Thursday, 15 March 2012
TOUR OPERATORS
US says Europe on way to financial fix
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration said Tuesday it believes that European leaders are on their way to creating a credible response to the eurozone's financial crisis.
Assistant Treasury Secretary Charles Collyns told U.S. lawmakers that the administration is confident in the commitment of European leaders and sees a "very strong likelihood that Europeans will achieve success."
Collyns said that Europe's financial woes posed a substantial risk for the U.S. economy, a point that U.S. lawmakers agreed with.
"There is no question that there will be a U.S. consequence to further decline in the euro zone," said Republican Rep. Gary Miller, who chaired the …
Director Polanski appears at Swiss jazz fest
The film director Roman Polanski has arrived at the Montreux Jazz Festival in his first public appearance since being released from house arrest.
Polanski, 76, arrived Saturday evening in a sport utility vehicle with tinted windows. When he emerged, he brushed his fingers through his hair _ a trademark gesture _ then was ushered into an elevator. Security …
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Briefly Noted...
A Military Miscellany. Thomas Ayres. Bantam Books. 199 pages; index; $15.
In this small book Thomas Ayres has compiled many obscure and curious facts pertaining to the U.S. military, from the Revolutionary War to the present day, with emphasis on the Civil War and World War II. Charts, timelines, quotations, …
Envoys at N. Korea Talks Optimistic
SEOUL, South Korea - Envoys to the six-party talks on North Korean nuclear disarmament are sounding rare notes of optimism, raising hopes for progress after their expected return to the bargaining table in coming weeks.
The talks could bring the first steps toward turning back the clock on North Korea's nuclear development since Pyongyang restarted its main nuclear reactor more than four years ago and proved its long-claimed atomic arsenal with its first test explosion in October.
At the last round of the talks in December, the United States and its partners - China, Japan, Russia and South Korea - could not even get North Korea to talk about its nuclear program. Instead, …
Business leaders raising $100M against malaria
Business leaders attending the World Economic Forum have begun a $100 million fund-raising campaign to fight malaria in Africa.
News Corporation President Peter Chernin and Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson say they are confident the campaign will raise the full amount despite world economic problems.
They say the campaign already has commitments of $40 million and …
Small businesses with big problem need united front
Dear Diane: I own one of six small stores that share a shoppingmall with four corporately owned stores. "Jones & Co." recentlybecame the new managers of our mall, and we six independents arebeing bled to death by Jones and their army.
Every month, the tenants receive statements with additions tothe rent. We have no grass, but they send us a bill for landscaping.We're billed for snow-plowing, but we shovel the snow ourselves.We're billed for entertainment expenses, but they never brought anyto the plaza.
All six stores have been measured three times. By the thirdmeasurement, all of them had grown - one by 200 square feet.
A former Jones employee told me …
Nations Want Answer From Iran Next Week
MOSCOW - The United States, Russia and other industrial democracies said Thursday they want Iran to answer "yes" or "no" next week to an international offer to bargain over Tehran's disputed nuclear program and said they are disappointed that the clerical regime has not replied by now.
"We are disappointed in the absence of an official Iranian response to this positive proposal," said a statement from foreign ministers of …
Egypt: Minister blames Jews for UNESCO loss
Egypt's culture minister on Wednesday blamed a conspiracy "cooked up in New York" by the world's Jews for keeping him from becoming the next head of the U.N.'s agency for culture and education.
Farouk Hosny was defeated on Tuesday by Bulgarian diplomat Irina Bokova in a tight race for the position of UNESCO chair.
"It was clear by the end of the competition that there was a conspiracy against me," Hosny told reporters at the airport upon his return from Paris.
"There are a group of the world's Jews who had a major influence in the elections who were a serious threat to Egypt taking this position," he said.
…THE TICKER
Boehner: GOP to "roll up our sleeves' for public
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. John Boehner (BAY'-nur) says the GOP takeover of the House brings "a new majority" to Congress with a mandate to listen to the people.
Appearing with fellow Republicans at a Capitol news conference, Boehner said it's "time for us to roll up our sleeves and get to work." He said the agenda the Republicans will push includes efforts to cut government spending and create jobs.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters he feels the Obama administration for two years had been "ignoring the voters and their wishes." The Kentucky Republican said that produced "predictable results" at the polls Tuesday.
Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said the …
Soul of Rio's Carnival in informal street parties
On a street in Rio's Ipanema beach neighborhood, Juju Maravilha, dressed in a sultry gold and green sequined gown topped off by a headdress of yellow feathers, takes less than five seconds to ponder a question.
"The soul of Carnival? Why it is here, darling," he coos, pointing at a crowd of thousands gathered for one of Rio de Janeiro's more than 200 informal street marches that give life to the yearly bacchanal of music, flesh, dance and drink.
The showcase event of Rio's Carnival is undoubtedly the two-night parades put on by traditional samba schools _ ornate spectacles costing up to $2.5 million each with thousands of drummers, dancers and …
Holocaust survivor did not head to Gaza on ship
A Holocaust survivor who planned to join a Gaza-bound aid flotilla changed her plans and was not aboard when Israeli forces raided it, killing at least 10.
Hedy Epstein said on Monday from the Free Gaza Movement's office in Larnaca, Cyprus that she opted not to join others who made their way to the flotilla ships from the island on Saturday.
The 85-year-old said she had hoped to join other activists aboard another ship, the Rachel Corrie, that was to attempt to reach Gaza later.
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Murray out; Nadal, Serena Williams through
Being favorite with the British bookmakers worked against Andy Murray at the Australian Open.
No. 14 Fernando Verdasco of Spain rallied to beat the 21-year-old Scot 2-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Monday to reach the quarterfinals at the season's first major.
The fourth-seeded Murray saved two match points after falling behind 40-0 but wasn't able to fend off a third, dumping a backhand into the net.
Jakks makes Swift move for doll collectors
Taylor Swift -- country music's reigning princess, who stole the show at the 2010 Grammy Awards, winning four of of the coveted statues, including album of the the year for "Fearless"-- is stealing her way into the hearts of doll collectors. Jakks Pacific has developed an exclusive line of products based on the singer.
"Taylor Swift is the perfect contemporary role model," said Jennifer Caveza, vice president of girls marketing at Jakks. "She [inspires] a dream doll line with both mom and kid appeal."
The company features two Taylor Swift doll series. Dolls in the performance line are designed around Swift's hit songs and are programmed with a sound chip of Swift singing for 30 seconds. The most recent addition to the line is "You Belong With Me," which is set to hit retail the first week of May. The doll is dressed in a white gown accented with rhinestones. Accessories include jewelry, hairbrush and a guitar ($20). Television retailer QVC is taking advanced orders for the Taylor Swift "You Belong With Me" Singing Fashion Doll. Pre-orders are scheduled to ship May 18 ($22, plus shipping and tax).
The Taylor Swift fashion doll line comes with change of outfit and an accessory ($15).
"These dolls are contemporary and relevant," Caveza said. "They bring to life Swift's own music and sense of fashion."
Jakks will release "Santa Baby," a holiday edition of the Swift doll, in the fall. The doll, dressed in red and white, will be programmed with a 30-second sound chip from Swift's holiday album of the same title.
Jakks dolls are available at Wal-Mart, Target and Toys R Us.
For more information on the Jakks dolls, visit www.jakks.com.
Photo: Taylor Swift dolls from Jakks Pacific come in the performance and fashion lines.
Australia-Bangladesh scoreboard
Scoreboard of the Australia-Bangladesh limited-overs match Saturday at the Marrara Cricket Ground:
Australia won the toss
Australia Innings
Shaun Marsh b Reza 30
Shane Watson run out 27
Michael Clarke run out 25
Michael Hussey not out 57
David Hussey run out 11
Brad Haddin c Kapali b Razzak 16
Cameron White not out 22
Extras: (1lb,9w) 10
TOTAL (for 5 wickets) 198.
