The White House says it’s reviewing options about keeping the “cash for clunkers” program going. Auto dealers already may have surpassed the 250,000 vehicle sales funded by the $1 billion program. The White House says any valid deals already made will be honored.
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I hate it when it gets to that point of the night where you just want to go to bed but you know you have so much more work you need to get done. That's how I felt last night. I had to go to bed because my eyes were so tired. They were just ready for bed. Unfortunately I had a lot of work that still needed to get done. I ended up staying up until two in the morning getting stuff done. It's really unfortunate that I had to stay up that late when I had to get up just four hours later to go present the information that I stayed up so late working on. It really is a catch twenty two.
(Photo: wgba.images.worldnow.com)
If you were worried like we were that Cash For Clunkers was suspended due to lack of funds, worry not. It’s halfway to be being extended, thanks to a House vote that approved $2 billion more dollars for the program. Now the program might last… a couple more weeks!
After that, you may need payday loans with no faxing or other short term loans to make up the difference the $3,500 or $4,500 Cash For Clunkers would have brought you with an approved trade-in. But for now, it appears that Cash For Clunkers may be extended. So long as your car’s not on the Cash For Clunkers list and meets the general qualifications, you can apply for the trade-in credit.
Aaron Smith reports for CNN that the House voted 316-109 to divert $2 billion from a U.S. Department of Energy program loan guarantee program. What will Secretary of Energy Steven Chu think of this? Furthermore, will the Senate be able to come to a consensus quickly? People want those cars they can’t really afford, you know… ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "UPDATE: House OKs $2 Billion More For Cash For Clunkers"
Anyone remember Constantine Maroulis? Constantine Maroulis was a contestant on American Idol Season 4, and after elimination went on about building his own solo career. He’s recorded and toured on his own solo album, but his biggest success was found starring in Broadway and off Broadway plays, typically musicals. Recently, he was routinely hailed as the lead of the musical Rock of Ages, a musical set to some of the greatest hits of 80s rock, including songs by Twisted Sister, Journey, and others. His performances were so good that he netted a nomination for a Tony Award. Maybe it would be worth some short term loans to see Constantine Maroulis perform.
Well it looks like Joe Jackson’s lifelong business of exploiting his children for financial gain is not over, even in Michael’s death. Despite the fact that Hollywood Gossip reported this week that Omer Bhatti said he was only Michael Jackson’s honorary son, not his biological son, Joe Jackson said during an interview with News One that the 25-year-old Norwegian man is Michael Jackson’s son.
I’m not sure what to believe anymore. Last week reports made it sound like Omer Bhatti was sending his DNA in for testing. However, according to the Hollywood gossip article, Omer Bhatti told a close friend: “Michael Jackson is not my father. He and I were just very, very close. He was my best friend.”
Thanks to his kids, Joe Jackson never needed a cash until payday loan. Short-term loans weren’t around before the Jackson Five hit the stage. Ever since the days of “I Want You Back” and “Whose Loving You?” Joe Jackson has been able to live comfortably off of his offspring’s talent.
It feels sad and cynical to say that Joe Jackson is just making things up in order to stay in the spotlight. It feels even more sad and more cynical to say that Joe Jackson views his son’s death as a moneymaking opportunity. However, as cynical and sad as it may be, coming from a guy who used to physically punish his children for not performing well during rehearsals, it is not hard to believe.
In case you haven’t heard this story, shortly after Michael Jackson’s memorial service in Los Angeles, rumors began circulating that a young man who sat in the front row between Rebbie Jackson and Blanket was Michael Jackson’s “secret son.”
The story went that Michael Jackson had a one-night stand with Norwegian woman in 1984. Many people speculated that Omer Bhatti resulted from that. Rumors that Omer Bhatti was Michael Jackson’s son had been circulating for quite some time. After all, Omer Bhatti and his parents had lived with the pop star at Neverland Ranch for a few years.
Omer Bhatti’s parents worked for Michael Jackson. His mother was a nanny in his father a chauffeur. Omer now says he and Michael Jackson were best friends. Some news organizations reported that Michael Jackson called himself Omer’s father, but just as I suspected he meant it in an honorary sense, not a biological sense, at least according to Omer Bhatti.
The first of official record of Omer Bhatti and Michael Jackson meeting was in 1996. Michael Jackson met Omer Bhatti in a hotel room in Tunisia. At that time, as far as everyone knew, Omer was simply a fan and a Michael Jackson impersonator. He was a good impersonator, in fact, leading Joe Jackson to say this, according to the Los Angeles Times:
“He looks like a Jackson, acts like a Jackson, can dance like a Jackson."
It’s been reported that Omer was at Neverland ranch during a police raid that ensued after Michael Jackson was charged with child molestation. Omer and his parents moved into Neverland ranch in 1997.
After poring over several articles that have come out this week, I’m still not sure whether there will be an actual DNA test. Quotations taken from Jermaine Jackson when the rumors began after the memorial service indicate that he was planning to find out for sure whether Omer Bhatti is really Michael Jackson’s son.
Personally, I do not think this issue will be laid to rest until there is evidence one way or the other. Because of that, I hope that Omer Bhatti does take a DNA test, just so we can have conclusive evidence stating who his father is. Reading speculation after speculation drives me crazy, especially when there is such a simple solution that will bring it to an end.
