Credit Crises - McCain and Obama NOT the Cure October 24, 2008
Posted by Jared in International, National.1 comment so far
An insightful email from my brother:
Neil Cavuto recognizes, again:
A vote for McCain or Obama is a vote for that stupid bailout, and future policies just like it.
“In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated, and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot.”
-Mark Twain, Notebook, 1935
“Time makes more converts than reason.”
-Thomas Paine, Common Sense
Weddings: Money Sinkholes or Marital Bliss? July 9, 2008
Posted by Jared in General, Guest Brain.2 comments
July’s Guest Brain: Jessica Benetti (soon to be Palozie)
Youngin’s in their twenty-somethings are in the pop-culture-deemed “generation Y”. These folks are very self-reliant, technologically inclined, motivated and have been pursuing life changes earlier than the age bracket ahead of us. The average age of the couple in the United states getting hitched is 28-30 years of age. Now as generation Y is moving into their mid twenties, many of these young adults have found their mate and want to take the leap into marriage. While matrimony is an exciting transition for the couple and the family, one must learn that generation Y adults, on average, have $19,000 plus of college loans and on average, more than 2 credit cards with additional debt. I am not a reliable, credible resource that keeps up with the political race and current events, but I, like a sponge, listen to the news and learn of the population of my commrades and how we are faring . So, I am here to offer an objective perspective on how this joyful event can greatly affect your piggy bank.
Many brides in the United States, if given the opportunity, could compile a list of volumes of emotional stressors a wedding has offered her. If we all read it, who would get married!? But, there are clever ways to make this one important day special, but also keep you well grounded financially.
On average, a wedding in this country costs about $25,000-$30,000. Divying up the costs amongst the parents, inlaws and couples,is a stressful task to take on, but many couples have been taking on all the costs of the entire event. What I recommend to many couples, not to the brides alone, is sit with your spouse to be and tentatively discuss the plan here. What is the forecast currently for your bank accounts? Are you currently in or are enrolling into contuining education? What other outstanding costs do you have (mortages, car payments, are you trying to rid of your college loan?) Literally, this is a critical point here in the wedding planning process because the couple has the reins and can carefully evaluate their readiness, financially, to take on this event. Also, consider, what do you want to do after the marriage is set in stone? Do you want to buy a house, start a family, open a business, or even travel to Europe?
Optimally, the time for a couple to be purchasing a single family home is now! Speaking to realtors, as I have done, I could have used the money my parents offered to put on the wedding as a down payment on a house. This is the moment I slapped my self in the head, should have and could have done. Also, the couple must apply weight to what the wedding will offer them: did you really envision this day since you were a little girl, or you just want to get married, and once the tides have calmed down, celebrate at a later date the joyous occassion? Really, truly, ask yourselves, what would give you more regrets. Many girls say, I dream of a white wedding. True, I think we all do, but our brains develop and usually our adult prefrences are more reason based. Its amazing how one’s day event can compromise what you do over the next few years with your bucks. So conisder it with the numbers.
One must consider that having a wedding is a crapshoot. There is no mathematical formula to apply to see how you will make out of the event. The ettiquitte is the guest should give a gift that is equivalent to the cost of one plate at the venue. On average, a plate, at a reasonably nice place, is $100-$120 a head, and that is after tax and gratuity! Couples don’t want to infringe gift stipulations on their guests, but not many guests are up to date on the “rules” on these events and may give a small gift. A mathematically inclined man recently told me, “Don’t assume you’re going to make out well, go for the lowest, so you don’t get upset if that’s what you end up getting!” Also, look at your guest list. Older adults and the elderly may give you more generous gifts while your friends can only give you half. One thing to realize is typically, your own friends are in the same boat as you and don’t have much to offer. Ultimately, on a morally conscious side note, it can leave you feeling guilty if they had to spend just as much in a gift to travel to your big affair.
While on the rule of ettiquite for weddings, many parents are well versed in this area and may apply the rules to help them financially. Many brides have been purchasing their own wedding gowns and accessories. However, young couples have been paying for their honey moons! A couple may want the one big vacation in their lives and see the wedding gifts (the cashola) as an opportunity to pay for the event. You can find a cost effective fantastic honey moon by looking for ALL INCLUSIVE! The average honeymoon, I learned, can cost up to $10,000! Booking with an agent may be a little more $$ to spend, but may be worth it, as they navigate your choices in your budget! Cruiseliners and Sanadals are nortorius for exquisite time for one payment only!