Overs: 50. Batting time: 215 minutes.
Did not bat: James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark.
Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-84, 3-87, 4-111, 5-150.
Bowling: Mashrafe Mortaza 10-0-55-0 (1w), Shahadat Hossain 6-0-37-0 (6w), Farhad Reza 10-0-43-1 (2w), Shakib Al Hasan 10-0-25-0, Abdur Razzak 10-1-22-1, Mahmudullah 4-0-15-0.
Bangladesh Innings
Tamim Iqbal c Clark b Watson 63
Junaid Siddique c White b Clark 0
Mohammad Ashraful c Clarke b Clark 3
Alok Kapali b Johnson 0
Shakib Al Hasan c Michael Hussey b Hopes 27
Mahmudullah b Hopes 1
Dhiman Ghosh lbw b Hopes 1
Farhad Reza c David Hussey b Watson 0
Abdur Razzak b David Hussey 14
Mashrafe Mortaza not out 8
Shahadat Hossain absent hurt
Extras (2b,2lb,4w) 8
TOTAL (all out) 125.
Overs: 29.5. Batting time: 135 minutes.
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-13, 3-22, 4-82, 5-96, 6-98, 7-99, 8-103, 9-125.
Bowling: Nathan Bracken 6-1-19-0 (1w), Stuart Clark 5-1-12-2 (1w), Mitchell Johnson 4-0-36-1 (1w), David Hussey 4.5-0-16-1, James Hopes 5-1-30-3 (1w), Shane Watson 5-0-8-2.
Umpires: Peter Parker, Australia, and Amiesh Saheba, India.
TV umpire: Rod Tucker, Australia. Match referee: Javagal Srinath, India.
Result: Australia wins by 73 runs.
Series: Australia wins three-match series 3-0.
Man-of-the-match: Tamim Iqbal.
Man-of-the-series: Michael Hussey.
Congress should weigh bills carefully, Byrd says
DAILY MAIL WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON - Important legislation should not be the "victim of(a) rush to action" in the wake of terrorist attacks, Sen. RobertByrd cautioned his Senate colleagues.
In a floor speech Monday, Byrd, D-W.Va., said Congress and thepresident should act "with all due haste" in dealing with theeconomic, security and psychological fallout of attacks in New Yorkand at the Pentagon, but lawmakers should be wary of creatingproblems as they rush to respond.
And, he seemed to suggest, Congress should think carefully beforeputting aside all debate and disagreement in an effort to appearunited in this time of crisis.
Byrd voted for and says he continues to support a resolutiongranting President George Bush the ability to use force to respondto the Sept. 11 terrorist aggression.
"But as I delved more deeply into the resolution passed byCongress, I began to have some qualms over how broad a grant ofauthority Congress gave (Bush) in its rush to act quickly," Byrdsaid.
"Because of the speed with which it was passed, there was littlediscussion establishing a foundation for the resolution. Because ofthe paucity of debate, it would be difficult to glean from therecord the specific intent of Congress."
Byrd said Congress did not intend to give the president"unbridled authority" to wage a war against terrorism in general,but rather to attack the terrorist origins of the Sept. 11 assault.
Byrd also expressed concern about a decision to drop a provisionthat would have likely slowed Bush's missile defense program from adefense authorization bill. He said the costly and controversialprogram needs to be debated.
Byrd's speech did not advocate revisiting the use-of-forceresolution but was couched as a reminder of the Senate's role inresponding to the terrorist attacks.
"Let us act as expeditiously as possible on the urgent mattersbefore us, but let us also act with calm, careful and thoroughdeliberation," he said.
Writer Karin Fischer can be reached at (202) 662-8732 or by e-mail at kfischer@dailymail.com.
Holmgren Will Return As Seattle Coach
Mike Holmgren will return for a final season as coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
Seattle's veteran coach announced his decision Tuesday, after spending the weekend with his wife at their offseason Arizona home.
"Kathy and I came to this decision to finish my contract," said Holmgren, who had hinted at retirement for weeks. "This will be my last year. We are going to make it the best year ever.
"And then probably after that, I will take a little time off _ but not yet. We are going to go after it hard."
Seattle, which won its fourth consecutive NFC West title, was eliminated by Green Bay in the divisional playoffs.
Holmgren's record with Green Bay and Seattle, where he arrived in 1999, is 170-110, one win behind former Redskins coach Joe Gibbs for 10th in NFL history. Holmgren is 86-68 in nine seasons with Seattle. He passed Chuck Knox this season for most victories by a Seahawks coach.
Seattle will return the core of its team next season, and five of the Seahawks' six division titles have come under Holmgren.
Frenchman charged in suspected terrorism case
PARIS (AP) — French authorities have filed preliminary charges for terrorism against a 27-year-old man who allegedly traveled to fight in the border zones of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Police investigators say they believe the Frenchman of Algerian origin spent 10 months in the volatile region, which is a base for the Taliban and al-Qaida linked fighters, before returning home earlier this year.
The man was handed preliminary charges Saturday on suspicion of "criminal association with a view to preparing a terrorist act."
Counterterrorism agents arrested the man and his brother near Paris Tuesday. The brother was released without charge.
French authorities are on high alert over a possible terror attack and fear some French citizens who have traveled to central Asia could return home with insurgency training and a desire to carry out attacks.
FRENCH POLYNESIA'S 10 TOP BARGAINS
Here are the 10 Top Bargains in French Polynesia:
1. French Bread. Even the fish in French Polynesia eat thefamous French baguettes. They're fresh and delicious - and cost lessthan $1. The long, thin mailboxes at the end of each driveway hereare not for mail; they're for home delivery of the bread - that's howseriously baguettes are taken here.
2. Flowers. There's something inspirational about a culturewhere men and women wear flowers in their hair at all times. And itseems to be an unwritten rule that flowers on these islands are free.Pick any one you see, tuck it behind your ear - and voila, your dayseems lighter, the island spirit more benevolent.
3. Pareus. Pair a pareu with a bathing suit, flip-flops andsunscreen; that's all you need in the way of clothing. And pareus,the brightly colored fabric rectangles that can be worn a hundredways, are about the only worthwhile local handicraft. Costingbetween $12 and $30, they are infinitely useful as a skirt, dress,beach towel, bath towel, bathing suit cover-up and as protection fromthe sun.
4. Local Fruit. With the rich volcanic soil and lushvegetation, imagine the wealth of fruit: pineapples as sweet asoranges; creamy rambutans, a relative of the lychee; coconuts filledwith cool liquid; bananas growing right outside your window. For afew dollars, you can indulge in a tropical feast.
5. Tahiti's Le Truck. Here's one item that would be a realbargain almost anywhere. Tahiti's only form of publictransportation, this cross between a truck and a school bus outfittedwith wooden benches travels around the island and to and from theairport for about $1.50 a ride. Alas, Le Truck stops at 5 p.m. So ifyou land in the middle of the night as most flights do, you're stuckwith that $50 airport cab ride.
6. The Tahiti-Moorea Ferry. Prepared to fork over $30 or $40for the ferry crossing between Tahiti and Moorea, I experiencedreverse sticker shock: $12 round trip! - for a pleasant 40-minutetrip on a modern catamaran through clear, cobalt blue waters. AndMoorea is a great day trip if you're staying in Papeete for a fewdays.
7. Sunset at the Hyatt. In a land where every sunset is anightly event, there's no better place on Tahiti to watch it thanfrom the outdoor bar at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Order a Hinano beeror a sweet rum drink, snag a chair and you'll know you're inparadise.
