What is folic acid and why is folic acid required for pre-pregnancy days? Folic Acid is a B vitamin that the body uses to make new cells. This is always in short supply in the body; the body does not store much of it. But you need it to stay healthy. Pregnant women need this vitamin even more than others. Diet and nutrition planning are necessary during pregnancy period. Foods that contain folic acid or are fortified with it are green leafy vegetables, such as peas, French beans, legumes, broccoli and spinach. Citrus fruits, peanuts, whole grains, white flour, nuts, bananas, grapefruit and some fortified cereals also contain folic acid. It’s very important that during pregnancy planning folic acid supplements are taken. As soon as you begin planning your pregnancy, start taking its tablets, if you have an unplanned pregnancy, take them as soon as you realize you are pregnant. Folic acid tablets should be continued till the 12th week of your pregnancy. Why Take Folic Acid? This is because; the unborn baby’s spinal cord, brain and skull require folic acid for them to form properly. When folic acid is not enough in the system, the baby’s spinal cord is malformed. This is called Spina Bifida. The Right Dosage Usually, doctors recommend 400 micrograms a day for pre-pregnancy care. It could be 500 micrograms for those women, who have a higher risk of having a baby with a spinal cord defect. A higher risk could be because of a previous birth of a baby with a spinal cord defect. It could also be because, you are taking medicine for epilepsy, you have sickle cell anemia, diabetes or thalasemia or your partner or a close relative has a spinal cord defect. That’s when your baby has more chances of developing NTD or neural tube defects. Its supplements during conception planning and once you conceive can bring down the chances of having a defective baby by 70%. It is important to note here that, folic acid is not a drug, but only a natural supplement that the body requires and is usually short off. There are no side effects involved. So don’t forget to take folic acid for pre-pregnancy days, to ensure that you have a safe and healthy nine months. What is folic acid and why is folic acid required for pre-pregnancy days? Folic Acid is a B vitamin that the body uses to make new cells. This is always in short supply in the body; the body does not store much of it. But you need it to stay healthy. Pregnant women need this vitamin even more than others. Diet and nutrition planning are necessary during pregnancy period. Foods that contain folic acid or are fortified with it are green leafy vegetables, such as peas, French beans, legumes, broccoli and spinach. Citrus fruits, peanuts, whole grains, white flour, nuts, bananas, grapefruit and some fortified cereals also contain folic acid. It’s very important that during pregnancy planning folic acid supplements are taken. As soon as you begin planning your pregnancy, start taking its tablets, if you have an unplanned sex ogłoszenia pregnancy, take them as soon as you realize you are pregnant. Folic acid tablets should be continued till the 12th week of your pregnancy. Why Take Folic Acid? This is because; the unborn baby’s spinal cord, brain and skull require folic acid for them to form properly. When folic acid is not enough in the system, the baby’s spinal cord is malformed. This is called Spina Bifida. The Right Dosage Usually, doctors recommend 400 micrograms a day for pre-pregnancy care. It could be 500 micrograms for those women, who have a higher risk of having a baby with a spinal cord defect. A higher risk could be because of a previous birth of a baby with a spinal cord defect. It could also be because, you are taking medicine for epilepsy, you have sickle cell anemia, diabetes or thalasemia or your partner or a close relative has a spinal cord defect. That’s when your baby has more chances of developing NTD or neural tube defects. Its supplements during conception planning and once you conceive can bring down the chances of having a defective baby by 70%. It is important to note here that, folic acid is not a drug, but only a natural supplement that the body requires and is usually short off. There are no side effects involved. So don’t forget to take folic acid for pre-pregnancy days, to ensure that you have a safe and healthy nine months.
Good heavens, still clueless on what Moshi Monsters is? Read on: this will put you up to speed on Moshi Monsters. Moshi Monsters started out in 2008 as a social networking online game and virtual pet website. Majority of players are aged 7 to 12 years old. Gameplay revolves around adopting and caring for a pet monster. Players try to solve puzzles which will reward them with rox, the game’s currency. Rox can be used to buy items in the game such as clothes and food for the adopted monster, as well as other decorative items. Any item can also be sold to earn rox. A year after its release, membership soared to 10 million registered players. As of June 2011, membership was at 50 million and still growing. This year saw the expansion of Moshi Monsters products which now includes Moshi Monsters Talking Plush toys, books, trading cards and a children’s magazine. Meet the Moshi Monsters! There are six types of Moshi Monsters Talking Plush toys to choose from for adoption. 1. Katsumas – these creatures look like rabbits, but have cat-like personalities. These are the most adopted type of monster in the game. Katsumas are very sociable creatures, likes well-decorated rooms, and love getting tickled by their owners. They require lots of attention. If left unattended or bored, Katsumas turn grumpy, scratches the screen, and may throw tantrums. Katsumas speak the Katsumanese language. 2. Diavlos – most of these demon-like creatures are adopted by boys. Though mischievous, Diavlos are one of the most active and friendliest creatures in the game. However, a mistreated Diavlo can become quite its namesake, angry and fiery. Diavlos like fiery wallpaper, spicy food, and disco dancing. 3. Furis – these cute hairy creatures are more fur than body. An unusual fellow, it loves to eat slop, likes to show off in different clothes, and has an unexplainable attraction to Poppets. Furis can be picky in their food, as well as the house décor. Most of the time it will demand for new house décor and will growl and moan until its wish is granted. Furis speak a language called Furglish. 4. Poppet – these adorable creatures are a hit with girls. Known to be sassy and sweet, Poppets like to dance. Poppets may be loyal and playful creatures but when mistreated, it can go into a tantrum and scream loudly. This can be explained by their emotional nature. Poppets speak Poppetanium. 5. Luvlis – these flying creatures look like cherries and are most likely to be adopted by girls. Luvlis are interested in fashion and beautiful things. Luvlis love attention and are quite bossy at times. Also, Luvlis like to go shopping with their owners and love having nice and classy home decors. Luvlis speak a language called Luvling. 6. Zommers – these ghoulish-looking creatures are the least adopted monsters in the game. Zommers are quite hard to care for since they have low health and needs to be fed everyday. However, well-cared for Zommers are friendly and usually like to play air guitar. Zommers speak Zommeranian. You can squeeze the tummy of your Moshi Monsters Talking Plush toy to hear them giggle, laugh, or talk. Each monster comes with an Adoption Certificate. In addition, a secret code is also provided for an in-game reward item. Moshi Monsters Talking Plush toy is recommended for kids 4 years old and above. Good heavens, still clueless on what Moshi Monsters is? Read on: this will put you up to speed on Moshi Monsters. Moshi Monsters started out in 2008 as a social networking online game and virtual pet website. Majority of players are aged 7 to 12 years old. Gameplay revolves around adopting and caring for a pet monster. Players try to solve puzzles which will reward them with rox, the game’s currency. Rox can be used to buy items in the game such as clothes Przeprowadzki Warszawa and food for the adopted monster, as well as other decorative items. Any item can also be sold to earn rox. A year after its release, membership soared to 10 million registered players. As of June 2011, membership was at 50 million and still growing. This year saw the expansion of Moshi Monsters products which now includes Moshi Monsters Talking Plush toys, books, trading cards and a children’s magazine. Meet the Moshi Monsters! There are six types of Moshi Monsters Talking Plush toys to choose from for adoption. 1. Katsumas – these creatures look like rabbits, but have cat-like personalities. These are the most adopted type of monster in the game. Katsumas are very sociable creatures, likes well-decorated rooms, and love getting tickled by their owners. They require lots of attention. If left unattended or bored, Katsumas turn grumpy, scratches the screen, and may throw tantrums. Katsumas speak the Katsumanese language. 2. Diavlos – most of these demon-like creatures are adopted by boys. Though mischievous, Diavlos are one of the most active and friendliest creatures in the game. However, a mistreated Diavlo can become quite its namesake, angry and fiery. Diavlos like fiery wallpaper, spicy food, and disco dancing. 3. Furis – these cute hairy creatures are more fur than body. An unusual fellow, it loves to eat slop, likes to show off in different clothes, and has an unexplainable attraction to Poppets. Furis can be picky in their food, as well as the house décor. Most of the time it will demand for new house décor and will growl and moan until its wish is granted. Furis speak a language called Furglish. 4. Poppet – these adorable creatures are a hit with girls. Known to be sassy and sweet, Poppets like to dance. Poppets may be loyal and playful creatures but when mistreated, it can go into a tantrum and scream loudly. This can be explained by their emotional nature. Poppets speak Poppetanium. 5. Luvlis – these flying creatures look like cherries and are most likely to be adopted by girls. Luvlis are interested in fashion and beautiful things. Luvlis love attention and are quite bossy at times. Also, Luvlis like to go shopping with their owners and love having nice and classy home decors. Luvlis speak a language called Luvling. 6. Zommers – these ghoulish-looking creatures are the least adopted monsters in the game. Zommers are quite hard to care for since they have low health and needs to be fed everyday. However, well-cared for Zommers are friendly and usually like to play air guitar. Zommers speak Zommeranian. You can squeeze the tummy of your Moshi Monsters Talking Plush toy to hear them giggle, laugh, or talk. Each monster comes with an Adoption Certificate. In addition, a secret code is also provided for an in-game reward item. Moshi Monsters Talking Plush toy is recommended for kids 4 years old and above.