If you are going for the whole thing, bank your money away, that’s what long engagements are for! Hidden costs always pop up. Brides can shed close to $5,000 after costs of their wedding garb, accessories and alterations, not to mention other bridesmaids gifts and outtings. Grooms, you may not spend a lot over the length of the engagement, but can be expected to put a bulk of the cash down. Many couples must realize as its their day, its their money which they need to agree how to spend. Planning the finances of your wedding with your hubby or wife to be is in essence, their first financial obstacle you are both challenged with as a committed life time couple. Only 50% of marriages are surviving in this country, and under these conditions. You cannot project if the economy will become worse and ultimately, test the waters of your newly formed marriage. I also learned that many divorces, in this day and age, are fueld by consistent fighting over money, followed by infedility (according to the roman Catholic Church).
Marriage, yes, is a blessed thing. But being financially prepared and working the numbers out with your fiancee` is the best thing I can suggest. Its supposed to be a wonderful time in your life and money should be the last thing that you, as the couple, should worry about. Don’t let the event put you in a sink hole!
Why I Love WOW June 25, 2008
Posted by Jared in General.Tags: Onyxia, World of Warcraft, WOW
add a comment
Not work safe.
How To Waste Your Vote This November June 7, 2008
Posted by Jared in Guest Brain, National.Tags: candidates, election, politics, president
2 comments
June’s Guest Brain: Bryan Rouleau (Lion Slicer)
Time and time again, the battle for the presidency of the United States comes down to what many like to call “a choice between the lesser of two evils”. This all too familiar situation happened (arguably) in 2000, certainly in 2004, and seems to be shaping up for the 2008 elections as well. Granted, there are those die-hards who will vote for either Obama or McCain, hailing their candidate as nothing short of a second coming of Christ. But for the rest of us, what are we to do?
Many independent voters will reluctantly cast their vote this November, wishing they simply had a better choice. The rest of us, those who will have been beaten into absolute apathy by the time of that fateful Tuesday in November, may not even vote at all. Let’s face it; what are our options?
THE REPUBLICAN, John McCain: an old war hero and veteran senator who, although considered a “maverick” in his party, is beginning to seem more and more like President Bush, right down to the tiresome rhetoric in his foreign policy speeches. The fact that his opponent Barack Obama continually highlights this glaring point does not help the old Republican’s chances this November. That aside, what does John McCain offer? For those who haven’t been following the race as closely as I have been, I’ll tell you. John McCain offers nothing new. Hopefully that will change by November, but I am willing to bet that it won’t. A vote for John McCain is a vote for a continuation of our current tough guy foreign policy, and an even greater expansion of the federal government than we saw under Bush II.
THE DEMOCRAT, Barack Obama: A first term senator who is frequently dubbed “the most liberal member of congress” (much like John Kerry was in 2004) who offers crowd-rousing speeches and promises of “change” in Washington. If you can get past the jeering supporters at a standard Obama rally, and actually listen to Obama’s words, he offers nothing of substance, and certainly no change. Universal health care? Double funding for “after school programs”? Creation of federal job training programs? To me, this all sounds like a continual expansion of government, which has been the trend in the United States for the last 80 years. Of course, if it’s foreign policy Obama is talking about when he says “change”, he would be correct. A vote for Barack Obama is a vote for a complete reversal of our current foreign policy, yet an even greater expansion of government than we would be likely see under John McCain (I know, scary, isn’t it?).
Where does this leave us? For those who are the die-hard supporters of either candidate, your mind is not and will not be swayed by this article, and your vote will not be wasted this November if your candidate truly speaks to your beliefs.
For the rest of us; for those Democrats and Republicans who just can’t force ourselves to like our respective candidate; for those Independents who shudder when they hear either name mentioned on the news, what will become of our vote?