8. Camping. Balmy nights. A dome of stars overhead. Gentlebreezes. Few mosquitoes and none of them malarial. No wild animals.The sound of the sea. Camping is definitely a bargain here, thoughthere are relatively few campsites. The ones that do exist costabout $10 a night.
9. Lunch at Good Hotels. None of French Polynesia's expensivehotels seemed to care if I hung out on their beaches, sunbathed intheir lounge chairs and ate at their restaurants. I adopted theSofitel chain's Bora Bora outpost and made a ritual of eating thereevery day. At the bar, a sandwich was $4, and the croque monsieurstransported me to a Paris bistro with one bite. At the mainrestaurant, built over the water, a full meal ran about $15. Byhaving lunch late enough in the afternoon, I could get by with justsome fruit and bread for dinner to really keep costs down.
10. Peace and Quiet. There's plenty of it here - and it'sfree. One thing you'll notice about these islands is that everyoneleaves you alone. The French, being the French, won't dignifythemselves to talk with you, especially if you are American. ThePolynesians aren't really interested in you either. No one tries tosell you trinkets or braid your hair on the beach. If you cravesolitude, minimal distractions and no stress, this is your place.
US jobs figures weigh on stocks, dollar
Stocks and the dollar fell Friday after worse than expected U.S. job losses in December stoked renewed concerns about the pace of the U.S. economic recovery.
In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 24.06 points, or 0.4 percent, at 5,502.66 while Germany's DAX fell 41.99 points, or 0.7 percent, to 5,977.37. The CAC-40 in France was 4.7 points, or 0.1 percent, lower at 4,020.10.
Wall Street was poised to open modestly down _ Dow futures were 18 points, or 0.2 percent, lower at 10,527 while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 futures fell 2.8 points, or 0.3 percent, to 1,134.70.
European stocks and Wall Street futures had been trading higher until the monthly U.S. jobs data from the Labor Department dented some of the optimism that was prevalent in the markets.
December figures showed that 85,000 jobs were lost, way more than the 10,000 or so predicted in the markets. That outweighed revisions to past months' data showing that the U.S. economy actually posted positive jobs growth of 4,000 in November instead of the initial estimate of 11,000 losses.
"A loss of 85,000 jobs in December was slightly disappointing relative to market expectations," said Neil Mackinnon, global macro strategist at VTB Capital.
"However, the underlying picture is showing gradual signs of improvement in the US labor market and there are tentative signs that the U.S. unemployment rate may have already peaked," he added.
Despite the modest disappointment, the figures clearly show that the U.S. economy is over the worst and that if current trends continue then sustained jobs creation may well be on the cards in the next few months.
Kit Juckes, chief economist at ECU Group, said the monthly jobs figures tend to be volatile and what really matters is the longer term trend. "The average Q1 figure should be positive and the unemployment rate should peak in Q2," said Juckes.
The figures had been heavily hyped in the run-up to their release as a number of investors hoped they would provide clear evidence that the U.S. economy was already generating net job creation at the end of 2009.
The key driver to stock market performance, at least in the first part of the year, will likely be whether the economic figures, particularly out of the U.S., back up the optimism that is evident in company valuations following a near ten month bull run.
Stock markets around the world have rallied strongly since March's lows _ the Dow and the S&P 500 for example surged more than 60 percent since then _ as investors grew more optimistic about the global economic recovery after central banks and governments pushed through extraordinary policy measures to mitigate the deepest recession since World War II.
The dollar was sold off sharply in the wake of the jobs data, trading down a 1 percent on the day at 92.38 yen, while the euro pushed 0.6 percent higher to just above $1.44.
The dollar has rallied over the last month or so partly because of mounting optimism about the pace of the U.S. economic recovery in the wake of November's jobs data.
Earlier in Asia, Japanese shares led the way, with the Nikkei 225 stock average rising 116.66 points, or 1.1 percent, to 10,798.32.
South Korea's Kospi added 0.7 percent to 1,695.26 as the Bank of Korea left its key interest rate at a record low after the government muscled in on the central bank's policy meeting.
Australia's market rose 0.3 percent and Taiwan's index was up 0.5 percent.
Chinese stocks recovered their early losses, with the Shanghai index closing up 0.1 percent at 3,196.00 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng ticking up 0.1 percent to 22,296.75.
Investors there were rattled Thursday after China's central bank slightly raised the interest rate on its three-month bills, heightening concerns the government would restrain the liquidity that's buoyed asset prices over the last year.
Oil prices fell, with benchmark crude for February delivery down 18 cents to $82.48 a barrel. On Thursday, the contract fell 52 cents to settle at $82.66.
The dollar was steady at 93.25 yen while the euro fell 0.1 percent at $1.43.
____
AP Business Writer Jeremiah Marquez in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
Monday, 12 March 2012
Floods, landslides kill at least 16 in Philippines
MANILA, Philippines - Monsoon rains in the area of Manilaunleashed floods and landslides, killing at least 16 people andleaving at least 10 missing, officials said today.
Twelve people, including a family of seven, died when their homeswere hit by a landslide in Antipolo City outside the capital, cityofficials said. Another man was injured in the landslide.
Four others, including two young children, were washed away byswelling floodwaters and died as they attempted to flee their floodedhouse, also in Antipolo.
In the Manila suburb of Marikina, where a river overflowed itsbanks, at least 10 people, including two children, were missing afterbeing swept away, officials said.
Back Yard Boss
STEVE WHITLOCK COLLISION REPAIR CENTER, PROVO, UTAH
Semi-retired, this shop owner enjoys his "toy box" while "the kids" mind the store
SNAPSHOP
NAME: Steve Whitlock Collision Repair Center, Provo, Utah
BUILDINGS: 6,500-sq. ft. main building, 4,000-sq. ft. metal shop, and Steve Whitlock's 45�45-ft. custom and street rod shop in the back yard. Under construction: 10,000-sq. ft. addition containing offices, metal shop and wash bays.
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 17: three metal technicians and two assistants; one painter and painter's assistant; three preppers; one mechanic/metal technician; a parts manager; two estimators; a receptionist; and two general managers.
EQUIPMENT: a downdraft booth with a bake oven; a cross-draft spray booth with heat lamps; four frame machines, three small lifts and one large mechanical lift; 14 bays and two prep stations; two digital cameras and a 35 millimeter camera; and a colorimeter.
PRODUCTION RATE: 100 cars per month.
Steve Whitlock is living the dream of many a body repair shop owner. A certified gearhead, he's building custom cars and street rods, while a few feet away his shop is humming along under the management of two trusted employees, one of whom is his daughter.
For many years, Steve Whitlock Collision Repair Center has been one of the leading shops in Provo, Utah, a town of about 105,000 nestled at the western base of the Wasatch Mountains. Five years ago, Whitlock turned over management of the shop to "the kids"-Stephanie Whitlock and Jeff Fisher. Steve moved out back to his "toy box," a 45-ft. � 45-ft. shop where he works on such collector's items as his '66 Ford Fairlane convertible, '63 Ford Falcon sedan delivery and "64 Fairlane sport coupe.
Whitlock spent nearly 40 years in the collision repair business, 29 of them as a shop owner, before deciding in 1999 to pursue his true love-customizing cars and building hot rods. he has customers from Salt Lake City and as far away as California, and he's turning a small profit. But mostly, he says, "I'm just having a lot of fun."
His shop is in good hands. Fisher, who grew up down the block from the Whitlocks, started sweeping the shop's floors when he was 14. He gradually learned every job and was well prepared when he joined Stephanie as co-manager of the shop.