Flashpoint is a Canadian import that airs on CBS but often gets pushed around a bit and can be tossed in the mix at any time. It is based and filmed in Canada and only Amy Jo Johnson is American. Johnson was the original pink ranger on The Power Rangers and Stacy Reynolds for one season on The Division. Enrico Colantoni is best known for his roles on American television playing Elliot Dimauro on Just Shoot Me! and Keith Mars on Veronica Mars. Hugh Dillon has built a repertoire of great work in Canadian films as well as starring on Durham County, a Canadian dramatic series. Dillon is known in the rock world as lead singer of The Headstones, a commercially successful quartet that would lyrically tackle issues of suicide and controversial issues of necrophilia. David Paetkau has been in many films but is best known for his role as Evan Lewis in Final Destination 2, where his character has a gruesome encounter with a ladder. These are the four main actors who make up the primary characters of the show; Gregory Parker (Enrico Colantoni), Ed Lane (Hugh Dillon), Julianna Callaghan (Amy Jo Johnson) and Sam Braddock (David Paetkau). The show is engaging as it explores the emotions that often go hand in hand with the job they do. They are a tactical unit called The Strategic Response Unit (SRU) that performs their job within a metropolitan police force. They often deal with high-risk situations but the viewer gets an insight into what happens to people in these positions who at times may have to leave their emotions at the table and make decisions. There is a SWAT-like atmosphere, where an approach to a hostage situation with guns having the upper hand and the person holding the gun can be desperate, delusional and sometimes just needing some understanding. The writers have put a good package together and the directors have not over-dramatized the situation, so it feels real and believable. It is action packed but is not over the top with unrealistic physical feats, extended fight scenes, crazy gun-play or car chases. The writing does not talk down to the viewer but is captivating, drawing you in until the finish. CBS should settle down, give it a time slot, and let the audience be drawn in weekly by the great work by the writers, actors and directors. As of late, this writing it has replaced Chaos in the 8pm Friday night time slot. The intensity of the show is a bit much and should be put in the 9pm slot where it would be a great lead in for Blue Bloods. UPDATE: -5/6/11 –THICKER THAN BLOOD Thankfully, this good series has crept back into the CBS line-up. Sadly, it has replaced a show (Chaos) which had great potential but it seems the network was not going to wait around for it to catch on. The Friday night 8pm time slot has become a sore spot for the network. They have had several good shows, but have pulled them just as the viewers were catching on. We are just glad to have this show back but for how long is still uncertain. Flashpoint is a Canadian import that airs on CBS but often gets pushed around a bit and can be tossed in the mix at any time. It is based and filmed in Canada and only Amy Jo Johnson is American. Johnson was the original pink ranger on The Power Rangers and Stacy Reynolds for one season on The Division. Enrico Colantoni is best known for his roles on American television playing Elliot Dimauro on Just Shoot Me! and Keith Mars on Veronica Mars. Hugh Dillon has built a repertoire of great work in Canadian films as well as starring on Durham County, a Canadian dramatic series. Dillon is known in the rock world as lead singer of The Headstones, a commercially successful quartet that would lyrically tackle issues of suicide and controversial issues of necrophilia. David Paetkau has been in many films but is best known for his role as Evan Lewis in Final Destination 2, where his character has a gruesome encounter with a ladder. These are the four main actors who make up the primary characters of the show; Gregory Parker (Enrico Colantoni), Ed Lane (Hugh Dillon), Julianna Callaghan (Amy Jo Johnson) and Sam Braddock (David Paetkau). The show baterie słoneczne is engaging as it explores the emotions that often go hand in hand with the job they do. They are a tactical unit called The Strategic Response Unit (SRU) that performs their job within a metropolitan police force. They often deal with high-risk situations but the viewer gets an insight into what happens to people in these positions who at times may have to leave their emotions at the table and make decisions. There is a SWAT-like atmosphere, where an approach to a hostage situation with guns having the upper hand and the person holding the gun can be desperate, delusional and sometimes just needing some understanding. The writers have put a good package together and the directors have not over-dramatized the situation, so it feels real and believable. It is action packed but is not over the top with unrealistic physical feats, extended fight scenes, crazy gun-play or car chases. The writing does not talk down to the viewer but is captivating, drawing you in until the finish. CBS should settle down, give it a time slot, and let the audience be drawn in weekly by the great work by the writers, actors and directors. As of late, this writing it has replaced Chaos in the 8pm Friday night time slot. The intensity of the show is a bit much and should be put in the 9pm slot where it would be a great lead in for Blue Bloods. UPDATE: -5/6/11 –THICKER THAN BLOOD Thankfully, this good series has crept back into the CBS line-up. Sadly, it has replaced a show (Chaos) which had great potential but it seems the network was not going to wait around for it to catch on. The Friday night 8pm time slot has become a sore spot for the network. They have had several good shows, but have pulled them just as the viewers were catching on. We are just glad to have this show back but for how long is still uncertain.
It is nice to wear ballerina pumps because they are not only comfortable to the feet, but they are also very trendy and fashionable. For years, this type of footwear has been the favorite amongst many women of all ages. Available in various colors and designs, there are plenty of options to choose from, ranging from simple looking styles all the way to more complex with bright color variations. Here is a take on some of the most interesting products available today. Stylish Ballerina Pumps from French Sole As one of the leading distributors of high quality ballerina pumps, French Sole has launched numerous styles to choose from, ranging from traditional to modern designs. One of these is the Camilla shoe line, which is available in various colors. One version is made from nubuck, which features a black patent shoe trim with a leopard body and toe color. This design is described as simple yet elegant and stylish. For added comfort, it only has a heel size of 4 millimeters. Another lovely shoe style is the Harriet line, which is known for its low-cut design with a heel size of 6 millimeters. Other notable designs from this manufacturer include the Square Toe, the Sophie and the Marianne product lines. For those who prefer something different besides the traditional designs, it is good to try the Heidi, the Hester and the Hortense lines as well. Interesting Designs from Other Leading Ballerina Pump Brands Aside from French Sole, another notable ballerina pump shoe brand is Pretty Ballerinas. It offers a wide variety of products designed for different types of occasions. For instance, the Fashion Emergency Pack is a great pair of pumps that anyone can conveniently carry. Thanks to its compact style and design, it can easily fit right inside a bag. Another cool design from Pretty Ballerinas is the Rosario Low-Cut Pumps. It comes in a unique animal print and electric blue suede color combination. It has a 10-millimeter heel, which makes it compact, lightweight and highly comfortable to wear. Another interesting color for this specific type of product is the strawberry red, which is very feminine, hip and trendy. For something more feminine, it is good to have any of the different designs under the Marilyn Low-Cut Pumps. It has a classic black suede design that is perfect for both casual and formal occasions. Jaime Mascaro is another highly impressive ballerina pump brand. Just like French Sole and Pretty Ballerinas, it offers an extensive collection of neat-looking, colorful and trendy designs. More Points on Ballerina Pumps Ballerina pumps are very comfortable to wear, thanks to their low-cut designs and super thin heels that feel like you are just walking barefoot. They evoke a certain type of femininity, which makes them suitable for women of various ages, ranging from small children all the way to more mature women. For some highly durable and elegant products, you can always rely on top brands like French Sole, Pretty Ballerinas and Jaime Mascaro. They offer a wide collection of beautiful products, all of which come with vibrant colors and interesting designs. It is nice to wear ballerina pumps because they are not only comfortable to the feet, but they are also very trendy and fashionable. For years, this type of footwear has been the favorite amongst many women of all ages. Available in various colors and designs, there are plenty of options to choose from, ranging from simple looking styles all the way to more complex with bright color variations. Here is a take on some of the most interesting products available today. Stylish Ballerina Pumps from French Sole As one of the leading distributors of high quality ballerina pumps, French Sole has launched numerous styles to choose from, ranging from traditional radca prawny to modern designs. One of these is the Camilla shoe line, which is available in various colors. One version is made from nubuck, which features a black patent shoe trim with a leopard body and toe color. This design is described as simple yet elegant and stylish. For added comfort, it only has a heel size of 4 millimeters. Another lovely shoe style is the Harriet line, which is known for its low-cut design with a heel size of 6 millimeters. Other notable designs from this manufacturer include the Square Toe, the Sophie and the Marianne product lines. For those who prefer something different besides the traditional designs, it is good to try the Heidi, the Hester and the Hortense lines as well. Interesting Designs from Other Leading Ballerina Pump Brands Aside from French Sole, another notable ballerina pump shoe brand is Pretty Ballerinas. It offers a wide variety of products designed for different types of occasions. For instance, the Fashion Emergency Pack is a great pair of pumps that anyone can conveniently carry. Thanks to its compact style and design, it can easily fit right inside a bag. Another cool design from Pretty Ballerinas is the Rosario Low-Cut Pumps. It comes in a unique animal print and electric blue suede color combination. It has a 10-millimeter heel, which makes it compact, lightweight and highly comfortable to wear. Another interesting color for this specific type of product is the strawberry red, which is very feminine, hip and trendy. For something more feminine, it is good to have any of the different designs under the Marilyn Low-Cut Pumps. It has a classic black suede design that is perfect for both casual and formal occasions. Jaime Mascaro is another highly impressive ballerina pump brand. Just like French Sole and Pretty Ballerinas, it offers an extensive collection of neat-looking, colorful and trendy designs. More Points on Ballerina Pumps Ballerina pumps are very comfortable to wear, thanks to their low-cut designs and super thin heels that feel like you are just walking barefoot. They evoke a certain type of femininity, which makes them suitable for women of various ages, ranging from small children all the way to more mature women. For some highly durable and elegant products, you can always rely on top brands like French Sole, Pretty Ballerinas and Jaime Mascaro. They offer a wide collection of beautiful products, all of which come with vibrant colors and interesting designs.
