I was cleaning out a closet. And underneath a suitcase, in the corner, almost under the floorboard, I found a hundred dollar bill. I have no idea whether to save or spend it.

What would you do if you suddenly had an extra hundred dollars?

A sexy new music video from Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.

The song is called ‘Video Phone’.

I love how provocative the outfits are….this is Beyoncé on fire…and we already know Lady Gaga likes to literally set the stage on fire.

¿Por qué luchas en la vida? ¿Cuáles son los objetivos que mueven tus esfuerzos? ¿Lo que haces te satisface? ¿Lo que quieres es lo que realmente te apasiona? Te hago esas preguntas porque a veces en nuestra vida gastamos todas nuestras fuerzas en objetivos que nos proporcionan resultados no deseados. En otros casos asumimos que vamos por el camino correcto y no es así.

Todavía estás a tiempo para re-enfocar tus objetivos y todavía estás a tiempo para re-definir tu camino. No gastes tu tiempo en cosas que no te generan satisfacción. Me explico: te gusta jugar baloncesto pero en realidad no eres el mejor en ese deporte, sin embargo eres excelente músico. ¿No sería mejor que toda esas horas que inviertes en tu pasatiempo las dedicaras a la música donde realmente sí eres bueno?…a eso me refiero. “Lo que nos gusta muchas veces no es donde realmente somos buenos”…..pregunto: ¿podemos convertir nuestras habilidades en nuestra pasión? Transforma tus habilidades en tu pasión, esa es la meta y si ya las posees perfeccionalas. Al final del camino estarás contento contigo mismo.

¿Te gustaría vivir tu vida viviendo tu pasatiempo o viviendo tu pasión? Creeme, tu pasión te brindará resultados exitosos, tu pasatiempo solo te permitirá “pasar el tiempo”. Vive tu pasión .. “tu pasión te dára emoción”.

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What makes you struggle in life? Which are the objectives that moves your strengths? What you do gives you satisfaction? Are you really passionate about what you want? I ask you all these questions because sometimes in life we spend all ourstrengths in objectives that brings unwanted results. In other cases we think that we are walking the correct path and we aren’t.

You still have time to refocus your objectives and you still have time to redefine your path. Don’t waste time in things that doesn’t brings you satisfaction. Let me explain this: maybe you like to play basketball, but you know that you are not the best in this sport, however you are an amazing musician. Wouldn’t be better to spend all those diversion hours of basketball in what you know you are really good and in what you are passionate about?… that’s what I mean.  Sometimes “what we like is not what we are really good at”.  Can we convert our abilities in our passion?  Transform your abilities in your passion, that’s the goal and if you already posses it, work to make it better.

Would you like to live your life living for your diversion or living for your passion? Believe me, your passion will give you pleasure and satisfaction, your diversion will only bring you limited pleasure. Live your passion.. “your passion will give you emotion”.

According to WebVisible, the current break down of search share is:

Google: 60.4 %

Yahoo 26.2%

Bing 10.5%

Ask 2.4%

Continuing from the WebVisible report:

“Small Businesses Increase Spend by 91 Percent Generally, small businesses are buying more keywords and dramatically increasing their paid search budgets when compared to last year, according to WebVisible. First off, the average small business purchased 55 keyword phrases in Q3, which is up 30 percent from Q3 2008’s median number of 43. That statistic represents the high-water mark for the four quarters that WebVisible has been tracking small businesses keyword buys. Meanwhile, businesses dedicated an average of $1,658 to search ads, 91 percent more than Q3 2008. And business-to-consumer professional services appear to be the busiest in terms of collecting local sales leads via SEM. Attorneys and dentists made up the top two advertiser categories, with 7.7 percent and 5 percent of total small advertisers, respectively. Each of the two categories invested far more than average, spending $2,560 and $2,005 respectively in Q3. Air conditioning services and physicians/surgeons were the only other categories that accounted for more than 2 percent of search advertisers. Overall, the research suggests that the small business search advertisers are a varied bunch. The top 20 categories accounted for only 36 percent of total dollars spent. Thirty-two percent of search clicks resulted in a “lead conversion,” meaning the viewer either clicked through to a landing page on the advertiser’s Web site, printed a landing page, watched a video, printed out directions, entered an e-mail address, inquired via e-mail, or completed an online form. Clicks to the Web site were far and away the biggest lead conversion type, coming in almost twice as high as the next three categories: printed landing pages, submitted e-mail inquiries, and printed driving directions. For small businesses utilizing a call tracking number, 4.5 percent of the clicks resulted in a call, a 3.6 percent lift from 2008. No material differences occurred among advertisers in terms of CTR or proportion of lead conversions. However, WebVisible said that cost-per-clicks and keyword counts tended to increase with rising spend levels.”

Quite a shift!  From a merchant’s perpsective this is a double edged sword. When Google had 75-80% of the marketshare, an arguement could be made to neglect MSN and Yahoo and focus on having the best possible Google ppc campaign. Now that is no longer true. That may put a lot of strain on merchant’s paid search team to manage additional campaigns.

But, with the growing market share of Bing and to a lesser extent Yahoo, merchants who can act quickly and more nimbly then larger orginizations may be able to take advantage and grab a disproportionate share of these other engines at reduced costs.

I’m a fan of personal finance. Actually I believe most people are and just don’t realize it. I mean, we all like money right? And even if we say that we don’t we have to admit that at least some of it is necessary for survival. The problem is that a lot of us don’t pay attention to our money. We have developed poor financial habits, gotten into debt and helped send the economy into the spiraling bit of hell that is the recession that manifested last year.

As a result of that experience last year, a lot of people became more aware of money. I was one of them. I read all the information I could find on personal finance blogs, books and actively sought the advice of financial “experts” that I encountered in my everyday life (surprisingly, there are a lot of them floating around). From all of that there was one common thread that continuously popped up as a formula for financial success and security.