Whitlock Collision comprises a 6,500-sq. ft. main building and a smaller structure where two metal technicians work. Seventeen employees turn out about 100 cars a month. "Our target [for gross sales] is $160,000 a month," says Fisher, "but we haven't been achieving that for a while." he says business dropped off right after 9/11 and hasn't fully recovered. Despite the downturn, Steve Whitlock Collision Repair Center is about to expand into a 10,000-sq. ft. connecting building that will include offices, a metal shop and wash bays.
The expansion is a bit overdue, says Fisher. "We want to present our best face to the public, and right now our offices and customer area are kind of puny and right on top of each other."
While the shop is short on posh accommodations in the office area, it's long on quality. "Eighty to ninety percent of our business is repeat," says Fisher, "and I think that's because we treat each car like it's our own."
Those comments are echoed by the paint manufacturers rep who calls onWhitlock Collision Repair. "This is a shop that is much more focused on quality than production," he says, "and that runs through the whole organization, from the front office to the painter. I've seen how both Jeff and Stephanie treat and deal with their customers. It's always in a manner of giving them the best service and support they can. They're very customer focused."
He adds that the painter,Troy Williams, "always tries to stay on top of the latest and newest paint products, and paint equipment available to him." (See sidebar.)
Williams, with 24 years of service, is among several long-term employees at the shop. One of the metal techs has been there for 28 years and another for 22."If they're good, I hang onto them," says Whitlock.
His management style helps to promote employee loyalty. "I try to make it easy for them," he explains. "They know their job and my philosophy has always been to let them alone so they can do it."
Fisher agrees. "Steve isn't an in-your-face kind of boss, which makes him easy to work for. There are seven or eight of us who have more than 10 years' service here, and that's pretty rare in this business."
Whitlock also hosts an annual summer party for employees at his cabin in Park City, Utah, and makes sure that all birthdays are celebrated. He holds a general shop meeting only every three or four months. Fisher and Stephanie keep a tight rein on production through two weekly meetings with three employees.
They try to stay abreast of all the latest management techniques through courses offered by their paint supplier. Fisher has taken three or four of the courses and has come home each time "charged up" with new ideas to improve production, increase profits, or bring in more business. "But each time," he says, "you get back in the shop and you're so busy you can't implement most of them."
Then again, staying busy is what the collision repair business is all about.
[Author Affiliation]
By Bob Yearick
Contributing Editor
Interview with Bill Clinton
REBECCA QUICK, CNBC ANCHOR: Just six years since its founding the Clinton Global Initiative and its members have improved the lives of 300 million people in more than 180 countries. Their focus is now turning to the home front with new commitments to revive the United States' struggling economy.
And joining us right now from Chicago former President Bill Clinton who's the founding chairman of the Clinton Global Initiative.
And, Mr. President, thanks for being with us this morning.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE FOUNDING CHAIRMAN: I'm glad to do it.
QUICK: You know, we realized that this is a turn towards the home front this year with the Clinton Global Initiative. And with the jobless rate above 9 percent, the unemployment rate above 9 percent, I'm just wonder if you're surprised at this point in the recovery that we haven't made more progress?
CLINTON: A little bit. We've got some assets that aren't fully tapped, potential to really rebuild the manufacturing sector and, you know, manufacturing jobs have been growing more rapidly than normal in the last few months and I think you'll see more of that if we do the right things.
And there's lots of money out there in the banks and in corporations that haven't yet committed either to their shareholders or employees or to overseas investment. But there are also some fairly significant barriers to resuming growth and some of them are even psychological.
But I think we're -- what we're trying to do is to find the areas of opportunity that exist now. Just assuming no significant changes in public policy that could lead to more investment and more rapid job growth.
QUICK: I realize that there's not a silver bullet that will really come in and change the entire situation, but if you had one issue that you could focus in on, one thing you could change to try and get job growth back on track, what would it be?
CLINTON: Well, I have to answer two. First, because one of them is immediate. There needs to be an immediate focus on the three million jobs, probably now more than three million, that are posted, that is, people have offered them for hire.
And those jobs are being filled at only half the rate of previous recessions even though the unemployment rate is higher and it's even higher than stated as we know because there are a lot of people in part-time jobs that want full time jobs.
There are a lot of people who've dropped out of looking for jobs. So they're not in the statistics any more.
And we -- that's how we started yesterday, focusing on that. What can we do to make it easier for employers to find people and to receive assistance to train them on their own before they have to make a commitment to hire them full time. I think if we can cut that gap we can hire another couple of million people. That would lower the unemployment rate, increase the confidence rate and get investment going.
And then the other thing that I think we could do in a hurry is to provide adequate financing to be repaid by building owners from savings and utility rates to retrofit buildings. The unemployment rate in construction is twice the national unemployment rate, in some places three times. And you can't build houses and -- not many commercial buildings being built.
So we ought to put these people to work retrofitting the buildings and let the owners who themselves are cash-strapped pay it back from their utility savings. And all you have to do is work out the financing. And there are four, five different ways you can do that.
Those two things could put a lot of people to work in a hurry while we work on the bigger issues.
QUICK: When we spoke with Michael Dell of Dell Computers yesterday and he said one of the most frustrating things he finds is that you can't find workers who have some of the highly skilled, highly educated workforce that you would expect for some of the jobs that they'd like.
I mean, your first point in terms of what you can do immediately addresses that, but how quick of a fix can you really have for a situation especially when people don't have --
CLINTON: Well, I think --
QUICK: Go ahead.
CLINTON: I think you have to break down the problem there. First of all, there are the relatively modest skill requirement jobs. And in that case, you know, the employers may say well, if I hire this person I'm not really sure. They don't have a lot of experience. And the best way to fix that is to get rid of what I think the economists call job friction by giving training money direct to the employers and say keep them on for a few weeks as trainees, they won't be counted as full employees under the law, and work through all these kinks.
That's worked well in Georgia. We had the former labor commissioner of Georgia here yesterday, Michael Thurman, who started that program.
Then I think for the moderate skill jobs, the ones that you need to upgrade the skills, if the employers themselves can't provide those skills within a period that would be covered by a grant of money they get from training -- that's already been appropriated anyway, we're not talking about increasing spending -- then I think we have to adjust the community college programs in the areas more rapidly.
For the high skilled jobs, the kind Michael Dell is talking about, we have to increase dramatically the number of people in the science and technology, mathematics and engineering who -- graduating from our universities. And what we might have to do in the short run is change our rules again and let more students from other countries come in and then we've got to get more Americans to understand that the job market of the future will require that.
According to the McKenzie Study within just a few years we'll be 1.5 million college graduates short in the areas where the job demand is growing. We cannot afford to lose those high technology jobs to other countries. And that may take a couple of years to be fixed. But it could be fixed literally in a matter of two or three years if we got serious about emphasizing those things.
Yesterday we had a whole group of people commit to helping to train more people who are in science, technology, engineering and math to go in and teach these subjects in our schools and try to get the high school students and the junior high -- the middle school students interested in it so we can funnel them into the universities.
FMR. GOV. JON CORZINE, D-NEW JERSEY: Mr. President, Jon Corzine here. And I'd ask how you would relate to infrastructure spending and actually you asked me to run a commission back in the '90s about capital budgeting, which if we followed your instincts then we probably would have been separating out operating budgets at the federal level versus capital spending, which we would then be able to invest to, I would argue, back in our infrastructure and really lean against that wind of those construction workers that are so highly unemployed in our economy now.
Are you reviewing those kinds of topic --
CLINTON: Yes.
CORZINE: -- when you're talking about stimulating the economy?