In the current economic climate, education has become increasingly important for individuals across the nation, and people are rushing to earn as many diplomas as possible, be they bachelors, masters, or doctorate degrees. A person who wishes to be called well educated must look for the top courses that are taught in universities across the country. These days, the undergraduate degree seems to not be enough, and more and more students are enrolling in masters degree programs, in order to try and stay one step ahead of their peers. While it’s true that many different degrees can help you land the job you’ve been searching for, there are five degrees that are currently at the top of the heap, including the following masters degree programs: Arts, Science, Business Administration, Nursing, and Sports Management. First, the Master of Arts is considered to be one of the best degree programs, as this program teaches you skills that are highly valued across practically any industry. The most common specializations in this program are Communications and Liberal Studies. By obtaining this degree, you can potentially become a web designer, graphic designer, digital animator, video producer, and more, allowing you to help companies enhance their online presence. The second masters degree program that is considered to be among the best is the Masters of Science degree. This exciting program can open many doors to new opportunities in the ever-growing fields of technology, biology, ecology, chemistry, and more. Within each field, you can acquire highly paid positions in consultancy, research, and engineering. The third top masters degree program in the U.S. is the Masters of Business Administration (MBA), which is the most sought-after degree of them all. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, corporate employee, manager, or partner at a larger firm, the MBA can help you open up new doors in the job market. An MBA degree is one of the best ways to achieve the senior position you’ve been hoping for, boost your credibility, or start new career path. As well, you can also pursue a Masters in Nursing, a degree that is very lucrative in the multi-million dollar medical industry. Like most masters programs today, you can also achieve your Masters in Nursing online, without having to quit your full-time career. Lastly, the Masters in Sports Management is an excellent degree to help you build you career in the vast sports industry, which offers the following positions: trainers, coaches, athletic directors, and more. In the current economic climate, education has become increasingly important for sklep z grami individuals across the nation, and people are rushing to earn as many diplomas as possible, be they bachelors, masters, or doctorate degrees. A person who wishes to be called well educated must look for the top courses that are taught in universities across the country. These days, the undergraduate degree seems to not be enough, and more and more students are enrolling in masters degree programs, in order to try and stay one step ahead of their peers. While it’s true that many different degrees can help you land the job you’ve been searching for, there are five degrees that are currently at the top of the heap, including the following masters degree programs: Arts, Science, Business Administration, Nursing, and Sports Management. First, the Master of Arts is considered to be one of the best degree programs, as this program teaches you skills that are highly valued across practically any industry. The most common specializations in this program are Communications and Liberal Studies. By obtaining this degree, you can potentially become a web designer, graphic designer, digital animator, video producer, and more, allowing you to help companies enhance their online presence. The second masters degree program that is considered to be among the best is the Masters of Science degree. This exciting program can open many doors to new opportunities in the ever-growing fields of technology, biology, ecology, chemistry, and more. Within each field, you can acquire highly paid positions in consultancy, research, and engineering. The third top masters degree program in the U.S. is the Masters of Business Administration (MBA), which is the most sought-after degree of them all. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, corporate employee, manager, or partner at a larger firm, the MBA can help you open up new doors in the job market. An MBA degree is one of the best ways to achieve the senior position you’ve been hoping for, boost your credibility, or start new career path. As well, you can also pursue a Masters in Nursing, a degree that is very lucrative in the multi-million dollar medical industry. Like most masters programs today, you can also achieve your Masters in Nursing online, without having to quit your full-time career. Lastly, the Masters in Sports Management is an excellent degree to help you build you career in the vast sports industry, which offers the following positions: trainers, coaches, athletic directors, and more.
There was a recent announcement in the football world, which may or may not have raised much of an eyebrow. The FIFPro, which is the association of professional footballers, announced a list of, wait for it, 55 players from which eleven will be voted into the best team of 2011. This certainly is not up there with the prestige of the Ballon d’Or which has also just had its final shortlist announced. You just wonder where all of this is heading. Award after award after award. With so many token awards for footballers around, does it all devalue the actual winners of these things? Why so many awards. Why so much ego stroking? Alright, there is nothing wrong with crowning a player as the best footballer in the world, but why all the pretence and confusion surrounding such big nomination lists to start with? The list which has produced for example has come from the votes from over 50,000 professional footballers who were polled. All well and good you would think, but looking down the list of players here up for the award, you simply have to scratch your head and wonder just what games some of these players were watching to even contemplate voting for some of the names on that list. This really is taking awards to the pointless extreme. Players know how good they are, what they have achieved. While there is only ever one winner of a yearly award, such big nomination lists simply offer a slap in the face to those who don’t win. Nope, come back next year as you’re not good enough now, and let’s parade that fact in front of the world and its baying media. The most obvious confusion around all this voting for the FIFPro World XI 2011 is the inclusion of Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand. Really? Ferdinand managed just 19 Premier League appearances last season for his club and just four international appearances, with no goals and no assists. Alright, that’s not his job, but was he really so brilliant in so few games to warrant a nomination? Those lowly figures were the sum of his 2010/11 season and this season he has been slacking off with just 15 matches in total for his club, and not on the England radar. So how does someone like this even register in someone’s mind to put in a vote for him? It is somewhat baffling, as you think of some of the best defenders in the world; you think Maicon, Pique, Nesta, Alves and Abidal. You don’t immediately think of penciling Rio Ferdinand into the back line of a world’s best eleven. With award nominations such as Ferdinand’s here, they are more likely than not just based on, „Oh he’s had a great career, a bit past it now, but let’s give him a pat on the back.” There is no truth or value in his nomination, there is no-one, fellow professional or not, who can say Ferdinand deserves to be in such a highly regarded crowd vying for a spot in the World’s Best XI. The way to look at it is this, if you were picking a World’s best eleven to and play a match, would Ferdinand be anywhere near the squad? No. Bottom line. Would he even be the water boy? No, because he would probably injure himself running from the dug out to the touchline. His presence alone in this field of 55 almost cheapens the award by itself. Clearly he is not going to make the shortlist, let alone the team for this one. But what really makes a mockery of Ferdinand’s inclusion in the World’s best eleven, is that he was not even on the initial shortlist of 23 for the Ballon d’Or this season, which is recognition for the world’s best player. Eric Abidal was there. Dani Alves was there. Gerard Pique was there. Ferdinand? Again, no. So it will probably always remain a mystery as two who nominated him. Bet any money it was someone wearing a Manchester United shirt though. Barcelona have eleven players in the running to make the team, six of which made last year’s best eleven; Pique, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and Villa. But we won’t find out until next January as to who makes the final eleven at the FIFA Golden Ball gala. Bet any money that Lionel Messi will be in the team. In a world of handing out awards just for tying up your own boot laces correctly, this is one man who deserves all the praise which can be heaped upon him. He will win the Ballon d’Or over Xavi and Cristiano Ronaldo again, giving the little Argentinean his third consecutive title to put him up there with the greats Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten who all earned three of these awards. That is the kind of company which Messi’s name deserves to be kept with, not Ferdinand’s. If you were going to name your best team, you would pretty much just pick Lionel Messi anyway. You really wouldn’t need Ferdinand or anyone else. There was a recent announcement in the football world, which may or may not have raised much of an eyebrow. The FIFPro, which is the association of professional footballers, announced a list of, wait for it, 55 players from which eleven will be voted into the best team of 2011. This certainly is not up there with the prestige of the Ballon d’Or which has also just had its final shortlist announced. You just wonder where all of this is heading. Award after award after award. With so many token awards for footballers around, does it all devalue the actual winners of these things? Why so many pozycjonowanie awards. Why so much ego stroking? Alright, there is nothing wrong with crowning a player as the best footballer in the world, but why all the pretence and confusion surrounding such big nomination lists to start with? The list which has produced for example has come from the votes from over 50,000 professional footballers who were polled. All well and good you would think, but looking down the list of players here up for the award, you simply have to scratch your head and wonder just what games some of these players were watching to even contemplate voting for some of the names on that list. This really is taking awards to the pointless extreme. Players know how good they are, what they have achieved. While there is only ever one winner of a yearly award, such big nomination lists simply offer a slap in the face to those who don’t win. Nope, come back next year as you’re not good enough now, and let’s parade that fact in front of the world and its baying media. The most obvious confusion around all this voting for the FIFPro World XI 2011 is the inclusion of Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand. Really? Ferdinand managed just 19 Premier League appearances last season for his club and just four international appearances, with no goals and no assists. Alright, that’s not his job, but was he really so brilliant in so few games to warrant a nomination? Those lowly figures were the sum of his 2010/11 season and this season he has been slacking off with just 15 matches in total for his club, and not on the England radar. So how does someone like this even register in someone’s mind to put in a vote for him? It is somewhat baffling, as you think of some of the best defenders in the world; you think Maicon, Pique, Nesta, Alves and Abidal. You don’t immediately think of penciling Rio Ferdinand into the back line of a world’s best eleven. With award nominations such as Ferdinand’s here, they are more likely than not just based on, „Oh he’s had a great career, a bit past it now, but let’s give him a pat on the back.” There is no truth or value in his nomination, there is no-one, fellow professional or not, who can say Ferdinand deserves to be in such a highly regarded crowd vying for a spot in the World’s Best XI. The way to look at it is this, if you were picking a World’s best eleven to and play a match, would Ferdinand be anywhere near the squad? No. Bottom line. Would he even be the water boy? No, because he would probably injure himself running from the dug out to the touchline. His presence alone in this field of 55 almost cheapens the award by itself. Clearly he is not going to make the shortlist, let alone the team for this one. But what really makes a mockery of Ferdinand’s inclusion in the World’s best eleven, is that he was not even on the initial shortlist of 23 for the Ballon d’Or this season, which is recognition for the world’s best player. Eric Abidal was there. Dani Alves was there. Gerard Pique was there. Ferdinand? Again, no. So it will probably always remain a mystery as two who nominated him. Bet any money it was someone wearing a Manchester United shirt though. Barcelona have eleven players in the running to make the team, six of which made last year’s best eleven; Pique, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and Villa. But we won’t find out until next January as to who makes the final eleven at the FIFA Golden Ball gala. Bet any money that Lionel Messi will be in the team. In a world of handing out awards just for tying up your own boot laces correctly, this is one man who deserves all the praise which can be heaped upon him. He will win the Ballon d’Or over Xavi and Cristiano Ronaldo again, giving the little Argentinean his third consecutive title to put him up there with the greats Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten who all earned three of these awards. That is the kind of company which Messi’s name deserves to be kept with, not Ferdinand’s. If you were going to name your best team, you would pretty much just pick Lionel Messi anyway. You really wouldn’t need Ferdinand or anyone else.
