Question:

Hello all.  I am considering a career in accounting and am wondering if anyone in this group has any helpful hints or suggestions for me. Any response would be extremely helpful and appreciated! Thank you, Mark

Response:

Primerica Financial Services June 3, 2003 To enlist potential candidates to fill the many varied positions of Management, Leadership and Customer Service. Positions will be filled nationally and internationally. Dear Newsgroup Reader, I wanted to post this advertisement because it is a wonderful opportunity for online newsgroup readers to take advantage of what I consider to be one of the best employment opportunities available to individuals offline and online. "The Financial Services Company of the 21st Century" "Primerica Financial Services" a member of Citgroup, Inc. * More than 100,000 Respresentatives * Six Million clients in the United States and Canada * Now expanding internationally Citigroup, Inc. * Listed on the NYSE (C) * One of the 30 Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks * More than a $1 trillion in assets * Ranked #1 on Forbes Super 500  *Forbes, Apr. 15, 2002 Purpose of advertisement: To enlist potential candidates to fill the many varied positions of Management, Leadership and Customer Service. Positions will be filled nationally and internationally. Experience and Education Requirements: Helpful, but not necessary. All State and Federal training requirements will be provided through each individual office where candidate will be located. Compensation: D.O.E. Point of contact for all inquiries: Kim C. Keller – Field Recruiter Primerica Financial Services 505 Snow Flake Lane Shickshinny, PA 18655 Business Office: 1.570.542.5490 Fax: 1.775.239.7228 E-Mail Address: Requirements: All correspondences will include the following: E-Mail address P.O. Box (if any) Physical Mailing Address Telephone Number Official Websites: www.Citigroup.com www.Primerica Note: Any and all questions, inquiries and or concerns concerning this advertisement are freely welcomed. Respectfully, Kim C. Keller, Field Recruiter  

Response:

Question:

Here are some revised financial definitions based upon the language of our New Economy. DEBIT: earnings before irregularities and tampering. CEO: chief embezzlement officer. CFO: corporate fraud officer. NAV: normal Anderson valuation. P/E: parole entitlement. EPS: eventual prison sentence. BULL MARKET — A random market movement causing an investor to mistake himself for a financial genius. BEAR MARKET — A 6 to 18-month period when the kids get no allowance, the wife gets no jewelry, and the husband gets no sex. MOMENTUM INVESTING — The fine art of buying high and selling low. VALUE INVESTING — The art of buying low and selling lower. P/E RATIO — The percentage of investors wetting their pants as the market keeps crashing. BROKER — What my broker has made me. "BUY, BUY" — A flight attendant making market recommendations as you step off the plane. STANDARD & POOR — Your life in a nutshell. STOCK ANALYST — Idiot who just downgraded your stock. STOCK SPLIT — When your ex-wife and her lawyer split your assets equally between themselves. FINANCIAL PLANNER — A guy who actually remembers his wallet when he runs to the 7-11 for toilet paper and cigarettes. MARKET CORRECTION — The day after you buy stocks. CASH FLOW — The movement your money makes as it disappears down the toilet. YAHOO — What you yell after selling it to some poor sucker for $240 per share. WINDOWS 2000 — What you jump out of when you’re the sucker that bought INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR — Past year investor who’s now locked up in a nuthouse. PROFIT — Religious guy who talks to God. Be well, Larry — Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Response:

ROTFLMAO!  i love it!  this was delicious!LOL!  wanna bet —  i bet he doesn’t say it.  won’t matter, cuz you get to watch him squirm, every time somebody brings it up.LOL! kate (liking jo more and more each day) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The one thing I’ve enjoyed about the accounting mess from the last year is that if an accounting firm had to be in trouble, it was Anderson. For many years I had the misfortune to work with a CPA who had spent two years with a "Big 8" accounting firm.  This gave him such a great sense of superiority that he habitually started sentences "When I was with Arthur Anderson".  I’m really looking forward to the next time I run into him. Jo

Response:

LOL!  love the daffynition of S & P!  thanks for posting this, larry.  great fun! kate

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Here are some revised financial definitions based upon the language of our New Economy. DEBIT: earnings before irregularities and tampering. CEO: chief embezzlement officer. CFO: corporate fraud officer. NAV: normal Anderson valuation. P/E: parole entitlement. EPS: eventual prison sentence. BULL MARKET — A random market movement causing an investor to mistake himself for a financial genius. BEAR MARKET — A 6 to 18-month period when the kids get no allowance, the wife gets no jewelry, and the husband gets no sex. MOMENTUM INVESTING — The fine art of buying high and selling low. VALUE INVESTING — The art of buying low and selling lower. P/E RATIO — The percentage of investors wetting their pants as the market keeps crashing. BROKER — What my broker has made me. "BUY, BUY" — A flight attendant making market recommendations as you step off the plane. STANDARD & POOR — Your life in a nutshell. STOCK ANALYST — Idiot who just downgraded your stock. STOCK SPLIT — When your ex-wife and her lawyer split your assets equally between themselves. FINANCIAL PLANNER — A guy who actually remembers his wallet when he runs to the 7-11 for toilet paper and cigarettes. MARKET CORRECTION — The day after you buy stocks. CASH FLOW — The movement your money makes as it disappears down the toilet. YAHOO — What you yell after selling it to some poor sucker for $240 per share. WINDOWS 2000 — What you jump out of when you’re the sucker that bought INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR — Past year investor who’s now locked up in a nuthouse. PROFIT — Religious guy who talks to God. Be well, Larry — Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Response:

