May 2000
Volume 64 |
Number 5
|
| |
|
| Annual Meeting
Attendees to Get San Francisco Treat |
Thomas H. Cromwell,
M.D., Chair
Committee on Local Arrangement
In a fitting tribute to "America's Favorite City," ASA will return
to San Francisco, California, for its first Annual Meeting of
the new millennium on October 14 18. Affectionately known
to locals as "The City," San Francisco generally attracts record
attendance for ASA meetings, and for good reason. The city and
surrounding Bay area are home to spectacular vistas, incomparable
cuisine, a world-renowned anesthesia training program, painted
ladies, Alcatraz Island (a.k.a., The Rock), occasional fog and
a once-great football team.
Most of the activity will, of course, be centered at the newly
expanded Moscone Center, but for those not scurrying from lecture
to lecture, and for those who have never visited San Francisco
(could that be true?), ASA has arranged a variety of activities
-- literally something for everyone.
Tours of the City
San Francisco Orientation:
A one-hour complimentary overview of what San Francisco has to
offer.
San Francisco Highlights:
An extensive three-hour bus tour with attention to the most visited
tourist sights.
The City and The Bay:
A combined bus and walking tour and one-hour ferry ride on the
Bay.
Hilltop Walking Tour:
Do not worry, a van will take you to the top of San Francisco's
legendary hills (Telegraph, Russian, Knob and Pacific Heights)
for a leisurely walk down and a spectacular view of the vistas.
Chinatown Walking Tour:
A walk through one of San Franciso's most historic ethnic enclaves.
Fun Run:
Well, not exactly a tour, but a unique way to view the city through
blood, sweat and tears.
Tours of the Immediate Bay Area
Alcatraz -- The Rock:
Stuff of mystery, legend and film, and former living quarters
of Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and the Birdman, Robert Stroud,
this famous outcropping in San Francisco Bay is now maintained
by the National Park Service, which conducts fascinating tours
and provides interesting history. If you have not done it, do
it!
|
|
Postcard Row"
is one of the endless number of sights that make San Francisco
one of the world's most popular cities. In the past year,
several conventions of various sizes broke attendance records
at San Francisco's Moscone Center. The ASA Annual Meeting
hopes to do the same this year. (Photography
by San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau)
|
Marvelous Marin:
Home to hot tubs and peacock feathers in the 1970s, it is now ridiculously
overpriced real estate, but also the home of giant redwoods in Muir
Woods and trendy Sausalito.
Angel Island:
This "forgotten" island in San Francisco Bay is adjacent to (but
much larger than) Alcatraz Island. The "Ellis Island" of the West
Coast in years past and site of a Civil War Army Post, the island
is now uninhabited and provides incomparable vantage points from
which to view the bay.
Tours a Bit Farther Out
Best of the Wine Country: A must for the wine fan. Visit
two of the many world-class vineyards in the Napa Valley north
of San Francisco. Wine tasting will of course be included.
Sonoma Wine and Olives: An alternative to the Napa Valley
is the adjacent Sonoma Valley. This tour will visit the Viansa
Winery, complete with evaluation of not only wines but also a
variety of olives.
Monterey Bay, Carmel and the 17-Mile Drive: If you have
ever watched the Crosby Pro Am on television, you will recognize
the fabulous scenery as you visit the famed 17-Mile Drive that
winds through this golf mecca of Pebble Beach. In addition, this
tour includes Monterey, a historic seaport and former colonial
capital of California and now home to the Monterey Bay Aquarium
in its unique natural setting.
Filoli Estate: A pleasant tour of television's "Dynasty"
set with its fabulous 16 acres of gardens.
For Artists
An Emphasis on Art: Visit San Francisco's treasures,
Golden Gate Park and the DeYoung Museum, the Legion of Honor and
the Japanese Tea Garden.
For the
Hopeful
Suggestions and Strategies for Admission to College:
Diane E. Epstein, a nationally recognized and certified educational
consultant, returns to the ASA Annual Meeting to present a comprehensive
and completely updated program. Her expert advice has helped thousands
of students and their parents through what might have been a very
stressful process.
Mrs. Epstein will focus on practical and specific suggestions
for students of all levels of ability who are entering or who
are already in high school. She will answer your questions as
well as the following:
- Why has it become so hard to get into so many colleges?
What can we do about it?
- Why are the PSAT and PACT important?
- When should the SAT I, SAT II and ACT be taken? How
often?
- Will a prep course really help?
- Is an honors "B" really better than a regular "A"?
- Is foreign language necessary throughout high school?
- How important are extracurricular activities?
- Are on-campus visits and interviews important?
- Who should be asked for letters of recommendation?
- What are colleges looking for in their essays?
- There are thousands of colleges; how can we decide where
to apply?
- Why is everyone talking about early decision?
- Where can less able students get accepted?
- Can high-achieving students obtain non-need-based scholarships?
All participants will have the opportunity to examine data reports
that show how specific grades, scores and other factors affect
admission decisions at hundreds of colleges.
In addition, each participant will receive the following: definitions,
a list of book and Web site resources, timetables specifying what
to do when, check lists, sample letters and suggestions for interviews,
visits and essays.
