James Stabile Info News Blog October 2007

Discussion of The Month

October 2007...What can I say. Those months keep rolling by, soon it will be the end of 2007. This may be a good time to remind the readers of this blog to review the end of the calendar year responsibilities. Yes, the holiday festivities and responsibilities as well as family and individual responsibilities, but don't forget your 2007 tax burden preparations. This is the time to review and refresh your 2007 tax preparations and calculations. January 1, 2008 is right around the corner, so is the the 2007 tax season.

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Entertainment

Roger Federer does it again. He won the US Open for the fourth time and nears a record with his 12th Grand Slam tennis title. Only a few tennis stars have won more Grand Slams than Roger Federer. Although his performance in the 2007 US Open was a little sloppy, he did manage to prove to the world that he is one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

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The Cure aired on Movie Plex in September. It was a very emotional, heart rendering story of the friendship of two young boys. One of the boys had AIDS the other, Brad Renfro, tried to find a cure by using information involving the discovering of cures for other diseases. It was a striking movie about true friendship. By the way, neither of the boys were gay. AIDS does afflict people who are not gay, too.

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The 2007-2008 television season is well underway. To tell you the truth, I'm not too excited. TV programming is becoming all too predictable. There are way too many so called reality shows. I deplore reality shows. I am really not interested in the dancing, bachelor, wife shop, idol or any of those other reality shows. If I want to view reality shows, I will take better note of the world in which we live and study human behavior in the realist of worlds, the human existence. That be as it may, I do enjoy comedies, although most comedies on TV are poorly done and quickly exhaustible. I lose interest after a few weeks of viewing. Dramas too are less than expected. They never live up to their expectation. Don't get me wrong, my television set is usually on, just providing noise. Usually I am not in the room. I hear the noise so I know that I'm still alive, but enjoy it, you must be kidding.

I tell you what, I do enjoy the old shows, especially the movies. Give me an old movie, an Alfred Hitchcock venue and I'm entertained. Give me an old fashion love story and I am in love again. Give me 50's or 60's situation comedy and I Love Lucy. Give me a Perry Mason, Matlock, Jessica Fletcher or any of those old private eye or detective shows and I am conjuring up solutions to those mysteries and sitting on the edge of my seat watching the end play out as I have done several and I mean several times before. Or give me a classic horror movie - anything that has to do with Freddie, Jason, Friday the 13, etc. and I'm simply in heaven or hell or horrified out of my wit, but enjoying the walk down memory lane.

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You may have noticed that there are no cinema motion picture movies mentioned this month. No, that's no accident. I didn't go to the neighborhood cinema to catch any of the current productions. I'm just not in the mood, I guess. Sometimes I really want to go to the show, but I can't fathom sitting in the dark cinema for a couple of hours on a beautiful Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Sometimes going to the cinema just seems like a waste of time. Don't get me wrong, there are many movies that I wouldn't mind seeing, but they will have to wait. Every morning while sipping hot coffee I peruse the movie listings in the local paper and pledge to see this movie or that, but I never quite muster the ambition to actually follow through and make it to the theater. I know that this too will pass, soon I will be eagerly awaiting my next jaunt to the neighborhood cinema, but not just quite yet. Soon, for sure.

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Health, Fitness and Lifestyle

Summer is over, don't fall into bad fitness habits just because the bikini season has passed. As the winter holidays approach so does our ravenous appetites for all those holiday goodies. Remember the old saying, "A moment on the lips, an eternity on the hips" or something like that. I think you get the message. What you eat today will be with you for many more days in the future. As we age, this becomes move evident. What does one do? Eat sensibly and increase physical activities to maintain an appropriate fitness level for you. For you, not for anyone else. For you, you are the important one.

Now I know that it is almost inevitable that we all will gain some unwelcome weight over the winter especially around the holidays. I think it behooves each of us to take inventory of our current fitness level and then evaluate and make goals for the future. We know that weight gain or loss is determined by the number of calories we consume and the amount of activity we pursue. But how do we determine the appropriate level of eating to maintain our current weight? And then how do we determine the number of calories needed to loss those extra pounds? By the way, I think caloric intake should be the main consideration in weight loss or weight maintenance as opposed to physical activity. Caloric intake will affect weight maintenance or loss much more than physical activity. Consider physical activity as the icing on the cake for weight maintenance or loss. It's like that extra bit of delight when eating an iced cake. It's not basic to the cake, rather it is an extra hum, hum good.