Spend less than you earn.

Seriously, it’s that simple. The problem is that most people don’t know this or did know it and have forgotten it over time because of the nature of our consumerist economic paradigm. Otherwise there wouldn’t have been a NEGATIVE savings rate in this country leading up to the recession.

Spending less than you earn enables a great many things on the individual level. These things include:

1. Paying off your debts. Specifically your high-interest debts like those from credit cards. Things like you mortgage (if you have one) wouldn’t be included because those can actually save you money over the long run. But your Visa and MasterCard bills actually cost you money each month. That cost is called the APR, and you shouldn’t like it at all.
2. Not becoming indentured to the things you’ve bought. Until you pay off the debt you accumulated and buying all of the “stuff” you have, you don’t really own it. However you are committed to paying that money to those you bought it from whether at the end of the day you still have it or not.
3. Saving money. What you decide to do with it is up to you, but at least you have the choice of what happens to it. Buy a nice place to live for yourself and your family, go on a nice vacation, whatever… but if you save for it you don’t have to worry about not being able to pay for it in the future.
4. Peace of mind. The other 3 invariably lead to this. When you know for a fact that you are earning more money than you are spending, and that there is always that surplus of money available for any “what-if” scenario, then you don’t really worry about those “what-if” scenarios anymore.

The fact of the matter too is that it works. My own personal finance journey since last year’s catastrophe has involved me evaluating my way of life and ultimately simplifying it so that I spend far less than I earn and paying off $15,000 worth of high-interest credit card debt. It wasn’t easy, but it was definitely worth it. For the first time in my adult life I’ve been able to think about things like what do I really want to do in life, since I don’t need to maintain as high earning a job that I currently have to maintain my standard of living. I’ve kicked around the idea of going back to school for a Master’s degree or for something completely different. I’ve considered taking a hiatus when I finish the current project at my job to pursue some projects of my own. And I’ve thought about buying a house… not as an investment, but as a place that I’d really just like to live in.

By spending less than you earn a lot of good can come from it. It manifests in the way of confidence and peace of mind, and to some degree a more enabled sense of what’s possible.  In the end it’s simple mathematics and the even simpler truth for financial success.

Everyone in the family will find their personal favorite when you fill your Road Trip Planner with the places between the dry desert climate surrounding Salt Lake City, Utah and the salty sea air found in Bar Harbor, Maine.

This great road trip covers more than 2600 miles and 13 states so pencil in at least two weeks in your road trip planner. Three weeks would be ideal if you’re making it a Round Trip Road Trip.

So, with thirteen states to cover, how does one choose among the 1000s of things to do? Narrow the field by sticking as close as possible to the direct route. With the price of gas these days, concentrate on the free and affordable activities along the route.

I recommend filling your road trip planner with the following cities, where you’ll drive about 200 miles per day.

With Salt Lake City sitting on the edge of the Wasatch Mountains, spend a few hours hiking along the paths or have a picnic at the Wasatch Mountain State Park. Enjoy the Rock Springs Historic Museum once you cross over into Wyoming, spending your first night at the Rock Springs Days Inn.

The next day, remain in Wyoming while still traveling about 250 miles to the state capital, Cheyenne for your second night. Consider adding Colorado to your road trip planner by taking a short side-trip into Fort Collins, Colorado and spend the night in Lexington, Nebraska, where you can enjoy antique shopping and fishing while staying at a Victorian house, converted into a B & B. Spend your fourth night in Omaha, about 220 miles down the road from Lexington. Be sure to shop & stroll through the Old Market, where you’ll find a bit of everything; art, shops, cafes, restaurants and music!

The fourth state to add to your road trip planner is Iowa as you’ll be stopping at your second state capital, Des Moines before continuing on for an overnight at Iowa City, where you’ll find a number of very affordable hotels.

Cut north a bit past Joliet, Illinois so you can enjoy the Chicago nightlife. Chicago has lots of things to do so you might want to stay a second night there and drive the following morning through Indiana (about 250 miles) to Toledo, Ohio. Be sure to check out the Maumee Antique Mall, which has over 120,000 square feet for you to wander through (there’s also a smaller Antique Mall in downtown Toledo).

Hit the road again, passing through Cleveland, Ohio, and enjoy the view along Lake Erie, spending night in Erie, Pennsylvania (you should be able to find a room with a view). The next morning, enjoy the waterfront area in Buffalo, New York before continuing east to spend the night at Syracuse. You’ll want to add your 3rd state capital in Albany to your road trip planner before heading towards Boston. Here you might also want to stay two nights for a rich, historical experience.

You can actually travel through 3 states in one day in less than 250 miles as you leave Boston, with stops in Salem, then Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and passing through Portland, Maine and staying at a cozy lodge in Bangor, Maine.

At this point, you’re near your final destination of Bar Harbor, Maine. Reward yourself by adding the Acadia National Park to your Road Trip Planner and revel in the Fall colors, a perfect ending to a remarkable road trip.

• This past week (Nov. 15 to Nov. 21, 2009) Sarah Palin was all over the news – the way she likes it!

Here was Sarah on the cover of Newsweek – and there was Sarah on Oprah and ABC’s 20/20 and other places that I don’t watch.

And there was the phony controversy that both Sarah and the media promote. She was complaining all the way to the bank – about Newsweek putting a cutesy photo of her in her snug shorts on their cover.

Now Sarah – did Newsweek make YOU pose for that flirty photo? NO!

Why did YOU choose that particular pose for that photo? I don’t think we’ll see the Queen in shorts in that pose any time soon. So obviously, YOU posed, for your own reasons and liked the photo enough to let another publication run it.