Feeling the recession, but still want to get out of the house? You might consider signing up for Goldstar, which helps you to “Go out more”. They offer half-price tickets on plays, concerts, sporting events, and museum exhibits.
So far, it includes events in these areas: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, D.C. Metro, New York, Boston, San Diego, and Las Vegas. Events are summarized into weekly e-mails, and there is also a social networking component where they collect a lot of individual reviews of each event.
For example, if you live in the SF Bay Area, you could ride an all-day Golden Gate Bay Cruise this weekend for $11, see the Giants play baseball tonight for just $5, watch professional beach volleyball for $5, or even watch bassist Charlie Haden at Yoshi’s Jazz Club for free.
They do tack on a service fee for each ticket, which varies but is at least disclosed relatively early. I saw from $2 to $6 per ticket. For each new friend you refer that joins Goldstar, you get $1 credit towards service fees.
Read more about Goldstar: Half-Off Local Events In 8 Major Cities…
In recessions and booms alike, stock markets are always at the forefront. Newspapers and financial publications are awash in headlines about the Dow Jones, S&P 500, NASDAQ, rising stock indexes, falling stock indexes, buying, selling, and so forth. And it is tempting to think of a stock market as an impersonal mechanism in the sky, imposing its mandates on us at will. But this is not usually accurate. In reading the history of stock markets, one discovers that, in the words of economist Thomas Sowell: “markets are as personal as the people in them.” In wartime and in peace, during boom or bust, stock markets and their performance have reflected the dominant concerns, fears, and hopes of the investing public. We will investigate this history, from the very first stock markets ’til today.
Stock markets did not begin as the super-sophisticated, simultaneous, worldwide trading exchanges of today. It was not until 1531 when the first institution roughly approximating a stock market emerged, in Antwerp, Belgium. However, as Investopedia notes, this was “the first stock market, sans stock.” Rather than buying and selling shares of companies (which did not yet exist), brokers and lenders congregated there to “deal in business, government and even individual debt issues.”
This changed in the 1600’s, when Britain, France, and the Netherlands all chartered voyages to the East Indies. Realizing that few explorers could afford conducting an overseas trade voyage, limited liability companies were formed to raise money from investors, who received a share of profits commensurate with their investment.
This form of business organization was also necessitated by risk management. As India’s Imperial Gazetteer reports, the earliest British voyages to the Indian Ocean were unsuccessful, resulting in lost ships and the financier’s personal fortunes being seized by creditors. This led a group of London merchants to form a corporation in September of 1599 which would limit each member’s liability to the amount they personally invested. If the voyage failed, nothing more than this amount could be lawfully seized. The Queen granted the merchants a fifteen year charter in 1600, dubbing their corporation the “Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading with the East Indies” (or simply, “The East India Company.”) The limited liability formula proved successful, leading King James I to grant charters to more trading! companies by 1609 and triggering business growth in other ocean-bordering European countries.
The Dutch East India company was actually the first to allow outside investors to purchase shares entitling them to a fixed percentage of the company’s profits. They were also the first company to issue stocks and bonds to the general public, doing so via the Amsterdam Stock Exchange in 1602 according to Britannica.
Read more about The History of the Stock Market…
The type of point of view used in “Magic on Night River” was third person limited. The story was being told through the thoughts and feelings of only one character—Yoshi. In the story it said, "Across the water the bargemen raised their poles. Yoshi saw the drops hanging like pearls from the poles, saw the blur of people's faces behind the railing." This quote tells us what Yoshi can see as he looks out across the river. In another spot it said, "The sounds of the night river. Remember them, Yoshi told himself. Remember them for always." This quote tells us what Yoshi is thinking about as he listens to all the sounds of the river.
The story was told through what Yoshi saw, heard, felt, and thought. In this story the author was saying that kindness can really pay off. Yoshi and his grandfather were kind to their birds. As a result of this, their birds came back to them even though they had no one reeling them in. Special ties that can't be broken can be formed from kindness.
Look ma! No dress code!
Are you in the market for virtual assistant jobs? Perhaps you’ve already checked out the International Virtual Assistants Association. If not, it might be worth a look. Use the link to the IVAA web site at the end of this article.
I went to the International Virtual Assistants Association web site, just to see what I could see. I actually thought about joining, just to see what would come of it. I mean, who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to work at home if it just happened to come along?
However, “just for the heck of it” quickly became a shoddy reason to sign up for the International Virtual Assistants Association when I found out it costs money. It costs $125 to sign up and $99 per year after that.
That’s not a lot of money if you’re making money off of it, but the point is that if you are going to succeed at virtual assistant jobs, you’ve got to be pretty serious about it. This isn’t stuffing envelopes at a per-piece rate or educating the masses about Canadian payday loans.
Fox Business says "Small businesses hire virtual assistants to help when they can't justify a permanent employee." So tasks could be a number of different things. One thing is for sure, though. According to Kim LaCapria, who says she used to do virtual assistant jobs: ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Virtual Assistant Jobs are Not Easy Money"
People have been talking about what’s being called the beer summit. The Beer Summit, as it’s called, is a sit down talk between President Obama, Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley. Crowley is the officer that arrested Gates at his home, which ignited accusations of racial profiling, which Crowley has flatly denied the entire time. Obama stuck his foot in his mouth by siding with a claimed racial motive, although the 911 tapes don’t mention Gates’ race, and in order to iron things out, Obama has invited both men to the White House for a beer. It might be worth a cash advance to find out what they talk about at the Beer Summit.
