Directed Ira Open Self

The SAD-BJP rally at Matka Chowk this afternoon resulted in traffic bottlenecks, jams and police barricades on major roads in the city which left commuters harassed.

The commuters were left stranded for hours at several places, including Madhya Marg and roads around Sectors 15, 24, 23, 22 and 21.

Students returning home via these routes were delayed by over an hour. Over 1,000 police personnel, including additional force from the Punjab Police, had been deployed on duty. In an unsuccessful attempt to control the situation, the police cordoned off several roads along Sectors 16, 17 and 23.

In fact, the police itself started diverting vehicles used by the demonstrators towards the wrong-side. The vehicles coming from Madhya Marg were made to enter Sector 17 from the Hotel Taj side.

Pensions help for the fretful fifties

Fears of a generation of older workers retiring with negligible pension savings have prompted the City regulator to target those in their late fifties and early sixties with a new 'last-minute' saving awareness campaign.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) wants to warn what it calls the 'pre-retired' - those within two years of retiring - to the potentially huge gaps between the amount they expect to retire on and what they may actually end up with.

Its national campaign for 'anxious aspirants', which will start on 17 September, will highlight how those who have saved little can still make up for lost time. 'We don't want these workers to panic; rather to consider their options,' says an FSA spokeswoman.

For many with little in the way of savings, these options are not cheap and usually include an equity-release element to tap into the value of a home; working beyond 65; 'buying' extra years of an occupational pension scheme; and delaying the taking of the state pension.

Failed Company Pension Plans Hurt Baby Boomers and Elderly Say Recent ...

The company pension plan is dead and the retirement plans that were to replace them, namely IRAs and 401(k) plans, are ailing. Paul Mauro CLU, ChFc says Federal pension reform and Government insurance do little to protect older workers. Babyboomers face uncertainty and must take charge to secure their own income income, urges Mauro.

Journalists reporting in these media blame weak public policy, bankruptcies by major corporations and accounting tricks that allow employers to underfund retiree obligations.

Keller Rohrback L.L.P. Announces ERISA Investigation of the Merrill ...

SEATTLE, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Keller Rohrback L.L.P. (http://www.erisafraud.com) announces that it has commenced an investigation against Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. ("Merrill Lynch" or the "Company") (NYSE: MER) for potential violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA"). The investigation focuses on investments in Merrill Lynch stock by the Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan (the "Plan").

Keller Rohrback's investigation involves concerns that Merrill Lynch and other administrators of the Plan may have breached their ERISA-mandated fiduciary duties of loyalty and prudence to participants and beneficiaries of the Plan. A breach may have occurred if the fiduciaries failed to manage the assets of the Plan prudently and loyally by investing the assets in Company stock when it was no longer a prudent investment for participants' retirement savings.

EDITOR’S MAILBAG

I do not receive housing assistance or welfare.Everything I have, I worked for. Without my van, I can't take my daughter to school and I can't drive to work. If there was a medical emergency with my children, how would I get them to a doctor?I work as a certified nurse's aide for a staffing agency. I am required to travel to various towns to earn a living. If I can't drive to work, how will I pay my rent and utility bills? I can't even purchase a new vehicle until I receive my tax refund. I won't even be getting paid for working this week because my timecard is in my van. My daughter's car seats were in my van. Some of their favorite travel toys are in my van. I am living an absolute nightmare.Do car thieves even realize the hardship they cause people when they steal? Do they realize that stealing is illegal? Why would any sane person risk jail time over a 1994 Plymouth Voyager with a broken radio and bad transmission? I just can't grasp what would make a person do something so stupid.

Gardner faces builders over moratorium

It could have been a case of Daniel walking into the lions' den, but Frederick County Commissioner Jan Gardner received a cordial reception Friday in an address to the Frederick County Builders Association.

Gardner said when she was invited to speak some time ago to the group, she expected to give an update on the state of the county.

Instead, she found herself explaining the county's initiative to put a halt to new residential construction for the next two years.

The commissioner emphasized that the reason for the initiative was driven by transportation issues.

"I get 200 e-mails a day," she said, "and every single day some of those are on traffic problems."

She said the county has made progress on school construction, but the needs of transportation is the overwhelming issue.

Timeline for Corzine's tenure

Nov. 8 Corzine, then a U.S. senator, defeats Republican businessman Doug Forrester in the most expensive, and one of the nastiest, gubernatorial races in state history. Both men largely funded their own campaigns. Corzine spent $39.1 million to Forrester's $19.1 million and won 53 percent to 43 percent.

Dec. 14 Corzine names veteran federal prosecutor Stuart Rabner to be his chief counsel. Widely praised on ethics from both parties, Rabner would later become attorney general, then chief justice of the state Supreme Court.

Tribune News Service

The manifesto further demanded better working conditions for faculty, which includes construction and maintenance of separate toilets for faculty in each department, streamlining of parking in front of different buildings, maintenance of campus houses, general cleanliness and security, Wi-Fi for the entire campus (including hostels and residential area), and intercom to all, better road and drainage conditions and landscaping in Sector 25 and speedy construction of more houses, and streamlining of house-allotment.

Interestingly, the manifesto also asks for harmonious relationship among faculty and biennial increments for the stagnated teachers.

While manifesto of both groups are now out, none of the groups has talked about what they intend to do to improve the standard of teaching and research in the university.Course in Computer Hardware

The Centre for Adult, Continuing Education and Extension in the university has introduced a six-month Certificate Course in Computer Hardware for unemployed youth.