So if it wasn’t sexist when YOU posed, then it’s not sexist now.

It’s like taking nude photos for playboy and saying Newsweek shouldn’t run them when the poser decides to run for president of the church guild!

However, Newsweek too is playing games. I mean, come on – of all the photos of Miss Palin in your archive; of her in suits that she paid for, suits the campaign paid for – you could have gotten a different (note I didn’t say better, just different) one to put on the cover.

So both Newsweek and Sarah Palin are playing games with the rest of us – the dummies who they think won’t notice.

Palin is generating publicity for her book and she will do whatever…

Newsweek is trying to sell magazines, and it will do whatever…

Play your games, but don’t try to fudge the score. 

• Americans are angry over the economy…

Apparently “the economy” resides in Washington, in the White House basement, and President Obama is just sitting on it.

We forget that we, yes WE affect the economy every day with our purchasing  and other choices

When we buy cheap whatever from China, WE are affecting the economy.

When you buy those expensive jeans you cannot afford and charge them to your credit card, then pay off the minimum each month, YOU are affecting the economy.

When people buy houses and cars they can and cannot afford, THEY are affecting the economy.

When we eat out, WE are affecting the economy.

When we don’t go to see a movie, WE are affecting the economy.

Buy a car or take the bus; go overseas on vacation or stay home; invest and pay taxes or stash our money overseas - all this affects the economy.

Was I the ONLY person who heard all the warning heads who were saying that the US economy is under pressure and something has to give?

That speculative housing was straining the market?

That our trade deficit was/is too large?

Why did some take note, while so many others did not?

Why did they disregard their own expenses and go on spending?

Why did people NOT save for the proverbial rainy day?

Now we are railing at the government for not providing more unemployment benefits…did the government ask you to overload your credit card?

Did the government prevent you from balancing your resources and allocating them efficiently?

So why do the prudent people who wear their shoes to the soles and buy things on sale now have to pay for your stupidity – instead of you?

AND MOST IMPORTANLY, WHEN OR RATHER IF PEOPLE GET OUT OF THEIR SELF-IMPOSED BLACK HOLE, WILL THEY HAVE LEARNT A LESSON – OR CONTINUE SPENDING AS IF THERE’S NO TOMORROW? Because we just learnt: TODAY IS TOMORROW’S…TOMORROW!

Now I understand that the government bailed out the banks. Well, you’re NOT a bank, even if you spent like you were a bank! So there!

You will never be treated as equitably as those big Wall Street guys. Not under a democrat, especially NOT under a republican, double especially NOT under a capitalist system! And not under communism either!

So basically, what all this long rambling tirade means is: We should be angry at OURselves for TURNING OUR BACKS on the old principles of saving and being thrifty and to hell with the Joneses.

But of course, that’s painful and inconvenient for us to blame ourselves, so let’s take our anger out on the government…and the banks and whomever.  (Not that they’re blameless, either!) But if we blame somebody ELSE, then we can feel better about our poor/lack of planning.

You think that’s bad?

Wait until you’re ready to retire and you didn’t plan, set NOTHING aside because it’s not your responsibility or your fault or your decision – NO ROTH IRA, NO 401K, NO PENSION…and find out there’s NO social security or a leaner payout!

America has become a country where IT IS ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSE’S FAULT.

I’m just waiting for the case where a pregnant woman sues because nobody warned her that sex leads to pregnancy. I’m sure it’s already happened. I just haven’t heard. Let me know…

• Did you see Republican lawmakers and some Democrats too, talking about spending?

The same ones who were there before AND during eight years of Bush, who helped spend, spend, spend…who gave Mr. Bush carte blanche to finance two losing wars?

Now those hypocrites want us to believe that the “economy” just turned sour overnight. That things started going downhill last January. That you sent them to Washington to enjoy a cozy incestuous relationships with their pals in the insurance industry and the auto industry and the housing industry…

And you agree – because YOU keep sending them back. Don’t you?

There is energy in the air in Ski Town, U.S.A. Steamboat Springs, Colorado is getting rowdy. Driving down main street, the you can feel and see the difference. Gear swaps, classes at the rec center dedicated exclusively to getting your legs ready for skiing, and enthusiasts roller-skiing up and down the cement slopes in preparation. There is no denying that this is a ski town. However, there is another snow sport gaining more and more popularity every year. It may not be as readily noticed as you pass through, but in garages in all over town, snowmobiles are being tuned-up and prepped for the season. Snowmobiling is close second to skiing in the category of winter activities. And “Slednecks” are enthusiastic about the potential for another epic season here in northwest Colorado. Both Snowmobilers and skiers anxiously await the snow.

A central reason for the prevelance of snowmobiling in this area is Rabbit Ears Pass, in the Routt National Forest. The Pass is the snowmobile Mecca of Colorado. X-games competitors frequent the area and the longest snowmobile jump in history was recorded there. If you sat on the summit and scanned the area with your binoculars you would spot more than a few snowmobilers. On the highway’s edge there are trailers of all sizes and shapes. In the distance are guided tours that resemble ants on a march as they zoom up and down the hills. And if you know where the pros hang out, you may catch some wild cliff dropping and huge jumps. Rabbit Ears Pass is truly an outstanding place to ride. If offers a sublime combination of accessabily, diverse terrain and an abundance of snow.

Accessibility is foremost. Without access, the best terrain in the world becomes irrelevant. This is why a crowded and expensive ski resort is more popular than the thousands of miles of wide-open backcountry. For most of us, our playtime is limited and we would rather not spend it en route. From Steamboat, the Pass and endless snowmobiling is a mere twelve miles east. Just park in one of the lots that line the highway, unload your sled and your off. For those with a large budget to spend on their appetite for snow sports, an airport lies just a half-an-hour west and Steamboat has endless lodging options.