Thanks Larry.  I sent this on to my tax group.  (there are very few financial or tax jokes out there.  Funny ones anyway.) The one thing I’ve enjoyed about the accounting mess from the last year is that if an accounting firm had to be in trouble, it was Anderson. For many years I had the misfortune to work with a CPA who had spent two years with a "Big 8" accounting firm.  This gave him such a great sense of superiority that he habitually started sentences "When I was with Arthur Anderson".  I’m really looking forward to the next time I run into him. Jo

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Here are some revised financial definitions based upon the language of our New Economy. DEBIT: earnings before irregularities and tampering. CEO: chief embezzlement officer. CFO: corporate fraud officer. NAV: normal Anderson valuation. P/E: parole entitlement. EPS: eventual prison sentence. BULL MARKET — A random market movement causing an investor to mistake himself for a financial genius. BEAR MARKET — A 6 to 18-month period when the kids get no allowance, the wife gets no jewelry, and the husband gets no sex. MOMENTUM INVESTING — The fine art of buying high and selling low. VALUE INVESTING — The art of buying low and selling lower. P/E RATIO — The percentage of investors wetting their pants as the market keeps crashing. BROKER — What my broker has made me. "BUY, BUY" — A flight attendant making market recommendations as you step off the plane. STANDARD & POOR — Your life in a nutshell. STOCK ANALYST — Idiot who just downgraded your stock. STOCK SPLIT — When your ex-wife and her lawyer split your assets equally between themselves. FINANCIAL PLANNER — A guy who actually remembers his wallet when he runs to the 7-11 for toilet paper and cigarettes. MARKET CORRECTION — The day after you buy stocks. CASH FLOW — The movement your money makes as it disappears down the toilet. YAHOO — What you yell after selling it to some poor sucker for $240 per share. WINDOWS 2000 — What you jump out of when you’re the sucker that bought INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR — Past year investor who’s now locked up in a nuthouse. PROFIT — Religious guy who talks to God. Be well, Larry — Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Response:

Question:

In addition to the public creating tax nightmares for themselves, we have become a society where the riding mower stays in the tool shed and you hire out a yard service, the mops & brooms stay in the closet while you hire out a maid service (my secretary has a maid, probably need to cut her salary), you don’t bother changing your own oil, just drop into a quickie lube joint, and rarely do you see anyone washing their own car, just zip through a full service car wash facility.  

I think that’s also a key point–in addition to technology giving people the *ability* to handle their own returns, they also need the *MOTIVATION* to do so.  Most of the individuals I know who are using computerized tax return preparation systems are people that prior to computers prepared their returns by hand.  

Response:

Following the long thread on tax return preparation, I thought the following quote from an article published today in Tax Notes Today in an article by George Guttman entitled "Simplifying the Tax Code Is Complicated Work": "In an odd way, simplicity may be becoming less of a problem. ***More taxpayers than ever are using return preparers.*** Put another way, taxpayers are now directly paying for complexity by contracting out the work.

There may be some truth to the tax laws being complex and therefore more people (and businesses) use return preparers.  The argument could go the opposite way, where the use of return preparers (and software) makes it easier to make the laws complex.   The real reason for the increased use of return preparers (including software) is many.  The complex issues that individuals get into these days is far greater than that of several years ago, not to many 24 year olds were doing 100 stock trades a year back in the 70’s. In addition to the public creating tax nightmares for themselves, we have become a society where the riding mower stays in the tool shed and you hire out a yard service, the mops & brooms stay in the closet while you hire out a maid service (my secretary has a maid, probably need to cut her salary), you don’t bother changing your own oil, just drop into a quickie lube joint, and rarely do you see anyone washing their own car, just zip through a full service car wash facility.   The public as a whole doesn’t want to deal with it.  As long as the public has "more important" things to do, there will always be work for tax preparers and accountants. — Paul A. Thomas, CPA Athens,  Georgia – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – For tax returns filed in 1999, nearly 58 percent of taxpayers used a return preparer. And that points to the biggest disgrace of our "self-assessment" tax regime: The majority of taxpayers are unable or unwilling to deal with their own tax returns every year. For the simplest Form 1040EZ (12 lines plus name, address, and social security number) more than one in seven filers use a preparer."

Response:

Following the long thread on tax return preparation, I thought the following quote from an article published today in Tax Notes Today in an article by George Guttman entitled "Simplifying the Tax Code Is Complicated Work": "In an odd way, simplicity may be becoming less of a problem. ***More taxpayers than ever are using return preparers.*** Put another way, taxpayers are now directly paying for complexity by contracting out the work. For tax returns filed in 1999, nearly 58 percent of taxpayers used a return preparer. And that points to the biggest disgrace of our "self-assessment" tax regime: The majority of taxpayers are unable or unwilling to deal with their own tax returns every year. For the simplest Form 1040EZ (12 lines plus name, address, and social security number) more than one in seven filers use a preparer."

Response:

Question:

The materials management functions in UA Corporate Accounting were substantially improved in v6.0. Please call on me for additional information. Respectfully,  - Carl Dick www.cpaccess.com 949-261-2694 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -What is a good accounting & stock control system for a mid-sized manufacturer? I work for a satellite antenna manufacturer that is outgrowing it’s current systems. We have only a dozen or two products and even fewer customers, but complicated manufacturing processes. We use a few thousand components from around one hundred suppliers. Many processes get sent out to sub-contractors. We’ll buy a molded part from one supplier and sent it out to get painted somewhere else, stick it in our stores for a few weeks, and the send it somewhere else to get holes drilled in it. To make matters even more tricky we try to continue manufacturing when we are short of components. So if we need to produce say 100 devices but have only 30 of a particular component then we will make 30 complete devices and do as much as we can on the other 70.  So for items we take 100 from stores and for other we take 30. If we then need to make another 100 devices we need to order 170 of some components but only 100 of others. Strangely this all seems to be quite a challenge for many stock control/ accounting systems. Does anyone else have problems with this? Thanks, Rob Isted.

