We’ve been using a SonicWall SOHO3 hardware firewall at HSRA for several years to filter Internet content and comply with federal law regarding student access. A few weeks ago, it started to go bad and needed to be replaced. I didn’t like some of the support policies of SonicWall, so I asked around and was referred to company called Astaro and their ASG120 product. (more…)

This week my Catholic Aid Association (CAA) sales representative, Sam Welter, brought over my new life insurance policy. I’m not Catholic, but wife is and she used to work there. They have good products and have been around for a long, long time. When I left NWA, I rolled over all of my pension to an annuity at CAA and purchased a new term life policy to make up for the one I used to have from work. Sam told me about a new term life product they were rolling out that required a much more stringent health qualification process. If I could qualify for the new plan, I would pay the same premium, but get about $150,000 more in coverage.

A nurse came out to my house about a month ago and I finally got the word that I passed. My cholesterol levels were much better than my last physical (203 mg/dL on a “good” scale of 140-280) and my wife says the triglyceride results were even more impressive: 58 mg/dL on a expected value range of 10-200. My readings were high on two measures: alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase. Both can be related to kidney and liver issues, so I need to research that more. They must not be that bad, though, or I’m sure I would have been turned down. I also rolled over the rest of my NWA 401K money, so I don’t have to worry about the NWA bankruptcy any longer…DK