to know what is in season this month in your local supermarket. Then check out this little gadget, for a month by month description of what your local farmers are producing for you to consume.

Peak-Season Map at Epicurious.com

Cigarette Bill Treats Menthol With Leniency - New York Times

2008-05-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

Why is it that Menthol flavored cigarettes are Treated Differently?

This NY Times article highlights the fact that African American comprise 70% of the mentholated cigarette market. So, I ask the question, why the difference in treatment?

The reason menthol is seen as politically off limits, despite those concerns, is that mentholated brands are so crucial to the American cigarette industry. They make up more than one-fourth of the $70 billion American cigarette market and are becoming increasingly important to the industry leader, Philip Morris USA, without whose lobbying support the legislation might have no chance of passage.
“I would have been in favor of banning menthol,” said Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, who supports the bill. “But as a practical matter that simply wasn’t doable.”

Cigarette Bill Treats Menthol With Leniency - New York Times

Watch "Charlie Rose - A discussion about the film American Gangster"

2008-02-05T10:58:00.001-08:00

Here is a discussion about the film AMERICAN GANGSTER. Most interesting because it looks at the the making of the film and the people in real life. Ahhh Charlie Rose. The real Frank Lucas is in the 2nd half hour of the show. The man in the vidcap below is not Frank Lucas but instead is the brilliant filmmaker Ridley Scott. He hasn't much to say, nor does Denzel, or Russell Crowe, but wait to Frank gets on. He is not at a loss for words.

Charlie Rose - A discussion about the film American Gangster

55 min 47 sec - Nov 5, 2007
Average rating: (15 ratings)
Description: A discussion about the film American Gangster with Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Ridley Scott, Brian Grazer, Frank Lucas, Richie Roberts, Mark Jacobson & Nicholas Pileggi. The film portrays a detective (Russell Crowe as Richie Roberts) that works to bring down the drug empire of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), a heroin kingpin from Manhattan, who is smuggling the drug into the country in the coffins of soldiers returning from the Vietnam War.

Want to see more cool videos?
Go to video.google.com/

Think you have an even cooler video?
Add it at video.google.com/videouploadform

If you're having trouble watching the video, try copying the following URL into your browser:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5341783731204240186&pr=goog-sl

Watch "Dying 47-Year-Old Professor Gives Exuberant ‘Last Lecture’"

2008-02-05T09:44:00.001-08:00

This is Randy Pauch's "Last Lecture" This Caregie Mellon's professors talks about deferred dreams and the like. (Oh and by the way, he is terminally ill). So I guess its sort of Tuesday's with Mort but on a college campus talking with a computer scientist.

Dying 47-Year-Old Professor Gives Exuberant 'Last Lecture'

1 hr 44 min 8 sec - Sep 20, 2007
Average rating: (4919 ratings)
Description: Randy Pausch Almost all of us have childhood dreams: for example, being an astronaut, or making movies or video games for a living. Sadly, most people don't achieve theirs, and I think that's a shame. I had several specific childhood dreams, and I've actually achieved most of them. More importantly, I have found ways, in particular the creation (with Don Marinelli), of CMU's Entertainment Technology Center (etc.cmu.edu), of helping many young people actually *achieve* their childhood dreams. This talk will discuss how I achieved my childhood dreams (being in zero gravity, designing theme park rides for Disney, and a few others), and will contain realistic advice on how *you* can live your life so that you can make your childhood dreams come true, too.

Want to see more cool videos?
Go to video.google.com/

Think you have an even cooler video?
Add it at video.google.com/videouploadform

If you're having trouble watching the video, try copying the following URL into your browser:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5700431505846055184&pr=goog-sl

Red State Update: Obama Beats Hillary In South Carolina

2008-01-30T20:25:00.001-08:00

This is a funny video of some diehard red state republicans talking
about Barack and the Clintons.
Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0--PJecGmTE

Derikp
Sent from my iPhone

Making the Impossible Possible

2008-01-14T06:14:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago I read the Chris Gardner autobiography "The Pursuit of Happyness" and last year I saw the Will Smith movie adaptation of it. If you are living on a rock and haven't heard of him, hes a big-time investment banker who overcame the mean streets of San Francisco, homelessness, and mediocrity. You're probably asking yourself San Francisco? How tough could the City By the Bay be? Isn't it the home to Disney's That's So Raven? The birthplace of Bank of America and Ghiradelli Chocolate? And legal (at one point in time) gay marriage? How tough could it be? (It ain't Oakland now.)

Both the movie and the book while its nice to see someone overcome such hardship and make it big, both mediums left me with an empty feeling. Like there were some crucial details missing from the text. Or I would ask myself "was this all there was to his overcoming great obstacles?". Maybe the 'leap of faith" didn't happen for me because I really like San Francisco so much, having worked for the San Francisco Consulting Group (a division of KPMG) back in the 90s.

Now I've become aware of a similar story but with a few crucially different twists. The man's name is Bill Strickland and he's a contemporary of Chris Gardner. Grew up in the rough town of Pittsburgh, PA. Now Pittsburgh is the home of the Steelers and US Steel, Iron City Beer, Andrew Carnegie is a bit of a tougher town, one would imagine. This man Bill Strickland, turned his high school fascination with this unknown (to him) art form of ceramics into multipleinitiatives geared to introducing economically disadvantaged youth to arts, building a trade, and bettering one's skills. Mr. Strickland who was recently named Pittsburgh Person of the Year has over his nearly 40 years of work formed the Manchester Craftsman's Guild, the Bidman Training Center, the Manchester Bidman Company and MBGC Jazz record label. His new book "Making the Impossible Possible" is on my hope will be an bit more in depth review of building and fulfilling one's dream.

For those aware him, this linked video will come as now surprise. For the others, tell us what you think by commenting or linking here.

The VIDEO is Here.
Enjoy

Retiring is Hard Even for Bill

2008-01-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

Trying to find what next to do in life after retirement? Watch this video and take some advice from Bill Gates. This is his video about his last day at work (with some of his friends like Jay-Z, John Stewart, etc).

Hope You Enjoy.
If you like comment on it.

VOTERS: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

2008-01-07T08:59:00.000-08:00

This wonderful little tool from the Washington Post lets you BLINDLY review the candidates remarks on a litany of issues and then reveal who you best matches your judgments (i.e. is the person you'd vote for). You can find it at the end of this page. This is a great thing and removes the bias of voting for a woman, a minority or a xyz person. You can answer some of the questions or all of them without knowing who said what. Then whenever you wish (even if you haven't completed all the topics) you can click on a like to reveal who you most line up with.

It will take some time to complete, since the statements made by the candidates are very close in actuality, and there are about twenty issues to consider. Give yourself a half hour. And comment on your results here.

I found that my scores for the democrat's second tier were nearly even among three candidates with one particular candidate outpacing their scores considerably (that candidate is Obama). On the republican side, I found a more even scoring accross all the candidates.

So what does that mean? To (probably incorrectly) use a Bell Curve simile: there is a flat republican curve and a taller democrat curve. I think if I were to vote democrat then their would be clearly ONE choice. However, should I vote republican, then a choice of a leader would be harder as I like some aspects of each of the candidates.