Respectfully,   – Carl Dick www.cpaccess.com 800-997-7944 949-261-2694  California, USA

Response:

There are any number of manufacturing requirements planning software products that will deal with the situation as you describe it.      A simply WEB search using the term "MRP" will find most of them. These will range anywhere from a few thousand dollars to perhaps fifty or sixty thousand.  With the right effort on the user’s part, any work order based system will do what you want done.  The issue is not so much the software but the competency, training and effort of the users.  My experience has been that problems with these systems have much less to do with hardware and software than it does with the ‘peopleware’. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -What is a good accounting & stock control system for a mid-sized manufacturer? I work for a satellite antenna manufacturer that is outgrowing it’s current systems. We have only a dozen or two products and even fewer customers, but complicated manufacturing processes. We use a few thousand components from around one hundred suppliers. Many processes get sent out to sub-contractors. We’ll buy a molded part from one supplier and sent it out to get painted somewhere else, stick it in our stores for a few weeks, and the send it somewhere else to get holes drilled in it. To make matters even more tricky we try to continue manufacturing when we are short of components. So if we need to produce say 100 devices but have only 30 of a particular component then we will make 30 complete devices and do as much as we can on the other 70.  So for items we take 100 from stores and for other we take 30. If we then need to make another 100 devices we need to order 170 of some components but only 100 of others. Strangely this all seems to be quite a challenge for many stock control/ accounting systems. Does anyone else have problems with this? Thanks, Rob Isted.

Response:

Rob – Manufacturing Accounting Software comes in many different levels and the corresponding price fits the features.  You seem to be looking for a product that offers subassemblies that can be included into a finished product.  There are MRP packages that offer Work In Process options as well as labor calculations, etc. which are quite costly but very effective.  There are other accounting packages with inventory modules that offer multiple warehouses, subassembly, and several costing methods as well.  The product I work with is Business Works by SAGE (www.sota.com – for demo) which offers the features you listed.  It is not a true MRP package but does allow you to build (manufacture) subassemblies of finished products as well as go negative on raw materials if required (which is a nice feature as you may not actually have the parts in stock or have entered the paperwork before you need to build the subassemblies).  By allowing you to build your subassemblies in advance of receiving your raw materials the system will also recommend you create a purchase order for said raw materials.  You then have the option to unbuild the subassemblies in order to receive the current cost of the raw materials before building the subassembly.  This accrues the current and correct cost of the subassembly with current calculations of costs for the raw materials.  I do not know how much MRP you require and would be glad to discuss your needs with you to help you determine your software needs.  (303-795-7299) DeeDee Heyne D.B.H. ENTERPRISES – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What is a good accounting & stock control system for a mid-sized manufacturer? I work for a satellite antenna manufacturer that is outgrowing it’s current systems. We have only a dozen or two products and even fewer customers, but complicated manufacturing processes. We use a few thousand components from around one hundred suppliers. Many processes get sent out to sub-contractors. We’ll buy a molded part from one supplier and sent it out to get painted somewhere else, stick it in our stores for a few weeks, and the send it somewhere else to get holes drilled in it. To make matters even more tricky we try to continue manufacturing when we are short of components. So if we need to produce say 100 devices but have only 30 of a particular component then we will make 30 complete devices and do as much as we can on the other 70.  So for items we take 100 from stores and for other we take 30. If we then need to make another 100 devices we need to order 170 of some components but only 100 of others. Strangely this all seems to be quite a challenge for many stock control/ accounting systems. Does anyone else have problems with this? Thanks, Rob Isted.

  dbhent.vcf

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Response:

What is a good accounting & stock control system for a mid-sized manufacturer? I work for a satellite antenna manufacturer that is outgrowing it’s current systems. We have only a dozen or two products and even fewer customers, but complicated manufacturing processes. We use a few thousand components from around one hundred suppliers. Many processes get sent out to sub-contractors. We’ll buy a molded part from one supplier and sent it out to get painted somewhere else, stick it in our stores for a few weeks, and the send it somewhere else to get holes drilled in it. To make matters even more tricky we try to continue manufacturing when we are short of components. So if we need to produce say 100 devices but have only 30 of a particular component then we will make 30 complete devices and do as much as we can on the other 70.  So for items we take 100 from stores and for other we take 30. If we then need to make another 100 devices we need to order 170 of some components but only 100 of others. Strangely this all seems to be quite a challenge for many stock control/ accounting systems. Does anyone else have problems with this? Thanks, Rob Isted.

