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Vol. 30, No. 1 $ January, 2012 / www.Freeman-Spicer.com

“The view I like the most is the view from my front porch looking in” Lonestar

 

U.S. Multinationals Are Returning Home . . . . . . Expect more manufacturers and service businesses to expand their operations and source their needs in the U.S., following on the heels of Caterpillar, Advanced Micro, Dow and other corporations. Companies find that they can cut costs by shortening the supply chain. Many saw a warning in how automakers were stymied by the Japanese earthquake and in how computer makers saw hard drive supplies halted by flooding in Thailand. Among the pluses of locating in the U.S. – lower transportation costs, sourcing flexibility, ample and cheap supplies of natural gas and stable labor costs. Though wages are lower abroad, they’re rising. In China . . . . . soaring 15% a year.

Also . . . Women will make up the majority of the U.S. workforce sometime in 2012, although much of the growth is attributable to the creation of many low-paying jobs. They’re making big gains in many typically male lines of work. For example, women hold 52% of all managerial and professional jobs, compared with 26% in 1980. They comprise 60% of all accountants, 32% of physicians and 31.5% of lawyers. The wage gap is shrinking, too. Working women now earn 77% of what men earn, vs. 60% in 1980. The difference is sure to continue to narrow. A key reason for the trend: more education. Over the past few years, women have earned 60% of all bachelor’s and master’s degrees awarded in the U.S. Moreover, 48% of medical school grads and 47% of law school grads are female. Men, meanwhile, are far likelier to leave school early and thus lag in job skills. (Kiplinger)

 

Computing . . . . . When I put together a PC for family or friends, I usually install a bunch of free software that I personally use and recommend. Here are five of the best:

·         VLC Media Player – It’s an all-purpose video player, which also plays all audio formats – and play everything well.

·         Irfanview – Everyone’s favorite picture viewer and minor-league editor.

·         ImgBurn – If you need a way to create / burn ISO images, this is the CD/DVD burner utility you want.

·         Audacity – A feature-rich sound editor that can do almost anything – it’s a gem.

·         Open Office – If you can’t afford Microsoft Office, this will do. (PC Magazine)

 

Three Ways of Looking At It . . . . . (1) Two guys were discussing popular family trends on sex, marriage, and family values. Bill said, “I didn’t sleep with my wife before we got married, did you?” Larry replied, “I’m not sure, what was her maiden name?” (2) A little boy went up to his father and asked: “Dad, where did my intelligence come from?” The father replied: “Well, son, you must have gotten it from your mother, cause I still have mine.” (3) “Mr. Clark, I have reviewed this case very carefully,” the Divorce Court Judge said, “and I have decided to give your wife $775 a week.” “That’s very fair your honor,” the husband said. “Every now and then I’ll try to send her a few bucks myself.” (Fournier)

 

Tell Your Children – “Contentment comes not so much from great wealth, as from fewer wants.”              (Epictetus)

 

Operating System Names . . . .  Apple’s operating systems have always been named after big cats. The present system is OS X 10.7 Lion. Some previous OS X releases were Panther, Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard. Google, on the other hand, names Android releases after desserts. Version 2.0 and 2.1 were Éclair, while 2.2 was Froyo and 2.3 was Gingerbread. Most Android smartphones run on Froyo or Gingerbread. (Google is supposed to release Android 4.0 sometime soon – the new version name – Ice Cream Sandwich.) (Komando)

 

Refinance Your Mortgage . . . . If you already have a low-interest mortgage, you may not think it’s worth the effort to refinance. But the average 30-year fixed rate is hitting record lows of 4% or less. That means if you’re paying 5% or more, you can probably save money – assuming you stay in your home long enough to recoup the closing costs. Locking in a lower rate can cut your payment, but you could also choose a shorter term and pay off the loan sooner. More than one-third of those who refinanced recently chose a term of 15 or 20 years. While a fixed rate of 4% is nothing to sneeze at, adjustable rate mortgages are even lower. (Kiplinger) Opinion – lock in the rate instead of taking the variable – as rates won’t stay this low for long. There’s only one direction they can go – and that’s up. Variable rates will expire in 5+ years and if you are planning to stay in your home for more than 5-7 years, your next rate will be much higher.

 

Some Real Quick Ones . . . . . A blonde (sorry!!) calls Delta Airlines and asks, “Can you tell me how long it’ll take to fly from San Francisco to New York City?” The agent replies, “just a minute.” “Thank You,” the blonde says, and hangs up.

