Show Clubs :rom1F Meanwhile the market's define has shaken the confidence f mny novice investors who night otherwise consider joining in investment club “I just think the fluff is eom-n- g off” O'Hara says Despite such troubles investment clubs are still very popular imong some investors NAIC attracted more than 1300 investors to its annual contention earlier this month And teverl of the group’s 102 councils” - which sponsor classes investment fairs and either events in their local areas say they haven't felt the pinch Attendance at classes “is still very good” says LaVonne Raney president of the Central “re-fion- ai Many club members seem to view the market's drop as a buying opportunity “There are some stocks right now that you would consider to be on sale" says Janice Stonestreet president of the Kansas City council “I'm in two clubs We're buving in both of them" Still the decline in interest is apparent to some JoAnn Linck president of the NAIC’s Mainland council and a member of its national board of directors says her own investing club hasn’t been shaken by the market's recent turmoil But when the Maryland group held a g investing seminar early day-lon- this month only half of the 300 people expected by the chapter signed up This fall just 14 people enrolled in a class on investing in common stocks taught by Linck at Howard Community College in Columbia Md Normally it draws about 25 students “I guess it’s the downturn in the stock market” she says “People don’t seem to be as interested at this particular time as they have been in the past” Florida NAIC’s Southeast council based in Fort Lauderdale Fla canceled an introductory investing class this month because “only a couple of people” signed up for the class not the 30 to 40 people expected by the group says vice president of education Pat Miller It was the first time the group has had to cancel an event because of lack cf interest he says Hall T Martin treasurer of the Dallas-are- a council says that until two months ago he would receive “one call a day from somebody who wants to form an investment club Those calls have ceased" he says In San Jose Calif site of this year’s annual meeting a special insert on the conference in the San Jose Mercury News generated only about 10 calls to the Silicon Valley council "And they slacked off pretty quickly” says first vice president Russell Mal- - ley NAIC itself is girding for tougher times Six employees who left the organization in the past six months haven't been replaced says NAIC President Kenneth S Janke The group has e about 80 and temporary employees and a budget of roughly S20 million according to Janke Unlike many of the group's members the NAICs leadership full-tim- remembers just how painful 4 prolonged slump can be Between 1973 and 1980 the num- ber of clubs belonging to plunged to about 3700 the-NAI- from roughly 14000 Janke savs "We think our members are probably a little more sophisti--cat- ed than they were 20 vears' ago" he says But Janke admits that “we will continue to be dependent on the performance of the market” Here is todays’ photo for our Travel Sweepstakes You could win airfare to Southern California just by watching the Ohio Council "We’ve been doing real well” John Nye treasurer cf the adds Southeast Michigan council 'We're sending out several hun- dred” welcoming letters to new members each month he adds "That's continued” The percentage of groups disbanding “is about the same as we’ve typically seen over the past few years” says Jonathan H Strong manager of membership development Roughly 25 percent of new clubs don’t make it through their first year Another o32jTS2n§ Standard-Examine- each night and filling out the oifii'iiiiaa entry oGEhb form in last Sundays’ Standard-Examine- oft®© Flushing r AIRLINES From IF the “Washlet” Touch a button on the attached control panel and a telescoping nozzle emerges from the back to direct a cleansing stream of water where it’s needed Press dry” and the nozzle retracts with blasts of warm air The entry-levWashlet costs afound S650 or 74000 yen while the Neorest EXII which features a pulsating spray that messages your backside as it cleans and a d lid goes for around S3 800 or 437000 yen Despite the hefty price-tag- s Toto has sold more than 10 mild lion Washlets In fact of all homes in Japan now has a Washlet or similar toilet modification Behind the Washlets’ popularity is Japan's love of gadgets its obsession with cleanliness and Watanabe noted the comfort Standard Th vv"--- Top O t U t ah Standard-Examine- r Onir Sogrca wwwstandardnet SERVING THE TOP OF UTAH S NCE 1888 el remote-controlle- one-thir- I I I I I I L T Fixing the driveway I “It feels really good” he said with a smile “For a lot of people once they get used to a Washlet they don't want to use a regular toilet anymore” ' But the slowing of Japan's economy over the past decade has hit Toto hard Consumers are generally stin-- 1 gier than they were in the 1980s because they are more gloomy about Japan's economic future And toilet makers in particular have been hurt by a precipitous drop in the number of new homes being built Toto's sales fell 11 percent in 1997 though it still managed to post a net profit of around S30 million or 34 billion yen This year however it expects to lose around S87 million or 10 billion yen and says it may trim its work force by 000 employees in each of the next two years Like many other Japanese manufacturers Toto sees exports as a potential means of riding out the country's recession So far however it has come up dry -exports account for only 3 percent of sales it says Still working on the 1 Replacing the driveway prime Home Equity Line for an 80 (With a 5 LTV) first-one's-fr- theory of marketing the company is installing its wares in hotels and hospitals in the United States said spokesman Watanabe “We are confident that if we can get people to try it they’ll get hooked” he said Do Toyota Exxon make green deal You it know the story in You TOKYO - Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp and US energy powerhouse Exxon Corp will jointly develop automotive decide it's finally time to months for the first APR (595 prime long term rate) 5 like adding a new sidewalk pouring a patio and even that installing a basketball court No fees to open 3 Interest may be tax (mrTFTTTn deductible (consult your tax advisor) to not only Currently Giving 1101S ic tq reduce long-ter- r y: Our emissions goal is to develop : : r 5 f v :!: rrY'tr! :!t -- 56 : I : - :: ccs j 3 : 5 rn 2 1 'sc- Z " : more efficient power sources" said Toyota's next-generati- vice executive president Akihiro Wada VW L r I COPY 44 -- r“ A r ir — in4 ir n in r in m ii m Apply at any First Security office or call LendLine at Banking' others That's why we're five offering a low enough rate systems designed to reduce emissions and improve efficiency The companies will develop internal combustion engines and engines and hybrid also the fuels and lubricants that the new engines will require a Toyota news release said “In the short term our goal is fix the driveway and the next thing you know you've discovered : replace the driveway but to cover those other projects right with a Home Equity Line annoying crack The Associated Press r - 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