Personal Money Store Videos on Youtube
Many web sites have had to yank the Alice in Wonderland trailer because of copyright issues, and several seasoned YouTube users have created fake Alice in Wonderland trailers. And some pranksters have done such brilliant and creative things as labeling a Rick Astley music video as Alice in Wonderland trailer. However, I think I have found the real thing.
Of course, even before I saw the trailer I was planning to spend the $9 to see it when the time comes. Tim Burton plus Johnny Depp plus one of my favorite children’s stories is sure to equal bizarre brilliance. Tim Burton’s version of Alice in Wonderland does not follow the storyline of the original.
Instead, IMDB reports: Alice, 17, attends a party at a Victorian estate only to find she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of snooty society types. Off she runs, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years before yet doesn’t remember.
For more information on this article and others like it, please click on the following link:Personal Money Store: Alice In Wonderland Trailer
Is your vehicle one of the 78 the EPA made ineligible? (Photo: rundeautochat.wordpress.com)
If you’re the owner of one of the cars on the following Cash For Clunkers list, I’m sorry. You’re simply out of luck if you had planned to take advantage of the up to $4,500 voucher good toward the purchase of a new, more fuel-efficient car or truck. Perhaps now you’ll be needing payday loans with no faxing or other short term loans in order to make the down payment on a new car. If so, Personal Money Store may be able to help you.
USA TODAY reports that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made these changes behind the scenes, just before the Cash For Clunkers program 2009 was about to begin. They have expressed no remorse over any difficulty they may have caused consumers. In fact, they have justified their last second changes by saying that they were operating under a deadline where the first day of the program for consumers was their “drop dead” date.
For those of you who don’t know, Cash For Clunkers is a government program that enables consumers to trade in cars that are not fuel efficient (18 mpg or less combined city and highway driving) and are less than 25 years old. Acceptable trade-ins next consumers $3,500 or $4,500 for a new vehicle that gets at least 10 mpg more than their trade-in car or truck. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Cash For Clunkers List | What the EPA Made Ineligible"
Give me a break... please! (Photo: chuvachienes.com)
Did you hear the Erin Andrews 911 call? Paparazzi have made her a prisoner in her own home, through no fault of her own. She deserves to be let off this train so she can live her life and resume her career in peace. She is good at what she does and has not done anything to invite the kind of attention the illicit peephole video has brought her. Who knows… if she has to stay away from work and continue to hide from drooling mouth breathers, she may soon need short term loans and no fax payday loans. Of course she could apply here if she did… I’m just saying.
But what is she going to do in the meantime? There are still lunatics out there who think that Erin Andrews staged the peephole video as a publicity stunt, which is ludicrous. Listen to the 911 call (video below); read the transcript here. This woman is frayed beyond belief and wants things to go back to normal, or as normal as they get for an incredibly attractive woman working in a high-profile job in view of millions of men (a small portion of them perverts).
That’s exactly what author “Sooze” does on the blog Babes Love Baseball. She brings our attention to an op-ed piece by Tyler Ohmann, the sports editor for the University Chronicle for St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. I don’t know what they’re teaching up there, but gender sensitivity and the common sense found in a caribou don’t appear to be in the curriculum. He claims Erin Andrews orchestrated the video: ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Erin Andrews 911 Call | On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown"
Anderson Cooper is the man.
As if “Regis and Kelly” didn’t get enough attention as it is, throw in Anderson Cooper and a dash of snark, and you’ve got yourself a viral video.
Anderson Cooper filled in for Regis yesterday when The Bachelorette herself came on the show. The ensuing interview was pretty entertaining. At one point Anderson Cooper said to the Bachelorette: “I think I just threw up in my mouth.” Hilarious!
In my opinion, “The Bachelorette” and all shows of its ilk are nothing but moneymaking schemes. I guarantee you ABC doesn’t care a lick about whether Jillian and Ed live happily ever after. All of those “finding the one” shows are nothing but cash advances to the networks. Or maybe I am projecting my own feelings there.
Anyway, I commend Anderson Cooper for calling out the classlessness that “The Bachelorette” represents. He asked her how many men she slept with on the show. The “Regis and Kelly” studio audience was aghast.
After Anderson Cooper asked Bachelorette “How many did you actually sleep with?” the audience broke into “shocked” noises followed by cheers. If you watch the YouTube version, you can see Anderson Cooper mocking the Bachelorette and the audience, saying “Oh! I’m shocked!” ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Anderson Cooper, Bachelorette Bring Humor to 'Regis and Kelly'"
Allergies are annoying. When you’re nose is running nonstop and you have to sneeze every five seconds, you wish you could just sleep all day and not have to do anything. It’s really annoying when only one half of your face is doing this; one eye is watering, one nostril is running and the other is stuffed up, and only one side of your head hurts. Tissues are good to have around when you have allergies so that you can grab one when an unexpected sneeze comes along, or even if an expected sneeze comes along. It’s really nasty though to leave used tissues lying around, so if you do this, try to change your ways so that other people will be more comfortable in your presence, even though you are sneezing every five seconds.