The diversity of the terrain is tremendous. Beginners have groomed trails. Intermediate riders have single track and hills with varying degrees of steepness. And the really crazy folks out there- they have plenty of cliffs. And all riders can play in the many alpine meadows on powder days. This variety draws a wide array of experience levels to the Pass. It’s also a wonderful fit for commercial tours. Guided trips are a fusion of excitment and safety. By introducing people to snowmobiling, tours also assure the growth of the sport. Some of these newcomers will become addicts and, like the rest of us, spend lots of money supporting their habit and the industry.

Finally, the white fluffy icing on the proverbial cake. The delectable snow. Aptly icknamed “champagne powder”, the snow that falls on the Yampa Valley is renowned for being lighter than that of other regions in Colorado. Lighter snow heightens that supreme floating sensation that we all strive for. Speed is alluring, and leaning hard into a perfect turn feel like cheating gravity, but to float is divine.

Next time you and your family pack your sweaters and mittens and head for the mountains, consider Steamboat Springs as a destination. The exceptional ski resort draws a crowd all on its own, but the availability of many other snow sports makes this town unique. Wander off the beaten path, over miles of wild terrain on a powerful snowmobile and you shall certainly return hom with tales to tell.

Just as debt is a choice, spending and saving is a choice, too. I know, because when I came to this country, I had 10 dollars and a suitcase.

That was my beginning.

And my wealth grew to a million dollars, with the proper tools. And it took work, too, and a lot of personal decisions about debt, spending and saving.

I absolutely have loved the process, and having worked as an executive in the banking industry for years, and have consulted with so many others and listening to their values and dreams, I hope you too are living the life of your dreams, because if I can do it …

Debt is a choice.

With any debt comes the obligation to pay it back. The payments lower the amount we have available for other purchases. Whenever we acquire new debt, we will have less for other things in the future. It is easy to see how spending all of our earnings can lead to having debt, which in turn will lower what is available for spending in the future.

Do you feel like there just isn’t ever enough money?

When we spend everything we earn on a monthly basis, what may happen is a vicious cycle. We begin thinking that we need to bring in more money or else just not have the life we want.

How about this: manage the money we have – better?

(I just happen to have a very good Wealth Skills website that discusses this very matter!)

Debt is a choice. Sometimes it may seem we have to acquire debt to survive. In reality, those situations may be alleviated when we have a system and the tools to spend less than what we earn today.

Find more tools at Wealth Skills, Inc. official website.

Thanks for reading and leave a comment if something in this post sparked your interest.

Photos sometimes only tell part of  the story,but I find the contrast between these two to be interesting.

Both are dynamic stars with larger than life personalities and legions of fans.

What do you think is on Jay Z’s mind.

 He was caught in London with his wife, to attend the Royal fave Mahiki nightclub after a gig at the O2 arena to party until 3am with Rhianna.

How Will You Spend A Bag Full of Money In One Hour ? What are the things you will buy first ?

Here is a beautiful old building in Newcastle – Custom’s House. Across the road from the Newcastle Railway Station, this wonderful building is a landmark in it’s own right. Sadly, another old building in Newcastle that could be considered beautiful has been run into the ground so to speak – the Post Office.

Custom’s House is now occupied by a restaurant and what a beautiful location – right on the foreshore of Newcastle’s picturesque parkland area.

Whenever I catch a bus to Newcastle – I spend a bit of time here in the park in front of Custom’s House. The bus stop for the return trip (and the arrival stop) is right next to the train station and opposite this magnificent building and parkland area. It is a great little spot to pass the time while waiting for the bus.

Nations are built not with bricks and stones but with the capacity to create and apply knowledge. The result of knowledge creation and application in manufacturing and management practices is well demonstrated by Japan. Today we are witness to many industrialized economies that are strengthening their manufacturing activities simply by adopting these techniques.

The distinguishing characteristics associated with Japanese manufacturing techniques include an emphasis on designing and redesigning processes to optimize efficiency and a strong commitment to quality.

The manufacturing techniques that Japanese companies practice provide a competitive advantage and outstanding economic performance. The key for success is an understanding of the broad context of manufacturing culture, infrastructure and environment. These sound manufacturing and business techniques created and adopted by leading Japanese manufacturers have turned out to be the secret of their market leadership in many industries.

Following are a few of these concepts, which can help in managing any business set-up in a better way:

• Kaizen is one such technique, which in Japanese means ‘improve.’ This is commonly recognized as practices focusing on continuous improvement in manufacturing activities, business activities in general, and even life in general, depending on interpretation and usage. By improving standardized activities and processes, Kaizen helps in eliminating waste.
• Another management Japanese technique is the 5-S. It is a technique used to establish and maintain quality environment in an organization. It has five elements: Seiri (sorting out useful and frequently used materials and tools from unwanted and rarely used things); Seiton (keeping things in the right place systematically so that searching or movement time is minimized); Seiso (keeping everything around you clean and in a neat manner); Seiketsu (standardizing the above principles in everyday life) and Shitsuke (inculcating good habits and practicing them continuously). The 5-S practice helps everyone in the organization to live a better life.
• Kanban and ‘Just in Time’ are two other practices in inventory management practices that were pioneered by the Japanese automobile manufacturers, such as Toyota. Quality improvement, on the other hand, is the result of lower proportion of component scrap since the components spend less time in the supply chain.
• Poka-yoke is a process improvement focused on training of workers for mastering the increasingly complicated tasks to selectively redesign the tasks so they could be more easily and reliably mastered. It involves designing a foolproof process to eliminate the chance of errors.
• Jidoka is a practice by means of which an individual worker runs several machines simultaneously. Japan thus designs such machines that eliminate both error and the need for constant supervision.
• Muda is another technique that reduces wasteful activity in service processes. It ensures process efficiency and effectiveness.
• Mura curiously combines rigidity and flexibility and thus teaches service process improvement.
• Reducing Muri means reducing physical strain. In services process improvement, Muri applies to convoluted and unnecessary routings, physical transfer, and distances paper files may have to travel for a process to complete.
• Genchi Gembutsu means going to the actual scene (genchi) and confirming the actual scene (gembutsu). Observation of service processes at the point where it is actually delivered may unearth a host of problems such as lack of training, unnecessary steps, or a number of other areas that would benefit from small but significant process improvement ideas.