Response:

Anyone wish to share ideas on how a successful Open Item accounts receivable application would operate internally, as far as tables and relationships at the programming language level? The general theory as far as I can see, rotates around a billed value, let’s call it an invoice, being ‘open’, until their has been sufficient payment posted to ‘cover’ the amount of the invoice. That means that each vehicle for payment, is actually posted as value received, unassigned to any open item (again step-by-step, however most systems combine the steps). This possibly can be termed ‘unapplied cash’. The next step is to allocate the payment value to the open invoices, and, there are some possible outcomes in this situation: a) payment is less than the (oldest) open item amount, and so is allocated entirely to the item (i.e. a one-to-one). b) payment is equal to the (oldest) open item amount, and so is allocated entirely to the item (i.e. still a one-to-one). c) payment is greater than the oldest open item amount, and so partial amount equal to the open item is allocated entirely to the item, and then the process is repeated for the next open item, until the payment is exhausted. (i.e. one-to-many). d) From c or alone, the open items are exhausted, and so the remainder of the payment is left in unallocated status, possibly creating a credit balance situation. The entity then needed are: 1) Invoices 2) Payments 3) Application-of-payments (an intersection entity), with foreign keys to invoices and payments There problem I have with this scenario, is when changes to the application might need to be made, most users don’t want to try and figure out how the amount got spread, they just want to work in lump sums. In order to accomplish this, I created horrific amounts of code to handle the various permutations, and show the proposed "correction" posting, which the user can then accept or modify. This is even worse however, when the transaction needs to span invoices from different accounts. (Mis-applied original payment). My basic question, is the above diagram of the entities good, or are there better methods to handle this? Even if someone can suggest a book such as "Developing Accounting Applications For Enterprises" (I wish), that would be good. OTOH, if you have been through this hurdle b4, please share your results with me. TIA

Response:

Question:

Hi, I know that this is not what this newsgroups is for, but I have nowhere left to turn.  I’m doing a simple finance module as part of my course at University, and I have an exam on it in one weeks time.  Thing is I was ill during the normal exam period and for the last few weeks of the course so I am doing the exam during the resit period.  However, I don’t get resits – if I fail I’m out… My problem is interpreting ratios.  I know how to get all the ratios, I just need to know their significance, which my notes don’t tell me.  Problem is that the questions I have been given as practice for the exam all ask me to interpret a firms financial standing by first finding these ratios and then explaining their significance.  If you could spend some of you valuable time on helping out an impoverished student telling me what it is (I mean if a ratio is high, is that good or bad?) I would be more than grateful.  I would worship you in fact… The ratios are: capital gearing gross, net and operating profit percentages liquid ratio working capital ratio debtors collection period creditors payment period return on capital employed return on net assets primary ratio (what is this anyway???) asset turnover ratio proprietory ratio (and this?) Thanks alot, Linden Hutchinson

Response:

My problem is interpreting ratios.  I know how to get all the ratios, I just need to know their significance, which my notes don’t tell me.  

I suspect you aren’t terribly different from a lot of auditors who run the ratios because someone told them to <grin. Seriously, these ratios are only useful to the extent they convey information, and generally that is because you have an *expectation* for what the ratio should be (developed indepedently of the numbers) and you then compare the actual ratio against that expectation. Problem is that the questions I have been given as practice for the exam all ask me to interpret a firms financial standing by first finding these ratios and then explaining their significance.  If you could spend some of you valuable time on helping out an impoverished student telling me what it is (I mean if a ratio is high, is that good or bad?) I would be more than grateful.  I would worship you in fact…

I won’t do the actual ratios, because I think there may be an issue here with terminology (should I assume the "uk" in your name might suggest a certain country?).  However, rarely are ratios in and of themselves "good" or "bad" based solely on a single number.  Rather, the issue is whether the ratio is outside what you would expect for an entity of the type you are looking at.  

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My problem is interpreting ratios.  I know how to get all the ratios, I just need to know their significance, which my notes don’t tell me. I suspect you aren’t terribly different from a lot of auditors who run the ratios because someone told them to <grin. Seriously, these ratios are only useful to the extent they convey information, and generally that is because you have an *expectation* for what the ratio should be (developed indepedently of the numbers) and you then compare the actual ratio against that expectation. Problem is that the questions I have been given as practice for the exam all ask me to interpret a firms financial standing by first finding these ratios and then explaining their significance.  If you could spend some of you valuable time on helping out an impoverished student telling me what it is (I mean if a ratio is high, is that good or bad?) I would be more than grateful.  I would worship you in fact… I won’t do the actual ratios, because I think there may be an issue here with terminology (should I assume the "uk" in your name might suggest a certain country?).  However, rarely are ratios in and of themselves "good" or "bad" based solely on a single number.  Rather, the issue is whether the ratio is outside what you would expect for an entity of the type you are looking at.

For whatever it is worth. I have been a college accounting instructor and a federally licensed flight instructor.  I would have been most displeased in either capacity if one of my students had this sort of problem and did not come to see me about it.  I might have overlooked it as an accounting instructor, however I would almost certainly have washed out a flight student over this sort of thing. The instructor cannot help if the student does not ask. Jim Hudspeth, CPA

Response:

There are programs which calculate ratios and explain their meaning. Eg; http://www.benchin.com/$index.wcgi/prodex/1087234               Ratio Evaluator               Description               Ratio Evaluator FastAnswer(R)               Painless Ratio Analysis — from Village Software(R)               Calculate over two dozen key financial ratios at the touch of a button, and generate presentation quality               comparison graphs at the same time! Ratio Evaluator(TM) helps you make your most informed               investment and operating decisions using the same ratios that experts rely on to evaluate companies.               Plus, it helps you learn how to use these ratios by explaining exactly what each means. Find out what to               watch for in each ratio — and learn how to discern ratio fact from fiction. Completely button and               menu-driven, Ratio Evaluator puts all the data you need to enter on a single sheet. Just enter the actual               data and goals, and the program does the rest. You’ll create over 40 sheets of graphs and reports — all               in minutes!               Ratio Evaluator is also a perfect complement to Village Software’s Fast-Cast. The two products can               "link", allowing Fast-Cast to feed Ratio Evaluator directly (Lotus and Excel versions). Ratio Evaluator               has been termed both "easy-to-use" and "a well-tuned piece of work" by PC World. If you’re planning               to invest in a company or project, or if you just want to learn more about ratios, this program’s for you!              