CLINTON: Absolutely. First of all, I want to re-emphasize, Governor, what you said. I don't mind it when the government runs a deficit that's a modest percentage of our income to invest in infrastructure because they have enormous paybacks over 30 years, sometimes a 50-year time span. And we are only investing about 2.5 percent of our GDP in infrastructure every year, about half what the Europeans invest and less than a third of what China is investing every year now.
It's a terrible mistake. And we've got the roads and bridges and water and sewer systems and other infrastructure networks to show for it. We've got slower Internet connection times to show for it. We don't have an electrical grid which enables us to build 25 percent of our electricity supply from wind.
It's totally self-sufficient and from the high plains of North Dakota border and Canada down to the west Texas border with Mexico, which the Bush Energy Department said could give us 25 percent of our electricity, because we don't have the infrastructure.
So yes, we did. Yesterday we had a lunch with about 15 private sector executives and a couple of mayors, and one of the things that Rahm Emanuel suggested, you know, there's a big debate -- and Jon, you know more about this than I do so you can probably talk about it -- about whether we should give a tax holiday or at least a dramatically lower tax rate to corporations to repatriate some of the cash they're keeping overseas, because they don't want to tax at the American rate.
And Rahm suggested that we have a lower tax rate and take all the tax money and put it in an investment bank and then try to figure out how to add to it and even offer private investors a chance to invest in it.
It's a variation of an idea that my wife, back when she was still in politics, suggested for an investment bank and others have talked about it. You can then put that into kind of infrastructure spending we need, including, I would argue, building a more energy-efficient economy.
I think there are enormous jobs there and every manufacturing job you create tends to create more than two other jobs in other sectors of the economy and it makes America more competitive, more productive. It means we can move around our roads faster, we can have better rail, we could do, you know, 50 things that would increase the overall productivity of our economy and the quality of life of Americans.
So, yes -- and I'd be interested. I'd like to hear your thoughts, maybe not in this interview, I don't know how much time we've got, but the last time we repatriated money it was a good thing for the government's balance sheet. We reduced the deficits below what it otherwise would have been.
But virtually none of that money was spent by American companies once they got it back here to create new jobs or new businesses. So is there some way to give a differential rebate?
CORZINE: Absolutely.
CLINTON: If there's -- or should we put the money in an investment bank? We need to really think about this and work with corporate America to figure out what to do about it. But I thought Mayor Emanuel had a good idea to start. We could take whatever revenues we could get and begin to establish a serious investment bank and we need to think about capital spending, which has long term benefits, different from current consumption.
I like the food stamp program, for example. I think it keeps a lot of kids who are from poor families better off. One in seven Americans at the height of the recession were receiving food stamp aid. But that's a current expenditure.
You don't want to borrow money over the long run to go to dinner at night. No family wants to do that. But it's OK to have a car loan, a home loan and a small business loan. That's the way the governments budget ought to be organized. And it isn't now because your recommendations were rejected by people in Congress, you say, well, the macroeconomics show that it doesn't matter, you either have a deficit or a balanced budget or a surplus.
It does matter, it matters how you're spending this money.
CARL QUINTANILLA, CNBC ANCHOR: Mr. President, on jobs, whenever we talk to employers and ask them why they're not hiring, it's always inevitably an answer that comes back to fear of regulation. Whether a bank is afraid of Dodd-Frank or a small employer is worried about health care reform. A lot of attention now on this Boeing-NLRB thing.
Is there a way out of that corner? Is it a valid fear? And how do you reverse it?
CLINTON: Well, I don't know enough about the Boeing thing to comment but let's talk about the other two things.
On Dodd-Frank, to me the most important thing that Dodd-Frank accomplished was to make it clear that those who have oversight of the banks, which include obviously the banking regulators but also in some cases the SEC on the investment side, have got to prohibit another situation like we had before this financial crash where Bear Stearns was leveraged at 4-1, Lehman Brothers was nearly that high.
You had basically too much leverage, too little cash supporting highly risky loans. So what they said was, you've got to prevent the financial system from becoming this leveraged again.
I'm sure a lot of them don't like it. But that's just common sense. I mean if you look at Germany and Canada, they have merged banking facilities just like America, that is, a bank can be a commercial bank in the old fashion sense and an investment bank. They didn't get in any trouble because they didn't have as much leverage.
Then I think Dodd-Frank has a system for orderly liquidation which is another way of saying we're not going to bail you out next time. This time the investors and the management have to take the hit for making lots of money off of loans they shouldn't have made. I think that's important.
Dodd-Frank does a whole raft of other things. They may all be good for all I know. But I think one way to clear that up is maybe stagger them in over a more pronounced timetable. I think there's only so much change that institutions can handle at one time.
So -- and I like a lot of the other provisions in Dodd-Frank. But let's -- we need to get to the meat of the coconut, try to get basic understandings with the economic drivers and figure out where to go from there.
On the health care there may be some employers who are complaining because they don't want to pay into the fund to support health insurance for their employees. But most employees are going to be much better off and they have been given a lot of misinformation about it, but small businesses will find it easier to purchase health care than before if they so choose.
And the rates are going to go down in many cases. In the state of Connecticut, where Aetna is headquartered, and it's a great insurance company, but they have already filed a petition with the state regulator in Connecticut to lower their health insurance premiums by 10 percent.
After a decade now where health insurance costs have gone up at three times the rate of inflation they want to lower the premiums because they have to meet the requirement of the law to spend 85 percent of the money and their big plans 80 percent in the small ones on health care and not on profits and promotions.
So I still think that there are a lot of people who just don't know how this is going to work and for most employers I think they'll be better off under this system than they were under the old one.
It's hard to imagine how you can have a worst situation. The day before the financial meltdown, median family income was $2,000 lower than it was the day I left office after inflation, and health care costs have tripled.
The United States -- you guys do a wonderful job of talking about comparative interest rates, comparative investment rates, how we're doing compared to other countries, what's our tax rates are. We're spending 17.2 percent of our income on health care. No other big rich country spends more than 10.5.
I was in the Netherlands the other day which is the third biggest foreign investor in the United States. They have almost $400 billion in investment here. Speaking at the 200th anniversary of a major insurance company that writes all kinds of insurance including health insurance, and I asked the chairman of the company -- I said you write health insurance, don't you? He said yes, and we have an individual mandate and all private insurance.
And I said, what percent of your income are you spending on health care? He said 9 percent. And it's quite enough. We should make most of our money in other areas of insurance. We spend 17.2. That's over a trillion dollars a year we take out of the business economy for health care. And only about $150 billion of that can be attributed to lifestyle choice by Americans.
And the rest of it is because we pay for procedure not for health -- that's the medical system part of it -- and because of the way we finance health care. So I believe that --
QUICK: Part of it is tort reform, too, though, right?
CLINTON: Yes, but nobody -- no serious person who doesn't have a dog in the hunt believes that's more than 2 to 5 percent of the problem. And I'm all for it. I think we need some tort reform in the medical area but that's not where the big numbers are. The big numbers are in too many procedures and the absence of uniform procedures that work.
I'll just give you one example. If I could.
QUICK: Sure.
CLINTON: We lose somewhere between 10 and 30,000 lives a year to infections that people get in the course of health care. We now know from experiments that have been done in the United States and health units around the world including in poor countries that you get uniformly and better results if at various critical places during a hospital stay people have to do sterilization procedures, mostly making sure their hands have no germs.
QUICK: Sure.
CLINTON: And everybody that's done it has gotten the same results. We can save $40 billion in the health care system every year avoiding re- hospitalizations and new procedures if that were done. So far there's only one hospital network in the country that has rigorously implemented that system for every hospital.