I don't want to know who you'll vote for, but do tell me if you were surprised by who your view most agree with? Though I do wonder if Chelsea Clinton and Andrew Giuliani would align their views with their parents. If anyone knows them, pass this on to them.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/interactives/candidatequiz/

Middle-Class Dream Eludes African American Families

2007-11-13T07:37:00.000-08:00

Middle-Class Dream Eludes African American Families

The Hilltop - Gender Ratio More Than 2:1

2007-09-12T08:02:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Article Emailed from a friend

For those of us concerned with 'social justice.' Here is an
interesting article on the dramatic differences in African
American college enrollment. Its not surprising, but it is
sad that African American women/girls are twice the
enrollment then their male counterparts. And thats not
just at HBCUs, other schools are noted here. This presents
a significant issue in our community and has much bigger
social ramifications (in my humble opinion) than some of
the racial incidents that have taken place on campuses
around the nation (like the recent noose display at Univ
of Maryland). If we are to spend our energies I think it
would be to reverse this larger trend that will effect the
fabric of American society (not just African American
communities) for years to come. - Derikp*

Gender Ratio More
Than 2:1

The Hilltop - Gender Ratio More Than 2:1

Howard University is a tier one school that remains in the top 100 of the best colleges and universities list released annually by U.S. News and World Report. Each year, Howard receives thousands of applications from eager students anxious to fill the seats of the historical giants who came before them.

Read Full Article

* The sender's identity has not been verified.

Area Schools' Success Obscures Lingering Racial SAT Gap - washingtonpost.com

2007-09-11T07:04:00.000-07:00

This is a very interesting article on the differences in SAT scores among the races in the Washington DC area. It speaks to the gap between Blacks and others through out the area, and shows that even in the most affluent neighborhoods (like around Potomac MD's Churchill High School) the gap between black and the school average on the SATs is over 200 points. An important quote from the article states that

"Black students tend to arrive at elite high schools inadequately prepared for the SAT, according to directors of the College Board, which administers the test. And even in affluent communities, they don't take as rigorous courses as their white and Asian classmates; the wealthiest black students are no more likely to take calculus in high school, for example, than the poorest whites and Asians, a deficiency that points to a historic lack of access to the classes."

This presnts a challenge for all parents of children of color. Get engaged, get involved, yet don't be percieved as the 'problem parent' or 'squeeky wheel'. Well, perhaps that we may need to be the squeeky wheel, or the sista souljah at the PTA meetings, so that we are aware of the inner workings of the institutions that are are teaching our youth. While attending these meetings is not always easy, it is important that we do what we can to get there, and to SHARE with others who don't/can't attend in person.

Thats the leadership that the community needs. Grass roots leadership and action.

Area Schools' Success Obscures Lingering Racial SAT Gap - washingtonpost.com

2007-09-10T06:16:00.001-07:00

Commentary on Commentary -

What must be done to promote academic aspirations in certain communities?

Forbes Magazine comentator Barry Salzberg considers the task. His full commentary is included below. Is he on point, off base or patronizing? Expectation setting is a very personal matter, though we ought to be expect everyone to do their very best, whatever their best is. But how does a school system extrapolate that into a larger population of diverse abilities/capabilities of students?

Where Are America's High-Performing Students?Barry Salzberg, 09.06.07, 12:01 PM ET
As another school year begins, high school seniors across the country are starting to draft their college application essays. These students recognize that a college degree means something: It's proven that a bachelor's degree can add as much as $1 million in earnings over a lifetime.
And while a high school education might have been enough for most jobs in the last century's economy, to succeed in the 21st century, we need knowledge workers with a college-level education.

So who are America's college-bound students, the workers our businesses will depend upon in coming years? You might assume that the cream of the crop, our brightest students, are all applying to college. Unfortunately, you would be wrong.
Many of this country's best-performing students--young people who have the potential to succeed in college--don't fill out a single application. Statistics show that low-income students who score in the top 25% on tests apply to college about as frequently as upper-income students in the bottom 25% of test-takers. Every year, nearly 200,000 high-performing, low-income high school graduates voluntarily close the door to the life-changing potential of higher education. And while that statistic is sobering, we're also losing millions of young people with potential in the middle range.

As someone who was once one of those low-income kids--and changed my life by becoming the second in my immediate family to go to college--I find those statistics unforgivable. As the CEO of a professional services firm, I find it unconscionable. We are wasting talent in America, and for the sake of both our people and our businesses, this waste must end.
Why are students who have the capacity to succeed in college not applying to college? A complex web of socio-economic factors contributes to the problem, including lack of sufficient academic preparation, issues of affordability--both real and perceived--and insufficient support from college-experienced adults, including guidance counselors and teachers.

Another reason is one familiar to me from business: "What gets measured gets managed." We measure the performance of high schools on how many students graduate, but ignore what really matters: whether or not those students make themselves ready for the job market by enrolling in--and staying in--college.
A generation or two ago, high school graduation might well have been a destination; today, it is merely a launch pad. The American economy needs as many skilled workers as it can get--and that means college-educated workers. Businesses in every industry and profession report an acute shortage of talent. Seven in 10 companies say that the shortage of skilled labor is keeping them from growing their business.

That situation is not going to get better any time soon: The baby boomers, my generation, will start to retire in the next few years--and there are not nearly enough skilled workers in Gen X and Y to replace us. According to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Labor, 60% of new jobs require skills that only 20% of the workforce possesses.

Are we are in danger of perpetuating two separate classes of workers in America? Some believe we already have: college-educated, mostly white and Asian; and non-college-educated, including poor people of all races. Fortunately, something can be done to address this situation--and more can be done if more businesses step up to the plate.
Change is happening not far from where I grew up, in Bushwick, Brooklyn, a predominantly Latino and African-American community, where nearly 40% of the residents are immigrants. Last year at one neighborhood high school, 80% of the students qualified for full or partial lunch subsidies, yet 93% of the seniors applied to college. And 84% of them are enrolling this fall. The principal believes that the Class of 2008 is on track to exceed those numbers, with 100% completing at least one college application.
Given those statistics, many people would conclude either "It must be a private school" or "It must be a miracle." It is neither. The New York Harbor School may be smaller than the public high school I attended, but it is indeed a public school. And for the past year the school, its administrators, teachers and students have been supported in their efforts by a remarkable nonprofit called College Summit.

College Summit aims to create lasting change by helping high schools--and the communities they serve--develop a culture in which going to college is the norm, not the exception. The program that worked so well in Brooklyn has been replicated at hundreds of high schools across the country: It's a systemic approach combining teacher training, community outreach, coaching and counseling, and robust data tracking that facilitates accountability.
Since its inception in 1993, College Summit's workshops have served nearly 12,000 students; 79% of them have enrolled in college. Compare this with the national numbers: Of students in the bottom 20% in family income, less than half--49.6%--enroll in college directly out of high school. And when it comes to the measure of "persistence"--students who progress from freshman year to sophomore--the rate for College Summit alumni beats the national average across all income groups: 80% vs. 69%.

College Summit may be one solution to the talent crunch we are all beginning to feel, but there are many ways for Corporate America to step up to the plate. Businesses and organizations of all types can bring a lot to the table when we partner with schools or nonprofits focused on improving educational outcomes for our young people.

I'm not talking just about writing a check. Financial contributions are important, certainly, but most companies have a commodity that's even more valuable to the nonprofits trying to reach our young people: expertise. My organization and I have been working with College Summit for the last year--we're creating technology that will drive increased accountability by helping high school principals and district superintendents monitor comprehensive data on the progress of their students in applying to and enrolling in college.

Bringing one's business skills and knowledge to bear on a vexing social problem is incredibly rewarding--and it can have tremendous impact.
Our young people--all of our young people--deserve the best education possible. Our businesses need skilled workers. Working together with results-driven nonprofits, we can dramatically improve college enrollment rates--and the skill base and diversity of our future workforce. It's a win-win for everyone.