Question:

Are there any SBT people here? Bill Couture

Response:

Yea, I’m here, but I am not an acct, I’m a long time user of SBT….10-12 years. jer – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Are there any SBT people here? Bill Couture

Response:

Yeah, I’m here too. Using SBT VisionPoint 2000 build 906.  I’m looking to go with a new 32-bit accounting program.  I’ve been looking at Visual Accountmate and SBT Pro 6.0.  Any suggestions? James Trogdon

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yea, I’m here, but I am not an acct, I’m a long time user of SBT….10-12 years. jer Are there any SBT people here? Bill Couture

Response:

I haven’t seen Account Mate in years.  It was always a very good program.  I talked to them at Comdex this year.  I do SBT mods for several SBT dealers as well as writting custom stuff.  I’d say the new PRO 6.0 is very good.  It was just updated to the latest Fox stuff which is really a big difference from the 5.0 though it doesn’t look like it.  Only reason  to worry about it is that it just got picked up by ACCPAC.  Doen’t think that will affect the PRO version but might affect VP.   Bill Couture

Response:

Drop me an e-mail and I’ll add you to my  newsletter on SBT and Peachtree.

Response:

Call SBT and ask for a new reseller to give you support and complain about your current one, 800/944-1000.

Can anyone direct me to a user group for SBT users?  I am a recent convert to SBT Pro5.0 and have had poor help from local reseller.  Lots of problems and questions!  How do you erase a blank bin number?  Why is it that the various tables with a field ‘currid’ is not always populated with the ‘USD’ as required?. etc. etc. Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

SBT protects their resellers and kind of frowns on fact that they have intelligent end users.  I being a member of the latter. There are training classes that you can attend and I recommend that.  I attended the programming one, there is a user administration one too and I feel that  is their best class. Are you FoxPro literate?  If so you can go to universalthread.com and post questions there with quick results.  You don’t have to pay $ for posting questions and getting answers. — __Stephen Russell Memphis VFP User Group

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Can anyone direct me to a user group for SBT users?  I am a recent convert to SBT Pro5.0 and have had poor help from local reseller.  Lots of problems and questions!  How do you erase a blank bin number?  Why is it that the various tables with a field ‘currid’ is not always populated with the ‘USD’ as required?. etc. etc. Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

Can anyone direct me to a user group for SBT users?  I am a recent convert to SBT Pro5.0 and have had poor help from local reseller.  Lots of problems and questions!  How do you erase a blank bin number?  Why is it that the various tables with a field ‘currid’ is not always populated with the ‘USD’ as required?. etc. etc. Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

Question:

Tindall) writes: What’s with all you people. You seem to be running around like headless chickens, lost it completely, shit scared. Get it into your heads THERE IS NO 2YK problem. It’s all in your minuscule minds. For Pete’s sake grow up and act like the sensible and responsible citizens your country is going to need at that time if a majority of people think like you. YOU are going to CREATE the problems not a so-called 2YK thing.

Correct! There is no 2YK problem at all. However, there may be a problem with Y2K. If there is. I will have a good laugh at myself. Be embarrassed for a while and life will continue on for me. I just hope to GOD there is nothing wrong then! However, I would rather have insurance, just in case. Plus, all this food, medical supplies and ammo I storing won’t be wasted. The food will still be eaten and replaced. The medical supplies will slowly be used up and replaced. The ammo will be good indefinely if stored correctly. Talking about insurance now. I have all kinds of insurance. For the truck, motorcycle, health, life and homeowners. Hopefully I will never collect on any of them. Although the health and life insurance will probably, eventually, be used. I know that much. But, at least I have insurance. I just hope you also have that insurance. As to Y2K insurance. I hope this opens your eyes. But, probably not. However, don’t expect the government or myself, to help you out if we do have a Y2k problem. The government won’t be able to and I will shoot anyone that tries to take what I have. Bill

Response:

Hark! The Pollyanna’s Pollyanna! It is all a dream and the world is not really spending billions to work on the problem! But they are idiot. grow up and smell the coffee or thou shalt become extinct. |What’s with all you people. You seem to be running |around like headless chickens, lost it completely, |shit scared. | |Get it into your heads THERE IS NO 2YK problem. |It’s all in your minuscule minds. For Pete’s sake grow |up and act like the sensible and responsible citizens |your country is going to need at that time if a majority |of people think like you. | |YOU are going to CREATE the problems not a so-called |2YK thing. | |

Response:

What’s with all you people. You seem to be running around like headless chickens, lost it completely, shit scared. Get it into your heads THERE IS NO 2YK problem. It’s all in your minuscule minds. For Pete’s sake grow up and act like the sensible and responsible citizens your country is going to need at that time if a majority of people think like you. YOU are going to CREATE the problems not a so-called 2YK thing.

Response:

What’s with all you people. You seem to be running around like headless chickens, lost it completely, shit scared.

No…that will describe the people who continue to ignore the serious implications of the problem. Get it into your heads THERE IS NO 2YK problem. It’s all in your minuscule minds.

Really?  Why don’t you get a hold of Bob Bennett and let him know.  While you’re at it, bring the Red Cross and FEMA up to speed on your facts. I’ll bet they’ll feel pretty sheepish when they realize that their preparation advice was a product of their miniscule minds. For Pete’s sake grow up and act like the sensible and responsible citizens your country is going to need at that time if a majority of people think like you.

Huh?  If I am understanding this post correctly, you are telling this NG to act sensibly and responsibly if, indeed, Y2k does come to pass. And yet, it’s foolish to prepare our families and loved ones for a possible emergency. Huh? YOU are going to CREATE the problems not a so-called 2YK thing.