Putting a nurse in charge -- it's the only place a nurse gets to tell the doctors what to do in each of the critical junctures. That's the Veterans Administration health care system. So I -- I think that there's massive amount of savings in this health care system which would -- down to the benefit of the government, it would also save money for Medicare, for Medicaid, for everybody else.
The whole system prices could come back toward our competitors. And unless we do that, we're going to have a very difficult time, you know, competing. I'll just give you one example. We're spending, I think, about $300 million over the next couple of years to establish centers of excellence in biotechnology around the country.
Tiny Singapore is spending $3 billions to overtake us as the leader in biotech and to generate all the economic benefits. They expect to float from that in the coming decade. We cannot keep putting our country in an economic hole by spending a trillion dollars more on health care to get worse outcomes that we would if we had any other country's health systems.
QUICK: Right.
CLINTON: So I just don't believe most business people are going to be worse off. Now, I do think some changes need to be made in the health care law. One important one has already been made by bipartisan consensus. And that's changing some of the small business reporting and compliance requirements. That needed to be done. It was done. Good for them.
We could change it. But we shouldn't overlook the fact that we've got to be competitive in every area of national life. And that means we've got to get our costs more in line with our competitors.
QUICK: Mr. President, I want to thank you very much for your time today. We will be watching Chicago later today, where the Clinton Global Initiative will be addressing all these issues and more, but sir, thank you for your time.
CLINTON: Thank you.
CORZINE: Great to see you, Mr. President.
CLINTON: Thanks, Governor. How are you doing?
(LAUGHTER)
END
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"More than enough' theme of session
Mennonite Church
Eastern Canada
The Stratford cluster of MC Eastern Canada is hosting the fall delegate session on Oct. 29 at East Zorra Mennonite Church. The theme for the day is, "More than enough," inspired by the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:1-15), where, in spite of the uncertainty of feeding a huge crowd, God's abundance was released and there was more than enough.
An important part of the day's agenda will be discerning the new ministry framework of MC Eastern Canada and acknowledging staff transitions. David Brubacher is completing his six years as minister to conference and is being replaced by David Martin, whose new title will be executive minister.
-Barb Draper
BILL
BILLZWECKERis on vacationMichael Loccisano
Pull Quote: "To be honest, the Scientology center. I don't know if I would have made it through without it." | Actress KELLY PRESTON, telling Health magazine who helped her handle the 2009 death of her son, Jett. Also supportive: husband John Travolta and close friend Kirstie Alley.
Hartings, Lions get slop-happy Guard's unlikely TD wounds sputtering Jets
Lions 10 Jets 7
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. It was representative of such a sloppy gamein wet
conditions that the guy who scored the only touchdown botched hisspike.
Of course, Jeff Hartings is a guard, and the only reason he hadthe ball in the end zone Sunday was because he recovered JamesStewart's fumble. That was enough for the Detroit Lions to edge theNew York Jets 10-7.
Detroit (9-6) kept its postseason hopes alive and severely damagedthose of the Jets (9-6). The Lions, who beat the other Meadowlandstenant, the Giants, 31-21 a month ago, rode Stewart's career-best 164yards rushing and some timely takeaways.
Stewart fumbled while diving toward the end zone from the New York1 with 5:43 to go. But Hartings dived on the loose ball for the firsttouchdown of his five-year career.
"I wish there was a last time," he said of his personal scoringmemories. "It will probably be the only time. I had a lot oftouchdowns in the backyard with my brothers."
The touchdown would not have come without Pro Bowl linebackerStephen Boyd's interception at the Jets' 46 with 10:32 to go. TheLions, who led the NFC in takeaways and interceptions coming in, nowhave 39 takeaways and 25 interceptions.
New York moved to the Detroit 17 in the final moments, but JohnHall missed wide left on a 35-yard field-goal attempt with nineseconds remaining.
"I thought I heard a double thud, like someone got a finger onit," said Hall, who also missed from 47 yards in the first half."I'll hit my next pressure kick, and everyone will forget about this.I feel like Sunday can't get here quickly enough."
Next Sunday, the Lions are home for the Bears and the Jets are atBaltimore. The Lions need to win and get help to squeeze into theplayoffs. But at least they're alive. The Jets must win or get lotsof help elsewhere.
NOTABLE: The Jets lost linebacker Bryan Cox with a broken rightleg.
QUOTABLE: Lions linebacker Stephen Boyd: "(The defense has) someguys hurt, and the younger guys just did a great job."
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Chinese Leader Tours Copper-Rich Zambia
LUSAKA, Zambia - Chinese President Hu Jintao on Saturday was bringing his eight-nation African tour to Zambia, a copper-rich country where China's growing clout has prompted charges of exploitation and emerged as a volatile political issue.
Huge photos of Hu and Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa greeted motorists on Lusaka's main roads in preparation for the tightly orchestrated three-day visit, which follows stops earlier this week in Cameroon, Liberia and Sudan.
Hu has used the tour to cement China's increasing economic and political ties and its fast-growing role as a foreign donor throughout the continent.
Hu was expected to attend talks with the recently re-elected Mwanawasa and a state banquet. The Chinese delegation asked for strict security measures and said Hu would not take questions from the media.
Mwanawasa has cultivated close ties with China, which has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Zambia's copper sector, an industry that accounts for 60 percent of the impoverished nation's exports.
China also has become a major foreign aid donor to Mwanawasa's cash-strapped government. Chinese investment in Zambia now totals more than $500 million, according to China's state-run news agency, Xinhua.
Hu's visit to Lusaka is expected to focus on new Chinese aid initiatives for Zambia and the inauguration Sunday of a new economic partnership zone in Zambia's Copperbelt province, which has become a key source of copper for China's growing economy.
But the Chinese delegation canceled plans to visit the Copperbelt province, where 51 Zambian workers died in a 2005 explosion at a Chinese-run mine.
Accidents and concerns over poor working conditions at Chinese-run copper mines - plus resentment over an influx of Chinese traders into the local apparel industry - fueled political backlash over the Chinese presence in last September's presidential elections.
Opposition challenger Michael Sata won support in urban areas after lashing out at what he called "exploiter" Chinese investors and threatening to recognize Taiwan, which China regards as a rebel province. This sparked an unusually public verbal dispute with the Chinese ambassador to Zambia.
"They're not here to develop Zambia, they're here to develop China," said Guy Scott, a Sata ally who represents Lusaka's central district in parliament.
The government has not invited Sata's party to public events during Jintao's visit due to its anti-China sentiments, according to the state-owned Daily Mail newspaper.
China's involvement in Zambia dates back to the early 1970s, when the Chinese government built a railway linking central Zambia to the nearest port city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Since the late 1990s, trade has soared.
At last year's conference between the Chinese government and African heads of state in Beijing, Zambia and China forged an agreement on a new $200 million copper smelter, to be built by China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group.
The Beijing government has conducted road-building and water supply projects, and also sent Chinese physicians to practice in Zambia - important projects in a country where more than 70 percent of the population lives in poverty and the health care system faces serious shortages of doctors and nurses.
Hu's visit was preceded by a raft of new Chinese commitments, including the release of more than $6 million for the construction of a new soccer stadium in the mining town of Ndola and a $39 million grant for road building.
While many Zambians welcome the Chinese presence, many take a more wary view.
Joan van Otterdijk, a Zambian textile and clothing shop owner in Lusaka said cheap, low-quality Chinese-made textiles being sold by Chinese traders in Lusaka are "destroying our business."
He said China should concentrate on the mining sector "rather than putting themselves into these local businesses."
Chinese Leader Tours Copper-Rich ZambiaLUSAKA, Zambia - Chinese President Hu Jintao on Saturday was bringing his eight-nation African tour to Zambia, a copper-rich country where China's growing clout has prompted charges of exploitation and emerged as a volatile political issue.