BLDGBLOG: Drains of Canada: An Interview with Michael Cook

2007-08-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

BLDGBLOG: Drains of Canada: An Interview with Michael Cook

This guy likes exploring in the sewer system. He did take many pictures and some are quite amazing.

So why does he do it? I guess he considers himself an ecologist, researcher and photographer.
You make up your own mind on the subject.

ScientificAmerican.com: This is Your Brain on Food (extended version)

2007-08-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

This article from ScientificAmerican.com has been sent to you by derikp@gmail.com.

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September 2007 issue
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON FOOD (EXTENDED VERSION)

By Kristin Leutwyler Ozelli

Neuroimaging reveals a shared basis for chocoholia and drug addiction

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NYTimes.com: Reservations for 38, With an Online Travel Planner

2007-08-23T10:12:00.001-07:00

BUSINESS / YOUR MONEY August 19, 2007
Spending: Reservations for 38, With an Online Travel Planner
By JANE L. LEVERE
More group travelers — including people planning family reunions — are using the Web to arrange their plans.
Reservations for 38, With an Online Travel Planner
By JANE L. LEVERE
WHEN Mark Purnell planned a family reunion 10 years ago, he made ample use of the telephone and the United States Post Office. This year, he was on the phone much less and didn’t need to buy postage stamps.
Instead, he relied on the Internet to arrange this year’s reunion, which was held in Las Vegas this summer and attended by 38 family members from across the country. The group stayed in a set of one-bedroom suites in a time-share complex that Mr. Purnell found through GroupAbout, a group travel site. A site called TripHub let Mr. Purnell use e-mail to discuss the plans for reunion activities with his relatives.
At $123 a night each, the rooms were reasonably priced, said Mr. Purnell, a financial adviser in Milwaukee. He said he liked that they weren’t “tucked away in a high-rise hotel — we wanted to be able to walk out to the pool, sit under a tree and have a blast.”
Like Mr. Purnell, more group travelers are using the Web to arrange their plans. According to the research firm PhoCusWright, groups of leisure travelers ranging from 5 to 19 people spent $15.3 billion on hotels, air fares and car rentals in 2005; that figure is expected to rise 23.5 percent, to $18.9 billion, in 2008. Over the same period, the online portion is projected to climb 82.1 percent, to $7.1 billion.
According to a PhoCusWright survey of consumers and travel industry professionals, family reunions are the most popular type of group leisure gathering, with 55 percent of respondents saying they had planned one in the previous year; these were followed by sports outings, 29 percent; reunions of friends, 26 percent; wedding parties, 22 percent; and association or community group gatherings, 20 percent.
Travel companies, both online and offline, recognize the potential of the leisure group travel market. The two top online group travel companies — Groople and GroupAbout — have been selling to the public since 2004, and offering information about hotels, transportation, activities, cruises and packages. They have developed tools that help groups of five or more set up Web sites that can be customized for their trips; group members can share information and book and pay for travel. The companies also offer discounted rates, particularly for hotel rooms.
Both Groople and GroupAbout have teamed with other travel companies to serve as a bridge between Web sites. Groople works with Travelocity, SideStep and Kayak, while GroupAbout works with SideStep and Orbitz.
Hotel Planner, a Web site that started in 2002, has a slightly different business model: groups tell it the city they want to visit and what their needs are; the site then collects online bids from hotels in that city. Once the group accepts a bid, HotelPlanner.com creates a customized Web site for the group that allows individuals to book rooms.
This month, Priceline.com began letting groups of five to nine people reserve hotel rooms by either bidding for rates or booking published rates; groups requiring 10 or more rooms may request bids from hotels.
Other online options include the “Meet Me In” program offered by the last-minute travel service of Travelocity. This enables groups of up to four people to travel from two different cities, meet at one destination, and buy a discounted package.
And the e-Events service on Hilton’s Web site lets groups obtain rates online for 5 to 25 guest rooms, book guest and meeting rooms and other services, and set up a customizable Web site for the group’s stay.
Other companies specialize in planning, rather than booking, group trips. Among them is TripHub, founded in 2005. Besides working directly with groups, TripHub has partnered with Alaska Airlines and Orbitz, helping their customers arrange group trips. TripHub refers travelers who want to book trips to travel agency and travel company Web sites; it is paid for these referrals and for advertising on its site.
Triporama, which started in 2005, lets travelers share research and coordinate plans; it offers links to Web sites of travel companies, like Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and CruiseShipCenters International, that sell vacation packages and advertise on its site.
Some cruise and hotel companies have also made the planning process easier for group trips. Last year, Carnival Cruise Lines introduced CarnivalConnections.com, a site that helps groups plan trips. Carlson Hotels Worldwide gives groups that reserve a block of guest rooms a customizable Web page for booking and paying for their accommodations, while the InterContinental Hotels Group gives groups a customizable Web page for booking.
Groups of travelers are sometimes required to sign contracts in order to receive discounts; depending on how travel is booked, either the group planner or individual travelers can be responsible for payment. For the planner, one advantage of using Web sites like Groople and GroupAbout is that they allow group members to pay individually for their hotel rooms, thus reducing the planner’s burden.
THAT was the experience of Gerry Siegel, 62, a retired management consultant from Belle Mead, N.J., who recently used Groople to arrange accommodations at the Radisson Hotel Boston for himself and eight friends, all fraternity brothers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology attending their 40th class reunion.
Mr. Siegel said he had to sign a contract with the hotel and guarantee his group’s payments; he also said Groople let him and his fraternity brothers pay individually for their own rooms online.
Travelers who are considering any Web site or travel company to book group trips should shop around, “because today no one site consistently provides the best price,” advises Daniel Connolly, the principal author of
PhoCusWright’s group travel report.
Some companies are better than others at handling group requests online, so for some occasions, it may be better to book trips the old-fashioned way.
Henry H. Harteveldt, a travel analyst at Forrester Research, says larger groups shouldn’t restrict themselves to the Internet as they seek the best rates.
Many domestic airlines give discounts, which differ by market, to groups of 10 or more who travel together. Although groups can request rate information online or by phone, airlines generally respond to such requests and handle these bookings by phone.
“It’s probably worth it to call the local sales office of the airline or hotel you’re considering to see what rate you can negotiate,” Mr. Harteveldt said. “The Web is good but not great yet for larger groups.”

1. A Good Appetite: So Many Tomatoes to Stuff in a Week
2. Ales of The Times: More or Less Pale but All Belgian
3. Rule to Expand Mountaintop Coal Mining
4. Many Found Sexually Active Into the 70s
5. Behavior: To Reap Psychotherapy’s Benefits, Get a Good Fit

» Go to Complete List

SUNSHINE
From Danny Boyle The director of Trainspotting and 28 Days Later
In Select Theatres July 20
Click here to watch trailer



Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company Privacy Policy

In Silicon Valley, Millionaires Who Don’t Feel Rich - New York Times

2007-08-07T06:55:00.000-07:00

For those of us who toil at work, at our careers, at our professions, please read this and draw your own conclusions on this keeping up with the Jones'.

In Silicon Valley, Millionaires Who Don’t Feel Rich - New York Times

MENLO PARK, Calif. — By almost any definition — except his own and perhaps those of his neighbors here in Silicon Valley — Hal Steger has made it.