Securing a wireless network is serious business for any IT professional, but how secure do you need to be to truly protect your network from being attacked and ultimately compromised, and which techniques will best afford the desired results? WEP, WPA PSK, WPA Enterprise, WPA2 PSK, WPA2 Enterprise; with all of the wireless security standards and options available and conflicting advice of supposed wireless experts, it’s no wonder confusion reigns supreme resulting in the perpetuation of urban legends. To develop a comprehensive wireless security plan, it is essential to know the facts, so we will first discuss the various wireless security options available. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. – Sun Tzu Wireless security options
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) – A deprecated wireless security protocol initially introduced in 1999 to secure 802.11 wireless networks. In 2001, many serious cryptological weaknesses were identified resulting in WEP being compromised within a matter of minutes.
WPA (WiFi Protected Access) – A wireless security system developed in response to the weaknesses of WEP. WPA was designed to replace WEP while the full security standard (802.11i) was being developed in the form of WPA2. WPA implements the majority of the 802.11i standard and was specifically designed to work with first generation (pre-WPA standard) wireless network interface cards.
WPA2 (802.11i – WiFi Protected Access) – A wireless security system utilizing the full mandatory elements of the IEEE 802.11i standard. WPA2 employs a new AES-based algorithm, CCMP, which is considered fully secure. WPA2 will not work with some older network cards.
PSK (Pre Shared Key) – A „shared secret” which is shared between two parties using some secured channel prior to use. PSKs may be from 8 to 63 printable ASCII characters or 64 hexadecimal digits and may be used in the following forms;
Password – dog679leg
Passphrase – Spiderman beat Batman in 1994
Hexadecimal string – 4E102AB2511CEE541
Enterprise (802.1x RADIUS authentication) – Enterprise is meant for use with an 802.1x authentication (RADIUS) server, which distributes different keys to each user after authenticating credentials. This is the most secure wireless networking technology in existence today.Urban Legend: WEP can be cracked in a matter of minutesStatus: TrueDetails: Early in 2001, Ian Goldberg, a cryptologist at Montreal-based security and privacy software developer Zero-Knowledge Systems Inc., along with researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, uncovered flaws in the IEEE 802.11 standard allowing them to read WEP-protected traffic, inject traffic onto WEP-protected networks, and modify WEP-protected data. Essentially WEP is assumed to be cracked now. Solution: Never use WEP! If for some reason you have to, add additional layers of security such as virtual private networks (VPN) or the IPSec security protocol, before allowing data to cross from a wireless network to a secure corporate system. Urban Legend: WPA PSK & WPA2 PSK have also been cracked in a matter of minutes Status: False Details: When people refer to WPA being cracked, they are referring to one of two known exploits relating to the WiFi Protected Access (WPA) security standard. The most recent exploit documented in late 2008 has to do with a TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) algorithm flaw that was inherited from backward compatibility with WEP. This TKIP flaw allows an attack that decrypts short individual packets in 12-15 minutes and, using a QoS flaw, replay those packets with modified data. The hacker can’t crack and view all the traffic but would probably be able to perform ARP/DNS spoofing/poisoning. This is not a WPA crack but an encryption method exploit. Luckily WPA supports two encryption methods, TKIP and AES (CCMP). Solution: While the TKIP exploit is not very serious, the use of AES (CCMP) removes any threat of this attack. Prior to the TKIP exploit, In late 2004, many headlines stated incorrectly that WPA had been cracked. In reality, the standard had never been cracked, but the WPA PSK implementation with a weak „shared secret” had been cracked. Here is how it works; a hacker uses a tool to scan the wireless airwaves for access points and wireless clients. When he finds a wireless client, he kicks him off the target access point by injecting DeAuth packets between them. Then the hacker watches as the client re-associates, completing the handshake with the access point. In doing so, he recovers the encrypted „shared secret” (The PSK). Now the hacker has captured the encrypted key file on his computer, but he must use a brute force dictionary attack to actually get a working PSK and gain access to network resources. A dictionary attack varies from a brute force attack slightly. Where a brute force will simply try every combination of characters in a password, a dictionary attack will use a list of common words and pass phrases first to try and guess a password. The hacker will most likely try a dictionary attack first hoping for a quick break. If the password is randomly generated, he will be forced to use the brute force method. The time it takes a brute force attack to guess a password is a function of the computing power (Number of attempts per second), and the length of the random password. For instance, if a hacker can test 100 words per second, and you used a single character random password consisting of a-z, A-Z, and 1-0 (72 characters) it would take approximately .72 seconds to crack it. 72^1 character combinations / 100 character combinations per second = .72 seconds If we move form a single character to an eight character random password we get the following 72^8 character combinations / 100 character combinations per second = 7222041363087.36 seconds or approximately 319,849 years. Once the hacker has successfully guessed your password, he will have the plain text PSK and will be able to freely access your network resources. Solution: If you use WPA or PWA2 PSK, make sure you use a long random key. Most experts recommend a 20 character key for minimum security, but you may use a key up to 63 characters long for very high security. There are many random WPA key generators on line, use one to ensure a truly random key. Finally, rotate your keys annually, this will ensure your WPA PSK network is very secure. Urban Legend: Using „wireless LAN best practices” such as SSID suppression, MAC address filtering. Static IP address schemes and RF signal suppression makes my network even more secure. Status: False Details: Many so called wireless experts would have you believe that using widely published „wireless LAN best practices” in conjunction with 802.11 wireless security measures will make your network even more secure by making it harder to detect or creating multi-layered security. These practices include;
SSID suppression
MAC address filtering
Static IP address schemes
RF signal suppression or shaping
The fact is that an experienced hacker using freely available hacking tools will automatically defeat these measures in a matter of seconds. In reality, there is no layered security and these measures only create a false sense of security and cost valuable IT resources. In addition to this, SSID suppression can make your wireless network less secure because it forces your wireless clients to actively probe for the SSID, broadcasting continuously wherever you go. This can make you vulnerable to an evil twin attack or data seepage, which gives valuable information that can be used by a hacker in social engineering. Solution: Don’t waste time or resources on these „wireless LAN best practices”, they will not help secure your network, and may even make your network less secure in the end. Urban Legend: Our wireless infrastructure is the most vulnerable segment of our network. Status: Most likely false Details: In nearly every site I have worked on, the most vulnerable segment of the network has universally been the hard wired copper/fiber segment.
Physical Security - It is infinitely easier to plug a device into an unsecured switch than it is to break wireless encryption schemes, and in most sites, finding an unsecured switch is child’s play. Any hacker worth his or her salt will be able to gain access to your network once given physical access to your network devices (Switches/Firewalls/Routers).
Outdated Firmware/Extraneous Services – An unpatched network appliance, server, or workstation with a connection to the Internet is a siren’s call to malicious hackers. Most exploited devices that I have seen have been the result of system administrators not diligently patching their appliances (Servers/Switches/Firewalls/Routers) and/or leaving unnecessary services running in the background to be exploited.
Weak Passwords/Social Engineering – Many hackers prefer to attack what they consider the Achilles heel in most organizations directly either through brute force dictionary attacks, phishing & dumpster diving. Weak password policies allow users to keep easy-to-remember passwords for years for convenience sake resulting in easy access for hackers with the will and determination to methodically gather information via social engineering.
Remote Users VPN Connection To Network With Compromised Workstation – No matter how secure you make your network, it is only as secure as the least hardened segment; and for most organizations that segment resides in the homes of their off-site employees. An off-site employee’s laptop or workstation may suffer from a lack of security patches, weak passwords, vulnerability to phishing and other social engineering attacks. As a result, a potentially compromised workstation may be allowed unfettered access to a secure network’s resources whenever a VPN connection is established.