No…the problems have already been created.  And it’s a _documented_ problem, not a *thing* (the proper abbreviation is *Y2k* not *2YK*). Do some research, Maurice.  Check out what the government has to say.  Take a look at the web sites for the Red Cross and for FEMA.  The public is being told to prepare for *possible* interruptions in service (heat & electricity), *NOT* for any problems that *WE* are going to create.  Again, *we* didn’t create this problem, we are reacting to it. Madness A prudent man foresees the dangers ahead and takes precautions, the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.  Proverbs 22:3

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Thank you.  I believe the same, I am not saying to run for the hills or dig a hole in your back yard and hide in it for the rest of the year, just  buy extra batteries, a couple extra cans of soup etc etc….. If nothing happens great if something does ( not only y2k but a tornado, flood hurricane.) you will be better off for haveing done so.      ED

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Ignorance is a wonderful thing, you must be one of the happiest folks on earth… Researched this 2yk thing in depth did you, can’t even type it right.  Its Y2K stupid… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What’s with all you people. You seem to be running around like headless chickens, lost it completely, shit scared. Get it into your heads THERE IS NO 2YK problem. It’s all in your minuscule minds. For Pete’s sake grow up and act like the sensible and responsible citizens your country is going to need at that time if a majority of people think like you. YOU are going to CREATE the problems not a so-called 2YK thing.

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What’s with all you people. You seem to be running around like headless chickens, lost it completely, shit scared. Get it into your heads THERE IS NO 2YK problem. It’s all in your minuscule minds. For Pete’s sake grow up and act like the sensible and responsible citizens your country is going to need at that time if a majority of people think like you. YOU are going to CREATE the problems not a so-called 2YK thing.

  No, they will simply be eating, whether things are fine, or things   are terrible.   You, too, will be eating. If things are fine.    Irv

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IQ 138. Yours?

I am not in the habit of publicising this but, since you ask, 140.

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That’s right, no problem.  Please send your food and water to me. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What’s with all you people. You seem to be running around like headless chickens, lost it completely, shit scared. Get it into your heads THERE IS NO 2YK problem. It’s all in your minuscule minds. For Pete’s sake grow up and act like the sensible and responsible citizens your country is going to need at that time if a majority of people think like you. YOU are going to CREATE the problems not a so-called 2YK thing.

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where exactly did you get your information? enlighten my minuscule mind

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I will shoot anyone that tries to take what I have. Bill

I know you’ll do all you can to keep yourself and your loved ones alive and and as happy as possible for as long as possible, but you have to admit that for every force, there is an equal force somewhere else. It must be admitted that you’ll shoot anyone who tries to take what you have, unless someone trying to take what you have shoots you first. I’m not criticizing you.  I’m simply pointing out the fact of the situation. The Y2K problem would be a lot less dangerous if all we had to worry about was death from starvation, weather elements, and disease.  To the extent that people will steal from and kill each other, we increase our problems many-fold. Basically, I’m saying that it would be better if everyone who is prepared to kill for survival would simply prepare in silence, and not state the fact of what they are prepared to do.

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good advise stephanie! keep your business to yourself, and tell everyone that Y2K is a joke. Jesus once told his apostles (paraphrased) that if the people didn’t want to hear what they had to say – move on. there is no point in trying to convince anyone anymore, Y2K is now on EVERY news broadcast. my father-in-law is a rather bigwig (project manager type) for a major computer manufacturer, his company has Y2K plans, but he has none. my wife & i just shrug & say ‘what can you do’, we have no plans either…                                    WhiteWolf – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I will shoot anyone that tries to take what I have. Bill I know you’ll do all you can to keep yourself and your loved ones alive and and as happy as possible for as long as possible, but you have to admit that for every force, there is an equal force somewhere else. It must be admitted that you’ll shoot anyone who tries to take what you have, unless someone trying to take what you have shoots you first. I’m not criticizing you.  I’m simply pointing out the fact of the situation. The Y2K problem would be a lot less dangerous if all we had to worry about was death from starvation, weather elements, and disease.  To the extent that people will steal from and kill each other, we increase our problems many-fold. Basically, I’m saying that it would be better if everyone who is prepared to kill for survival would simply prepare in silence, and not state the fact of what they are prepared to do.

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For Pete’s sake grow up and act like the sensible and responsible citizens your country is going to need at that time if a majority of people think like you. Huh?  If I am understanding this post correctly, you are telling this NG to act sensibly and responsibly if, indeed, Y2k does come to pass. And yet, it’s foolish to prepare our families and loved ones for a possible emergency. Huh?

I think he is saying that individual preparation is more than just foolish, but also childish, un-partiotic and possibly harmful to the more "sensible" creatures inhabiting this neck of the woods.   It the party line of the socialist. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – YOU are going to CREATE the problems not a so-called 2YK thing. No…the problems have already been created.  And it’s a _documented_ problem, not a *thing* (the proper abbreviation is *Y2k* not *2YK*). Do some research, Maurice.  Check out what the government has to say.  Take a look at the web sites for the Red Cross and for FEMA.  The public is being told to prepare for *possible* interruptions in service (heat & electricity), *NOT* for any problems that *WE* are going to create.  Again, *we* didn’t create this problem, we are reacting to it. Madness A prudent man foresees the dangers ahead and takes precautions, the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.  Proverbs 22:3