Sadly, most of us will waste our vote by throwing it to someone who doesn’t really represent our beliefs. We will waste our votes by giving our vote to “the next best guy”, the guy who kind of represents us, but not really. While Americans do this quite habitually, we really shouldn’t, because we are not voting with our heart; we are voting with our silly, figuring, contemplating brain: Who has the best chance? Who does my state always pick anyway? I’m a Republican, so I guess my vote is John McCain’s. I loved Hillary, but I guess Barack is the only choice now.
I have decided that in 2008 my vote will NOT be wasted. I will not be voting for the lesser of two evils. I will not be voting on party lines. I will be voting for the man or woman who best represents my beliefs, even if that means not voting for one of the two candidates the media wants us to vote for.
I will be voting for the libertarian candidate, Bob Barr. He likely won’t win, but at least I will be able to go to sleep at night knowing I didn’t throw my vote to the juggernaut, just because. John Quincy Adams once said; “Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”
I intend to do just that.
Moby Dick June 3, 2008
Posted by Jared in Books/Literature.Tags: moby dick, whales
4 comments
Everybody has heard of Moby Dick, and I figured it was my turn to give it a whirl. I just purchased it on CD (so I can listen to it in my car to and from work), and I’m about 45 minutes into the first CD. Amazing.
The character development is truly impressive. While it is too early to tell, I believe this might be one of the best-written, most enthralling tales I have ever come across. Once again, I am only 45 minutes into the story, so can’t say anything for certain, yet (I will be sure to update this post).
Have you read the story? What do you think of it? (no spoilers, please!)
Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series, Continued March 6, 2008
Posted by Jared in Books/Literature.2 comments
To see the original post, click here.
Current Progress: Book 5 of 7
I am slowly moving through the series - work, among other things, has kept my pleasure reading to a minimum (do not think for a second that the book has lost any entertainment value).
I have come to realize that this story reminds me of Lost. This can be seen in the way the characters are initially introduced and, over time, you begin to learn more about them and their past. It creates a great tug-of-war: your initial image of the character vs. the more-developed character (from the characters’ past lives).
The two best character background stories are by far:
1. Roland’s
2. Father Callahan’s
Roland’s tale is amazingly sad - a true tragedy (Father Callahan has an entire story written about him already… the incorporation of it into this series gives it a nice twist).
The end is near (but not really - as soon as I finish I’ll probably start all over again)
How many books deep into the series are you?
In election 2008, don’t forget Angry White Man February 20, 2008
Posted by Jared in General, National, Web.3 comments
By Gary Hubbell, The Aspen Times Weekly
February 9, 2008
There is a great amount of interest in this year’s presidential elections, as everybody seems to recognize that our next president has to be a lot better than George Bush. The Democrats are riding high with two groundbreaking candidates — a woman and an African-American — while the conservative Republicans are in a quandary about their party’s nod to a quasi-liberal maverick, John McCain.
Each candidate is carefully pandering to a smorgasbord of special-interest groups, ranging from gay, lesbian and transgender people to children of illegal immigrants to working mothers to evangelical Christians.
There is one group no one has recognized, and it is the group that will decide the election: the Angry White Man. The Angry White Man comes from all economic backgrounds, from dirt-poor to filthy rich. He represents all geographic areas in America, from urban sophisticate to rural redneck, deep South to mountain West, left Coast to Eastern Seaboard.
His common traits are that he isn’t looking for anything from anyone — just the promise to be able to make his own way on a level playing field. In many cases, he is an independent businessman and employs several people. He pays more than his share of taxes and works hard.
The victimhood syndrome buzzwords — “disenfranchised,” “marginalized” and “voiceless” — don’t resonate with him. “Press ‘one’ for English” is a curse-word to him. He’s used to picking up the tab, whether it’s the company Christmas party, three sets of braces, three college educations or a beautiful wedding.
He believes the Constitution is to be interpreted literally, not as a “living document” open to the whims and vagaries of a panel of judges who have never worked an honest day in their lives.
The Angry White Man owns firearms, and he’s willing to pick up a gun to defend his home and his country. He is willing to lay down his life to defend the freedom and safety of others, and the thought of killing someone who needs killing really doesn’t bother him.