Whenever I sleep in too late it feels like I’ve wasted half the day away. There’s so much that I need to do each day that if I sleep until mid-morning, there’s not enough time to do it all. Plus, when I wake up later in the day, it takes me longer to get ready for the day. It’s a strange phenomenon. So I like to wake up at nice early hour of the day and that way I can get a whole lot more done than I ever could if I slept in until noon.
If I inherited a large sum of money, I have a general idea of what I would do with it. The first thing I would use it for is to pay off all my loans from college. School costs a lot because you have to pay for tuition, books, housing, food, and any other random things that would come up. I had a couple partial scholarships for having good grades, so that helped out a little, but it was still expensive. Another thing I would do is maybe buy a few fun toys, such as a new camera or computer. Then, I would save the rest for a rainy day
I am really picky about my back rubs. Sometimes people try to do it really hard. I hate that. I don't like pain so I don't like it when people rub my back extra hard. My friend always scratches my back. She scratches it in the right areas with the right amount of tension. It makes the pain just go away from by back in just a few minutes. I don't know where she learned it but it works perfectly for me. I always ask her for one whenever I am having a long day that is making me a little bit sore. It always makes everything better
It sucks to have to drag all the stuff out into the wild. I don't mind when it is something that just needs to be cooked over the fire. It is when people start making me bring camp stoves and everything else that comes with it so that I can make fancy breakfasts and everything else. I just hate having to take all that time to make something when we could just do something else and cook it on the fire. It is way easier to roast some hot dogs over the fire than to pull out the stove and make burgers or something.
If you could count all the blades of grass in the world, how many do you think there would be? There would be a lot–so much that you would be better off at estimating the number to be infinite. Infinity is a funny number. You can cut it in half and it will still be infinity. You can multiply it by two or three or any number you wish and it will still be infinity. If you add one to infinity, it is still infinity. I guess it has to do with limits and comparisons of numbers. You see, compared to infinity, any other number is really small and insignificant that it gets swallowed up in the largeness of infinity. There's no way to win.
In my post Does My Car Qualify For Cash for Clunkers?, one of the major requirements was that the car must have a combined fuel economy of 18 mpg or less, according to FuelEconomy.gov. Many people have been complaining that their old car gets nowhere near the mileage that the website says they do, but at least there was a definitive source.
But wait. Due to some government wackiness, last week the EPA changed the ratings on nearly a hundred models of cars so that they no longer qualify. For example, some versions of the 1988 Toyota 4Runner SUV now have combined MPG ratings of over 19. The buzz about Cash for Clunkers has been going on for months, so people have been getting ready to trade-in their old vehicles. In fact, the bill runs retroactive to July 1st, so many are already driving their new vehicles!
From this CNN Money article:
Even though the program’s basic requirements have been known since it was created by Congress earlier this year, Cash for Clunkers didn’t become official until Friday. So as part of the official launch, the EPA conducted “quality assurance and quality control effort regarding fuel economy calculations on more than 30,000 vehicle model types spanning the past 25 years,” according to an e-mail sent by EPA spokesman Dale Kemery.
As a result, 86 car models became newly eligible for the program. However, 78 models became ineligible, EPA spokeswoman Cathy Milbourne said in a statement released Tuesday night.
In other words, if you were close before, check your mileage numbers again. Your car may now qualify even though you didn’t before, or it may no longer qualify at all.
Read more about EPA Changes MPG Ratings Last-Minute For Cash For Clunkers…
I haven’t made the time to piece together a “links roundup” lately, which is too bad. I’ve collected a lot of articles worth mentioning, even if they don’t merit full posts of their own.
I try to share many of these stories on Twitter, but I’ve collected three that deserve special attention. They’re each packed with money-saving ideas for everyday shopping.
Real Simple’s “Save on Everyday Stuff”
Last week, Real Simple published a collection of tips for how to save on everyday stuff you need. This list of nearly 40 tips is divided into several categories:
This is a seemingly random collection of ideas, ranging from “purchases oranges, onions, and potatoes in bags” and “find out an item’s cost per unit” to “forget the 3,000-mile oil change myth” and “stick with the car dealership for tricky repairs”.
Despite the odd assortment of tips, there’s some great advice here, including:
If you talk for fewer than 200 minutes monthly: A prepaid plan [cell phone plan] is for you. “Thirty percent of mobile users who are not on one should be,” says Allen Hepner, executive director of the New Millennium Research Council, a telecommunications think tank in Washington, D.C.
Hillbilly Housewife’s “Worthwhile Convenience Foods”
One of the first websites I ever wrote about Get Rich Slowly (back in June 2006) was Hillbilly Housewife, a site devoted to low-cost home-cooking from scratch. The site has changed hands since I first covered it, but it still contains the same frugal sensibility. While browsing the archives, I found this list of store-bought convenience foods that are usually good buys.