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I’ve got an IQ of 154, if you are to believe that particular test–it was good enough for Mensa.  Plus I’ve got a couple of respectable degrees and a really great job to back it up.  A job in the computer business, not incidentally. A few points: 1.  My firm is making Y2K plans and will not do business with companies it deems unprepared. 2.  Much of our Fortune 500 business, in both the management consulting and accounting/audit areas, isthe result of these humongous companies replacing antiquated, non-Y2K compliant software with SAP, PeopleSoft, or what have you, to the tune of $40-80 million a pop… 3.  I’ve spent about $2000 on supplies/equipment for mild-to-moderate survival scenarios this past year.  That is about 2% of my gross income. By way of comparison, I spend about that same $2000 on car insurance I never use! To me, it makes sense to spend a few discretionary dollars on a (primarily) one-time purchase of various pieces of equipment that have inherent utility. In fact, it makes more sense than gambling with State Farm Mutual that I won’t kill myself while tooling down the highway…  After all, the odds are that I will never see a tangible benefit; had it been otherwise, they would not have underwritten my policy claiming me a "bad risk". Finally, IT IS MY MONEY AND MY LIFE.  HOW I LIVE IT IS UP TO ME AND ME ALONE, SO LONG AS I HARM NO ONE.  If you do not want to hear what I have to say, it is very simple:  do not read my (our) posts. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – IQ 138. Yours? I am not in the habit of publicising this but, since you ask, 140. Then they must have mixed up the tests, because, Maurice, unless you are completely without any sense, you must have noticed that millions of people are taking this event *quite* seriously, and are spending *billions* attempting to fix it. So, Mr. IQ 140, enlighten me. — ==== Got Mead? Vicky meadwench, mommy, computer geek http://www.mindspring.com/~rcci/vicky What about Y2K? Find out more at http://www.utne.com/y2k/index.html

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if the people didn’t want to hear what they had to say – move on. there is no point in trying to convince anyone anymore, Y2K is now on EVERY news broadcast.

How true. I recently sent information on Y2K and preparation to various out-of-state relatives and close friends…especially those who live alone and may need to make special plans. I expected some phone calls with questions, but heard only from one sister and one friend. The rest probably didn’t even read the stuff. I have tried talking with family members and basically get a "we must humor her" response. So I have given up. I’ve done my part. I am turning my attention to making our home (husband & me, plus my elderly mother whom we will bring here) as safe and as prepared as we can make it. We’ll still try to help those who might need information or assistance, but I’ve given up trying to wake them up. A neighbor got ticked off with me when I gave his wife (an old friend I’ve known for many years) some Y2K info and a copy of the Red Cross alert. Nothing extreme…actually pretty lightweight stuff. She hadn’t even heard of Y2K. He was upset at me because it "got her all worried". DUH!  This week the same guy just spent mega-bucks on a fancy new "midlife crisis" sportscar. I doubt that they’ve spent a cent on preparation. Cora

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IQ 138. Yours? I am not in the habit of publicising this but, since you ask, 140.

Then they must have mixed up the tests, because, Maurice, unless you are completely without any sense, you must have noticed that millions of people are taking this event *quite* seriously, and are spending *billions* attempting to fix it. So, Mr. IQ 140, enlighten me. — ==== Got Mead? Vicky meadwench, mommy, computer geek http://www.mindspring.com/~rcci/vicky What about Y2K? Find out more at http://www.utne.com/y2k/index.html

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good advise stephanie! keep your business to yourself, and tell everyone that Y2K is a joke. Jesus once told his apostles (paraphrased) that if the people didn’t want to hear what they had to say – move on. there is no point in trying to convince anyone anymore, Y2K is now on EVERY news broadcast. my father-in-law is a rather bigwig (project manager type) for a major computer manufacturer, his company has Y2K plans, but he has none. my wife & i just shrug & say ‘what can you do’, we have no plans either…

how do you know that he isn’t doing the same as you and denying his own plans?– The first law of the jungle: "You can have anything you can get- for as long as you are able to keep it"

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Question:

Thanks Steve, I was hoping you would post your e-mail so everyone on RST could enjoy it.   Maybe, with some positive feedback to the race organizers, we can help this new race get on its feet and become one of the great races in the Northwest region. I’m betting they would be very receptive to suggestions addressing some of the concerns of the participants, especially if the race grows and brings in the revenue to their beautiful resort community.   Thanks again,   Brock

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That sounds like a great race!  I’ll definitely consider it for next year. Thanks for the report. Soup???

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If anyone participated in the recent Pacific Crest Triathlon in Oregon on June 27, I’d love to read your impressions of the race. I was signed up but due to work, was unable to attend. Tell me what I missed, Thanks, Brock

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If anyone participated in the recent Pacific Crest Triathlon in Oregon on June 27, I’d love to read your impressions of the race. I was signed up but due to work, was unable to attend. Tell me what I missed,