Solution: Department IT policies are ineffective if not followed stringently and ubiquitously. Implementation of strong security policies can mitigate these weaknesses making a hardened wireless network the weakest segment of your network. In conclusion, a wireless network can be effectively secured using either WPA or WPA2 Enterprise or WPA or WPA2 PSK with a randomly generated key of 20 characters. Anyone who tells you anything else is just perpetuating a wireless urban legend. Securing a wireless network is serious business for any IT professional, but how secure do you need to be to truly protect your network from being attacked and ultimately compromised, and which techniques will best afford the desired results? WEP, WPA PSK, WPA Enterprise, WPA2 PSK, WPA2 Enterprise; with all of the wireless security standards and options available and conflicting advice of supposed wireless experts, it’s no sex oferty wonder confusion reigns supreme resulting in the perpetuation of urban legends. To develop a comprehensive wireless security plan, it is essential to know the facts, so we will first discuss the various wireless security options available. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. – Sun Tzu Wireless security options
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) – A deprecated wireless security protocol initially introduced in 1999 to secure 802.11 wireless networks. In 2001, many serious cryptological weaknesses were identified resulting in WEP being compromised within a matter of minutes.
WPA (WiFi Protected Access) – A wireless security system developed in response to the weaknesses of WEP. WPA was designed to replace WEP while the full security standard (802.11i) was being developed in the form of WPA2. WPA implements the majority of the 802.11i standard and was specifically designed to work with first generation (pre-WPA standard) wireless network interface cards.
WPA2 (802.11i – WiFi Protected Access) – A wireless security system utilizing the full mandatory elements of the IEEE 802.11i standard. WPA2 employs a new AES-based algorithm, CCMP, which is considered fully secure. WPA2 will not work with some older network cards.
PSK (Pre Shared Key) – A „shared secret” which is shared between two parties using some secured channel prior to use. PSKs may be from 8 to 63 printable ASCII characters or 64 hexadecimal digits and may be used in the following forms;
Password – dog679leg
Passphrase – Spiderman beat Batman in 1994
Hexadecimal string – 4E102AB2511CEE541
Enterprise (802.1x RADIUS authentication) – Enterprise is meant for use with an 802.1x authentication (RADIUS) server, which distributes different keys to each user after authenticating credentials. This is the most secure wireless networking technology in existence today.Urban Legend: WEP can be cracked in a matter of minutesStatus: TrueDetails: Early in 2001, Ian Goldberg, a cryptologist at Montreal-based security and privacy software developer Zero-Knowledge Systems Inc., along with researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, uncovered flaws in the IEEE 802.11 standard allowing them to read WEP-protected traffic, inject traffic onto WEP-protected networks, and modify WEP-protected data. Essentially WEP is assumed to be cracked now. Solution: Never use WEP! If for some reason you have to, add additional layers of security such as virtual private networks (VPN) or the IPSec security protocol, before allowing data to cross from a wireless network to a secure corporate system. Urban Legend: WPA PSK & WPA2 PSK have also been cracked in a matter of minutes Status: False Details: When people refer to WPA being cracked, they are referring to one of two known exploits relating to the WiFi Protected Access (WPA) security standard. The most recent exploit documented in late 2008 has to do with a TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) algorithm flaw that was inherited from backward compatibility with WEP. This TKIP flaw allows an attack that decrypts short individual packets in 12-15 minutes and, using a QoS flaw, replay those packets with modified data. The hacker can’t crack and view all the traffic but would probably be able to perform ARP/DNS spoofing/poisoning. This is not a WPA crack but an encryption method exploit. Luckily WPA supports two encryption methods, TKIP and AES (CCMP). Solution: While the TKIP exploit is not very serious, the use of AES (CCMP) removes any threat of this attack. Prior to the TKIP exploit, In late 2004, many headlines stated incorrectly that WPA had been cracked. In reality, the standard had never been cracked, but the WPA PSK implementation with a weak „shared secret” had been cracked. Here is how it works; a hacker uses a tool to scan the wireless airwaves for access points and wireless clients. When he finds a wireless client, he kicks him off the target access point by injecting DeAuth packets between them. Then the hacker watches as the client re-associates, completing the handshake with the access point. In doing so, he recovers the encrypted „shared secret” (The PSK). Now the hacker has captured the encrypted key file on his computer, but he must use a brute force dictionary attack to actually get a working PSK and gain access to network resources. A dictionary attack varies from a brute force attack slightly. Where a brute force will simply try every combination of characters in a password, a dictionary attack will use a list of common words and pass phrases first to try and guess a password. The hacker will most likely try a dictionary attack first hoping for a quick break. If the password is randomly generated, he will be forced to use the brute force method. The time it takes a brute force attack to guess a password is a function of the computing power (Number of attempts per second), and the length of the random password. For instance, if a hacker can test 100 words per second, and you used a single character random password consisting of a-z, A-Z, and 1-0 (72 characters) it would take approximately .72 seconds to crack it. 72^1 character combinations / 100 character combinations per second = .72 seconds If we move form a single character to an eight character random password we get the following 72^8 character combinations / 100 character combinations per second = 7222041363087.36 seconds or approximately 319,849 years. Once the hacker has successfully guessed your password, he will have the plain text PSK and will be able to freely access your network resources. Solution: If you use WPA or PWA2 PSK, make sure you use a long random key. Most experts recommend a 20 character key for minimum security, but you may use a key up to 63 characters long for very high security. There are many random WPA key generators on line, use one to ensure a truly random key. Finally, rotate your keys annually, this will ensure your WPA PSK network is very secure. Urban Legend: Using „wireless LAN best practices” such as SSID suppression, MAC address filtering. Static IP address schemes and RF signal suppression makes my network even more secure. Status: False Details: Many so called wireless experts would have you believe that using widely published „wireless LAN best practices” in conjunction with 802.11 wireless security measures will make your network even more secure by making it harder to detect or creating multi-layered security. These practices include;
SSID suppression
MAC address filtering
Static IP address schemes
RF signal suppression or shaping
The fact is that an experienced hacker using freely available hacking tools will automatically defeat these measures in a matter of seconds. In reality, there is no layered security and these measures only create a false sense of security and cost valuable IT resources. In addition to this, SSID suppression can make your wireless network less secure because it forces your wireless clients to actively probe for the SSID, broadcasting continuously wherever you go. This can make you vulnerable to an evil twin attack or data seepage, which gives valuable information that can be used by a hacker in social engineering. Solution: Don’t waste time or resources on these „wireless LAN best practices”, they will not help secure your network, and may even make your network less secure in the end. Urban Legend: Our wireless infrastructure is the most vulnerable segment of our network. Status: Most likely false Details: In nearly every site I have worked on, the most vulnerable segment of the network has universally been the hard wired copper/fiber segment.
Physical Security - It is infinitely easier to plug a device into an unsecured switch than it is to break wireless encryption schemes, and in most sites, finding an unsecured switch is child’s play. Any hacker worth his or her salt will be able to gain access to your network once given physical access to your network devices (Switches/Firewalls/Routers).
Outdated Firmware/Extraneous Services – An unpatched network appliance, server, or workstation with a connection to the Internet is a siren’s call to malicious hackers. Most exploited devices that I have seen have been the result of system administrators not diligently patching their appliances (Servers/Switches/Firewalls/Routers) and/or leaving unnecessary services running in the background to be exploited.
Weak Passwords/Social Engineering – Many hackers prefer to attack what they consider the Achilles heel in most organizations directly either through brute force dictionary attacks, phishing & dumpster diving. Weak password policies allow users to keep easy-to-remember passwords for years for convenience sake resulting in easy access for hackers with the will and determination to methodically gather information via social engineering.
Remote Users VPN Connection To Network With Compromised Workstation – No matter how secure you make your network, it is only as secure as the least hardened segment; and for most organizations that segment resides in the homes of their off-site employees. An off-site employee’s laptop or workstation may suffer from a lack of security patches, weak passwords, vulnerability to phishing and other social engineering attacks. As a result, a potentially compromised workstation may be allowed unfettered access to a secure network’s resources whenever a VPN connection is established.
Solution: Department IT policies are ineffective if not followed stringently and ubiquitously. Implementation of strong security policies can mitigate these weaknesses making a hardened wireless network the weakest segment of your network. In conclusion, a wireless network can be effectively secured using either WPA or WPA2 Enterprise or WPA or WPA2 PSK with a randomly generated key of 20 characters. Anyone who tells you anything else is just perpetuating a wireless urban legend.
