Who can you trust with your home loan? When you consider the financial and social impact of purchasing a home, that's a great question. So much has happened to home owners in the past two years this may be a good time for some strategic reflection.
The reports about nationwide foreclosure are just astounding. According to RealtyTrac.com, foreclosure activity is up over 55% in the first half of 2007!
Bankruptcies are now being pursued at the prime lender level. According to the Inman News service, American Home Mortgage Investment Corporation, a publicly traded real estate investment trust, and the nation's 10th-biggest residential mortgage lender, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Estimates suggest more than sixty subprime lenders have either sought bankruptcy protection or suspended lending operations.
More financial dominoes are poised to fall as the one trillion dollars in Adjustable Rate Mortgage's (ARMs) are set to adjust in each of the next two years.
What we are witnessing is the "cause and effect" of selfishness and greed in the mortgage lending community. Instead of following sound business practices that protect the borrower and the lender with appropriate underwriting, the desire for more profits has thrown things out of balance.
For many lenders the desire for commissions, fees, or profits, whichever is most appropriate, simply overtook their better judgment. Their actions have created a "crisis of conscience" in the lending community.
Think about it. The creation of products like "Stated income loans", "Adjustable Rate Mortgages", "Interest Only Loans", and "Negative Amortizing Loans" demonstrate a certain degree of creativity. However, in the hands of financially inexperienced borrowers, the improper use of these tools has resulted in financial disaster for too many home owners.
As a matter of fact, it became too common for many lenders to actually encourage borrowers to apply for home loans they had very little chance of ever repaying. To make matters worse, many of the loan contracts contained pre-payment penalties.
These penalties would have to be paid even if the borrower wanted to get out of the contract and into something more suitable. This is a major part of the "crisis of conscience" I refer to. Since the loans were created and then sold to Wall Street as mortgage backed securities, the rest of the dominoes have not yet fallen.
You see these securities are part of pension funds, hedge funds, mutual fund families, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), and similar investments. The results of these activities become real once the write downs and write offs have been completed. For many investors the results will be not only disappointing, but devastating.
Here's another hit by the sub-prime market's collapse. Investors in a 10-month-old Bear Stearns (BSC) hedge fund are learning the hard way about the danger of investing in risky bonds with borrowed money. The investment firm's High-Grade Structured Credit Strategies Enhanced Leverage Fund, as of April 30th, was down a whopping 23% for the year! This is a preview of things to come.
Based on what has just happened, is it just me or is there something really wrong with the name of that fund?
Let's not forget about the conscience of the borrowers. They are not without blame. A home loan for many people is the largest investment they will ever make. Better buying decisions must be made that are based on deductive reasoning as well as emotion. Professional help with contract reviews would also be very helpful.
My barber gets credit for sharing a very simple but potent example of what should happen between a financial counselor and a borrower. He was a Vietnam war veteran. After the war he decided to take advantage of the VA Bill that allowed him to get a 100% home loan in return for his service to this country.
He and his wife finally found what they were sure was to be their "dream home". Just use your imagination to get an idea about what a dream home looks like.
When they met with the VA counselor to discuss buying this home, things became much more realistic. For example, my barber was advised that only he was a war veteran, so only he was eligible for the special home loan funding.
Consequently it made a lot more sense to find a home that could be purchased with his income, not their combined incomes. Further, when he reviewed the financial data the counselor asked if the couple intended to have any food in the house. In addition, if there was to be food, how would it be prepared? Of course you can see how this was developing.
Once you add in the other utilities and the taxes and insurance, what you thought was to be your mortgage payment falls way short of your actual mortgage expense.
As a home owner you should also put some money away for emergencies and the so-called "rainy day". In this land of opportunity there should also be a comprehensive investment plan.
This counselor did exactly what needed to be done to prevent the very problems that are so prevalent today. His actions demonstrated the best way to overcome a "crisis of conscience". Just do the right thing for the borrower and the lender when creating a home loan. In a win-win situation, there are no losers.
Copyright 2007 / TDO Properties, LLC / All Rights Reserved
2007年12月22日星期六
Rodney Dangerfield: An Icon of Classic Late Night Television Stand-up
He was recognized by his trademark phrase - I dont get no respect.
Born on November 22, 1921 in Babylon, New York, Rodney Dangerfield began writing jokes at age 15 and performing his comedy by his late teens. For ten years, he struggled as a stand up comedian and worked as a singing waiter to make ends meet. When his comedy career failed to really take off, Dangerfield, who had been working in entertainment as Jack Roy, left show business for a regular job. He spent the 1950s selling aluminum siding in New Jersey while supporting his first wife and two children.
He took another chance at show business after his divorce in 1961 and became known for the rest of his life as Rodney Dangerfield. By this time, he was approaching his fortieth birthday. His big break came when he appeared as a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show. He did what few people were able to do he made Ed Sullivan laugh. During the 1960s he made the rounds of many of the most popular variety shows. He performed his standup on The Joey Bishop Show, The Merv Griffin Show and The Jackie Gleason Show. In 1969 he made his first of 35 appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. In addition to his gigs on television, he spent his time making the rounds of comedy clubs throughout the country.
In 1969, the comedian opened his own standup comedy club, Dangerfields in New York City. From its inception, it has been one of the most popular comedy clubs in America, receiving rave reviews by top newspapers and entertainment guides. Since Dangerfields opened its doors almost 40 years ago it has seen the likes of Jay Leno, Jim Carey, Chris Rock, Andrew Dice Clay, Tim Allen and Jerry Seinfeld grace its stage. Many of the comedy clubs biggest draws find themselves as guests on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno or Late Night With David Letterman.