Sorry to be the one to tell you Brock, but you missed spectacular scenery, great people and a wonderful day.  The race was very well organized, one major exception not withstanding.  The swim was hands down the best I’ve ever seen: absolutely luxurious, even to the point of having two warming/changing tents with hot soup available, and carpet from the swim finish up the beach and into T1.  I’d bet the course measurement was within 1% or so.  Snow capped mountains in the background completed an amazing picture.  The water was cold — 56 degrees, like Pacific Grove but without the kelp.  One more thing to blame on El Nino — it’s what you have to deal with if you do a tri in the mountains this year, I guess.  At least I was ready for it.  Me and brain freeze are old friends.  Ask anybody. The bike route had amazing vistas, and the run was flat enough to be very fast, legs willing.  Check in and pre/post race amenities and entertainment were excellent, and transportation out to the swim start (it was a point-to-point bike ride) went off without a hitch.  We’d checked in our bikes the day before,  and they bused us out the next morning.  Or, you could have someone drive you out race morning, if you so chose — start time was 10:30 a.m.  Vineman could learn a lot about logistics from this race. The altitude was kind of sneaky.  You go from a swim at about 4850 feet down to the run at 4,200 feet and the effects creep up on you.  Not like Donner where you know right away you’re out of breath.  Just subtly wears you down, like wearing a 15 pound pack.  After four or five hours, you start to notice it’s there.  Usually, I get a second wind on the run.  Didn’t happen this time. Once the snap was gone, it was gone for good. The major exception was on-course aid.  Only three aid stations on the bike, and all they had was water.  Well, two of them had water — in half-liter bottles that wouldn’t stay put in a bottle cage.  The other one was dry when I got there.  On the run, there were aid stations of a sort about every two miles — arguably adequate for the half marathon they had in the morning, but dangerous for a half-IM.  Except for one that had Gatorade, they were all water-only as well.  Some were unattended.  Warm water in cups left on a table, and you had to stop and sort it out.  Except for the soup at T1, there was no food, no Powerbars, no GU, no nothing for fuel or electrolyte replacement, again excepting that one cup of Gatorade on the run.  If it had been just a few degrees hotter it would have been very, very ugly.  I’ve learned to carry my own stuff, so I was OK, but you can only carry so much.  OK is not optimal. A minor glitch was an active railroad crossing right at the beginning.  Based on the schedule they gave us just before the start, some people must have been caught by a train, but the swim coordinator said they would have volunteers with stopwatches at the crossing and adjust times if necessary.  I didn’t hear anyone complain about it after the race.  I’d assume it was as exquisitely managed as everything else in that gentleman’s bailiwick. All in all, and excepting aid stations, I’d say it was up to the standards of the best races I’ve been to, and even beyond in terms of some production values, like free massages, finisher medals and the like.  AA Sports clearly has its act together when it comes to accounting and operations management, which is something the business consultant in me really appreciates.  It means they have the systems in place which can correct their support problem, if they so choose.  It also means that they’re likelier than some to be around for the long haul. It was a small race, some 200-odd people, which makes some things easy, but makes other, important things hard, due to lack of cash flow.  If they fix the aid stations and beef up their marketing, this could easily become a destination race.  The venue is as good as it gets and the Sunriver Resort, where the HQ is, has enough going on to keep the rest of the family occupied for the weekend.  AA Sports is clearly investing in the creation of a unique atmosphere, like, say, Wildflower and Donner have succeeded in doing.  That’s an asset that should pay dividends in the future.  I plan on going back.  Hope to see you there. Tellus Venture Associates "Certainly the game is rigged. Don’t let that stop you; if you don’t bet, you can’t win."  R.A.H.

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Question:

Where would one obtain a list of the top colleges and universities for majoring in Accounting? I know that there are a great many variables but I would like to get a general idea of the schools that are considered strong. Thanks

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Where would one obtain a list of the top colleges and universities for majoring in Accounting? I know that there are a great many variables but I would like to get a general idea of the schools that are considered strong. Thanks

I don’t know about accounting rankings but one comparison is http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/cosearch.htm

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Question:

I refuse to cross post my reply. Again, while I agree that the current statistics support your position, those statistics are based on reported cases of abuse.  The numbers do not, repeat DO NOT, reflect the cases that go unreported. Period END OF DISCUSSION.

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Sunday March 3 11:55 PM EST Survey: Most Sex Offenders Assaulted Children WASHINGTON (Reuter) – Two-thirds of all state prisoners convicted of rape or sexual assault had committed their crime against a child, according to a Justice Department study released Sunday. The report by the department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics found that females accounted for three out of four of the child victims in rape or sexual assault cases. The study, based on a survey of state prisoners serving time for violent crime in 1991, showed that sex offenders typically preyed on children they knew rather than strangers. The study found that 88 percent of the sex offenders had some previous relationship with the child, with nearly one-third of the victims being children or step-children of the assailant. Most of the crimes involving a child took place in the home of the assailant or the victim. The findings were based on inmate interviews in 277 prisons in 45 states. The state prisoner survey, the largest ever undertaken, involved more than 14,000 convicts. Of the total number of prisoners serving time for violent crimes, 13 percent had raped or sexually molested children, according to the study. In other findings, the study reported that the number of murders of children under 18 soared to 2,660 in 1994 from just 1,463 a decade earlier. The increase occurred mostly among youths 15 to 17 years old. Most of the child murders in 1994 were committed by an acquaintance, with strangers accounting for just seven percent of the killings, it said. The study said nearly half of the child murders involved handguns in 1994, double the rate from ten years earlier. Of the estimated 61,000 inmates serving time for violent crimes against juveniles, about 30 percent reported they had attacked more than one child during the offense for which they were imprisoned. About 22 percent said they had been sexually abused while growing up, compared to just six percent of the violent offenders who preyed on adults. The study said prisoners convicted of attacking children were nearly alll males and had less extensive criminal records than inmates who committed crimes against adults.

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Sunday March 3 11:55 PM EST Survey: Most Sex Offenders Assaulted Children WASHINGTON (Reuter) – Two-thirds of all state prisoners convicted of rape or sexual assault had committed their crime against a child, according to a Justice Department study released Sunday.

Please keep this thread out of soc.culture.* (except possibly *.usa). While I’m sure this is an universal observation, it has noting of specifica relevance to any of the foreign soc.culture.* groups (I was reading this in soc.culture.swiss). Thank you Matthias —–    "There once was an Age of Reason, but we’ve progressed beyond it."                                    – Ayn Rand, _Atlas Shrugged_

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