To determine the number of calories that one needs to maintain or lose weight, one could follow those reference tables and charts devised by so called experts or one could develop his or her own tables. Let me explain. According to Dr. Paul Donahue from Orlando, Florida, a contributor to the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, to determine the number of calories a man needs to sustain his present weight, he should multiply his current weight by 17 if his physical activity level is low, 19 for a moderate level and 23 for an active level. A woman should multiply her weight by 16 if light physical activity level, 17 for moderate, 23 for heavy. Or for a non-sexist approach, the numbers are 13, 15, 17, respectively no matter the sex. Keep a record of your weight and calories for 5 days, then take an average of those calories for the 5 days. Of course there are many factors in determining the exact number of calories a person needs to sustain his or her current weight, this is only a simple approximation.

How about losing weight? Most nutritional experts recommend to reduce your daily caloric intake by 600 calories a day to lose 1 pound a week. Reduce it by 1200 calories a day to lose 2 pounds a week. Two pounds a week is a safe rate to loose weight. Any higher is not only dangerous to one's health, but counter productive. Usually fast weight loss can be contributed to water loss or muscle loss instead of fat loss. Either is dangerous and the weight usually returns very quickly after a return to normal eating. Go slow and be consistent. Don't forget to increase physical activity for fitness and that icing on the cake.

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Many older people have bladder control issues. People who have had certain surgical procedures may suffer from the same issues. In any case, how do we cure a weak bladder? Loss of urine control is called urinary incontinence. There are two main types - stress incontinence and urge incontinence.

Stress incontinence causes a person to loss urine when he or she laughs, sneezes, coughs or anything that requires straining. Strengthening the pelvic muscles by doing Kegel exercises help people regain bladder control. To find the correct muscles to exercise, stop your urine flow while urinating. Those muscles are the correct ones. Or the muscles used to prevent a gas release are the same muscles. Please do more research of the subject if needed.

Urge Incontinence is also called overactive bladder and comes from strong, involuntary contractions of the bladder muscles. Kegel exercises will help and so does bladder retraining. Keep a record of your bathroom urinary habits. Each day do the exercises, 10 repetitions 3 times a day. Also, retrain your bladder, by holding your urine 5 or 10 minutes longer each day until you can hold it 3 or 4 hours between bathroom calls. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day.

Bladder control issues can come about from a variety of other reasons. In fact your bladder can become sensitive to certain foods that you eat, especially fruits, caffeine and foods with excessive acid. Keep a record of the foods your eat and your urinary habits. In any case, consult a doctor for professional help.

Have you ever viewed the countless TV commercials about loss of bladder control? Sure you have and it's not funny if you are the one who has lost your bladder control. In that case, the case where you are suffering from loss of bladder control, keep a healthy and positive attitude. Keep it in perspective and don't loose your humor. Laugh at your situations and the condition you find yourself. Share your feelings and embarrassments with loved ones. Humor can add to a healthy perspective of one's health situations. And for heaven's sake don't take it too seriously. After all, it's only pee.

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Politics and the World

The 2008 presidential race is well under way. The candidates of both political parties are stepping up their fight for the nomination of their party. The candidates race around the country trying to gain support for next year's primaries and caucuses. Is anyone really paying attention to them? The media is for sure. The national party leaders are for sure. But the average American voter has not yet tuned into their message. The primaries and caucuses as still 4 or 5 months away. Right now, the race is conjecture.

The media and Washington political leaders are very much involved in trying to predict the outcomes of the nominating season, but their efforts are academic. The people who vote in the primaries and meet in the state caucuses are the ones who will determine the presidential nominee of each party. If history is any kind of a indicator in such matters, these early political maneuvers and predictions of the candidates, parties and media have little or no bearing on the actually results in the political contests in January, February and beyond. In early 2008 the people will speak. At that time Republicans and Democrats will select their respective presidential nominees. The results of the primaries and caucuses in January and early February will set the precedent for the 2008 presidential contest. The nominees of both political parties will be chosen in the winter and spring of 2008 and then be formally declared the nominees of their parties in the summer of 2008 at their parties political conventions.

If you are a political junkie, you are probably enjoying the coverage of the pre-nominating season. I think it's important to get to know the candidates, but it is way too soon to think that one or another of the candidates has the nomination wrapped up. In short, anything can happen in 2008. It's probably important to have a short list of favorite candidates for consideration in January or February, but don't become too committed to one candidate. After the first caucuses and primaries your particular candidate may be out of the race. It is important to become knowledgeable about all of the candidates and then make a conscientious choice in 2008.

One thing that I have noticed about this presidential season - each candidate and both political parties are doing everything and anything, promising everyone everything, to get the nomination nod. This practice is running rampant among all candidates. This could present a problem to the two nominees in the general election in 2008. If you promise everything to everyone during the primary season, you may be overextended in the promise department during the general election cycle. Primary candidates must keep their promises to a definite standard. They must represent their true positions on issues, but they also must be consistent on those issues.