This is a glimpse of manufacturing techniques that Japan has so intellectually created and so profoundly practiced in its manufacturing systems that even with no natural resources, it has acquired the status of one of the most industrialized nations. Can we learn from Japan?

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, Lectures, Line of Sight.

Even in the winter months when your skin is covered by lots of clothing, it is still important to take care of your skin and reduce the risk of damaging it. This does not just apply to your face, but to your whole body.

Try not to spend too long soaking in hot baths or Jacuzzis. With added oils in the water it may feel great and a nice way to relax, but it does not do your skin any good. Be nice and gentle to your skin when drying off, by using soft towels. Make sure you apply some moisturizer straight away, even if the skin is still damp, as this will help to avoid dehydration of the skin.

It would be a good idea to get a humidifier for your house, especially as you are probably using artificial heating in your home. Humidifiers can also be quite useful for members of the family with other health problems, and are not too expensive to buy. If you live in a large dwelling, you might require more than one.

Try not to use any oils when having a bath, as it only makes the surface of the bath slippery, and may encourage you to spend too long in it. After your bath or shower is the best time to apply any oils to your skin. Use a few drops of virgin olive oil and massage into your skin after applying the moisturizer. This type of oil is rich in antioxidants, and thus very good for your skin.

Another good thing is to exfoliate your skin, as this removes dead cells and encourages the growth of new ones. This cell turnover is vital if you want to have smooth, healthy skin. You do not need to do this every day, but when you do, try to use a product which is gentle to your skin.

Your lips need a bit of extra help, as they are particularly vulnerable to the winter climate. You do not want your lips becoming dry and chapped, and a good defense against this is a good lip balm.

Sunscreens are a good idea, even during the winter months, as the winter sun can damage any exposed areas of your body.

From time to time, I show my small figure collection and sometimes I got a reply like this “Aren’t you spending too much money with dolls?” or “Why don’t you save your money and make an investment?”… Now that I conclude Financial Education Master class, I know a proper answer for these questions…

First, collect figures is like an hobby, and I spend my money wisely, where 5% is for hobbies and entertainment, 50% investments, 15% basics, 15% travels, 15% emergencies.

But I spent more than 15% of my money this year with figures and my Hobby money didn’t change!!! Let me show how to justify:

1st. Emergency Money

You spent all your money for figures, and an extremely rare and special figure starts preorder… well it’s an emergency, so call it for emergencies.

2nd. This figure price increase

Excellent, now you can remove this brilliant figure from Emergencies. Why? Because if you sell (as you would sell), you’ll get more money, and everything that you buy for X, and sell for X+1 is an investment.

3rd. You have some empty spaces in your desktop

Well, it’s a basic rule to have a nice room environment. So put it for Basics Expenses.

Now you can handle with 85% of your daily expenses with anime and figures… well and if you don’t want to travel, get it to 100% now! And don’t waste time with food please, it gets the figure dirt.

UPDATE:   http://www.angelfury.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/lorraine-tipton-case-father-refuses-to-see-daughter-so-that-mother-will-remain-in-jail/

UPDATE 11/17/09:  marmite_ Lorraine Tipton RELEASED from Jail ~ Bad news is her daughter is now with man who CPS CONFIRM molests & abuses her ~ Fight continues. Plz RT

UPDATE 11/21/09:  A great article regarding this case: http://michaelareturntoabuse.blogspot.com/2009/11/to-get-mom-out-of-jail-daughter-returns.html

For all of you who claim that a story such as Aaliyah’s is only about vindictive, delusional and angry ex-wives/girlfriends, please read this. It is a story about Lorraine Tipton and her 11 year old daughter. Lorraine has been jailed because her daughter refuses to go to visitations with her father.  She will remain there until her daughter agrees to go.  Not only is her father abusing her, but now the judge is making her choose between her mother and being abused. Please read, get angry and sign her petition. Be another voice for another child. Does any of this sound familiar?

“In 2003 my abuser forged my signature and had it notarized on a court stipulation giving him “50/50″ custody and all back child support dropped, this is a paternity case. The notary was his real estate/insurance agent. The only reason I found out about the forgery is that he tried to remove our daughter, Michaela from daycare and they contacted me immediately.
I filed a police report regarding the forgery, the DA, Jay Conley, he said that “even though we know who the likely suspect is there was no proof that my abuser, Craig Hensberger, did this”. Even though no one else would benefit from such an arrangement but the “likely suspect”. I got a handwriting analysis done on my own and presented that evidence to the DA, he stated that only “proved it was not my signature”, he refused to do anything.

I went to court in front of Family Court Commissioner, Frank Calvert, of Oconto County, who just happened to be the GAL on my divorce/custody proceedings in 1997 who recommended custody to my ex abusive husband, John Fetterly. It was also Mr. Calvert who made sure that in his recommendations that in order for me to have primary placement with my older three daughters I was to have a “stable living environment away from Craig Hensberger”. In 2003 Mr. Calvert moved up in ranks from lowly GAL to Family Court Commissioner and even with me expressing to him my concerns of his ability to be impartial I was ignored, chastised and intimidated by him. He refused to hear or see any evidence regarding the forgery and kept it as is, “50/50″ custody and ordered child support in the amount of $25 per week based on 50/50 custody even though the father had placement every other weekend.