On the home front, the presidency of George W. Bush has caused numerous social and economic problems. While the controversies over abortion and same-sex marriages aren’t fresh, Bush uses „faith-based initiative” to justify his presidential actions. Although the Constitution makes clear the right of the people to choose and practice their own religion without government interference, the Bush administration made clear their support of the Christian religion above other religions by disbursing over $1.1 billion to Christian groups for community service purposes. However, no regulations were set on how the groups could spend the money. Furthermore, no Jewish or Muslim groups received funds (Kitty 615). When controversy arose over same-sex marriages, Bush, once again, used his faith in an attempt to amend to constitution. He supported the Defense of Marriage Act, which would prevent federal recognition of same-sex marriage and allow states to ignore same-sex licenses from outside their borders. President Bush said that „the union of a man and woman…is encouraged by every religious faith.” Bush’s comments on gay marriage were condemned by the Democratic Party as a way to write discrimination into the Constitution. Bush also used his personal beliefs in an attempt to make abortion illegal. This is also in conflict of separation of church and state. Bush, being extremely pro-life, made third-trimester and partial-birth abortions illegal in November 2003. He also decided to block U.S. funds to international family planning groups that offer abortion and abortion counseling. The administration has also denied $34 million annually for the U.N. Population Fund. The fund provides birth control, maternal and child health care, and HIV/AIDS prevention services for women in some of the world’s most impoverished regions. It did not provide money for abortion. It is estimated that this funding could have prevented 2 million unwanted pregnancies, 800,000 induced abortions and 4,700 maternal deaths, as well as 77,000 infant and child deaths each year. On an even more important issue, education, Bush has failed to make progress. After his election he signed the No Child Left Behind Act on January 8th of 2002 and since then, then bill has been horribly underfunded. The Congressional Republicans at that time refused to fund No Child Left Behind at the levels they originally agreed to, preventing teachers and schools from realizing the goals established in this law. To date, nearly $27 billion has been withheld from America’s public education system, and West Virginia alone did not get $66 million in public school funding in 2006 promised by Congress and the President. In fact, every single state in America has had promised funds withheld. During the Clinton Administration, the U.S. enjoyed economic stability. Unemployment decreased steadily, and when Clinton left office the U.S. has a budget surplus of $200 billion. Thanks to Bush and the Iraqi War, the U.S. is now in debt eight trillion dollars (Hall). In addition, the stock market is declining daily. Enron, an energy company backed by Republicans, suffered the largest bankruptcy in American history. Thousands of workers lost their 401(k) savings due to this collapse (The End of Enron). Inflation is also a major problem affecting America since the beginning of the Bush Administration. This isn’t directly because of any act passed by President Bush. This is because of, not only the decline in the economy, but also because of extreme amount of money Bush has spent on the „War on Terrorism”. These two occurrences have forced American business into increasing their prices just to make the margin of profit as they did before the inauguration of Bush. The U.S. has run up a foreign debt so extensive that it is actually affecting the balance of the global economy. The United States’ net financial obligations to the rest of the world could be equal to 40 percent of its total economy within a few years (Becker and Andrews). There has also been inflation in the price of gasoline. This is not only because of the natural inflation of our economy, but also because of the war in the Middle East. About half of the United States’ oil comes from countries in the Middle East which are part of OPEC (U.S. Energy Policy). Gasoline prices rose sharply at the beginning of the Iraqi invasion and have continued to fluctuate since then. The prices can rise and fall at drastic rates of 30 cents a day. After the government’s blunder of Hurricane Katrina, the price of gas soared to an astonishing amount of $3.29 per gallon. When President Clinton left office, the United States was revered throughout the world. Now, we are viewed as one of the most arrogant nations. Not only does Bush have job-approval ratings south of 40% in the U.S., he also faces international hecklers. At a summit in an Argentine resort, Bush’s presence set off protest marches and even anti-free-trade demonstrations (Fineman 29). In addition, several million people took to the streets of Europe on February 15, 2003 to protest the U.S. invasion of Iraq (Kitty 630). The fact that President Bush disregarded the U.N. decision of going to Iraq placed a rift between the U.S. and the U.N. The U.N. was unsure about going to war because their policy is to only attack a country if it is an immediate threat. The U.S. government argued that Hussein supported terrorist organizations and was concealing illegal weapons programs. The United States pressed for military action, while Security Council members, such as France, Germany, and Russia, argued for more time to seek a diplomatic solution. The U.S. and U.N. failed to reach an agreement, and a U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq without the backing of the council (International Relations). Not only has Bush received negative feedback because of the Iraqi War; he has also has faced criticism on his immigration policy. What Bush proposes is to return illegal immigrants back to their hometown instead of just across the border. This solution does not solve the problem. The economy in Mexico is too poor for these immigrants to stay there. As a superpower, we have a responsibility to help poverty-stricken nations. Also, Bush is in support of a temporary worker program. The temporary worker program would allow employers in the U.S. to employ immigrants from Mexico. In theory, it is a good idea. It would give immigrants a chance to get on their feet and would also help American business. However, what Bush is overlooking is that employers love cheap labor. So do consumers, as long as it leads to cheaper prices and does not compete directly for their own jobs. In addition to poverty in Mexico, there is also a genocide occurring in Sudan. Sudan is one of the seven countries that the U.N. says supports terrorism. Pro-government Arab militias have forced more than one million Africans from their homes and killed thousands. In 2004 Bush said that „We made our position clear to the Sudanese government-they must stop Janjaweed violence, they must provide access to humanitarian relief for the people who suffer”. However, Colin Powell and Kofi Annan have said they have not seen enough evidence to convince them there is a genocide in Darfur though there have been 30 to 40 mass graves discovered (Darfur Genocide). Therefore, nothing has been done by the U.N. or The U.S. to stop this atrocity. Though the suffering in Sudan is not directly linked to anything Bush has done, the continuation of it does reflect on what he hasn’t done. Through all of this, the American public has learned very little about Sudan and its people. Again, as a world power, the United States should take action to stop this genocide. Possibly the biggest criticism of President Bush is how he handled the 9/11 attacks and the Iraqi War. Immediately after the 9/11 attacks, President Bush opted to go into hiding instead of returning to his place at the White House as most Presidents have in a time of crisis. In addition, President Bush didn’t visit Ground Zero for three days after the attacks. On September 14 he finally found the courage to step foot on the scene. (Kitty 625). Bush, during his press conference, gave a speech about how he was going to handle his foreign policy after the attacks on the World Trade Center. He then claimed there would be a „War on Terrorism”. This so-called „war” was not only vague in description but also left many Americans questioning what the „War on Terrorism” was going to consist of. The answer came quickly: not only an infiltration on Iraq but also the hunting of the Al Queda throughout the Middle East. The next plan of action was to send American soldiers over to Afghanistan to stop the Al Queda network. This group was led by a very rich and powerful man named Osama Bin-Laden. Bin-Laden is the head of anti-capitalist and anti-American movements in the Middle East (Who is Osama Bin Laden?). Days after the attacks of 9/11 he had a video on cable in possibly Qandahar, Afghanistan praising and congratulating the men who had hijacked the planes that were crashed. He then began to encourage other citizens of Afghanistan to follow in their footsteps because this war against America was a Jihad, or Holy War. In Jihad, if a Muslim shall be a martyr for their religious beliefs they and their family shall be granted a place in heaven beside Muhammad. Also, the families were paid handsomely for the martyrdom of their family member. (Zimbardo 17). This encouraged many Muslims to follow in the 9/11 terrorists footsteps. Many suicide bombers came to Iraq for the sole purpose of kill American troops. This video also confirmed that Bin-Laden was responsible for the loss of over 2000 American lives and produced a face for Americans to hate. After a grueling stay in Afghanistan and the evasion on Bin-Laden from the American military, Bush decided to move troops to Iraq to catch Osama Bin-Laden and bring down the Saddam Hussein regimen. The Bush administration believed that Hussein was aiding Bin-Laden in the terrorist attacks, and also that Hussein was concealing Weapons of Mass Destruction, or WMD. After the Persian Gulf war of 1991, Iraq was ordered to destroy all WMD and to allow periodical checks. In 1998 Iraq stopped allowing the periodical checks and then let them continue again in 2002. When the American military invaded Iraq to look for weapons, they found nothing (Persian Gulf War of 2003). Bush managed to overthrow the Hussein regime, but for what cost? The monetary cost of his „war on terrorism” has placed the U.S. in substantial debt and has indirectly thrown the United States economy into inflation. Bush has admitted that the information he received was incorrect and insufficient but he still does not regret invading Iraq. In addition to the monetary amount the war has cost, there have been thousands of soldiers killed. The soldiers were improperly armed. Just 1 in 8 HUMVEE’S in Iraq are more heavily armored than those with vinyl roofs and doors. (Gordon, C.). Bush severely underestimated the cost of war and assumed that other nations would aid the U.S. (Bush Underestimating Cost of Iraqi War). This assumption proved to be wrong and cost the U.S. greatly in money and in soldiers. Because of the social, economic, foreign, and military problems Bush has either caused or furthered, the American public is starting to view him as a most inept president who deserves to be impeached. The long-term ramifications of his presidency will linger for years and what America needs is a President who has public opinion in mind; someone who is not arrogant, war-oriented, and woefully ignorant. A President who will govern to end poverty and promote peace, not violence and above everything, a President who wants more than to just get his picture in a history textbook. Works Cited „Ban on same-sex marriages.” CNN 25 Feb. 2004. 29 Nov. 2005 Becker, Elizabeth, and Edmund L. Andrews. „U.S. Debts Threaten World Economy” New York Times 8 Jan. 2004. 