The Angry White Man is not a metrosexual, a homosexual or a victim. Nobody like him drowned in Hurricane Katrina — he got his people together and got the hell out, then went back in to rescue those too helpless and stupid to help themselves, often as a police officer, a National Guard soldier or a volunteer firefighter.
His last name and religion don’t matter. His background might be Italian, English, Polish, German, Slavic, Irish, or Russian, and he might have Cherokee, Mexican, or Puerto Rican mixed in, but he considers himself a white American.
He’s a man’s man, the kind of guy who likes to play poker, watch football, hunt white-tailed deer, call turkeys, play golf, spend a few bucks at a strip club once in a blue moon, change his own oil and build things. He coaches baseball, soccer and football teams and doesn’t ask for a penny. He’s the kind of guy who can put an addition on his house with a couple of friends, drill an oil well, weld a new bumper for his truck, design a factory and publish books. He can fill a train with 100,000 tons of coal and get it to the power plant on time so that you keep the lights on and never know what it took to flip that light switch.
Women either love him or hate him, but they know he’s a man, not a dishrag. If they’re looking for someone to walk all over, they’ve got the wrong guy. He stands up straight, opens doors for women and says “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am.”
He might be a Republican and he might be a Democrat; he might be a Libertarian or a Green. He knows that his wife is more emotional than rational, and he guides the family in a rational manner.
He’s not a racist, but he is annoyed and disappointed when people of certain backgrounds exhibit behavior that typifies the worst stereotypes of their race. He’s willing to give everybody a fair chance if they work hard, play by the rules and learn English.
Most important, the Angry White Man is pissed off. When his job site becomes flooded with illegal workers who don’t pay taxes and his wages drop like a stone, he gets righteously angry. When his job gets shipped overseas, and he has to speak to some incomprehensible idiot in India for tech support, he simmers. When Al Sharpton comes on TV, leading some rally for reparations for slavery or some such nonsense, he bites his tongue and he remembers. When a child gets charged with carrying a concealed weapon for mistakenly bringing a penknife to school, he takes note of who the local idiots are in education and law enforcement.
He also votes, and the Angry White Man loathes Hillary Clinton. Her voice reminds him of a shovel scraping a rock. He recoils at the mere sight of her on television. Her very image disgusts him, and he cannot fathom why anyone would want her as their leader. It’s not that she is a woman. It’s that she is who she is. It’s the liberal victim groups she panders to, the “poor me” attitude that she represents, her inability to give a straight answer to an honest question, his tax dollars that she wants to give to people who refuse to do anything for themselves.
There are many millions of Angry White Men. Four million Angry White Men are members of the National Rifle Association, and all of them will vote against Hillary Clinton, just as the great majority of them voted for George Bush.
He hopes that she will be the Democratic nominee for president in 2008, and he will make sure that she gets beaten like a drum.
Gary Hubbell is a regular columnist with the Aspen Times Weekly
People Are So Dumb October 7, 2007
Posted by Jared in Guest Brain.5 comments
October’s Guest Brain: Rachel Sweeney
I’m watching John Edwards Cross Country on We right now and having some anger problems. From one viewing of this show I can tell you with 100% certainty that John Edwards is a complete scam artist and I can outline his ENTIRE method. What’s making me angry is how incredibly stupid people are for falling for his act. I want to slap them in their retarded teary-eyed faces.
His Tricks:
1. He’s just a fast talker!
So he starts off the show with his super fast-talking intro. He’s getting the audience accustomed to this style so they think that’s just how he talks. “Wow, he talks really fast! We’d better pay attention to keep up!” No way he’s doing this purposely so that they won’t notice the volume of mistakes and inaccuracies he makes, in addition to the ridiculous number of times he randomly changes the subject until someone bites at something he says.
2. The Laws of Probability.
Then he gets started by throwing 80 random possibilities out into the audience and scanning the faces for a reaction, or just waits for someone to raise their hand. “I’m sensing an R name, I’m getting R – Robert, Regina, Reggie, something with an R – it could be someone coming through the other side, someone who is here, someone you know…?” Obviously, this ridiculously broad description is going to apply to someone in the audience. He uses this method of talking really fast and throwing out many options throughout the entire show, just waiting to read people’s reactions. He actually said to one woman, “okay, so I’m sensing a male presence, it’s a male – your husbandcousinbrotherfriend?” Her eyes welled with tears as she nodded knowingly, “Yes, that’s my husband.” WOW, HOW did he know that a middle aged woman who purposely came on this show to contact a deceased loved one may have lost a husband, brother, cousin, or friend? AMAZING!