The weekend of Fathers Day in June 2005 my daughter was in the custody and care of her father. On Saturday of that weekend he was arrested for his second DUI in less than a year with our daughter as a passenger in the middle of the day. At this time I had decided to move out of the state and per the county rules sent a certified letter to my former abuser to notify him of our move. He refused the certified letter and it was returned to me, although he was alerted that I was planning on moving and then filed an objection to my move. We again went in front of Frank Calvert who appointed GAL, Aaron Krzewinski. They ordered that my child stay in her current school but that Craig’s mother was to do all the transportation and supervision of placement. This was when my former abuser anger began to escalate and he vandalized three vehicles of mine which rendered them useless as well as loosening all the lug nuts on my tires which could of killed me as the tire fell off while traveling to work one morning.

Finally in October 2005, I moved in with my mother who lived well within the 150 mile radius I was allowed to move without notifying him. In December he served 20 days in jail for his DUI w/our daughter (the minimum is 30 days) and he also was allowed out on “Huber” so that he only had to report to jail at night when he was done working or not working. After he did his time he filed a motion to enforce placement when he was in jail for most of December. Again FCC Frank Calvert chastised me in court for not have legal representation and stated that if he could make me move back he would. He then gave my former abuser every weekend custody and ordered that I drive roundtrip every weekend because my abusers license was suspended. He stated that it wasn’t “his fault I moved, it was mine”. He also refused to review child support and the $25 weekly was upheld.

In August 2006 I moved back to Oconto County with my then fiancé’ soon to be husband, Chad Tipton. It was the Labor Day weekend and we were set to drive her for visitation with her father. My daughter stated that she was scared to go because her father was putting his finger in her “butt crack” down her pants, she made a motion of up and down. She made this revelation and stated how uncomfortable it was to her. I immediately contacted Marathon County CPS who interviewed my daughter. They did make a TPR and advised that Oconto would then handle it when we moved there after that weekend.

During the first weeks of September 2006 my daughter was met at her school by Oconto County CPS worker Carrie Silbernagel. After not hearing from Ms. Silbernagel I contacted her and she was very volatile towards me. Stating that she didn’t believe my daughter, that she believed she was “coached” and that she had children younger than my daughter who could provide specific details such as smells, times of days, etc. but my daughter did not. She stated that she knew of my “history with CPS” and reporting false allegations of sexual abuse. I asked her to explain as I had never made any other report to CPS regarding sexual abuse. She referred to another CPS worker that I had allegedly spoke to in 2004 regarding my older daughter. She made comments that she “knew ALL about me” etc. When I pointed out that my daughter is in danger as her fathers history of driving drunk. She then stated that “driving drunk with his child didn’t make him a bad father, he made a bad choice”. She refused to take any action and the matter was closed.

In May 2007 my former abuser decided to file for sole custody of our daughter as his behavior was to the point of madness since I was getting married on July 7, 2007. It was during this time that FCC Frank Calvert recused himself finally after I had filed a complaint against him with the Wisconsin Judicial Commission regarding his impartiality and biasness. By this time he was already facing charges of endangering safety with a dangerous weapon as he tried to run my then fiancé’ and 13 yo daughter in a grocery store parking lot one night as he waited outside for us. During that summer he was given every other week custody and they kept it that way until school started. Every bad behavior he gained more and more custody as the GAL was continually getting more money.

By January 2008, last minute he agreed to joint custody and dropped his sole custody claim. In February 2008 my daughter came home and said that her grandmother had forced fed her soup and then her vomit while threatening to beat “her ass” with a wooden spoon if she didn’t eat it. I contacted CPS and was told that the same CPS worker Carrie Silbernagel whose last name was now Burke as she married would contact me. After I told her of the force feeding incident she stated that she wanted to get down to the bottom of this “once and for all”. She suggested to take my daughter to a neutral third party who would interview her, I agreed. Although she only needed one parents permission she made the appointment at the Child Advocacy Center when it was the fathers placement time to avoid any of my ‘coaching’ etc.

On February 25 my daughter was picked up by Carrie Silbernagel Burke and had my child interviewed by Sara Schumacher who was a forensic interviewer for child abuse victims. The interview was recorded and transcribed. During the interview not only did my daughter tell of the soup incident but once again how her father sexually abused her. She told both Sara Schumacher and Carrie Silbernagel Burke that he father had instructed her to lie that day to them. By that afternoon I received a call from Carrie telling me that they were substantiating the abuse and placing my daughter with me. I thought that the nightmare was finally over. The CPS worker advised my husband and I that it would be a good idea if we left town for the night, get a hotel room as when she contact Craig he was extremely upset. She also advised that we should immediately file a child abuse restraining order for the TPR would not help protect my daughter very long. She explained that they would be filing a CHIPS (child in need of protection) petition and she would be in contact with us.

The next day I filed child abuse restraining orders against Craig and Betty Hensberger and it was granted by Oconto County Richard Delforge for 30 day pending the CHIPS petition. By March CPS was already back pedaling and we were advised by Carrie Burke that Corporation Counsel, Robert Mraz, stated that I was already “protecting my daughter in Family Court” when in fact there was no such order but only the one in which she was to go every other week. Then CPS offered for both parties to sign a stipulation agreement for “co-parenting” classes for both parents. They never even ordered any alcohol or drug assessment for Craig whose history of alcohol abuse was severe. My attorney at the time, Michael Perry, advised me not to agree to the stipulation and also my former abuser refused to sign.

Also in March he was acquitted of his charge of endangering safety with a dangerous weapon. Somehow my former abuser contacted my ex husband and had my older daughters recant their statements. When this was brought forward to the DA, Jay Conley of possible witness tampering, he stated it wasn’t because Craig only talked with my ex husband.