Huge photos of Hu and Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa greeted motorists on Lusaka's main roads in preparation for the tightly orchestrated three-day visit, which follows stops earlier this week in Cameroon, Liberia and Sudan.
Hu has used the tour to cement China's increasing economic and political ties and its fast-growing role as a foreign donor throughout the continent.
Hu was expected to attend talks with the recently re-elected Mwanawasa and a state banquet. The Chinese delegation asked for strict security measures and said Hu would not take questions from the media.
Mwanawasa has cultivated close ties with China, which has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Zambia's copper sector, an industry that accounts for 60 percent of the impoverished nation's exports.
China also has become a major foreign aid donor to Mwanawasa's cash-strapped government. Chinese investment in Zambia now totals more than $500 million, according to China's state-run news agency, Xinhua.
Hu's visit to Lusaka is expected to focus on new Chinese aid initiatives for Zambia and the inauguration Sunday of a new economic partnership zone in Zambia's Copperbelt province, which has become a key source of copper for China's growing economy.
But the Chinese delegation canceled plans to visit the Copperbelt province, where 51 Zambian workers died in a 2005 explosion at a Chinese-run mine.
Accidents and concerns over poor working conditions at Chinese-run copper mines - plus resentment over an influx of Chinese traders into the local apparel industry - fueled political backlash over the Chinese presence in last September's presidential elections.
Opposition challenger Michael Sata won support in urban areas after lashing out at what he called "exploiter" Chinese investors and threatening to recognize Taiwan, which China regards as a rebel province. This sparked an unusually public verbal dispute with the Chinese ambassador to Zambia.
"They're not here to develop Zambia, they're here to develop China," said Guy Scott, a Sata ally who represents Lusaka's central district in parliament.
The government has not invited Sata's party to public events during Jintao's visit due to its anti-China sentiments, according to the state-owned Daily Mail newspaper.
China's involvement in Zambia dates back to the early 1970s, when the Chinese government built a railway linking central Zambia to the nearest port city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Since the late 1990s, trade has soared.
At last year's conference between the Chinese government and African heads of state in Beijing, Zambia and China forged an agreement on a new $200 million copper smelter, to be built by China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group.
The Beijing government has conducted road-building and water supply projects, and also sent Chinese physicians to practice in Zambia - important projects in a country where more than 70 percent of the population lives in poverty and the health care system faces serious shortages of doctors and nurses.
Hu's visit was preceded by a raft of new Chinese commitments, including the release of more than $6 million for the construction of a new soccer stadium in the mining town of Ndola and a $39 million grant for road building.
While many Zambians welcome the Chinese presence, many take a more wary view.
Joan van Otterdijk, a Zambian textile and clothing shop owner in Lusaka said cheap, low-quality Chinese-made textiles being sold by Chinese traders in Lusaka are "destroying our business."
He said China should concentrate on the mining sector "rather than putting themselves into these local businesses."
WILL MY FAST LAST?; Can a detox diet really work for an ordinary working mum?We decided to follow Louise's efforts to stay on the straight and narrow.(Features)
Byline: By Louise Prendergast
HANDS up if you overindulged during the festive season. Yes, so did I. Now everywhere I look someone is telling mehow to get fit, lose inches and become the picture of health, and they're telling me it's easy. DetoxThe Easy Way was the Daily Record headline above a svelte and smiling Carol Vorderman last week ''Carol's recipes will let you glow with health''.
Oh will they? Just how easy can it possibly be for a 37-year-old working mum like me to adopt a healthy lifestyle for life?
I don't have a personal trainer to design me the perfect fitness regime. I don't have a chef to cook me healthy meals from scratch. And I don't have time to swan about health shops reading labels on speciality foods.
But the feature stirred my curiosity and I pushed a trolley full of convenience food over to the books section at the megastore. I picked up Carol's book, Detox for Life, and began reading positive testimonials from women who had taken the plunge and adopted the diet.
But I was still in denial. The previous evening I had watched in horror as the red needle onmy scales bouncedup to the 10 stone mark.
I hadbeen exercising regularly at the gym, but seemed to let it slip from the very first sighting of a Christmas tree.
All those festive parties led to a booze binge of George Best proportions and the turkey wasn't the only one that was stuffed in our house on Christmas Day.
The copious amounts of malt whisky I got through would have put my Highland grandfather to shame. God rest his soul. But I've another nasty vice. Whenever I drink alcohol, I smoke cigarettes.
This odd, part-time smoking habit never creeps in to my daily life or my alcohol-free evenings. But at the mere sip of a gin and tonic, I'm gripped with an uncompromising craving and rush to buy a pack of 20.
Die-hard smokers can't understand why I don't give up altogether, because I only smoke occasionally, but a 20-year habit is not an easy one to break.
So while weekends are fuelled by nicotine and alcohol, weekdays have lapsed into an eating regime which includes fat, sugar and additive-laden junk.
I rarely eat before I leave the house but then can't resist the mid-morning office snack of a roll-and-something-fried, with a cup of tea.
Recently, it's been square sausage with egg, on a white buttered roll with ketchup. Delicious.
Chips and gravy or curry sauce is a popular choice for lunch, with a cup of tea. And a typical dinner might be chicken burger with chips, salad from a bag, and lots of mayonnaise. With a cup of tea, of course. And you can't have a cup of tea without wolfing down a biscuit or two, can you?
I've decided that something has got to change. Drastically.
I can actually feel the toxins I'm putting in my system makingme feel rotten.
Mymood swings can be erratic at the best of times, andwhen PMS sets in I could preservatives, caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are banned.
Friends, family, and colleagues, think I'm mad. They find this all very amusing. But we'll see who's laughing on February 14. I've had to swap all my usual foods for healthy ones. I've stocked upon fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and chicken and got to grips with non-wheat bread and pasta.
It's all out there if you look for it. I bought the snacks Carol recommends, such as cashew nuts, grapes, raisins, apricots and pumpkin and sesame seeds for between meals.
And I plan to make big pots of soup and vegetable dishes, so there is always something there when I'm hungry.
I'm about to try kicking my stupid, part-time smoking habit for the first time in my life, and I've abandoned booze. But howam I going to live without my tea?
frighten dinosaurs. And I often feel sluggish and lethargic. I ventured to the gym the other day but felt too tired to exercise when I got there. So I opted for a sauna instead.
I lay on the benchand looked down despairingly at where my waist used to be. I noticed my bust was beginning to take over the whole of my upper bodyand realised I'd soon be giving Jordan a run for her money if I didn't sort myself out.
Then I remembered Carol's bookand I made myself a huge promise I'm going to lose a stone in a month.
By the time Valentine's Day arrives, I'll be a slender nine stones. And I'll be glowing.
Carol recommends a strict 28-day detox diet twice a year and a slightly more relaxed maintenance diet for the rest of the time, which allows fish, chicken and eggs.
But I'm going to try the maintenance diet, teamed with a vigorous exercise plan, and see if I can still shape up within a month.
Sugar, wheat, dairy, additives, colourings,
CAPTION(S):
OUT OF HARM'S WAY: Louise gets ready to bin every possible temptation
WILL MY FAST LAST?; Can a detox diet really work for an ordinary working mum?We decided to follow Louise's efforts to stay on the straight and narrow.(Features)Byline: By Louise Prendergast
HANDS up if you overindulged during the festive season. Yes, so did I. Now everywhere I look someone is telling mehow to get fit, lose inches and become the picture of health, and they're telling me it's easy. DetoxThe Easy Way was the Daily Record headline above a svelte and smiling Carol Vorderman last week ''Carol's recipes will let you glow with health''.
