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Showing posts from September 16, 2012

100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

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We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...
Manufacturing In New York Region Contracts In September. Bloomberg News (9/18, Chandra) reports, "Manufacturing in the New York region contracted more than forecast in September as orders shrank, a sign the world's largest economy will get less support from the industry. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York's general economic index dropped to minus 10.41, the lowest since April 2009, from minus 5.85 in August." The Greater Binghamton (NY) Business Journal (9/18, Seltzer) reports, "It was the general business conditions index's second consecutive month below zero. That means more surveyed manufacturers reported worsening circumstances than said the business climate was improving." The Journal reports, "In September, 28.8 percent of manufacturers indicated business conditions eroded, while just 18.4 percent said conditions took a step in the right direction. The remaining 52.8 percent of respondents believed conditions stayed the same as last ...