Damon Winter/The New York Times
“A few million doesn’t go as far as it used to.”NAME Hal Steger AGE 51 NET WORTH $3.5 million CURRENT JOB Marketing executive
Multimedia
Graphic
Residents Are Wealthy, but Living Cost Is High
Related
Living Modestly Despite a Nice Nest Egg (August 5, 2007)
Making Do, With $10 Million (August 5, 2007)
The Rich Are Willing to Take Risks (August 5, 2007)
Age of RichesNo Rest After Success
Articles in this series are examining the effects of the growing concentration of wealth. Previous Articles in the Series »
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Damon Winter/The New York Times
“The pressures to spend more are everywhere.”NAME Tony Barbagallo AGE 44 Net Worth $1.5 Million CURRENT JOB Product management
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Damon Winter/The New York Times
“I always ask myself, ‘Do I deserve it?’”NAME Celeste Baranski AGE 49 NET WORTH $5 Million CURRENT JOB Co-founder, software start-up
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Mr. Steger, 51, a self-described geek, has banked more than $2 million. The $1.3 million house he and his wife own on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean is paid off. The couple’s net worth of roughly $3.5 million places them in the top 2 percent of families in the United States.
Yet each day Mr. Steger continues to toil in what a colleague calls “the Silicon Valley salt mines,” working as a marketing executive for a technology start-up company, still striving for his big strike. Most mornings, he can be found at his desk by 7. He typically works 12 hours a day and logs an extra 10 hours over the weekend.
“I know people looking in from the outside will ask why someone like me keeps working so hard,” Mr. Steger says. “But a few million doesn’t go as far as it used to. Maybe in the ’70s, a few million bucks meant ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,’ or Richie Rich living in a big house with a butler. But not anymore.”
Silicon Valley is thick with those who might be called working-class millionaires — nose-to-the-grindstone people like Mr. Steger who, much to their surprise, are still working as hard as ever even as they find themselves among the fortunate few. Their lives are rich with opportunity; they generally enjoy their jobs. They are amply cushioned against the anxieties and jolts that worry most people living paycheck to paycheck.
But many such accomplished and ambitious members of the digital elite still do not think of themselves as particularly fortunate, in part because they are surrounded by people with more wealth — often a lot more.
When chief executives are routinely paid tens of millions of dollars a year and a hedge fund manager can collect $1 billion annually, those with a few million dollars often see their accumulated wealth as puny, a reflection of their modest status in the new Gilded Age, when hundreds of thousands of people have accumulated much vaster fortunes.
“Everyone around here looks at the people above them,” said Gary Kremen, the 43-year-old founder of Match.com, a popular online dating service. “It’s just like Wall Street, where there are all these financial guys worth $7 million wondering what’s so special about them when there are all these guys worth in the hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Mr. Kremen estimated his net worth at $10 million. That puts him firmly in the top half of 1 percent among Americans, according to wealth data from the Federal Reserve, but barely in the top echelons in affluent towns like Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Atherton. So he logs 60- to 80-hour workweeks because, he said, he does not think he has nearly enough money to ease up.
“You’re nobody here at $10 million,” Mr. Kremen said earnestly over a glass of pinot noir at an upscale wine bar here.
Not every Silicon Valley millionaire, of course, shares that perspective.
Celeste Baranski, a 49-year-old engineer with a net worth of around $5 million who lives with her husband in Menlo Park, no longer frets about tucking enough money away for college for their two children. Long ago she stopped bothering to balance her checkbook. When too many 18-hour days running an engineering department of 1,200 left her feeling burned out and empty, she left and gave herself 12 months off.
Yet like other working-class millionaires of Silicon Valley, she harbors anxieties about her financial future. Ms. Baranski — who was briefly worth as much as $200 million in 2000 but cashed out only $1 million before the collapse of the tech bubble — returned to work in March.
Along with two partners, she founded a software company, Vitamin D, and already she is resigned to the sleepless nights and other stresses that await her. “I ask myself all the time,” Ms. Baranski confessed, “why I do this.”
Working inside a start-up has always been invigorating, she says. But she and her husband, 62, who also works, have concluded that she must stick with it if they are to continue to live the life they enjoy here.
Recently the couple hammered out an agreement: Ms. Baranski will work at least five more years for the sake of their bottom line.
“People around here, if they have 2 or 3 million dollars, they don’t feel secure,” said David W. Hettig, an estate planner based in Menlo Park who has advised Silicon Valley’s wealthy for two decades.
The Luck Factor
Many of the more modest millionaires here feel sheepish, even guilty at times, about their piles of cash. Talent played in a role in their financial success, but so did being at the right place at the right time.
“They recognize that if they happened to walk into a different office,” said Marilyn Holland, a Menlo Park psychologist who has been counseling the Valley’s elite for 25 years, “things would have turned out very differently.”
That is one big difference between these working-class millionaires and the country’s wealthiest tycoons, who tend to see themselves as pillars of the community worthy of the hundreds of millions of dollars, perhaps billions, they now possess.
“A lot of the money here is accidental money,” said Bruce Karsh, 51, an engineer who puts his net worth at $2 million to $4 million. “People weren’t setting out to become gazillionaires.”
Ms. Baranski is one of them. The daughter of a college professor who died when she was 12 and left her mother to raise three children, she began college intending to become a musician. But worries about the debt she was racking up prompted her to transfer to the engineering school, where she eventually earned a master’s in electrical engineering.
That today she is worth around $5 million, said Ms. Baranski, who helped to put herself through school cleaning houses, “was unimaginable in my 20s.”
“I always ask myself, ‘Do I deserve it?’ ” she said. “It never feels like you do, because that’s a lot of money.”
Ms. Baranski is hardly the only working-class millionaire asking herself this question. Ms. Holland said she regularly works with multimillionaires who wonder why they are so well compensated when others, like teachers, who contribute so much to the world, are not.
The lucky moment in Ms. Baranski’s career came when she took a job as the head engineer at Handspring, the hand-held device maker, in September 1999. By the end of 2000, Ms. Baranski’s stock holdings briefly made her one of the wealthier women in Silicon Valley.
At quick glance, Ms. Baranski and her husband, Paul, live modestly. She drives a 2006 Subaru, her husband a six-year-old Saab. Their children attend public school, and vacations tend to be modest affairs centered on visiting family.
Ms. Baranski cares little for clothes or jewelry. They have a swimming pool, but only because Ms. Baranski pressed hard for one, a dream of hers growing up in Southern California.
Like most of her neighbors, Ms. Baranski splurged most on a house in a community studded with some of the most expensive real estate in the country. Early in 2001, when Ms. Baranski seemed richer than she was, they paid $1.95 million for a dilapidated house in Menlo Park, knowing they would tear it down. They spent $1 million over the next few years building their dream house.
Ms. Baranski recognizes, of course, that she is far better off than many of her neighbors. Even well-paid college administrators, professors and other white-collar professionals struggle to pay their bills in this expensive redoubt 30 miles south of San Francisco.
“I don’t know how people live here on just a normal salary,” said Ms. Baranski.
Her nanny rents an apartment in Palo Alto, Ms. Baranski said. She pays her what she described as a generous salary and gave her the keys to her old Saab when she bought the newer one. But “basically I have no idea how she survives here.”
Mr. Hettig, the estate planning lawyer, sums it up for many: “We’re in such a rarefied environment,” he said, “people here lose perspective on what the rest of the world looks like.”
‘A Dime a Dozen’
David Koblas, a computer programmer with a net worth of $5 million to $10 million, imagines what his life would be like if he left Silicon Valley. He could move to a small town like Elko, Nev., he says, and be a ski bum. Or he could move his family to the middle of the country and live like a prince in a spacious McMansion in the nicest neighborhood in town.
But Mr. Koblas, 39, lives with his wife, Michelle, and their two children in Los Altos, south of Palo Alto, where the schools are highly regarded and the housing prices are inflated accordingly. So instead of a luxury home, the family lives in a relatively modest 2,000-square-foot house — not much bigger than the average American home — and he puts in long hours at Wink, a search engine start-up founded in 2005.
“I’d be rich in Kansas City,” he said. “People would seek me out for boards. But here I’m a dime a dozen.”
No one knows for certain how many single-digit millionaires live in Silicon Valley. Certainly their numbers reach into the tens of thousands, say those who work with the area’s engineers and entrepreneurs. Yet nearly all of them still have all-consuming jobs, not only because the work gives them a sense of achievement and satisfaction but also because they think they must work so much to afford their gilded neighborhoods.
That certainly describes Tony Barbagallo, 44, who over the last two decades has collected around $3.6 million in stock and options from companies he has worked for. Despite his good fortune, though, he is surprised to find that he worries like most other Americans about matters as varied as the soaring cost of health care, the high price of college and the pressure to sock away more money for retirement.
Taxes have devoured about 40 percent of his stash, Mr. Barbagallo said, knocking that figure down to $2.2 million. Over the years, he has tried to live off his salary, but not always successfully. To limit their monthly expenses, he and his wife Catherine bought a ranch house far from Silicon Valley, in the town of Moraga, for $750,000 — by Valley standards a modest sum.
But they spent $350,000 on extensive remodeling — causing them, not for the first time, to dip deeply into their nest egg.
Today, he has roughly $1.2 million left in savings and another several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of home equity, Mr. Barbagallo said, with one child in college and a second on her way.
So he works as hard as ever, logging more than 70 hours a week at a San Francisco start-up.
“Poor Tony, he’ll never be able to retire,” Catherine Barbagallo said.
Chasing the Top 0.1 Percent
Many of these millionaires have options, of course, beyond working hard to earn another $5 million to $10 million. A few even choose to jump off the golden treadmill.
That is what Mark Gage, 51, an engineer, and his wife, Meredith, did when they left the Bay Area in 2005 with $3 million or so in assets. They bought a house in Bend, Ore. — “a bigger, much nicer home with dramatic views” — and now Mr. Gage works only when the perfect consulting job presents itself.
Yet the same drive that earned so many of the engineers and entrepreneurs who live here their fortunes keeps them tied to the Valley, which resembles nothing so much as a sprawling post-war suburb, though one whose roadways are thick with cars costing in the six figures.
Umberto Milletti has fantasized about downsizing his life to ease the financial pressures he feels despite a net worth around $5 million. In 2000, when his stake in DigitalThink, the online learning company he co-founded in 1996, was worth around $50 million, he bought his family of four a five-bedroom house in Hillsborough, an upscale suburb south of San Francisco. After his net worth fell 90 percent, though, he found the house more of an albatross than a dream.
“We could move,” Mr. Milletti said. “But if you do that, then you’re admitting defeat. No one wants to go backwards.”
So he works 60 to 70 hours a week at InsideView, an online sales intelligence company he co-founded in 2005, in part to prove that his first success was not a fluke — but also to meet his monthly nut, which includes payments on a seven-figure mortgage.
Silicon Valley offers an unusual twist on keeping up with the Joneses. The venture capitalist two doors down might own a Cessna Citation X private jet. The father of your 8-year-old’s best friend, who has not worked for two years, drives a bright yellow Ferrari. Temptations loom everywhere.
“You see how much money you have in the bank,” Mr. Koblas, the computer programmer, said, “and your eyes get really big.” He described it as “upsizing your life to your cash flow.”
Then there are the additional burdens on this digital elite, said Ms. Holland, the psychologist — demands they are typically not prepared to handle.
“There are all these people who come to you for money,” Ms. Holland said. “Siblings, parents, other relatives. Organizations seeking charitable contributions. There’s this assumption you have all this money — so why don’t you write a big check to the school or to this other charity?”
Other pressures can come from within the social circle. Mr. Barbagallo, for instance, remembers when several couples tried cajoling his wife and him — unsuccessfully — to fly to Las Vegas for a charity event featuring Andre Agassi.
“You look around,” Mr. Barbagallo said, “and the pressures to spend more are everywhere.” Children want the latest fashions their peers are wearing and the most popular high-ticket toys. Furniture does not seem up to snuff once you move into a multimillion-dollar home. Spouses talk, and now that resort in Mexico the family enjoyed so much last winter is not good enough when looking ahead to next year. Summer camp, a full-time housekeeper, vintage wines, country clubs: the cost of living bloats.
To Mr. Milletti, it all looks like a marathon with no finish line.
“Here, the top 1 percent chases the top one-tenth of 1 percent, and the top one-tenth of 1 percent chases the top one-one-hundredth of 1 percent,” he said.
“You try not to get caught up in it,” he added, “but it’s hard not to.”