3. Deflect with Humor.
I noticed that many times when he made a mistake or his suggestions weren’t getting any bites, he would often deflect with a joke. He quickly finds a way to make a joke, the audience laughs, forgets what he was talking about, and then he changes the subject. Oh, that John, he’s such a comedian! He’s not making jokes to distract us, he’s doing it because he’s a great, fun guy!
4. Deflect with Stories from his Own Life.
He wants the audience to connect with him and trust him, so he shares experiences from his own life. In addition to establishing trust and relatability, he can also use these stories to deflect from his mistakes. If it’s not going well, he’ll randomly start telling a story from his life to distract the audience. It also gives him an excuse to bring up a new topic.
5. Making the audience members feel inferior.
As he’s questioning the audience members and talking super fast, he’ll often stop and ask “Do you understand?” He says it in a tone that expects them to say yes – there is no option to say no. He makes them feel like he is the expert and they are the simple common folk. The way he phrases it and his tone just put him in the position of authority, and no one is going to respond “No.” I noticed he uses this question a lot when he is scrambling to find the connection he needs with that person. It makes him seem like the expert who totally knows what he’s doing, so the audience member won’t doubt him when he’s getting a lot of things wrong.
6. Of course, that’s what I meant!
When he’s wrong or there is confusion, he blames the audience member and acts like he knew what was happening all along. For instance, he uses the vague word “acknowledge” a lot. If a spirit wants to “acknowledge” someone, that could apply to either someone living, or someone who has crossed over with them. He said the spirit wanted to acknowledge Mom. “Is Mom still alive?” he asks the family. When they say no, he quickly says “Yes, right, so the spirit is acknowledging that Mom is with him.” If they had said yes, he could’ve just as easily said the spirit wanted to send a message to say hi to Mom.
7. No, no, that can’t be it.
A lot of times, when he throws something out there, and he’s not getting any responses, he’ll reject responses that are kind of a stretch. He doesn’t want to look like he’s making just any old response fit his question. Let’s say he throws out the letter J – “I’m getting a J name, maybe a Jackie or a Jan?” If no one responds right away, he’ll repeat himself really insistently like he KNOWS there MUST be someone this matches. If someone then hesitantly says “Well, my name is Gina…” he’ll quickly respond “no, no it’s definitely a J.” He needs to act like he knows exactly what he’s looking for. Once he rejects the suggestion that doesn’t match, he’ll either go back to repeating the previous statement until he finds a match, or changes the subject completely.
And his very favorite…
8. Random Subject Changes.
He talks so fast that unless you’re really looking for it, you might not notice when he randomly changes the subject in the middle of talking. There was one point where he was insisting that he sensed a presence of a young male…he insisted a couple of times and when he didn’t get the response he was looking for, he somehow changed the subject to cancer. It was literally like, “I’m really sensing that young male…and I’m getting cancer, like a cancer of the whole body, something that’s in his bones…is there a cancer?” Then someone offered up that their father died of lung cancer. He totally jumped on that and took off at lightning speed on this new subject, going so fast that no one noticed he totally dropped the subject of the “young male presence.”
HOW can people not see that he is a complete scam artist? The people who fall for his act are so incredibly stupid that it makes me really mad. He’s obviously a smart guy who can think really fast, talk really fast, and read people’s reactions well. He uses those skills and the nifty tricks above to get people to believe he is “speaking to the dead.” Well, good for him, if he can get rich off of people’s stupidity, why not?
So now I challenge you to watch an episode, and I GUARANTEE you will notice every single one of the tricks and methods outlined above. Enjoy! Hopefully you won’t suffer the same disgust at your fellow Americans that I did.
P.S. I am not completely disregarding the possibility that mediums who can communicate with the dead could exist…I’m just saying that John Edwards is not one of them.
Happy Belated 1 Year Anniversary Mind of Rouleau! September 26, 2007
Posted by Jared in General.2 comments
To see my first post ever, click here.