A question-and-answer period will conclude the program. Mrs.
Epstein also will be available to respond to individual questions
both after the program and when she returns to her office.
Effective Investment Strategies: Perhaps it is the impact
of health care reform on providers' incomes, the continuing chaos
in the securities markets or the dizzying array of investment
alternatives. Whatever the reason, health care families have unprecedented
anxiety about their financial futures. They seek to become more
"efficient" with their money and are looking for objective advice
from someone not willing to separate them from their wallets.
We are pleased to again provide this nationally acclaimed investment
education seminar. Fast-paced and interactive, this program provides
you with an unbiased and cost-effective way of learning a great
deal about investments in a short period of time. You will learn
to distinguish the advantages and disadvantages as well as assess
the benefits and risks of numerous investments and investing strategies.
You will acquire investment management skills that apply to investment
vehicles, including stocks, mutual funds, real estate, tax-advantaged
investments, index funds and bonds. Most importantly, you will
learn to match the appropriate investment to meet your specific
investment goal.
Unlike financial planner or stock-broker-provided programs,
there is no sales pitch. The course is designed for the layperson,
and no prior investing experience is necessary. Topics include:
- Enjoying the benefits while being aware of pitfalls
of online trading
- Structuring a conservative, moderate or aggressive investment
portfolio
- What money managers don't want you to know about
index funds
- Investment methods that lock-in profits while reducing
losses
- Selecting mutual funds suited to meet your needs, not
Wall Street's
- Funding the high cost of your children's college edu
ation
- Real estate opportunities for everyone's portfolio
- Annuities: Are they worth the cost?
- Getting started in international investing: Should you
go offshore?
Every attendee will receive a copy of the Effective Investment
Strategies textbook written specifically for the course and
an invaluable post-seminar investment resource.
Your seminar leader is J. Michael Moody, president and co-founder
of National Tax & Investment Seminars, the nation's largest
sponsor of financial education programs for health care associations.
He is a successful businessman, real estate investor/developer,
private investor and has been an adjunct professor at Portland
(Oregon) State University. He completed his M.B.A. in finance
at the University of Oregon and his B.A. at Pomona College. He
is the author of the Effective Investment Strategies textbook.
Effective Retirement Plans and Estate Strategies: What Have
You Done Today to Plan Your Retirement and Estate?: You have
been working for years and your career and income are in order,
but what have you done to plan your estate and retirement? Do
you wonder if you are doing everything necessary to create a financially
secure retirement? Would you benefit from an unbiased look at
your options, without the hassle of a sales pitch?
In simple and direct language, this acclaimed course provides
you with essential advance planning critical to reducing estate
and income taxes and designing and using a retirement plan to
meet the challenge of preparing for a financially secure retirement.
It shows you how to identify the advantages and disadvantages,
the risks and rewards of numerous estate planning strategies.
There is absolutely no sales pitch.
Attendees learn how to make tax-efficient distributions from
an existing retirement plan, or whether to terminate an established
plan. This course is essential preparation before deciding how
to allocate your retirement dollars.
Topics include:
- Understanding the fundamentals of gift and estate taxes
- Maximizing benefits of family gift and trust arrangments
- Understanding probate and avoiding it with living trusts
- Advantages of terminating your existing retirement plan
- Deciding how much distribution to take at age 70 1Ž2
- Protecting plan assets from creditors
- Understanding the new Roth IRA plans
- Maximizing the benefits of life insurance
- Benefiting from nonqualified retirement plans
- Creating tax-advantaged funds for college expenses
Every attendee will receive a copy of the Effective Retirement
Plans and Estate Strategies textbook, written for this course.
The seminar leader is Barry Rubenstein, B.S., J.D., LL.M. Mr.
Rubenstein is a practicing attorney and former adjunct professor
at the College of Business of the University of Oregon. He received
his law degree from the University of California Hastings College
of Law and a master's of law in taxation from the Boston University
School of Law. Mr. Rubenstein's law practice emphasizes personal
tax and estate planning matters as well as the law of corporations
and partnerships.
For the Theater Crowd
Beach Blanket Babylon: For a true San Francisco experience,
make sure to reserve Saturday night, October 14, to attend this
marvelous stage production that can be seen nowhere else. Performed
at the intimate Fugasi Theater, this show originated more than
25 years ago and is a tradition to visitors and locals alike.
Featuring ever-changing parodies on famous politicians, entertainers
and others in the news, it is a hilarious, fun-filled evening.
Please reserve early because it is sure to be a sellout. Caveat:
no children allowed.
So visit The City and enjoy. But heed the admonition of Mark
Twain, who once complained that he spent the coldest winter of
his life one summer in San Francisco. When the fog rolls in, it
can get a bit brisk, so bring a sweater (or two). And whatever
you do, please, please do not call us "Frisco!"
They'll be coming in waves beginning October 14, 2000, for
the 53rd ASA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California. World-renown
lecturers, cutting-edge exhibits and various city tours will certainly
make this Annual Meeting memorable. (Photography by San Francisco
Convention and Visitors Bureau)
Thomas H. Cromwell, M.D., is Chair, Department
of Anesthesia, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco,
California. He is also ASA Secretary.
return to top
|