Tech: Social Networking for 9-Year Olds - Newsweek Technology - MSNBC.com

2007-08-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

As we parents of growing children watch our kids migrate from romping in the sand pit, to playdates, to on-line socializing, we must remain just a bit more savvy then our budding tehchnophiles. I believe that our fears or trepidations regarding technology should not keep our kids from advancing their knowlege about the technology and the on-line world. We must as Ronald Regan used to say "Trust but Verify" what our youngsters are doing and monitor as much in a very open way.

Here are some online sites that are geared to kids/pre-teens or tweens. FYI
Derik

Tech: Social Networking for 9-Year Olds - Newsweek Technology - MSNBC.com

Firstborns found to have higher intelligence - Los Angeles Times

2007-06-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

So here is the latest 411 on birth order... who da thunk it so???

Firstborns found to have higher intelligence - Los Angeles Times

Media Matters - UPDATED: Fox News' African-American elected official mix-up not its first

2007-06-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

YOU BE THE JUDGE: IS THIS FAIR AND BALANCED?

Why is it that there is a lack of need for getting it RIGHT when it comes to minorities. Is this a case of a young staffer not paying attention to details or something more?

The attached FOX video depicts both Harold Ford and John Conyers. However the commentator was addressing the William Jefferson story and the 'stamina' of Obama. That is strange on many levels....

See for yourself. Here ==>Media Matters - UPDATED: Fox News' African-American elected official mix-up not its first The picuture is better than the video, but clearly it indicates a problem.

Its cole

2007-05-16T08:04:00.001-07:00

2007-05-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

This is a test

2007-05-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

Please check out my blog @ dpmusings.blogger.com

In Praise of the "Anti-Mentor"

2007-05-16T07:03:00.001-07:00

In Praise of the "Anti-Mentor"

This really interesting article out of Business Week tells us about the very simple lesson: that we should watch with whom we associate. Not everybody is your friend, and that people are usually true to their spots/colors. It's important to have role models, but most of us owe a bigger debt of gratitude to the people who teach us by bad example. I recently heard that a previous boss (who I view as a really terrible manager and egotistical, self absorbed individual) got fired from his job. My initial reaction was what goes around comes around, but, upon second thought, I felt sorry for him (not just for being fired), but for his lack of knowledge of self - finally getting in his way. While he is a smart, motivated, driven guy, he remains hindered by his own self. Lets hope he learns.... lets hope we all learn a little bit from him and our 'anti mentors.'

by Keith McFarland

Small Biz

Story Tools

The hotshot vice-president who took over where I worked when I was in my 20s was a great anti-mentor. Arrogant, quick-tempered, and controlling, it took him only about six months to turn a great department into a loose collection of warring tribal fiefdoms. I knew I wanted out, so I observed what I thought at the time was proper etiquette: I told him face to face that I wanted to transfer to a different department. He tried to talk me out of it, but finally relented, extracting only one promise: I would allow him to tell the president of our organization about the change.