The author writes:
When it comes to Convenience Foods, most of us are coming from 2 opposite sides of the fence. We either love 'em or we hate 'em. I tend to be from the "Hate 'Em-Camp"…
Regardless of which side you associate yourself with the fact of the matter is that some convenience foods really do what they're supposed to do. They save us a great deal of work and time without costing much more than the homemade-from-scratch-version. Amazingly, a few even cost less. There aren't a lot of convenience foods that fall into this golden category. The ones that do have definitely earned a spot on every budget-shopper's grocery list.
What foods make the list? Things like:
There’s far more in this list, and the site lists its rationale for each recommendation. For example, “Spaghetti Sauce purchased in tall 26-ounce cans are one of the best bargains in the supermarket these days. They usually cost about the same as an equivalent amount of canned tomatoes. All of the work of preparing the tomatoes, seasoning the sauce and simmering it on the back of the stove for an hour, is already done for you.”
Kiplinger’s “Best Time to Buy”
Finally, Kiplinger’s has a list of the best time to buy a variety of items. (Though the list is framed in an asinine “slide show” format that only lets you see one tip — and tons of ads — for every page. Come on, Kiplinger’s, this is ridiculous.)
For example, did you know that July is the best time to buy furniture? From the article:
New furniture hits showrooms in August, according to the American Home Furnishing Alliance. That means you can save 10% to 50% in July as retailers make room for the new inventory.
July is also a good time to buy soda, beer, and condiments. August is a good time to shop for patio furniture, outdoor toys, and office supplies. Though this is probably a no-brainer, the article notes that you can save on produce all summer long.
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Related Articles at Get Rich Slowly:
Read more about Saving Money on Everyday Stuff…
Morgan Haley, aka Bikini Bandit (Photo: commercialappeal.com)
It takes enterprise to make it in the world today. With such a tight economy, whatever you can bring to the table that sets you apart from the competition is necessary. People are more hesitant than ever to fork over their money freely, and as it is there are many who are looking to services like pay day loans and secured loans for assistance in making ends meet when calamity strikes.
Apparently, even people who have decided that obtaining material wealth via illegal means (which I definitely do not endorse) is a good course of action have taken to trying to stand apart from the maddening crowd. Morgan Haley attempted a carjacking with a natural weapon she must have figured would disarm drivers and help her keep her cool during the summer heat of Memphis, Tennessee. Her weapon was… a bikini.
It didn’t matter, however. Yolanda Jones reports for Commercialappeal.com that Morgan Haley, 24, has been arrested and taken to jail. Her bond was set at $6,000. Her crime consisted of forcing a female driver from her car, then she used that car to drive to an RV dealership, where she attempted a robbery of the business. The charges include carjacking charges and “two counts of assault by physical fear,” according to Jones. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Bikini-Clad Morgan Haley Arrested For Carjacking, Assault"
Just when I thought the days of tying regular promotions to the economy and the recession were over, Mars has come out with the Real Chocolate Relief Act. The official Real Chocolate Relief Act web site, at realchocolate.com, says "Times are tough and we at Mars want to help."
Mars says it is giving away free chocolate to help in tough economic times, and it is also highlighting the fact that Mars candy is made with real chocolate.
Here is the explanation from Mars for why their chocolate is superior to certain other candy makers’ chocolate:
“For nearly 100 years, we’ve made chocolate with 100% cocoa butter, which is the taste bud-craving, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate you expect from Mars. Without cocoa butter, chocolate simply is not chocolate.
Some companies use artificial ingredients to make their chocolate sweeter or because it’s cheaper. Know that with Mars, there is no substitute for cocoa butter. We know you prefer Real Chocolate. And that’s what we plan to deliver.”
So, if you sometimes find yourself applying for a same day loan to support your sweet tooth, you can apply for the Real Chocolate Relief Act.
Starting this Friday, July 31, you can go to the RealChocolate web site and plug in your e-mail address. Of everyone who provides their e-mail address, 250,000 people will get a coupon each week for free chocolate
You must apply on Friday for the duration of the promotion, but you can apply every Friday. The promotion lasts throughout September, so you’ve got two months worth of Fridays to try for your free chocolate. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act | Get Free Candy Starting Friday"
This is a guest post from Paul Puckett of Beacon Wealth Advisors. Puckett is the author of Investiphobia: You Can Invest Without Fear. This piece originally appeared at his blog, Just Puckett, and I liked it so much that I asked for permission to reprint it here.
Here's a little exercise that might be beneficial to your stress level and might even help you with your investments.
No matter where you live in America, there is probably a squirrel in your yard every day. Just for fun, take an opportunity to watch the squirrels today. Maybe take that morning cup of tea or coffee into the yard and sit quietly watching the squirrels at work and play.
Watch them as they stand in line at the little squirrel coffee shop discussing the acorn futures market. As they read the Squirrel Daily's Business section looking for an update on the upcoming acorn tax legislation. Panicking as they hear that there may be an oversupply of acorns driving the price down or a shortage due to climate change. Many squirrels distrust the reporting of other squirrels, so you may notice some watching Fox News!
If you actually see squirrels doing these things in your backyard today, film it and your money worries will be over. But you won't see squirrels doing anything like this.
So go back to your coffee, take a deep breath, let it out nice and slowly, and watch what squirrels really do all day. You may see them stop and enjoy an acorn, or you may see them collecting acorns and running off to hide them. They may have a little fun chasing each other or running off a few birds from your bird feeder.
