Show Page 2-0- The Herald Journal Logan Utah Saturday March 20 1999 Happy birthday long life to economic boom By John Cunniff AP Business Analyst NEW YORK (AP) — Although its influence has been felt by almost every American and by millions abroad there will be no cake no cards and no official celebration of its birthday In fact few people will even pause amid their busy schedules to reflect on the eighth birthday of the economic expansion this month They'll be too busy spending The “youngster" (put an asterisk beside that) has put more people into jobs and houses of their own than any economy in history while protecting buying power with the lowest inflation in three decades It has enabled more Americans than yean for an expansion is old age Rather ever before at least 50 million to own shares in corporate America and since 1994 it has added more than $6 trillion to their investment portfolios And may add more Still many beneficiaries of its largesse try not to celebrate the achievement lest it vanish before them There’s a reason for this: Very few people foresaw such a long and vigorous economic ascent and most even professional economists aren't quite certain they understand how it happened The expansion's beginnings were not noteworthy Throughout the years of its growth David Wyss chief economist at Standard & Poor's DRI observes it was consistently underrated Even as it set records it was forecast to end Asterisk: Eight years for a human being is just the beginning but eight it used to be: this one is free from many of the usual diseases of economic age To explain: Four straight yean is pret- ty good for the usual expansion after which period the economy generally becomes afflicted with inflation rising interest rates and inventory buildups Examination shows this one to be different None of the three afflictions mentioned has appeared It remains active confident and forward looking like an child expecting better things In 1992 who would have anticipated a federal budget surplus? And if they did would they have had the courage to convey their convictions — prepared that is to endure the ridicule? But late in its life in what any sane economic forecaster would have believed would be its denouement the expansion sprang one more surprise ing” Wyss says The question now is how much longer? And as a measure of how pro- confident they are spending every cent of income that is they are saving little or no money In times past that would send up storm flooding federal coffers with more revenue than anticipated by the White House Internal Revenue Service and spendthrift politicians foundly naysayers have been routed few dare set a limit on its life Two yean ago to say “next year” would have been a safe bet No more As Wyss notes even Alan Greenspan the Federal Reserve chairman “seemed remarkably unworried” about the economy in his recent congressional testimony The big question — it is always so during economic expansions — is when inflation might appear But not only hasn't it shown even its shadow “incredibly the risk seems to be eas Tae-B- o Focus hard enough punches of Blanks’ infomercial The Tae-B- o te video package has grossed around $75 million and placed in the top five on Billboard charts Blanks is now working on a book developing a certification course for class instructors and doing television appearances including "ER” and Oprah Winfrey's show But it is a craze that was a long time coming according to Blanks who said he started developing the routines in 1976 while he still was working at a chemical plant in Erie Pa By lluit lime he already had won the first of his eventual five Amateur Athletic Union championships The workout that Blanks evencomtually would name Tae-B- o bined the Korean karate style of Tae Kwon Do with standard boxing movements He blended both with music into an ucrohic dance format that would appeal to women small box of electronics — including a microprocessor and and the ous notes and corresponding colors controlled by your SHNS photo Ann Duncan of Newton NC with her disabilities gets acquainted with Jesse a signal and service dog who will help her live better Dogs help disabled manage By Cindy Starr turn lights on and off” A signal dog by comparison is News Service ScrippsHc When a dog is happy its tail curls into a circle And what could make a dog happier than to open doors trained to alert a person with a hearing impairment that the phone or doorbell has rang “He bumps the person takes sound" Staley them to the retrieve dropped items and signal a ringing telephone for a guardian who has a disability? In a heartwarming union of human and canine needs Marlys Staley has created for the Cincinn nati area a new and still explained The dogs are placed with those who need them at no chiugc Circle Thil has placed two dogs with guardians — Staley uses the charitable organization dogs in its pipeline The first dog placed was Sydney a mostly shepherd mix who was adopted from an animal shelter and is now a signal dog for Angela Del Greco of Sharonvillc Ohio “Sydney is my ears" said Del Greco who has a severe hearing impairment and cannot hear adequately even with hearing aids “She signals me for the alarm clock phone oven buzzer door smoke alarm and traffic when we're walking outside” Del Greco and Sydney are so close that they go to the post office the grocery store restau little-know- called Circle Tail The charity which budwill operate on a d get of $12 (XX) this year trains signal dogs for people with hearing impairments und service dogs for people whose mobility has been impaired by stroke injury or illness “Service dogs lake directions" Staley said “A person drops his keys the dog picks up the keys The dog retrieves things reaches things the person can't reach If the person's arm is impaired or if he is in a wheelchair the dog will open doors open the refrigerator