On May 21, 2008, my daughters 10th birthday, an Administrative Appeal was held by recused FCC Frank M. Calvert. My lawyer and I were not privy to this hearing in which my former abuser, his attorney, Corporation Counsel, Deputy Director of Oconto County CPS Greg Benesh and Carrie Burke were a part of. The only reason my attorney learned of this hearing was due to my abusers attorney, John D’Angelo, sending a copy of the hearing in which Mr. Calvert unsubstantiated the sexual abuse allegations. My attorney advised me to get the recording from the hearing and I did. What I heard was chilling as my character and credibility was more of an issue than the actual abuse. Especially in which Mr. Calvert snickers and makes fun of me that he’s “well aware of the difficulties with Ms. Fetterly-Tipton”. My lawyer instructs me to file a complaint with the judicial commission as Mr. Calvert had recused himself and he had no right to hear that case. When I requested the CD recording of the hearing Mr. Calvert’s assistant Julie Depouw stated that perhaps Calvert “forgot” he recused himself. A complaint was filed with the judicial commission regarding the ongoing bias and unethical practices of Frank M. Calvert.

In July 2008 my former abuser wanted his placement times back. We went to court and after my two witnesses testified, Sara Schumacher and Greg Benesh, Judge David Miron ordered a recess. My lawyer, my former abuser’s lawyer, GAL Krzewinski met in chambers. My lawyer returned to say that the judge was not going to hear any more testimony because so far we had not proven that there was any substantial change in circumstances for change in placement. He also stated that due to her father subpoenaing my daughters counselor, Jennifer Werner, her supervisor wrote to the judge to tell of his disdain that she was being ‘used’ as a pawn in this proceeding and she had no knowledge of the ongoing custody dispute (her counseling records do not reflect that). My lawyer stated I had to agree to two supervised visits, one overnight unsupervised, one weekend unsupervised then back to week on week off, providing that GAL Krzewinski and newly appointed counselor, Mike Mervilde, found no reason for that schedule, and they didn’t.
When I had tried to make further appointments with Mike Mervilde I was thwarted by saying that he was only court ordered to see her twice. When I requested copies of her counseling records I was told that my daughter wasn’t the patient, her father was.

By the very first unsupervised visit my daughter came back stating her father was drinking and driving with her. Every other week she was coming home from his home with lice. CPS said that wasn’t neglect. My daughter refused to go for visitation and in October her father filed his first of three contempt motions on me. I was found in contempt by Judge Miron and it was ordered that my daughter be forced to live with her abuser for five weeks straight, I was not allowed visitation. This was when I was first accused of PAS, a.k.a. ’brainwashing’ her. The judge stated that he believed that I had “poisoned” my daughter against her father. When I shook my head slightly the judge yelled at me to not shake my head at him.
She left on 10/31/09 and returned on 12/05/09. During that time she was tormented and tortured by her father and grandmother. My daughter still says that was the worst time of her life.

In February my daughter came home and said her father caught a 8lb Walleye and kept it alive in his 100 gallon fish tank for two weeks. He then proceeded to use her and sign her up for three different fishing derbies in one weekend with the same fish. He told my daughter if she told no one she would receive an ipod. The total of $150 of prize money that was won in my daughters name she never saw one penny or an ipod.

Her father was caught in his lying, cheating and stealing but blamed her for “ratting him out”. This was the turning point that my daughter lost any last respect for her father, she would ask me, “why would he do this to me?”, I had no answer, I still don’t.

She missed a weekend visit in March, by Monday he went to her school with the police to pick her up. She refused and the Gillett police officer, Gary Pemmrich, threatened my daughter that he would take her down to juvenile hall, she would be placed in foster care, she would never see me again and that she would have to go to a new school.

It was after this hat my former abuser brought me to court again for contempt, the judge did not find me in contempt and dismissed it. This was when Judge Miron made a threat that perhaps neither parent was fit and maybe he would put her in foster care.

He then changed the order that each parent could pick up the child directly from school rather than the police station as the drop off.

Shortly after she returned from her week placement stating how cold she was at her fathers, stating his electricity was “broken”. The next week it was the same, finally CPS was alerted that there was no electricity, running water/plumbing, refrigeration for food etc. They then began staying at his mothers small two bedroom home, my daughter was given a choice of either sleeping on the living room floor or the unfinished basement. By August my daughter had been frightened several times by her grandmother driving her drunk, specifically one occasion where they took her out with them to the bar and as the grandmother stumbled out of the bar she proceeded to get into the wrong vehicle and then drove them home, drunk.
My daughter asked to stay at my home on his weekend 8/7/09 due to her older sisters coming for a visit. She kept saying how relaxed she was, how well she slept in an actual bed in her own room. She called him and told him she would not return to his mothers house because she had no bed or bedroom there. By 8/12/09 he filed a motion of contempt on me but waited until last minute 9/18/09 to have me served. Due to the untimely notice it was dismissed, He soon filed another contempt. At no time after school started did he ever go to school to retrieve his daughter. In court on 10/14/09 he and his mother perjured themselves that she has her own room, I’m brainwashing her, they don’t drink. When asked why he didn’t go pick her up he would say he was “working” or he was “busy” but I was being held accountable. On 9/4/09 we drove up to the grandmothers house for my daughter to retrieve her clarinet. We requested the assistance of Oconto County Sheriffs Deputy Ryan Zahn, who happens to be the nephew of Craig Hensberger, grandson of Betty Hensberger. At no time did the grandmother attempt to keep my daughter at her residence, her father according to his testimony was working.