What I didn't know at the time was that he and the president (his boss) were at war over some of the same characteristics that were causing me to flee and that he intended to use my departure as a weapon against the president (who had been a friend and sponsor of mine for a number of years). He told the president that I was leaving my post because I was tired of the president meddling in the affairs of our department. Nothing could have been further from the truth, but the president appeared to believe him and was so offended by the statement that it took several years to repair my relationship with him.

What did my first anti-mentor teach me? That people, even those you view as untrustworthy, are essentially reliable. But wait, hadn't this person betrayed me by lying to the president about my real motivations for leaving the job? Yes, and that's precisely my point. He acted reliably. I knew he was selfish, manipulative, and insecure. So to expect him to act in any other way was really bad judgment on my part.

Ticking Time-Bomb

I decided right then and there that people are reliable and to use what I knew about them to predict how they're likely to act. When my boss asked me to promise to let him tell the president about my planned move, I should have said something like: "You know, my relationship with him goes back almost 10 years, and I wouldn't want to offend him by not telling him myself."

As anti-mentors often will, my anti-mentor self-destructed over the next couple of years. People found that they couldn't believe what he said, and eventually people throughout the organization stopped trusting him. He went on to head another organization and stayed there for a few years—until the people in the new organization were able to scratch beneath the polished veneer of his personality, and by that time he was on the move again.

The funny thing is, as the years have passed, the anger I felt for my first anti-mentor has dissipated. The lesson to treat every person as reliable (based on who they really are) has served me well as an entrepreneur, whether I'm dealing with my colleagues, investors, or customers.

Blessings in Disguise

I also learned to trust my own instincts. I left a great job simply because I didn't like working around my boss. That led to one of the guiding principles of my career: You spend too much time at work to spend it around people you don't like or trust. If you're not having fun, it's time to move on. I apply the fun rule not only to people in my own company but to my bankers, investors, vendors, and customers. That's right, I've "fired" customers because they weren't the kind of people I wanted to be associated with.

Since I became a leader of entrepreneurial businesses, I have been blessed with a number of other terrific anti-mentors. Like the businessman who once told me "all buyers are liars." I watched his cynicism about his customers infect his organization and cripple its growth. Or the friend whose ego became so enmeshed with the business that he lost his objectivity and his ability to listen to other points of view. His blindness and stubbornness caused him to lose the very business he lived for.

So the next time you get frustrated with that sleazy politician down the hall, that slippery vendor, or that manipulative customer, take a deep breath and ask yourself what lesson this person is likely to teach you. Anti-mentors may represent the most important opportunity for learning we're given in life. The key is being willing to learn from them. As author Douglas Adams once said, "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."

Keith McFarland, a two-time technology CEO, is the founder of McFarland Strategy Partners in Sandy, Utah.

How to Find a Hobby as a Snr Citizen

2007-05-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Social-Life-as-a-Senior-Citizen

How to Build a Social Life as a Senior Citizen
When a mature person loses a spouse, a close friend, or even a pet, it can be very easy to lose perspective on life. It is all too easy slip into sadness and seclusion and stop relating with people who once filled an important part in daily life. Children (if any) have often moved away and are frequently so heavily involved in their own lives, with work, children and other obligations that they cannot spend a lot of time with their aging parents. Although experiencing loss and loneliness as a senior citizen is difficult, it is not impossible to develop a new social life. A good attitude is a major factor, as is making most of the opportunities that come your way. Here are some ways that you can begin to build a fulfilling social life for yourself that will help you to live meaningfully and with purpose.

Steps
Determine what activities you used to enjoy. Did a loss cause you to set aside favorite hobbies or pursuits? Pick them up from where you left off. Or try new activities with the help of a local club, group, church or even through Internet and library research. Use the local newspaper to keep abreast of upcoming events of interest. Visit university lectures on topics you know nothing about to stretch your imagination and improve your knowledge. More ideas are suggested in the Tips below.
Return to keeping fit. While climbing Mt. Everest may no longer be in the cards, there is certainly nothing stopping you from continuing physical activities involving walking clubs, senior's gym or other fitness activities made available especially for seniors. Staying fit is a sure way to build confidence and regain a healthy outlook on life.
Find a buddy. If you feel reluctant to go out on your own, there are many volunteer organizations that will help by providing transportation. Invite a friend or neighbor to attend events with you. Get back into the rhythm of meeting new friends. Little by little, you'll become less fearful of going out alone.
Be open to new suggestions. This may feel uncomfortable at first, especially if it involves new technology. Consider trying new activities that are possible given your level of health and fitness, and that you find interesting. Try not to react negatively to suggestions from others who try to help. Think things through before rejecting the ideas altogether. You may discover something you wished you'd tried earlier.
Become a mentor for younger people. Young people are eager and willing learners when they discover that you have knowledge that you are willing to share. Offer your services at local clubs to give talks, to teach a skill or to guide people (museums, zoos, parks etc.). Elderly people are respected for their knowledge; capitalize on this by sharing it.
Remain positive. The pain will always be there; that is the nature of loss. You deserve the best after giving so much of yourself to the world. Smile when you're feeling down. Smiling induces positive chemical changes in the brain and brings us back up. Take in a light movie or rent an old classic to watch at home. Listen to comedy on the radio, check out a humorous book or two from the library and have a good hearty chuckle. Rediscover your sense of humor and your well-being will improve; this is all the more important if you have buried yourself under a load of sadness, self-pity and sorrow.
Think outside the square. Research the Internet for stories of the more challenging things senior citizens are doing; cycling across countries, skiing, writing a first novel, entering the Masters' Games etc. All these things and more are possible with the right attitude. You are as old as you let yourself be; your dreams are as expansive as you let them be. So, what about all those things you promised yourself you'd do someday? Maybe today is that day.

Tips
No matter what you're doing, always offer to help others, and don't be afraid to ask for help, either. In pursuing new activities and knowledge, you can build a social life simply by sharing your newfound zest for life.
Here are some ideas for activities:
Book clubs: Scan the bulletin board at your local library or book store for book clubs that meet periodically and share opinions about a particular book or author.
Golf: Visit a recreation golf course in your area. Hit a few balls on the driving range to see if you like it. Inquire with the program coordinator or on-site pro about groups of other seniors that may need another member. If there are not senior groups, be proactive and start one!
Learning new cuisines: Many communities have a retail store that specializes in cooking utensils, books, and offer cooking demonstrations or classes. Small groups of food and cooking enthusiasts are formed and their members become fast friends by sharing ideas, recipes and “touring” dinners at each other's homes; even touring a country for its cuisine is not out of the realms of possibility. Move beyond the cuisine you've always made and try something completely different.
Sewing/Knitting/Crochet/Quilting: These timeless activities are always great hobbies. Check out the local craft or fabric shop for postings on clubs or groups that share these hobbies. Or offer to teach - your skills are in high demand from younger generations rediscovering their utility and relaxing nature.
Gardening: This can almost become a job as much as an activity, depending on how much you want to do. Whether it’s just puttering around a small flower bed, or becoming an expert on roses and orchids; gardening is a very popular pastime. Garden clubs abound and many cities have a community garden where individuals maintain their own plot within the garden to plant, nurture and harvest their favorite growing elements. If you are already an experienced gardener, share these skills with others by giving demonstrations or mini-lectures through clubs or botanical gardens.
Scrapbooking: You are sure to have years of photos and memorabilia that tell your life's story! Introduce yourself to this popular activity by attending a scrapping party or taking a class at your local craft retailer.
Visit your local senior center. Take a trip to learn what activities are offered; something is certain to tickle your fancy.
Further ideas you might like consider include:
Season ticket packages for concerts and/or plays.
Painting
Building bird houses, making doll clothes, volunteering at your hospital or shelter.
Adult education classes. Perhaps you'd like to learn about computers, or obtain your high school diploma or degree. Many facilities offer physical classes such as low-impact jazzercise or yoga.
Volunteer at the library to teach adults to read.
Reading and story-telling to youngsters at the library.
Join wikiHow and write or edit articles

Warnings
Know your physical limitations. Consult with your personal physician prior to beginning a new physical activity.
If you have difficulty with your eyesight and reading, first ensure that you have the best possible medical attention and eye examinations. Get the most suitable eyeglasses for your needs. Ask for books with large print; these are available at many libraries. It is also possible to increase the size of the font on your computer and Internet; ask someone for help if you cannot work out how to do this yourself.

