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Uzbekistan's president-dictator possibly suffers stroke? Could have major repercussions for Central Asia and Afghanistan. Dunno what would follow him if he dies.
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Public pension arrangements are valued using a 7.6% assumed rate. Private pensions use less than 3% as the discount rate.
Last edited by Da Geezer; August 28, 2016, 01:07 PM.Comment
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Breaking news! Public pensions are underfunded! (way to be on top of it Geezer. I don't know what we would do without you as our watchdog).Comment
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Most public plans have converted to defined contribution anyway. At least at the state and federal level.Comment
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That picture was taken by me, and included my oldest son Daniel. He's 29 now. Probably 13 in the picture. 2001??Comment
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Ths is effectively a Turkish govt propaganda twitter account, so buyer beware...but from this and other sources it appears that the Turkish incursion into Syria is going well. It'll be interesting to see how deep they advance.
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How far? They'll drive to the Euphrates (the feint river labeled something in Arabic or Turkish on The posted map above). They'll secure about 60% of their boarder with Syria and definately secure the portion where there's been ISIS incursion.
This is good for all concerned. Not sure Assad is in a position to do much. Wondering what Russia and Iran will do? I don't think it will be nothing. Also wonder what NATO and US involvement is?Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year.Comment
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Rumors suggest Turkey and Russia (and also Turkey and the US) are pretty much in agreement with this plan. Assad completely sidelined (maybe Iran too).Comment
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If Turkey drives to the Euphrates, and the name of the op suggests that's the goal, it's a lot of territory to hold/control. If that is achievable, deals a severe blow to ISIS and the perception among its followers that Damascus was to become the seat of the Caliphate. That ISIS's major game in it's global strategy is perceptions, this is a big deal if it comes to pass.
It may be possible to leverage Assad out of power with The Turks occupying a good portion of his country and his previous supporters, Iran and Russia, not willing to risk the inevitable fallout, if it hasn't already taken some, from what's happend to Syria's infrastructure and its citizens over the last 4 years.
I hope the participants don't pussy out. Short of paving over Syria and starting over, there aren't a lot of good options to sort the mess in Syria out.Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year.Comment
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Mike said:
In Michigan?Most public plans have converted to defined contribution anyway. At least at the state and federal level.
from Wikipedia:
While Defined Contribution plans are sometimes referred to as pensions, they are not. The word "pension" is defined as "a fixed amount, other than wages, paid at regular intervals to a person or to the person's surviving dependents in consideration of past services".[2] In contrast, a Defined Contribution retirement plan is an arrangement where an employer, during the time a person is employed, puts money in a registered retirement account on the employee's behalf. In general, a DC plan provides much less security for the employee, and much less obligation for the employer, than a pension.Comment
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Yes. State of Michigan workers were converted to 401Ks in the early 90s.
Edit: Employees hired prior to 1997 are in pension plans and after 1997 are in defined contribution (savings plans/401K).Last edited by Mike; August 28, 2016, 07:28 PM.Comment
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Are we seeing the 2nd rise of the Ottoman Empire?Originally posted by Dr. Strangelove View PostThs is effectively a Turkish govt propaganda twitter account, so buyer beware...but from this and other sources it appears that the Turkish incursion into Syria is going well. It'll be interesting to see how deep they advance.
"Your division isn't going through Green Bay it's going through Detroit for the next five years" - Rex RyanComment
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Not likely.Originally posted by UKBB View Post
While "Ottoman" Turks are somewhat influential in Turkish politics and their brand of nationalism would seem to fit into the reasons for this op, Erdogan does not seem to be about expanding Turkish boarders.
What he is interested in is protecting them from ISIS incursions, and the attendant potential for terror attacks within Turkey, through his boarder with Syria.
There's also some interplay between ISIS and the Kurds of the PKK, with each playing off of each other's capacity to disrupt policies of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP).
IMO, this op is aimed at silencing his critics, at home and abroad, that he has facilitated the flow of extremists from Syria into Turkey and beyond into Europe. It's a good move and Erdogan is well known to be very good at mobilizing support for both himself and for his policies - not all of which are terribly popular in Turkey. War is always a good way to silence critics. In this case it is likely to produce some decent outcomes.Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year.Comment
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Mike said:
thanks, didn't realize that.Yes. State of Michigan workers were converted to 401Ks in the early 90s.Comment
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Rush tries to justify Trump's total flip-flop on immigration. Angry caller didn't want to hear it. Rush insists that he knew what Trump was up to all along but saw no need to pass that info along to his listeners (yeah right). Insists his program is for entertainment purposes only by the end.
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