8 Jan. 2006 „Bill Clinton” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia Online edition „Broken Promises” Democratic Staff of the U.S. House of Representatives.14 Sept. 2004. 12 Dec. 2005 „Bush Underestimating Cost of Iraqi War” Lean Left 31 Dec. 2002. 15 Dec. 2005 „Darfur Genocide” BBC News 23 July 2004. 16 Dec. 2005 Fineman, Howard. „Can We Go Home Now?” Newsweek 146 (14 Nov. 2005): 29 Gordon, Craig. „Vulnerable HUMVEES” The Boston Globe 18 Dec. 2003. 29 Oct 2005 Gordon, Jesse. „George W. Bush on Abortion” On The Issues 22 Jan. 2001 Hall, Ed. U.S. National Debt Clock 19 Dec. 2005 „International Relations” 2005 ed. Software MacKiev’s World Book, 2005 „Iraq War Justified” Bloomberg 14 Dec. 2005. 18 Dec. 2005. Kitty, Kelly. The Family. United States: Doubleday, 2004 Lenfestey, Susan „Security Moms” Minneapolis Star Tribune 4 Oct. 2004. 6 Jan. 2006 Page, Clarence. „Why Bush’s Border Scheme Won’t Work” Chicago Tribune 1 Dec. 2005 11 Dec. 2005 „Persian Gulf War of 2003″ 2005 ed. Software MacKiev’s World Book, 2005 „The End of Enron” CNN 16 Dec. 2005 „The United States Election of 2000″ 2005 ed. Software MacKiev’s World Book, 2005 „U.S. Energy Policy” Solcomhouse 17 May 2001 16 Dec. 2005 „Who is Osama Bin Laden?” BBC News 18 Sept. 2001. 7 Jan. 2006. Zimbardo, Phillip G. „The Psychology of Power and Evil” Stanford University Psychology Dept. 7 Jan. 2006. pg. 17 On the home front, the presidency of George W. Bush has caused numerous social and economic problems. While the controversies over abortion and same-sex marriages aren’t fresh, Bush uses „faith-based initiative” to justify his presidential actions. Although the Constitution makes clear the right of the people to choose and practice their own religion without government interference, the Bush administration made clear their support of the Christian religion above other religions by disbursing over $1.1 billion to Christian groups for torby papierowe community service purposes. However, no regulations were set on how the groups could spend the money. Furthermore, no Jewish or Muslim groups received funds (Kitty 615). When controversy arose over same-sex marriages, Bush, once again, used his faith in an attempt to amend to constitution. He supported the Defense of Marriage Act, which would prevent federal recognition of same-sex marriage and allow states to ignore same-sex licenses from outside their borders. President Bush said that „the union of a man and woman…is encouraged by every religious faith.” Bush’s comments on gay marriage were condemned by the Democratic Party as a way to write discrimination into the Constitution. Bush also used his personal beliefs in an attempt to make abortion illegal. This is also in conflict of separation of church and state. Bush, being extremely pro-life, made third-trimester and partial-birth abortions illegal in November 2003. He also decided to block U.S. funds to international family planning groups that offer abortion and abortion counseling. The administration has also denied $34 million annually for the U.N. Population Fund. The fund provides birth control, maternal and child health care, and HIV/AIDS prevention services for women in some of the world’s most impoverished regions. It did not provide money for abortion. It is estimated that this funding could have prevented 2 million unwanted pregnancies, 800,000 induced abortions and 4,700 maternal deaths, as well as 77,000 infant and child deaths each year. On an even more important issue, education, Bush has failed to make progress. After his election he signed the No Child Left Behind Act on January 8th of 2002 and since then, then bill has been horribly underfunded. The Congressional Republicans at that time refused to fund No Child Left Behind at the levels they originally agreed to, preventing teachers and schools from realizing the goals established in this law. To date, nearly $27 billion has been withheld from America’s public education system, and West Virginia alone did not get $66 million in public school funding in 2006 promised by Congress and the President. In fact, every single state in America has had promised funds withheld. During the Clinton Administration, the U.S. enjoyed economic stability. Unemployment decreased steadily, and when Clinton left office the U.S. has a budget surplus of $200 billion. Thanks to Bush and the Iraqi War, the U.S. is now in debt eight trillion dollars (Hall). In addition, the stock market is declining daily. Enron, an energy company backed by Republicans, suffered the largest bankruptcy in American history. Thousands of workers lost their 401(k) savings due to this collapse (The End of Enron). Inflation is also a major problem affecting America since the beginning of the Bush Administration. This isn’t directly because of any act passed by President Bush. This is because of, not only the decline in the economy, but also because of extreme amount of money Bush has spent on the „War on Terrorism”. These two occurrences have forced American business into increasing their prices just to make the margin of profit as they did before the inauguration of Bush. The U.S. has run up a foreign debt so extensive that it is actually affecting the balance of the global economy. The United States’ net financial obligations to the rest of the world could be equal to 40 percent of its total economy within a few years (Becker and Andrews). There has also been inflation in the price of gasoline. This is not only because of the natural inflation of our economy, but also because of the war in the Middle East. About half of the United States’ oil comes from countries in the Middle East which are part of OPEC (U.S. Energy Policy). Gasoline prices rose sharply at the beginning of the Iraqi invasion and have continued to fluctuate since then. The prices can rise and fall at drastic rates of 30 cents a day. After the government’s blunder of Hurricane Katrina, the price of gas soared to an astonishing amount of $3.29 per gallon. When President Clinton left office, the United States was revered throughout the world. Now, we are viewed as one of the most arrogant nations. Not only does Bush have job-approval ratings south of 40% in the U.S., he also faces international hecklers. At a summit in an Argentine resort, Bush’s presence set off protest marches and even anti-free-trade demonstrations (Fineman 29). In addition, several million people took to the streets of Europe on February 15, 2003 to protest the U.S. invasion of Iraq (Kitty 630). The fact that President Bush disregarded the U.N. decision of going to Iraq placed a rift between the U.S. and the U.N. The U.N. was unsure about going to war because their policy is to only attack a country if it is an immediate threat. The U.S. government argued that Hussein supported terrorist organizations and was concealing illegal weapons programs. The United States pressed for military action, while Security Council members, such as France, Germany, and Russia, argued for more time to seek a diplomatic solution. The U.S. and U.N. failed to reach an agreement, and a U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq without the backing of the council (International Relations). Not only has Bush received negative feedback because of the Iraqi War; he has also has faced criticism on his immigration policy. What Bush proposes is to return illegal immigrants back to their hometown instead of just across the border. This solution does not solve the problem. The economy in Mexico is too poor for these immigrants to stay there. As a superpower, we have a responsibility to help poverty-stricken nations. Also, Bush is in support of a temporary worker program. The temporary worker program would allow employers in the U.S. to employ immigrants from Mexico. In theory, it is a good idea. It would give immigrants a chance to get on their feet and would also help American business. However, what Bush is overlooking is that employers love cheap labor. So do consumers, as long as it leads to cheaper prices and does not compete directly for their own jobs. In addition to poverty in Mexico, there is also a genocide occurring in Sudan. Sudan is one of the seven countries that the U.N. says supports terrorism. Pro-government Arab militias have forced more than one million Africans from their homes and killed thousands. In 2004 Bush said that „We made our position clear to the Sudanese government-they must stop Janjaweed violence, they must provide access to humanitarian relief for the people who suffer”. However, Colin Powell and Kofi Annan have said they have not seen enough evidence to convince them there is a genocide in Darfur though there have been 30 to 40 mass graves discovered (Darfur Genocide). Therefore, nothing has been done by the U.N. or The U.S. to stop this atrocity. Though the suffering in Sudan is not directly linked to anything Bush has done, the continuation of it does reflect on what he hasn’t done. Through all of this, the American public has learned very little about Sudan and its people. Again, as a world power, the United States should take action to stop this genocide. Possibly the biggest criticism of President Bush is how he handled the 9/11 attacks and the Iraqi War. Immediately after the 9/11 attacks, President Bush opted to go into hiding instead of returning to his place at the White House as most Presidents have in a time of crisis. In addition, President Bush didn’t visit Ground Zero for three days after the attacks. On September 14 he finally found the courage to step foot on the scene. (Kitty 625). Bush, during his press conference, gave a speech about how he was going to handle his foreign policy after the attacks on the World Trade Center. He then claimed there would be a „War on Terrorism”. This so-called „war” was not only vague in description but also left many Americans questioning what the „War on Terrorism” was going to consist of. The answer came quickly: not only an infiltration on Iraq but also the hunting of the Al Queda throughout the Middle East. The next plan of action was to send American soldiers over to Afghanistan to stop the Al Queda network. This group was led by a very rich and powerful man named Osama Bin-Laden. Bin-Laden is the head of anti-capitalist and anti-American movements in the Middle East (Who is Osama Bin Laden?). Days after the attacks of 9/11 he had a video on cable in possibly Qandahar, Afghanistan praising and congratulating the men who had hijacked the planes that were crashed. He then began to encourage other citizens of Afghanistan to follow in their footsteps because this war against America was a Jihad, or Holy War. In Jihad, if a Muslim shall be a martyr for their religious beliefs they and their family shall be granted a place in heaven beside Muhammad. Also, the families were paid handsomely for the martyrdom of their family member. (Zimbardo 17). This encouraged many Muslims to follow in the 9/11 terrorists footsteps. Many suicide bombers came to Iraq for the sole purpose of kill American troops. This video also confirmed that Bin-Laden was responsible for the loss of over 2000 American lives and produced a face for Americans to hate. After a grueling stay in Afghanistan and the evasion on Bin-Laden from the American military, Bush decided to move troops to Iraq to catch Osama Bin-Laden and bring down the Saddam Hussein regimen. The Bush administration believed that Hussein was aiding Bin-Laden in the terrorist attacks, and also that Hussein was concealing Weapons of Mass Destruction, or WMD. After the Persian Gulf war of 1991, Iraq was ordered to destroy all WMD and to allow periodical checks. In 1998 Iraq stopped allowing the periodical checks and then let them continue again in 2002. When the American military invaded Iraq to look for weapons, they found nothing (Persian Gulf War of 2003). Bush managed to overthrow the Hussein regime, but for what cost? The monetary cost of his „war on terrorism” has placed the U.S. in substantial debt and has indirectly thrown the United States economy into inflation. Bush has admitted that the information he received was incorrect and insufficient but he still does not regret invading Iraq. In addition to the monetary amount the war has cost, there have been thousands of soldiers killed. The soldiers were improperly armed. Just 1 in 8 HUMVEE’S in Iraq are more heavily armored than those with vinyl roofs and doors. (Gordon, C.). Bush severely underestimated the cost of war and assumed that other nations would aid the U.S. (Bush Underestimating Cost of Iraqi War). This assumption proved to be wrong and cost the U.S. greatly in money and in soldiers. Because of the social, economic, foreign, and military problems Bush has either caused or furthered, the American public is starting to view him as a most inept president who deserves to be impeached. The long-term ramifications of his presidency will linger for years and what America needs is a President who has public opinion in mind; someone who is not arrogant, war-oriented, and woefully ignorant. A President who will govern to end poverty and promote peace, not violence and above everything, a President who wants more than to just get his picture in a history textbook. Works Cited „Ban on same-sex marriages.” CNN 25 Feb. 2004. 