Related wikiHows
How to Live After the Death of a Spouse
How to Build a Social Network
How to Grow Old Without Feeling Old
How to Remain Young Despite Becoming a Senior
How to Go to the Movies
How to Become an Artist

Keeping the Kids Safe on the Net

2007-04-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

Some very basic principles for net safety are included in this video. Some are obvious like keeping up to date wiht what the kids do on line, telling them to verify who they speak to, and don't give out any personal info. Some of the facts are less obvious, like telling them don't rely upon software to block your kids access to sites, or vise versa (software is never foolproof)!

Enjoy

http://reviews.cnet.com/4660-10620_7-6719549.html

How To Raise a Rich Child ???

2006-11-27T12:34:00.000-08:00

So here is some advise from the Parent Wiki. Please let me know if you think it works.

How to Raise Children to Be Rich
Many of the skills and attitudes needed to become rich, if that is a value that you desire for them to have, begin to develop in childhood, along with all other lifetime skills. If you want your child to grow up to become the next Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, or Tiger Woods, or,if you just want to encourage the development of habits and skills that will help your child eventually have the ability to not only earn, but to become more responsible with money, it is never too early to start, and for you to be a good example.
Steps
Examine your own beliefs and feelings about money. Do you believe that earning an income is a privilege and challenge; a good thing that can help you achieve your dreams and goals, or do you see it as a “necessary evil” to getting through life? If your thoughts tend toward the latter, you’ll have a hard time convincing your child that building wealth is a good thing. It's difficult to instill positive financial values that will help your child achieve success if they come into conflict with your own. Carefully think about your attitudes toward money and where they came from. No matter how you feel about money, it's good goal for a parent to assist your child in growing up to be a financially responsible and secure adult.
Evaluate and address your own spending habits. If you spend more than you earn, or if you spend your money frivolously and neglect to save and invest, don't expect your child to develop these habits. If you're currently having trouble providing for your family's basic needs, and money is a constant source of stress in your household, consider looking carefully at how you are modeling spending habits and the work ethic. Identify your problem areas, and work to correct them. Develop a budget and stick to it. Start saving money and invest for retirement and college funding, even if it is in very small amounts. These steps will have benefits right now for the entire family and will set a good example for your child to follow.
Appraise your general work ethic. Hard work over time is the only way to financially succeed for most people. Are you a conscientious worker? Have you tended to change jobs often, unsatisfied with your career? If so, discuss with your child how you are determined to alter the choices you've made regarding work. A large part of thinking positively about making an income is in having a job you enjoy. If you are not happy in your work, take action and make realistic plans to get a different job. This is a valuable lesson for your child to experience. Watching you make these tough changes will have a lasting impression on your child.
Think about the values you want to instill in your child. Most everyone has mixed feelings about money and about work. Examine how you feel about the ways you make and spend your income. Talk to your child about your goals and methods - don't send mixed messages. If you want your child to aspire to build wealth, espouse the virtues of making plans, persistence in following them, and accepting roadblocks along the way. Be careful what you say about the wealthy and what they choose to do with their wealth. It's what you do with yours that counts. Avoid making comments that suggest having wealth is somehow wrong; rather, emphasize the good that can be done by earning an income and then using it to advance your goals, to include helping others. At the same time, discuss how wealth, in and of itself, doesn't necessarily brings happiness. Praise the ingenuity and work ethic of financially successful people while also encouraging your child to be ethical, charitable, and socially responsible with money. Avoid complaining about your job around your children. While this is a common feeling for many of us, if this is what a child observes day in and day out, it may instill in them the feeling that work is negative and something to be avoided.
Look carefully at your work habits. Successful adults are more likely to spring from secure homes, where parents have enough time to spend with their children, teaching and modeling important life skills. If you realize that you feel that you have to work constantly to support your children, reconsider your decisions and find a way to do with less, showing your child that you value them by spending time with them rather than making more money to buy more. While your children may make comments that others have more material items than you do, you'll be able to point out that, by having less things, you have more time for each other, which is much more valuable in the long run.
Invest in your child’s education early on, making this a high priority as early as possible. A large percentage of children all over the world don’t get a good education simply because their parents didn't plan for it (of course, this statement is a good example of oversimplification, as many people in the world are in a position where they CAN'T get an education. Nevertheless, an education is important). Look for the best educational experience for your child, whether in a public or private school, from the beginning, in kindergarten or pre-school, one that will challenge your child and prepare him or her for college or other advanced technical training in the area(s) they are interested in.
Encourage your child to do their best in everything they do, especially in school. Early on, encourage your child to get good grades, but stress the importance of doing as well as they can and then being happy and satisfied that they did just that, no matter the grade. This will develop in them the attitude that what's important is the energy they put into it, not necessarily someone else's impression of that effort. For sure, if your child is getting poor grades, you must be involved and ask why they are not doing better. Be ready to help them address any problems they may have with learning, and make sure your home is an environment conducive for studying. Seek advice from teachers and school counselors. Consider getting a tutor if your child is still struggling. Instilling a feeling of satisfaction in achieving good academic performance, you can help your child on the path to self-reliance and self-esteem.
Be careful not to over-emphasize the value of accumulating money to your child, but rather what can be accomplished with it. Most every parent, at some point, says that “money doesn’t grow on trees.” It’s important that children understand that making money requires initiative and hard work. All too often money only enters the discussion when you’re refusing a child something, and this can cause your child to see money as a source of stress, rather than as a means to accomplish their goals.
Teach your child about budgeting early on, by finding ways for them to earn and manage money. If you provide your child with an allowance, help them to develop a budget that includes making short and long-term goals that include a savings plan, no matter how small. Teach them about investments and the miracle of compound interest. Be careful not to bail them out if they spend their money too quickly. Let them experience the consequences of their actions while they live under your roof. If a child wants something that they could reasonably save up and buy with their allowance or earnings, teach them how to set aside a little money each week so that they can eventually buy the item, and have them keep track of their savings.
Be very cautious in insisting that a child must work at a young age. A child's job is to grow and learn, not earn a living. Do not make your teenager get a job. Resist this temptation - there's plenty of time to work for a wage after their education is complete. This is the surest way to cause them to feel that earning a living is not a positive and rewarding experience. Mowing lawns, cleaning their rooms or common areas in the house, helping with dishes - these are all tasks that come with sharing a living a space. Avoid paying them an allowance for these endeavors. Instead, reward them for assisting other family members in getting their personal chores done, or for setting up and running a lemonade stand, or helping a neighbor with a project. Remember - 'working' is not a responsibility of childhood - ensure they have time to be kids. Those who do well in life, financially, do so because they enjoy doing what they are doing. If your teen insists they want to work a summer job rather than pursuing other learning experiences, because they have set a goal that requires funds, that's all right, of course, but help them to develop a good work ethic and appreciate the value of a balanced life of work and play and relaxation.
Encourage your teen to think about the future by sharing your financial plans with them. Discuss the importance of setting goals early, but also in being flexible as changes must be made along the way. Building resilience and flexibility are great life skills to appreciate and learn early on. Encourage your child, even while in elementary or middle school, to think about what they want to do “when they grow up.” Emphasize that they may change their minds a few times, but have them research their choice and write out a plan of how they might accomplish it. By thinking through a plan with timelines and goals at a young age, they will develop the ability to list what's required to reach those goals and how to earn the funds they'll need to fulfill their dreams. Help them be realistic in setting attainable financial goals, but be careful not to set unnecessary limits. With hard work and persistence we can all do amazing things. It's important for our children to understand that building wealth is a lengthy process for most of us, but that they can have or do just about anything they want if they’re willing to set goals for themselves and conscientiously work toward those goals. Patience is a virtue.
Understand that since starting and running a business is the only way your child is likely to become wealthy, guide them into starting a very small one, such as raising earthworms or even just selling candy. Encourage spending a little of it, and investing the remainder - either pooling it with your money in stocks or another investment, or expanding the existing business, or starting a new one.