There are many differences among the political parties and few differences among the candidates in their respective parties. Republicans seem the most ardent in their political views. They are still the party of conservative views - tax relief for the wealthy and support for the war in Iraq. They do see the need for universal health care, but view that issue as an issue for the private sector. They belief that there should be a decisive distinction between government and the private sector. Republicans still consider their party to be the party of faith and family values and they interpret both in narrow and sometimes discriminatory ways.

Democrats on the other hand believe the role of government is to enhance the daily life of Americans, many times the middle class and lower class Americans. They believe that they are the savior of the middle class and lower class Americans. The Democratic candidates are against the war in Iraq and are in complete agreement that the tax cuts of the wealthy should be repealed and used to help pay for social programs - universal health care, education and the like. Democrats support a "liberal" interpretation to society's problems - abortion, gay rights, etc. Sometimes Democrats appear to be too much involved in the social issues in America.

Personally I share many beliefs of each party. My ideal mix of ideologies would include - a strong national defense incorporated with a strong desire to coexist with mutual respect among nations and a strong sense of diplomacy before arms. As for taxation - I prefer a general national sales tax. A national sales tax on luxury rated items - items that are not basic to existence, but are items which enhance one's state in life. Any items above and beyond the basic needs of life should be taxed and taxed fairly for all strata of financial standing. If that doesn't work, I would support a standardized tax structure on earnings of above $30,000 per year with no top tax bracket. In other words, I would support a 15% or so tax on all incomes above $30,000 or so a year, with no limit. A person or a family making less than $30,000 a year would pay no taxes and a person or family making let's say $500,000 a year would pay a straight 15% of that $500,000 a year in taxes. There would be no deductions, none. In other words, the wealthier Americans would be taxed on all of their earnings, no limit. I think lower income families and individual must be given tax relief. Wealthier families and individuals need no tax relief. Finally concerning social issues - these issues should be out of the federal government's jurisdiction. These are private matters, however, the federal government must provide the complete support for all segments of society to exist in a free and non-discriminatory manner. In other words, I support freedom of speech, religion and life style. Abortion should be a private matter, but under the jurisdiction of the federal government to ensure freedom of choice. I support the reinstitution and protection of the rights of the individual. During this pre-primary season, I will be interviewing, albeit silently, potential candidates on those views that I hold sacred. Yes, I will compromise and select the candidate that best shares my views for America.

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Religion

OK, it's time for the religion part of my blog...I'm totally at a mental block. I have nothing going on in my head concerning the religion section of my blog this month. Could it be possible - I've exhausted all of the religion topics in the world? I think not. Being a spiritual man, if not exactly religious, I have plenty of thoughts on the subject, but right now I just can't come up with a single interesting, thought provoking or even controversial subject in the religion vein worthy of my discussion or your reading. I'll be frank, john, barry, tom or even mary, but frankly speaking I don't have a clue on what to discuss this month. Maybe this is a sign. Maybe I need to lay off my favorite topic - bashing the Roman Catholic clergy and hierarchy. Maybe those boys need a rest. It is true I have been hitting them hard over the last few years. They have become my punching bag, my instrument by which I relive myself of all my Catholic hostilities caused by a childhood of devoted, but quilt ridden Catholic school existence. Perhaps this is my way of saying, "Take a break this month. The priests and the other hierarchy of the Catholic Church will be there next month. Give them, collectively, a break." Or maybe it's God's will. Maybe God has devoured all the religion thoughts from my brain. Maybe God is trying to convey to me that the hierarchy may be in error at times and self indulging and authoritatively deficient, but they are the hierarchy nonetheless. After all the religious leaders of the Catholic Church are the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ and it is true that they are truly human and flawed, but they are the imperfect leaders questing for truth and faith in the one true God. Let me give them a break, by edict from God. But next month, look out.

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Technology and Business

Credit card use is on the rise. The economy is having extreme problems, cash is limited, therefore, credit card use is increasing. It's too bad but, increase usage of credit cards is no long term solution to a sagging economy - in the nation and in the family. In time of financial crises we should cut spending - nationally and individually. Modification in spending habits should be the direct result of having less money to spend. However, in our society less cash seems to mean more credit. That is a major mistake.

As I suggested in September's blog, in time of financial crisis the sensible and most productive solution involves increasing income and decreasing spending. Credit cards do neither. The use of a credit cards, if the balance is not paid off monthly, is the start of deficit spending. We as a nation and as individuals should not be spending money that we do not have. We must look at other solutions to our cash flow problems instead of mortgaging our future on desires of immediate satisfaction.

Of course the use of credit cards is sometimes our only option. Emergencies should be the only reasons to spend money that we do not have at the time, hence using credit cards. Emergencies happen and must be remedied. However, buying a new car or new furniture or taking non-essential vacations just because we want to, are not emergencies. If you do not have the money, we should not make those selfish, non-emergency and irresponsible purchases.

