| READER EXCHANGE: Looking back at the year’s triumphs, tragedies
Amazing. Here we are at the end of the seventh year of the 21st century. And what a tumultuous year it has been filled with triumph and tragedy. Area sports teams acquitted themselves nicely and brought home numerous state trophies. The Packers have had a pretty impressive season so far, and hopefully will be in the thick of it through Super Bowl Sunday. The storms of late August devastated many of us as individuals and as a community. But the devastation once again brought out the best in us, as neighbors rallied to help each other and strangers donated time, money and household items in an effort to ease some of the loss.For me personally, this year held a series of "downs," luckily mostly financial. Those were effectively counterbalanced by the love and support of family and friends like Traci and Kim, Eileen and Ed, Randy and Jody, the Davies' "Wrecking Crew" and Joyce P., one of the most genuinely nice and compassionate people it has ever been my good fortune to meet.
A Roaring Buy
The sorcerers and their apprentices took once-safe, stolid munis and leveraged them. On Wednesday, Standard & Poor's lowered its rating outlooks for two major muni-bond insurers, MBIA (MBI) and Ambac (ABK), both with big exposure to subprime mortgages; the move further spooked the markets. But Hugh McGuirk, head of municipal investments at T. Rowe Price, says that recent capital markets troubles have creates "great value" in munis. For instance, he cites a Central Puget Sound Regional Transportation Authority, Wash., 30-year bond that recently came to market. Its intrinsic credit rating was double-A3 by Moody's, a high investment grade, but it also carried insurance from FSA, giving it a triple-A rating. The Puget Sound bonds were bid at a yield of 4.46% Wednesday, and would be offered at a slightly higher price and lower yield.
Let's Talk Food: Julia Child continues to inspire, now with memoire ...
The 20th century brought enormous technological changes that will impact our lives forever. One of the greatest changes in our cultural world came about because of a modest, tall, rangy woman whose incredible life now influences the way Americans view food and cooking. Julia Child is an icon, not only to those involved in the preparation of food but all those who are courageous enough to follow their dreams. Child not only followed her dreams but allowed her dreams to follow her. One meal, eaten on her first day in France, opened a doorway to a fascinating life and a career that has affected millions. She became passionate about the culture and the cooking of the French and it became her life's work. Before she died in 2004 she spent endless hours with her grandnephew, Alex Prud'homme, who collaborated with her on a chronicle of her life.
Ditch the bun - mix beef in your lasagna
We ate a lot of hamburger meat when I was growing up and when I was raising my children. The price was right for a growing family; I remember getting 5 pounds for a dollar. And it would stretch a long way.Now it costs about as much as many of the other cuts, sometimes more, but it still can be stretched to feed more people per pound. Hamburgers and cheeseburgers are definitely America's favorites, with 86 percent of the population ordering a burger in the last year.The hamburger, along with the ice cream cone, made its debut at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. Both are still wildly popular today because people have become so busy they want a tasty food they can eat on the run.White Castle was the world's first hamburger chain, founded in 1921, in Wichita, Kan., And I still have never eaten a White CastleMcDonald's did not make its appearance until the '50s, but quickly took the lead and now has stores all over the world.
Britney Spears breaks down in Tears
[Best Syndication] Britney Spears apparently had a big blowup with long time friend, Sam Lutfi, after getting out of his car and sat on the side of the road and was crying. Of course the paparazzi were there to snap photos of her sad moment. Us Magazine reported that the fight with Lutfi had to do with his persistence in wanting her to see a psychologist. Lutfi also was against her seeing her recent boyfriend, paparazzi Adnan Ghalib. Spears' father, showed up a couple hours later and not long after her mother Lynne also arrived at her home. It was only about a half an hour later that Spears left her house and was seen driving with Adnan. .
Those Pell Vouchers
Pell grants for college are among the most popular ways to spend money in Washington. Over the past seven years, Members from both sides of the aisle have lined up to expand the number and size of these grants that students can use to attend the college or university of their choice, public or private. Last year, 5.3 million students received a total of $14 billion in Pell grants, up from 4.3 million students receiving $8.8 billion at the start of the Bush Presidency. However, what no one wants to admit is that Pell grants are essentially "vouchers," with the decision about where to spend the money in the hands of parents and students. Mr. Bush's proposal would give Pell grants to students stuck in public secondary and elementary schools that have failed to meet federal testing benchmarks for five years running or that suffer high drop out rates.
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Last week, In Retrospect, we delved in to the causes that culminated into the 1911 Revolution in China. Although the Revolution succeeded in overthrowing the Manchu rulers, it eventually failed to live up to its ideals. This week, we find out the reasons for this failure as we delve into the roles of two prominent individuals, Sun Yat Sen who is often referred to as the Father of the Nation and General Yuan Shikai, the second President of the Republic of China. Welcome to the program, Im Mubin Saadat. On the 12th of February 1912, China witnessed the abdication of Qing Emperor Xuantong Puyi. During this time, Sun Yat Sen was actively travelling overseas seeking foreign aid for the revolutionary cause. He played a pivotal role in the collapse of the Qing government through his endeavours abroad.
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