If you think about it, squirrels are the ideal long-term investors. Every day, they work on their portfolio, harvesting dividends (acorns) that have fallen from their investment portfolio (trees). Some of the dividends are used immediately. They sit back and enjoy a little of their tree's income for immediate consumption.
You may see them reinvesting the dividends by putting them in a little hole where, if not found during the winter, they will ultimately become another income producing investment in the form of another tree. Squirrels never develop investiphobia. Following their instincts, they invest wisely and enjoy the fruits of their labor and their investments. We should be more like squirrels.
So, hop up and chase your neighbor up a tree. Or, get to work and focus on work. When you play, enjoy yourself immensely. Life should be fun. Do this daily and you may find that your portfolio does fine, even when you don't watch it every day, hour, minute!
Money is not your life — it’s simply the means to the life that you want.
J.D.’s note: I just thought this was too cute — and too apt — to pass up. Thanks to Paul for allowing me to re-post this at Get Rich Slowly.
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Related Articles at Get Rich Slowly:
Read more about What Squirrels Can Teach Us About Investing…
Looks like these two took the serious route.
The JK in “JK wedding entrance” stands for Jill and Kevin. Their YouTube wedding dance video has gotten quite a bit of attention.
But before we can discuss the JK wedding entrance dance video, you’re just going to have to see it for yourself. Watch YouTube wedding dance.
Weddings can be a lot of things. They can be expensive, as in down-payment-on-a-house expensive. For some celebrities, they can be buy-the-whole house expensive. Unless it was a quickie in Vegas, you probably couldn’t pay for a wedding with a no fax payday loan.
Even simple, less expensive weddings usually cost a big chunk of change. I have always believed that on your big day, you should definitely do it the way you want to. However, weddings are often paid for by the parents, and inevitably that means a lot of parent-pleasing goes on instead of really focusing on the couple to be wed and their ideas and desires.
However, it’s clear on the JK wedding entrance video that it is their wedding and they will do it their way. Because their way happens to express their complete and utter joy on their wedding day, the JK wedding entrance video has become the feel-good viral video of the moment. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "JK Wedding Entrance Dance Video Goes Viral on YouTube"
Does the math for the "Cash for Clunkers" stimulus program actually add up? (Photos: Cargurus.com)
In principle, it sounds great. People have the opportunity to trade in their older, less fuel-efficient cars for vouchers of up to $4,500. These vouchers are usable on new vehicles that are more fuel efficient than the “clunkers” being traded in. President Obama’s point here is at least three-fold: first of all, putting more fuel-efficient vehicles on the roads to lessen the constant need to refill the tank; second, getting newer vehicles with higher emissions standards out there will help the environment; finally, it will help more people afford better vehicles.
However, there are serious doubts as to whether the Cash for Clunkers stimulus will do enough for enough people. For many, they’d be better off looking into a payday loan or cash advance if they help with a down payment.
Don Fenley reports for TimesNews.net that while the Cash for Clunkers stimulus could be what you’re looking for, it pays to do your homework first. That $1 billion program Congress and the president have passed on to us sounds great, but as Kiplinger.com notes, “the math may not match some of the sales pitches and public expectations vs. what qualifies.” ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Cash For Clunkers Stimulus | Too Little For Too Few?"
The final details of the government program that encourages people to trade in older, gas-guzzling cars for more fuel-efficient ones will be released Friday. But car dealers have been using the program to sell cars for weeks.
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I live in Spokane, Washington, a high-desert city where people have not yet had to come to terms with conservative water use. In the summer, people water their lawns twice a day and let water run freely down the street. Just last week, the city sent flyers in our water bills with handy water-conservation tips. Things you might not ever think of on your own, like using a sprayer nozzle with and "off" valve when your wash your car in your driveway.
I moved here from California two years ago and I don't water my yard. But the two things are unrelated. Yes, in general, I'd have to say that where I lived in Northern California, people were much more aware of water issues than they are in Spokane. (For example, a city ordinance prohibited washing cars in driveways.) Anyway, the other day I heard my neighbor tell someone that I don't water my yard because I'm from California.
Truth be known, my neighbor is from somewhere that is not Spokane — maybe Mars — but I'm originally from this area, and living for a few years in California has nothing to do with my awareness that we do not need to waste water irrigating our lawns. There's a question for you: how did lush, green lawns ever become the norm? We didn’t always have a love affair with Kentucky bluegrass. It wasn’t until the industrial revolution that lawns became the norm. Before that, they were the province of the elite and were found only on estates wealthy enough to maintain groundskeepers. Now we all have to have lawns, and the way I see it, that's a problem of immense proportions.
But getting back to my point, it's ironic that right now I am watering two lawns every day. One belongs to my neighbor (the one who calls me a Californian behind my back) who is out of town for the week. And who, by the way, specifically instructed me to "make sure the water runs out into the street a little." The other belongs to some people I met while living in California and who have purchased a home but haven't moved here yet. They're originally from this area, too, and they believe that grass should be green, even if they're not here to see it. I don't know why these people should trust me to keep their lawns sodden and emerald green in the heat of summer, when to their outward dismay my own is parched and dormant.