29 Nov. 2005 Becker, Elizabeth, and Edmund L. Andrews. „U.S. Debts Threaten World Economy” New York Times 8 Jan. 2004. 8 Jan. 2006 „Bill Clinton” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia Online edition „Broken Promises” Democratic Staff of the U.S. House of Representatives.14 Sept. 2004. 12 Dec. 2005 „Bush Underestimating Cost of Iraqi War” Lean Left 31 Dec. 2002. 15 Dec. 2005 „Darfur Genocide” BBC News 23 July 2004. 16 Dec. 2005 Fineman, Howard. „Can We Go Home Now?” Newsweek 146 (14 Nov. 2005): 29 Gordon, Craig. „Vulnerable HUMVEES” The Boston Globe 18 Dec. 2003. 29 Oct 2005 Gordon, Jesse. „George W. Bush on Abortion” On The Issues 22 Jan. 2001 Hall, Ed. U.S. National Debt Clock 19 Dec. 2005 „International Relations” 2005 ed. Software MacKiev’s World Book, 2005 „Iraq War Justified” Bloomberg 14 Dec. 2005. 18 Dec. 2005. Kitty, Kelly. The Family. United States: Doubleday, 2004 Lenfestey, Susan „Security Moms” Minneapolis Star Tribune 4 Oct. 2004. 6 Jan. 2006 Page, Clarence. „Why Bush’s Border Scheme Won’t Work” Chicago Tribune 1 Dec. 2005 11 Dec. 2005 „Persian Gulf War of 2003″ 2005 ed. Software MacKiev’s World Book, 2005 „The End of Enron” CNN 16 Dec. 2005 „The United States Election of 2000″ 2005 ed. Software MacKiev’s World Book, 2005 „U.S. Energy Policy” Solcomhouse 17 May 2001 16 Dec. 2005 „Who is Osama Bin Laden?” BBC News 18 Sept. 2001. 7 Jan. 2006. Zimbardo, Phillip G. „The Psychology of Power and Evil” Stanford University Psychology Dept. 7 Jan. 2006. pg. 17
Managing your spending power to meet your needs is more important that „keeping up” with inflation. Personal finance and investment writers constantly advise and admonish us to make sure that the value of our investments keep rising to match (if not exceed) inflation. There’s a sound reason for this. Inflation has been gradually eroding the value of our currency since the end of World War 2. From 1973 to 1982, the erosion was not even gradual. Everybody who went shopping during that period remembers how the prices of groceries and other goods seemed to go up every week. If the price didn’t go up, what you got went down. It was the era of the incredible shrinking candy bars. That is the period when annual Cost Of Living Allowances (COLAs) were instituted for recipients of Social Security and Veterans Administration benefits, government workers, and many private sector workers covered under union contracts. Of course, this institutionalized annual increases in expenses in the economy, which helps to maintain inflation in the economy. So if I agree that inflation is a steady, insidious destroyer of the spending value of money, how does my advice differ from other financial writers? I recognize that spending power should be managed across time. And what I mean by that, is that it’s usually better to defer spending when you don’t need it, for times that you do . . . even if the spending power is reduced. An example will make this clearer. But first, remember that „saving money” is just another way of saying „postponing consumption.” When you have $100 today you can choose to spend it — or you can choose to save it so that you can use it to buy something later in your life, whether next week or when you’re 105 years old. In the 1970s, in reaction to the high inflation of that time, it became common wisdom to spend the money you had, as soon as you got it — because it’d buy less in the future. The most extreme case of this syndrome happened in Germany during the 1920s. Employers had to pay their employees during the middle of the day, then allow them to take their wheelbarrows full of their day’s pay home during their lunch hour to buy bread for dinner. That’s hyperinflation! America in the 1970s was not that bad, but it was bad enough to really discourage savings, and to encourage financial writers to advise: „Your investments must keep up with inflation.” The problem is that planning for your retirement requires postponing consumption. You MUST save some of the money you earn during your younger years instead of spend it, so you will have it to spend during your elder years, when you’re not bringing home a paycheck. It’s nice if you can find investments that maintain the spending power of that money — but is it really a disaster if you don’t? Let’s say you’re now about 35 or 45 or 55 — and working hard. All your bills are paid. You have a few thousand dollars extra, so you think about how much you’d like to take a Hawaiian cruise. What if, instead of taking that cruise, you wisely decide to postpone consumption. You place that few thousand dollars into an investment that does NOT keep up with inflation. Now it’s many years later. You’re too old and sick to work. You depend on Social Security and a pension, but they aren’t enough for the lifestyle of your dreams. One day you remember that few thousand dollars you put aside in lieu of taking a cruise around Hawaiian. Inflation has reduced its spending money so that now it takes a few thousand dollars to buy a good meal. So you withdraw that money and buy yourself that meal . . . THE FIRST MEAL YOU’VE EATEN IN FIVE DAYS! So when is that few thousand dollars more important to you? When you have an affluent lifestyle and just want to take a Hawaiian cruise? Or when it buys a meal that keeps you from starving? That’s what I mean by managing spending power to meet your needs. Of course, it’s even better to invest that few thousand dollars in a way that will allow you to take as many Hawaiian cruises as you want, once you retire. But too many people get discouraged by the „keep up with inflation” mantra, especially when they look at what their money earns in savings accounts and certificates of deposit. They fall into the trap of buying risky stocks for „growth,” or they allow low yields on bonds and Treasuries to give in to the human impulse to buy now instead of save something for the future. It’s better to have a retirement of savings with reduced spending power — instead of no savings and therefore no spending power. Managing your spending power to meet your needs is more important that „keeping up” with inflation. Personal finance and investment writers constantly advise and admonish us to make sure that the value of our investments keep rising to match (if not exceed) inflation. There’s a sound reason for this. Inflation has rzeczoznawca majątkowy been gradually eroding the value of our currency since the end of World War 2. From 1973 to 1982, the erosion was not even gradual. Everybody who went shopping during that period remembers how the prices of groceries and other goods seemed to go up every week. If the price didn’t go up, what you got went down. It was the era of the incredible shrinking candy bars. That is the period when annual Cost Of Living Allowances (COLAs) were instituted for recipients of Social Security and Veterans Administration benefits, government workers, and many private sector workers covered under union contracts. Of course, this institutionalized annual increases in expenses in the economy, which helps to maintain inflation in the economy. So if I agree that inflation is a steady, insidious destroyer of the spending value of money, how does my advice differ from other financial writers? I recognize that spending power should be managed across time. And what I mean by that, is that it’s usually better to defer spending when you don’t need it, for times that you do . . . even if the spending power is reduced. An example will make this clearer. But first, remember that „saving money” is just another way of saying „postponing consumption.” When you have $100 today you can choose to spend it — or you can choose to save it so that you can use it to buy something later in your life, whether next week or when you’re 105 years old. In the 1970s, in reaction to the high inflation of that time, it became common wisdom to spend the money you had, as soon as you got it — because it’d buy less in the future. The most extreme case of this syndrome happened in Germany during the 1920s. Employers had to pay their employees during the middle of the day, then allow them to take their wheelbarrows full of their day’s pay home during their lunch hour to buy bread for dinner. That’s hyperinflation! America in the 1970s was not that bad, but it was bad enough to really discourage savings, and to encourage financial writers to advise: „Your investments must keep up with inflation.” The problem is that planning for your retirement requires postponing consumption. You MUST save some of the money you earn during your younger years instead of spend it, so you will have it to spend during your elder years, when you’re not bringing home a paycheck. It’s nice if you can find investments that maintain the spending power of that money — but is it really a disaster if you don’t? Let’s say you’re now about 35 or 45 or 55 — and working hard. All your bills are paid. You have a few thousand dollars extra, so you think about how much you’d like to take a Hawaiian cruise. What if, instead of taking that cruise, you wisely decide to postpone consumption. You place that few thousand dollars into an investment that does NOT keep up with inflation. Now it’s many years later. You’re too old and sick to work. You depend on Social Security and a pension, but they aren’t enough for the lifestyle of your dreams. One day you remember that few thousand dollars you put aside in lieu of taking a cruise around Hawaiian. Inflation has reduced its spending money so that now it takes a few thousand dollars to buy a good meal. So you withdraw that money and buy yourself that meal . . . THE FIRST MEAL YOU’VE EATEN IN FIVE DAYS! So when is that few thousand dollars more important to you? When you have an affluent lifestyle and just want to take a Hawaiian cruise? Or when it buys a meal that keeps you from starving? That’s what I mean by managing spending power to meet your needs. Of course, it’s even better to invest that few thousand dollars in a way that will allow you to take as many Hawaiian cruises as you want, once you retire. But too many people get discouraged by the „keep up with inflation” mantra, especially when they look at what their money earns in savings accounts and certificates of deposit. They fall into the trap of buying risky stocks for „growth,” or they allow low yields on bonds and Treasuries to give in to the human impulse to buy now instead of save something for the future. It’s better to have a retirement of savings with reduced spending power — instead of no savings and therefore no spending power.