We must become proactive as a society and as a people concerning financial fitness. In either case, our financial future is at risk. We must recognize this problem and deal with it now before it is too late.

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All people, regardless of age and all of those other identifying differences, must save a portion of their income for the future. In short, we all must save a portion of our incomes for emergencies and retirement. Many people view retirement as a time that will never actually exist. Wrong. Just like Christmas morning came when we were kids, retirement will come for each of us. The only thing that will prevent retirement for any of us is death. Each living person will reach a point in his or her live when they will want to stop working and retire. Not stop living, but stop working.

Now let me say that we are all different people. We have different needs, goals and ideals. Each of us will make a retirement-like decision sometime in our lives. Let me say that there is nothing wrong with working all of our lives. There is nothing wrong with dying on the job, so to speak. There is nothing wrong with working indefinitely. But these things should be done because we want to to them. They should not be done because we have no other choice. Our financial standing is a choice. How we spend our life is a choice. How we prepare for retirement is a choice. Hopefully, we are making the right choices for ourselves now so we will continue the good luck of making realistic choices in the future.

Make no mistake, it is difficult to prepare for a successful retirement. It does take planning. The planning should start as soon as possible. By the time an individual is 21 years old, he or she should be in the process of preparing for retirement. One thing must be underscored here - life is full of situations, some good and some bad. We must accept all situations in life and rise above them. We must be proactive and live life to the fullest, including being financially mindful and responsible.

Her are some reasons why people think that they should not begin to prepare for retirement. None of these reasons is legitimate. To me, each is an excuse for inactivity and irresponsible behavior. The following six statements are taken from The Wall Street Journal, Getting Going, by Jonathan Clements. The commentary are the words of this blog's owner.

1. "I still have plenty of time." If you think that, you will never start. It's easier to save for retirement if you start early, the earlier the better.

2. "My house is worth a bundle." There is some truth to that reason, but to realize the "bundle" you have means selling the house. Then where do you live? There is no guarantee as to the real estate market at the time that you may want to or need to sell your house. Property is not cash.

3. "My investments are doing great." They are? There is no guarantee that they will continue to do well. What if the bottom of the market falls out. Like today.

4. "I'll receive a fat inheritance." Oh really. An inheritance is not a entitlement. It is a gift. There is no guarantee that you will be the recipient of anyone's good fortune. When is this going to happen?

5. "I have a pension." What if you retire before the terms of the pension mature? Or what if the pension fund suddenly disappears? Employer pension funds have disappeared in the past. What part of bankruptcy or mismanagement or illegal activity don't you understand?

6. "I'll work in retirement." Over a period of time, things and circumstances do change and many times they don't change for the better. Personally, this blog's owner use to think that he would never want to retire. Now he's running to the door.

As in every phase of life, nothing lasts forever. We are all different. Situations are different. Life or success in life is not promised to anyone. And finally, nothing happens without preparation.

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Residents of the state of Florida should check their auto insurance if the no-fault law is not reinstated. Florida's current no-fault auto insurance law PIP, expired on September 30, 2007. At the time of the writing of this article, September 16, 2007, the renewing of the law is questionable. There is a special session of the Florida state legislature scheduled, but passage of PIP is still not on the agenda. This same special session has been postponed already this season. Why?

There are so many opinions on the subject; whom do you trust? Let's get to the bottom of this mess. PIP requires all Florida drivers to carry a minimum of $10,000 medical and bodily injury insurance on their registered cars. Without this coverage, the health care institutions are predicting higher medical bills on their parts which in essence probably will trickle down to you and me, the insurance subscribers. They fear that without this law many Florida drivers will drop the PIP causing an increase in noninsured drivers.

On the other hand, insurance companies are saying that with out the PIP requirement auto insurance premiums could be reduced up to 17%. Auto insurance companies say that without the PIP requirement the person at fault will be responsible to pay damages in the case of an unfortunate driving accident. With the PIP law, each driver is responsible for his or her own damages. Insurance agencies are saying without the law, the guilty party will be held financially responsible for damages thus the insurance company of the "at fault" party will be liable for damages. This presents the dilemma.

No matter how you look at it, the auto insurance client will be the one to suffer. If PIP is dropped or not renewed by the state legislature, responsible car insurance clients should check current coverage with their auto insurance agents. In this case, make sure you carry uninsured motorist protection. You may want to increase the medical and bodily injury coverage on your current policy in case you are found "at fault" in a serious accident. At which time you will be responsible for the medical bills of everyone involved in the accident. The bottom line, seek the professional advice of your car insurance agent.

Personally I feel that the PIP requirement should be renewed. At the writing of this section of the blog, the Florida state legislature is considering renewing the PIP requirement until the Spring legislative session and then totally revamp the PIP law bringing it up to date and making it relevant to the betterment of all Floridians. Good decision.

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