I'm doing it though. They can trust me because it will take more than my objection to change the way people use water. Plus, I enjoy watching my neighbor mow twice a week, and I love seeing the Californians' grass get so tall they'll have to hire sheep to graze it. I like thinking about what these people pay every month for water – whatever they pay, it isn't enough yet. But most of all, I find it fascinating that although they have children and I do not, these people exhibit no concern whatsoever about the impact of their deliberations on the future generations they've released into the world.
My roommates drove me nuts. I am the kind of person who does the dishes right after every meal as to avoid stuff being stuck on the dishes for a long time. It is harder to clean them later. After every meal I would do all the dishes in the sink which tended to be my roommate's dishes too. I remember one weekend I went out of town and came home to so many dishes. I didn't even know what to do with them. It made me so mad that my roommates couldn't seem to figure out how to do the dishes while I was gone for three days.
Attention comic book fans – it’s almost time for Comic Con 2009. Comic Con 2009 will be taking place July 23 – 26 in San Diego, the home of Comic Con, at the San Diego Convention Center, the perpetual home of Comic Con since 1991. It’s grown from a small gathering of comic book artists and fans in the late 70s, to an enormous event, featuring comic book fans and authors, and a huge portion of the science fiction and fantasy crowd. A lot of movie stars and directors turn up with trailers to upcoming films, and movie trailers consistently make their debut at Comic Con. It might be worth payday loans to try and get to Comic Con 2009.
My spouse and I have planned this sweet vacation. We are going to start up in Canada and slowly take a road trip down to the Grand Canyon. After there we are going to stay in Vegas a few days. After that we are planning on heading to San Francisco. We are going to go to the Golden Gate Bridge, Six Flags, Alcatraz, and the Redwood Forest a little bit north of there. After that we are planning on going home pretty slowly. It is going to take us about two weeks, and it is going to be so much fun. I can hardly wait!
The internet is blowing up with people looking for Omer Bhatti pictures. Ordinarily, there wouldn’t be a reason for anyone to look at Omer Bhatti pictures, as he’s unknown outside of Norway, where he plies his trade as a rapper/dancer, but the buzz is that he might be Michael Jackson’s secret child. Reportedly, his mother had a brief fling with Jackson in the mid 1980’s when he was on tour. (And his rhymes are WACK.) He has been in Michael’s orbit since the early 90s, having appeared with him in pictures and on stage, and attended his funeral. A lot of people are still plunking down quick cash to find Omer Bhatti pictures.
The state joins Maine, Colorado and Vermont in closing down rest areas. Lawmakers say the roadside rest stops are less necessary than they once were. Many truckers and travelers disagree.
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Talk about the Ben Roethlisberger sexual assault story? OK, if you twist my arm... (Photo: Everyjoe.com)
It’s another ugly story from the world of sports involving sexual assault, and possibly mental illness. Why coverage has been this late to develop is because there is racial bias in media coverage. Ben Roethlisberger is white. If he were black, he’d have been crucified almost immediately. That’s the truth, no matter how much the media denies it. Plus there’s a bias against average Janes vs. superstar male athletes. It’s automatically assumed that the Ben Roethlisberger accuser (Andrea McNulty; see Andrea McNulty photos here) is mentally ill or a gold digger (at least Big Ben’s people are trying to prove the former).
If McNulty has a legitimate case, she deserves justice. However, she isn’t filing a criminal case. She’s filing a civil case against the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback. Why is that?
According to Yahoo! Sports by way of the Associated Press, McNulty feared her employer at the time (Harrah’s) would take Ben’s side and fire her. Then she wouldn’t be eligible to receive Pay day loans or secured loans. The incident between herself and Roethlisberger is said to have occurred at the Harrah’s in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Vario us reports (including TMZ) indicate that Roethlisberger has acknowledged having “consensual” sex with McNulty. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Ben Roethlisberger's Accuser is Andrea McNulty"
Personal Money Store Videos on Youtube
Everyone has friends. Whether they are fake or real friends, that’s on you to decide. However, to determine who your true friends are, you must first understand how to be a true friend. In Proverbs 27:6 it says, Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. No one wants you to succeed more than a true friend. A true friend will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.
A false friend will compliment you in your failures, not caring what the outcomes may be. Despite how you may feel about it, a true friend will lovingly correct you when your wrong. Not because they are trying to judge you, but because they want you to take note and learn from your mistakes in order to stay firm on the right path. “The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own. ” ~ Benjamin Disraeli
Everyone was in charge of getting their own cabin or they could camp if they wanted to. I really enjoyed seeing the people in my family I only get to see once every ten years. They also are very full of people I have never met before. It is kind of funny. I see kids that were two the last time I saw them and now they are twelve. That's a big jump in age. It is pretty cool though. At the very least it keeps our family close enough to be able to know what is going on in each other's lives every so often. It is definitely a good thing. I like doing it very much.
(Photo: kiiitv.com)
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Michelle Garcia reports for Advocate.com that Sen. Sessions has attempted to attach three amendments to the Matthew Shepard Act that effectively “limit the extension of the federal hate-crimes law” that the Senate has passed. He even took it upon himself to speak on why current hate crime laws shouldn’t include safeguards for gender identity and sexual orientation. Sessions is the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee. The Matthew Shepard Act has passed Congress, but Sessions’ amendments are attached so that President Obama will see them when he decides whether or not to give the bill his signature.