The graveside service just barely finished, when there was a massive clap of thunder, followed by a tremendous bolt of lightning, accompanied by even more thunder rumbling in the distance. The little old woman looked at the pastor and calmly said, “Well, he’s there.” (Founier)

 

The Annual Listing . . . . . Most popular Baby Names for 2011:

Male: 1. Aiden  2. Jackson  3. Mason  4. Liam  5. Jacob  6. Jayden  7. Ethan  8. Noah 

9. Lucas  10. Logan

Female: 1. Sophia  2. Emma  3. Isabella  4. Olivia  5. Ava  6. Lily  7. Chloe  8. Madison 

9. Emily  10. Abigail (Babycenter.com via ABC News)

 

Coming Soon . . . . Crisper displays and faster response times on digital devices. The upgrades are possible because of a new glass from Corning, called Lotus. Lotus will replace Gorilla glass, the current standard in smart phones and tablets. The new glass has greater heat resistance, so the device screen is less likely to warp when heat-intensive circuits that control pixels are added. The improved glass may also lead to longer battery life. There’s no firm date for a product rollout yet, but don’t be surprised if the glass turns up on the Apple iPhone 5 sometime in 2012. (Kiplinger)

 

Find the numbers X and Y to continue the pattern . . . . . (answer bottom of next page)

31  25  6  19  13  6  7  1  6  5  1  X  Y

 

Dinner Knives . . . . . Why do dinner knives have rounded edges? Actually, knives, ancient eating utensils, did have sharpened points until the 17th century, when the renowned Cardinal Richelieu changed all that. Richelieu, an eater so finicky and fastidious as to make Felix Unger look like a slob, objected to a houseguest who used the point of his knife as a toothpick. The next day, he ordered his steward to round the ends of all the cardinal’s knives. Cardinal Richelieu’s style of cutlery spread throughout most of the Western world. By the 19th century, most decent folks had a difficult time spearing their peas with their knives. (Imponderables)

 

For Those That Remember . . . . Hollywood Squares – These great questions and answers are from the days when “Hollywood Squares” game show responses were spontaneous, not scripted, as they are now on the remakes. Peter Marshall was the host asking the questions, of course . . .

Q. Do female frogs croak?

A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.

Q. If you’re going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be?

A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it!

Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5000 years.

A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.

Q. You’ve been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman?

A. Don Knotts: That’s what’s been keeping me awake.

Q. Back in the old days, when Grandpa put horseradish on his head, what was he trying to do?

A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth. (Foti)

 

Health and Fitness . . . .  We asked nine of the best nutritionists in the country for a list of the fittest foods. Each panelist ranked his or her own top 20. The more often foods appeared in our experts’ surveys, the higher they ranked on our overall list. Winners:

1.      Salmon  2. Non-fat Greek yogurt  3. Milk  4. Blueberries  5. Tomato  6. Avocado 

7. Eggs  8. Almonds  9. Oatmeal  10. Sweet Potato (Men’s Fitness)

 

They Say Cell Phones Distract Our Driving . . . . . Hagerty Classic Insurance has compiled a list of the “Ten Most Dangerous Foods To Eat While Driving”:

1.      Chocolate – whatever you touch, steering wheel, clothing or hair – will carry distinctive fingerprints. Drivers have instinctive reactions to clean the offending candy stains immediately, which then becomes a distraction.

2.      Soft Drinks – suddenly wearing your soda as you pull out to pass, etc.

3.      Jelly and Cream-Filled Donuts – in a word – oozes.

4.      Fried Chicken – greasy hands – cleaning again becomes the distraction.

5.      Any Barbecued Food – “if it can drip, don’t eat it while you drive.”

6.      Juicy Hamburgers – messy, greasy, oozes . . . . .

7.      Chili – steering chili-covered foods to your mouth while steering a car . . .

8.      Tacos – in 2 words – dissembles itself.

9.      Hot Soup – circus juggling act . . .

10.     Coffee – uncovered drinks generally are the greatest offenders for unexpected splashes and spills. Also, usually the temperature is near scalding and can cause serious burns. (Hagerty Insurance)

 

Answer To Puzzle On Page 2:                                                   Sincerely,

X = 4 and Y = 3. After the first two

Numbers, each is the difference between

the preceding two numbers.

                                                                                                      Edward C. Levy

This is the start of my 30th year of writing                                President

this newsletter. Can’t believe it! If you have

something you feel might be appropriate for

this newsletter – please send it to me.