hare-hone- word “guardian" instead of “owner” — and has another 15 rants and Mass together "She knows the service belter than a lot of people" Del Greco quipped Del Greco also laughs about the time she and Sydney were in a household with a couple of pel cockaticls Every time one of the birds squawked — which was every few seconds — Sydney alerted Ms Del Greco The cost of raising and training a signal or service dog is $8000 to $12 (XX) Staley said but the dog's value to someone with an impairment is infinite Del Greco agrees “I'm truly blessed" she said “God has seen to my needs” thoughts It sounds like science fiction but Cyberlink as it’s called is here and it was wowing crowds at South By Southwest Interactive Conference part of a technology music and film festival in Austin Texas that closes Sunday “It's almost scary watching the computer do things you're thinking about" said David Martin an electronic musician from New York who stepped away from the demo booth sweating “Very science fiction" Cyberlink was pioneered by Andrew Junker a researcher at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio Junker was part of a program to make links between a pilot and an aircraft's cockpit instruments the better to deal with information long-standi- overload while hunting down enemy jets and dodging surface-to-air missiles Until Cyberlink came along computer control involved coordinating a command to an eye head or facial hands-fre- e movement Junker while retired and living in the Caribbean claims he has invented a way of harnessing a range of brain waves muscle contractions and eye movements These impulses are captured by three silver chloride-coate- d plastic tablets held to the head with a Velcro strap The strap is connected to a (435) MAIN LOOAN 713-466- UKiNADM 1 MKT SYSTEMS NETWHMRINd recognizable signal fed into a Windows-base- d computer through its serial port “The battle was over how to convert all this information into something useable” said Chris Tate 37 a biomedical engineer and director of research at Brain Actuated Technologies Inc the comYellow Springs Ohio-base- d formed Junker find to pracpany tical uses for his invention The device doesn't actually read thoughts It associates cer- tain facial muscle movements andor brain waves with a certain computer function Users can repeat the function by repeating the movement or brain wave For example when a user thinks "move cursor up” he generates a unique combination of eye muscle and brain waves for that thought The software is trained to move the cursor up when the signal for that combina- tion of reflexes is sent to the computer “I couldn't tell you what I do to make the computer do certain things" said Tate “If you consciously try to make It happen you exaggerate and throw everything off You just have to accept that you do generate this signal and tell the computer to take a certain action based on the signal It's very very Zen" According to Tate the software can be trained to perform any number of tasks depending on a user's ability to generate a specific signal for that task He added that an interface to type is being developed The Cyberlink technology also drives BAT's new Brain Actuated Music software which translates the headband signal into musical notes SW H ATS0 N'TONIGHTl AUlHSQRWPROamtMQTCNOHri SPORTS MLS Soccsa MetroStam v Fusion ESPN 2 NCAA Tomnmient Elite 8 FAMILY DISCOUNT COMFUTKMS KKPMHH amplifiers — which the company says boost and filter brain waves muscle and eye impulses into a CmiOMfnB?nxMrtMvcuowBsoY '777 SALE COMPLETE MULTIMEDIA COMPUTER SYSTEM CENTER investments either of which could take a dive Americans don’t think so though and such confidence might keep things going But for now happy eighth birthday to the surprisingly robust expansion May your days be longer and bountiful screen comes alive in an electronic light show concerto the vari- the New York movie actor and former karate of those stock market and housing AUSTIN Texas — Finally it's mind over computer Concentrate and a cursor on a computer screen drifts toward a file you want to open Clench your jaw and a program starts up off-seas- champion Billy Blanks And since August the workout has taken off across the country powered by the repeated media explained what counts is net worth — wealth rather than mere income — and net worth is now six times income That as you may surmise is because San Francisco Examiner appears pro hockey is not a martial art So why is Wayne Gretzky training in something that looks like kickboxing? For the reason that other people — the choreographed do Tae-B- o exercise promartial arts-sty- le gram raises a good sweat and gets your heart and lungs going Gretfive days a zky practices Tae-B- o week with his wife Janet when he is home in the Los Angeles area in the “It was important for me to keep my quickness up and my cardiovascular is always impor- me" but now it is flags and inflation By Matt Beer WASHINGTON (AP) — Despiie how it sometimes Rangers star said “The coaches (feel) whatever gets you ready” Gretzky is far from the only star to do Tae-B- o Celebrities from the Los Angeles Lakers' Shaquille O'Neil to singer Paula Abdul have been seen at the Sherman Oaks training center founded creator martial arts by Tae-Bo- 's sider that Americans today are so Teaching computers to do as you think? kicks and punches its way up tant to In itself this is an amazing development made even more so when you con- Niama Falls Raomo Raws CACHE DEMOCRATS -- Dimitry Unoemtanmm Space Travel flu Laaming Chaml Support the Democratic Party Join tho Big CD Party MJ nmon 4 iMMMaahaOamooraiarg John NuhaM EDUCATIONS INFORMATION Mountam Men Enjoy The Best Cable 7V Programming At The Best Price Of The YearI GostsiJVorry I SENIORS UNAWARE OF GOVERNMENT ENTITLEMENT PROGRAM FOR NURSING HOME CARE! 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