According to Joe Openshaw, an Examiner.com Birmingham Gay Community reporter, “these amendments are unnecessary and are designed to diminish support for the bill.”
His first amendment opens the floodgates for the death penalty to be applied as punishment for hate crimes in some instances. This hot button could be a huge problem that prevents the Matthew Shepard Act bill’s approval in its current form. Openshaw recognizes the irony of the fact that “the very Senators who have falsely argued that this bill would put clergy in jail because of their beliefs think that those same clergy should be subject to the death penalty.” It comes across as an intentional deal-breaker, thanks to a group of Republican senators which Sessions represents. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Matthew Shepard Act | What's to Hate, Mr. Sessions? (Pt. 2)"
Rich Roll, image from CNN.
There are only a few proven ways to make millions upon millions of dollars. One is to make it big in the entertainment industry. One is through financial savvy. One is coming up with brilliant invention. And then there is extraordinary athletic ability.
By that logic, Rich Roll stands to make lot of money now that Men’s Fitness named him one of the “25 Fittest Guys in the World.” Rich Roll was the first athlete ever to compete in the Ultraman World Championships on an entirely plant-based diet.
The Ultraman World Championships is “a grueling three-day uber-endurance triathlon circumnavigating the Big Island of Hawaii that involves 6.2 miles of swimming, 260 miles of cycling and culminates with a 52.4-mile double marathon run,” Rich Roll wrote on CNNhealth.com.
So how does one turn the ability to swim, cycle and run for three days into a big pile of cash? Through commercial sponsorships, of course. I don’t suppose he’d be a good spokesman for paydayadvance loans, but I bet everyone from vitamin supplement suppliers to shoe retailers will be knocking at his door asking for his endorsement.
Of course, Rich Roll is bound to be pretty picky about what he chooses to advertise. However, if companies can use Rich Roll’s own philosophy on food and health, he just might speak for them. He writes on CNNhealth:
Conventional wisdom would say that an athlete cannot perform on plants alone. But I am living proof that this is false, and I have ample research to support this position. Personally, I cannot overemphasize the difference this has made in my own life, a secret weapon for enhanced athletic performance and overall long-term wellness. (In the last two years, I have not gotten sick or even suffered a cold.) I realize, of course, that not everyone is ready to go 100 percent vegan, but a program built on a strong foundation of fresh organic vegetables, fruits and grains should be the focus. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Rich Roll | What Sponsorships Lie in His Future?"
As a part-time producer of creative works that I think are worth something (though I’m not currently requiring payment for anything), I struggle with the urge to acquire my entertainment media as conveniently, quickly and cheaply as possible. My viewpoints on this have changed over time, especially as my disposable income grew, and I’d like to share with you my current ideas / rationalizations on when it’s okay to steal.
Depending on when you were born, you may have bought some of your favorite albums in upwards of five formats: vinyl, 8-track, cassettee, CD, and MP3 (if you lost the CD, or it got too scratchy). I’ve never actually held an 8-track tape, but I’ve owned albums in all the other formats, and I’ve decided I’m not re-buying anything.
When I bought my first CD in 1989, (Faith No More’s “The Real Thing”, which still rocks really hard), the people who produced it had no intention of tracking its sale for more than a couple of years, not to mention that conventional wisdom at the time consider the new Compact Disc format to be practically immortal.
Practical concerns aside, I paid for it once, and music isn’t meant to expire. So, even though the CD itself got lost somewhere along the last twenty years, when I decide I want it back in my music library, I won’t be paying for it. It was already paid for. I’ll just acquire it somewhere.
My wife and I deeply enjoy a few shows that are produced and released on the BBC. We have BBC America, but even the shows that make it over to this country are delayed, usually six months or more, and they’re often edited, censored and shown in standard definition (as opposed to HD).
So I download those shows as soon as they’re available online. This is not the same as downloading, say, “True Blood” without being a subscriber to HBO. I feel a little more justified in yanking “Doctor Who” down to my hard drive because BBC content is produced without regard for sponsors or subscription fees, as we understand them.
I’m a little more iffy on this one; sometimes it depends on the quality of the movie, but after a DVD is bought once, the studio got paid as much as they were ever going to. If the DVD then ends up in a used/rental store, I don’t have a moral problem with copying the DVD to my hard drive, and then taking the DVD back to the store.
There’s also the case that I saw the movie when it was new in the theater, and I’ve rented it at least once. In that case, I can’t bring myself to pay for it again, and I’ll just make a digital copy.
Frankly, if it were easier, and a little bit cheaper, to legitimately buy and download (and keep, forever, free of DRM… otherwise it’s leasing, not buying) a movie. I’d probably do that instead of “stealing” it.
On the other hand, when a show originates online (e.g. Homestar Runner, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog, Ask a Ninja), I’m more than happy to support the creators by buying DVDs and merchandise. Why? Because they don’t bother me with commercials. They can’t keep making the show without me, and that’s a business model I can get behind.
Do you have similar rules for yourself? I’d love to hear them in the comments.
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Is it Ever Okay to Steal Entertainment?
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