Oh will they? Just how easy can it possibly be for a 37-year-old working mum like me to adopt a healthy lifestyle for life?
I don't have a personal trainer to design me the perfect fitness regime. I don't have a chef to cook me healthy meals from scratch. And I don't have time to swan about health shops reading labels on speciality foods.
But the feature stirred my curiosity and I pushed a trolley full of convenience food over to the books section at the megastore. I picked up Carol's book, Detox for Life, and began reading positive testimonials from women who had taken the plunge and adopted the diet.
But I was still in denial. The previous evening I had watched in horror as the red needle onmy scales bouncedup to the 10 stone mark.
I hadbeen exercising regularly at the gym, but seemed to let it slip from the very first sighting of a Christmas tree.
All those festive parties led to a booze binge of George Best proportions and the turkey wasn't the only one that was stuffed in our house on Christmas Day.
The copious amounts of malt whisky I got through would have put my Highland grandfather to shame. God rest his soul. But I've another nasty vice. Whenever I drink alcohol, I smoke cigarettes.
This odd, part-time smoking habit never creeps in to my daily life or my alcohol-free evenings. But at the mere sip of a gin and tonic, I'm gripped with an uncompromising craving and rush to buy a pack of 20.
Die-hard smokers can't understand why I don't give up altogether, because I only smoke occasionally, but a 20-year habit is not an easy one to break.
So while weekends are fuelled by nicotine and alcohol, weekdays have lapsed into an eating regime which includes fat, sugar and additive-laden junk.
I rarely eat before I leave the house but then can't resist the mid-morning office snack of a roll-and-something-fried, with a cup of tea.
Recently, it's been square sausage with egg, on a white buttered roll with ketchup. Delicious.
Chips and gravy or curry sauce is a popular choice for lunch, with a cup of tea. And a typical dinner might be chicken burger with chips, salad from a bag, and lots of mayonnaise. With a cup of tea, of course. And you can't have a cup of tea without wolfing down a biscuit or two, can you?
I've decided that something has got to change. Drastically.
I can actually feel the toxins I'm putting in my system makingme feel rotten.
Mymood swings can be erratic at the best of times, andwhen PMS sets in I could preservatives, caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are banned.
Friends, family, and colleagues, think I'm mad. They find this all very amusing. But we'll see who's laughing on February 14. I've had to swap all my usual foods for healthy ones. I've stocked upon fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and chicken and got to grips with non-wheat bread and pasta.
It's all out there if you look for it. I bought the snacks Carol recommends, such as cashew nuts, grapes, raisins, apricots and pumpkin and sesame seeds for between meals.
And I plan to make big pots of soup and vegetable dishes, so there is always something there when I'm hungry.
I'm about to try kicking my stupid, part-time smoking habit for the first time in my life, and I've abandoned booze. But howam I going to live without my tea?
frighten dinosaurs. And I often feel sluggish and lethargic. I ventured to the gym the other day but felt too tired to exercise when I got there. So I opted for a sauna instead.
I lay on the benchand looked down despairingly at where my waist used to be. I noticed my bust was beginning to take over the whole of my upper bodyand realised I'd soon be giving Jordan a run for her money if I didn't sort myself out.
Then I remembered Carol's bookand I made myself a huge promise I'm going to lose a stone in a month.
By the time Valentine's Day arrives, I'll be a slender nine stones. And I'll be glowing.
Carol recommends a strict 28-day detox diet twice a year and a slightly more relaxed maintenance diet for the rest of the time, which allows fish, chicken and eggs.
But I'm going to try the maintenance diet, teamed with a vigorous exercise plan, and see if I can still shape up within a month.
Sugar, wheat, dairy, additives, colourings,
CAPTION(S):
OUT OF HARM'S WAY: Louise gets ready to bin every possible temptation
Monday, 5 March 2012
TEXTBOOKS, DIDACTIC GUIDES.(Brief Article)
Panama has obtained a loan from The Inter-American Development Bank for the Educational Development Project (N[ordinal indicator, masculine] 1013/OC-PN). Part of the proceeds will be used to procure textbooks and didactic guides for the 3rd through 6th grades in the area of Social Sciences and Basic General Education. (Proyecto PAN/95/001 MEF/MIVI/MOP/MEDUC/MINSA/PNUD). Bid deadline: Nov. 15, 2002. Details: (1) Ministerio de Educacion. Corozal, …
Car smash like mini-earthquake.
A SHOCKED householder thought she had been involved in a "mini-earthquake" when her Bank Holiday peace was shattered by a loud bang which shook her home.
Judith Clare has told how she rushed from her living room at the rear of her chalet bungalow to front and found a car embedded in her porch.
A specialist team of firefighters from Battle had to shore up the porch and adjoining toilet with Acro jacks after Sunday evening's accident in Cooden Drive.
The driver of a Suzuki Jeep escaped injury when it struck a parked Ford Focus, bounced off and careered through the front garden of the property on the south side of the road.
Bexhill …
TIMES SQUARE RETURNS TO NORMAL AFTER THE PARTY.(CAPITAL REGION)
Byline: Associated Press
NEW YORK While many New Yorkers spent New Year's Day recovering from New Year's Eve, there was no relaxation for 45 sanitation workers who devoted themselves to cleaning up Times Square.
The crews began working at 10 p.m. Saturday and finished up Sunday afternoon. By the time they were done, they'd carted away about 50 tons or 100,000 pounds of rain-soaked cups, hats, horns, paper and balloons.
``Looking at Times Square now, you wouldn't know there'd been 400,000 people throwing 100,000 pounds of garbage around last night,'' said Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the Sanitation Department.
``It looks like any …
Obama pushes health care, goes country
President Barack Obama stays on the health care bandwagon Tuesday, with plans to make yet another pitch for his proposal to overhaul the system.
Obama was scheduled to deliver brief remarks on health care at the White …
Commerce and Capitalism in Chinese Societies
Commerce and Capitalism in Chinese Societies. By Gary G. Hamilton. London: Routledge, 2006. xii + 309 pp. Figures, bibliography, notes, index. Cloth, $135.00; paper, $37.95. ISBN: cloth, 0-415-15704-8; paper, 0-415-15705-6.
Reviewed by Parks Coble
Commerce and Capitalism in Chinese Societies is a collection of previously published articles by Gary G. Hamilton, a leading authority on Chinese business history. The articles, several of which were cowritten, were published as early as 1977 and as recently as 2003. None were rewritten for this volume. As such, the primary contribution of this publication is to bring together in one convenient collection a series of wide-ranging …
Annual IDB conference under way: good government equals good market position.
SANTIAGO, Chile - As the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) opened its 42nd Annual Meeting of the Boards of Governors in Santiago, Chile last week, attendees grappled with an overarching theme: How can Latin America further its development and become a fierce competitor as it steps into the next decade?
Last Thursday, representatives from the civil society joined with government officials to discuss the issue that might be at the very heart of developmental problems throughout the continent: "good government."
It's nothing new to hear that Latin America is often at the brunt of political scandals and government upheavals; because of this, officials noted, …
Sunday, 4 March 2012
FROM VACANT LOTS TO HOUSING.(Business)
ALBANY -- A Syracuse developer of affordable housing is proposing building 35 residential units and 5,000 square feet of commercial space in the South End.
The scattered-site development by Housing Visions United Inc. would be called Knitting Factory Commons.
The project, which will be presented to the Albany Planning Board this morning, would be built on empty lots along both the east and west sides of South Pearl Street and the east and west sides of Broad Street.
Some of those empty lots, which are about a mile south of downtown Albany, are on land where the city in February demolished a historic factory and three adjacent buildings, in an area …
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