Judge Miron found me in contempt and ordered me 30 days in county jail, with it stayed and ordered that my daughter be picked up by her father on 10/16/09 after school. I was also found in contempt and ordered 30 days in county jail for claiming my daughter on my taxes even though he has an order to do so the IRS will not allow him to since he unlawfully claimed her from 1999-2007. Also because she lived with me exclusively from Feb 2008-August 2008 which the federal government agreed I could claim her. Judge Miron also made his threats again that maybe he would “contact CPS because neither one of us is a fit parent and maybe he should take he away from both of us”. He stated that maybe foster care was the best place for her.

Since the contempt motion being served on 9/18/09 my child has began sleep walking, having night terrors, and was placed on Xanax for her sleep disturbances and anxiety issues brought on by her father. She has stated she is not going with her father ever again, she can’t and won’t. She won’t be in school tomorrow due to her flu and is adamant that nobody can make her go, not even me.”

http://www.angelzfury.blogspot.com/2009/10/wisconsins-judge-david-miron-wants-mom.html

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/217/petition-for-lorraine-tipton-and-michaela

http://www.unicef.org/crc/

http://www.justice4mothers.wordpress.com/2009/11/14/drunken-abuser-craig-hensberger-tries-to-force-daughter-at-schoolhouse-door-to-go-with-him/

UPDATE:   http://www.angelfury.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/lorraine-tipton-case-father-refuses-to-see-daughter-so-that-mother-will-remain-in-jail/

Please view all of the links, the last is frightening! This needs to stop. These children need for all of us to stand up for them. Stop the abuse by the parents and the judicial system.

Thank you for reading and for all you do.

Troy

Political Map of Canada

The problem with the left is that they think that the producers will just keep producing in the face of massive tax hikes and government spending. Sorry, but producers curtail their producing when they get to keep less and less of the fruits of their labor. Dalton McGuinty, the Liberal premier of the province of Ontario, is a prime example of this ignorance of incentives.

Consider this story from the National Post. (H/T Joanne from Blue Like You)

Excerpt:

Falling revenues and a burgeoning $24.7-billion deficit will force Ontario’s Liberal government into a new era of fiscal restraint, provincial Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said yesterday.

[...]According to economic figures released yesterday, Ontario is spending $4.8-billion more this year than it predicted just seven months ago. The increased spending includes $4-billion in auto-sector assistance and an additional $650-million to fund the province’s H1N1 response. Program spending has also risen by $812-million.

Tax revenues, meanwhile, are falling dramatically. They now stand at $5.8-billion less than the government predicted in last spring’s budget. Corporate taxes are $2.65-billion — or nearly one-third — lower than projections, while personal income tax is down $2.43-billion, or 10%.

[...]Conservatives, who have watched as the Liberals raised spending by nearly 60% over their first six years in office, were skeptical about the new pledge of austerity.”Dalton McGuinty is hard-wired to increase your taxes and increase spending,” Conservative leader Tim Hudak said. “The reality is, the only way to get spending under control is to change government.”

[...]One analyst said the province’s massive deficit is heightened by the growing size of Ontario’s health-care sector, expected to account for half the budget by 2015.

Earlier this week I blogged about the Federal Conservative Party of Canada, which gained two seats in the 2009 by-elections, bringing them to 145/308 in the House of Commons. They need 155 to have a majority.

States like New York and California are running into the same taxing and spending problems here at home. Even the Democrat Governor of Ohio Ted Strickland is in trouble, and threatening to cancel scheduled tax cuts.

Today’s suggestion for changing the world was doing something to support peace. The suggestion encouraged people to spend a moment to reflect on what I could do to prevent war.

In reality there is probably very little that I can do to prevent wars from occurring. It is once again a noble goal – to prevent war and ensure peace. I just don’t think it will be possible in this world.

The other part of the suggestion was to remember those who have fought and died in wars, especially with this being Armistice/Remembrance Day. Where I work the flags were lowered leading up to 11 am. They were raised again shortly afterwards.

Being that I was working I was unable to observe the 2 minutes silence at 11 am. However, the sacrifice made by those defending our way of life and seeking to return the world to peace, were on my mind.

Anzac Day is going to be an event I will be involved in in future years – not in any official capacity, but to be at the local dawn service to remember those who fought for this country, including various family members.

A response to reading ‘365 Ways to Change the World,’ by Michael Norton

Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to CALL these Blue Wiener Dog Democrats and TELL THEM TO VOTE NO.

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) 202-224-5623
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) 202-224-2043
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) 202-224-4843
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) 202-224-4041
Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) 202-224-2551
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) 202-224-6154
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) 202-224-5824
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) 202-224-5274
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) 202-224-6551

WHAT THE HOLY HELLBALLS ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GET TO THE PHONE!

I stumbled upon a great I Will Teach You To Be Rich Project called No Christmas Gifts This Year.

Every year millions of Americans buy gifts whether they have the money or not. Christmas gifts are sacred. But do they need to be? 

NoChristmasGiftsThisYear.com sayz:

“Instead of buying things we can’t afford, here’s a way to do something more meaningful.”

The web site let’s you send a note to your friends and family offering to share time together, instead of a gift.

Hi (name):

This year, the economy has made it tough, so instead of buying Christmas gifts, let’s do something more (fun/helpful/exciting) together like: (a list of options)

I love this idea, but the editor in me can’t resist a little editing. I marked out the bit about it being a tough year. Why? Because it’s not necessary. I don’t think we need a reason to say “instead of a gift, I’d love to do something together with you.”

My sister did this last year for our Mom. Instead of a gift, she asked if they might do something together like put up holiday decorations or make cookies. My Mom agreed and they had a lovely time.

Often the greatest gifts can’t be bought at the mall and or wrapped up in a box.

Give the gift of an experience. Make time for someone. Your time is a gift in itself.

What are your thoughts on holiday gifts?