Tips
There are lots of ways to become financially independent. While you may have a set career path that you would like your child to take, don't force him or her into your dream. Give your children advice and model satisfaction with your career, but let them make their own choices. If they can find something they really enjoy doing, they will be more likely to put the necessary work into it to become successful. Encourage and support continued interested and inclusion of hobbies or arts in future work plans.
Let your kids fail while under your roof. This is much better than waiting until they are of college age, or older, before they make less desirable choices that have a long-term, or permanent, impact. Avoid letting them constantly fall back on you, however. Let them learn self-reliance. Help them through really tough, unexpected times, of course, but in general let them see failures as learning experiences. Successful people typically leave behind a long string of failures, but they learn from them and bounce back.
Give your children every opportunity to network with people who are happy in their chosen careers. Give them the opportunity to experience the value of talking with others, and networking with those with similar interests.
Remember that money isn’t the end all be all to wealth. We want our children to grow up to be independent, financially successful adults, but remember that money isn’t the key to happiness.

Warnings
Even if you do everything right, giving your child every opportunity to be successful financially, they may not grow up to be "rich," but they'll have values and ethics they can be proud of. Above all, they'll be well-balanced and enjoy "working for a living."
Avoid thinking "poor" or "destitute". Generally poor thinking is the product of a greedy, lazy or jealous mind. Such frame of mind is common among the lazy. That is to say, if you sincerely admire the accomplishments of successful people, you are more prone to emulate them. If you work hard and efficiently, chances are that you will attain good results in life. But if you think that successful people are undeserving of what they achieved; you are doomed to be poor forever. If you feel more deserving than those who achieved above you; a poor achiever you will always be. Don't wish what someone else has. Instead make your own success, be competitive, original, honest, optimistic and work hard. Wish only for what you can and will accomplish if you put your mind, resources and attitude towards attainable goals.

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How to Save Money
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How to Manage Your 401k Investments and Choose Your Funds
How to Start Building Wealth when You Are Very Young
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Initial Author: Rita G. Pickering .
Contributors: Waited , Jack H , Kilowa Hayam , Manuel Montenegro , KnowItSome and others.

Roller Man

2006-11-20T10:58:00.000-08:00

To Ease College Admission, Some Say Stick With the Flute (or Physics Team)

2006-11-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

Interesting article from the Wash Post on should a student focus or diversify their talents/achievements.

By Valerie StraussWashington Post Staff WriterSaturday, November 18, 2006; Page B01

To Ease College Admission, Some Say Stick With the Flute (or Physics Team)
By Valerie StraussWashington Post Staff WriterSaturday, November 18, 2006; Page B01
Parents: You've designed schedules, organized carpools, parlayed your way into the right camps for 12 long years. Piano lessons at 3, Spanish classes at 5, soccer games from age 8 through 14, a panoply of activities designed to give your kid the upper hand in getting into the college of her dreams.
Now it looks like having a "well-rounded" kid is out. Your kid must have "a passion" -- at least in certain academic circles.

"Passion" is the buzzword among some admissions directors. Students should pick one thing -- two are okay, too -- that they are truly passionate about as well, of course, as getting good grades and test scores, the directors advise. Select schools want the hyper-focused, the expert oboist or mathematician.
"I think most of us tend to gravitate toward the student who has pursued a strong passion in a particular area or areas," said Steven T. Syverson, admissions director at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis.
To which Gail Berson, dean of admissions at Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., said: "There are plenty of adults who don't have a passion for something. Why should we expect it of high school seniors?"
For a long time, students were urged to be bright, well-rounded kids, and applicants packed applications with mile-long lists of activities.
It became silly, some admissions directors said. "It occasionally leaves one wondering when the student sleeps," said Texas Christian University Admissions Dean Raymond A. Brown. And some admissions officials acknowledge that they became jaded by all the young overachievers.
"A serious focus on one area often gives us a glimpse of other traits -- discipline, focus, intensity, tenacity, intellectual depth," Syverson said.
Karla Berberich, 17, a senior at Montgomery Blair High School in Montgomery County, said her high school counselors and teachers told her that well-rounded is fine but that "it's more important that you find something you are passionate about."
She found her passion -- television production -- but now she is not so sure she wants to stick with it.
"I think a lot of us fear we have to know what we want to do," she said. "I'm only 17. But I still have to go to college with some idea of what I want to do."
Others share her hesitation.
"What an absurd notion: Find a passion!" said Scott White, director of Guidance at Montclair High School in New Jersey. "It is not something you can find. It is something you either have or don't have."
Jason Meer, also 17 and a senior at Montgomery Blair, said he can't present himself as something he is not. He is a young man interested in a lot of things, he said.
"To say I'm very strong in one area would be a misrepresentation," he said. "I've heard colleges are looking for kids like that. But for me, I think someone who is multifaceted is more interesting."
Carol Lunkenheimer, dean of undergraduate admissions at Northwestern University, would agree with Jason: "Well-rounded students are the bread and butter of every freshman class."
Bleary-eyed high school seniors are filling out applications, collecting recommendations and scribbling essays, all the while laboring under some false notions, admissions directors say.
"The biggest misperception is that academic statistics are the only thing that matter in a competitive admissions process," said Lee Coffin, admissions dean at Tufts University in Boston, saying his team looks not only at data but at "voice."
Lisa Jacobson, chief executive of the private college counseling firm Inspirica, said the highest grades and standardized test scores are no longer a guarantee of getting into a school -- not even one considered a "safety" school.
The bottom line about how to get into college is that there isn't one, Syverson said.
"It's a big mistake to generalize about college admissions," said Fred Hargadon, a former admissions dean for several decades, including 15 years at Princeton University. "Big schools vary from small schools, commuter schools from non-commuter, private from public. . . . There isn't one admissions system that applies to very many schools."
Hargadon said it should all come down to a mix of students.
"Some kids are really outstanding in a given field," he said, "but that's a relatively small number, and it is usually in fields like physics or math or in music.
"But I have too many memories of great kids that really didn't have one outstanding characteristic but seemed like they just would be great people to meet, to know, to go to school with and would have a high growth potential. . . . They often turned out to be the ones who made the class gel. And I worry that they will slip through the cracks if everybody is categorizing them."

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To Ease College Admission, Some Say Stick With the Flute (or Physics Team)

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