Having cemented his place in stand up comedy history, Dangerfield turned his attention to acting. He had his first movie role in the 1971 film The Projectionist and had a role on the television show Benny and Barney: Las Vegas Undercover later in the decade. The acting roles came slowly but in 1980 he landed a role that made him a household name. He starred as the obnoxious real estate developer Al Czervik in the comedy smash Caddy Shack. Suddenly people who didnt know much about comedians knew all about Rodney Dangerfield.
He followed Caddy Shack with two other 1980s comedies, Easy Money and Back To School. In 1991, he made the animated movie Rover Dangerfield, the story of a dog that gets no respect. Throughout his career, his line about getting no respect was his trademark.
Dangerfield branched out into a serious role next. He played the abusive father to Juliette Lewis character in the controversial film Natural Born Killers. It has been reported that Dangerfield was allowed to write his own lines for the role. This was to be his only serious film role. He followed it with more comedies like Meet Wally Sparks and The Godson. In 2000, the almost 80-year-old comedian starred alongside Adam Sandler in Little Nicky.
His very last acting role was that of God in 2005s Angels with Angels. It was released posthumously. Dangerfield died on October 5, 2004. He had fallen into a coma after heart surgery and never regained consciousness. His tombstone reflects his comedy. It reads Rodney Dangerfield There Goes the Neighborhood.
His comedy career spanned over 60 years. In addition to all of his stage and screen accomplishments during those years, he also won two awards for his achievements. In 1981 he won a Grammy Award for his comedy recording titled No Respect. In 1995 the American Comedy Awards honored him with a Creative Achievement Award.
One of his lesser-known achievements was that he was the first entertainment personality to have his own website. In 1995 he created Rodney.com, which is still in existence today.
During Rodney Dangerfields career he had success on the comedy stage, in film, and on the television. He gave countless other comedians the chance to show their stuff on the stage at his own comedy club. His trademark line, I dont get no respect will forever be associated with the comedian who in spite of his onstage persona was loved and respected by millions of fans.
~Ben Anton, 2007
Born on November 22, 1921 in Babylon, New York, Rodney Dangerfield began writing jokes at age 15 and performing his comedy by his late teens. For ten years, he struggled as a stand up comedian and worked as a singing waiter to make ends meet. When his comedy career failed to really take off, Dangerfield, who had been working in entertainment as Jack Roy, left show business for a regular job. He spent the 1950s selling aluminum siding in New Jersey while supporting his first wife and two children.
He took another chance at show business after his divorce in 1961 and became known for the rest of his life as Rodney Dangerfield. By this time, he was approaching his fortieth birthday. His big break came when he appeared as a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show. He did what few people were able to do he made Ed Sullivan laugh. During the 1960s he made the rounds of many of the most popular variety shows. He performed his standup on The Joey Bishop Show, The Merv Griffin Show and The Jackie Gleason Show. In 1969 he made his first of 35 appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. In addition to his gigs on television, he spent his time making the rounds of comedy clubs throughout the country.
In 1969, the comedian opened his own standup comedy club, Dangerfields in New York City. From its inception, it has been one of the most popular comedy clubs in America, receiving rave reviews by top newspapers and entertainment guides. Since Dangerfields opened its doors almost 40 years ago it has seen the likes of Jay Leno, Jim Carey, Chris Rock, Andrew Dice Clay, Tim Allen and Jerry Seinfeld grace its stage. Many of the comedy clubs biggest draws find themselves as guests on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno or Late Night With David Letterman.
Having cemented his place in stand up comedy history, Dangerfield turned his attention to acting. He had his first movie role in the 1971 film The Projectionist and had a role on the television show Benny and Barney: Las Vegas Undercover later in the decade. The acting roles came slowly but in 1980 he landed a role that made him a household name. He starred as the obnoxious real estate developer Al Czervik in the comedy smash Caddy Shack. Suddenly people who didnt know much about comedians knew all about Rodney Dangerfield.
He followed Caddy Shack with two other 1980s comedies, Easy Money and Back To School. In 1991, he made the animated movie Rover Dangerfield, the story of a dog that gets no respect. Throughout his career, his line about getting no respect was his trademark.
Dangerfield branched out into a serious role next. He played the abusive father to Juliette Lewis character in the controversial film Natural Born Killers. It has been reported that Dangerfield was allowed to write his own lines for the role. This was to be his only serious film role. He followed it with more comedies like Meet Wally Sparks and The Godson. In 2000, the almost 80-year-old comedian starred alongside Adam Sandler in Little Nicky.
His very last acting role was that of God in 2005s Angels with Angels. It was released posthumously. Dangerfield died on October 5, 2004. He had fallen into a coma after heart surgery and never regained consciousness. His tombstone reflects his comedy. It reads Rodney Dangerfield There Goes the Neighborhood.
His comedy career spanned over 60 years. In addition to all of his stage and screen accomplishments during those years, he also won two awards for his achievements. In 1981 he won a Grammy Award for his comedy recording titled No Respect. In 1995 the American Comedy Awards honored him with a Creative Achievement Award.
One of his lesser-known achievements was that he was the first entertainment personality to have his own website. In 1995 he created Rodney.com, which is still in existence today.
During Rodney Dangerfields career he had success on the comedy stage, in film, and on the television. He gave countless other comedians the chance to show their stuff on the stage at his own comedy club. His trademark line, I dont get no respect will forever be associated with the comedian who in spite of his onstage persona was loved and respected by millions of fans.
~Ben Anton, 2007
The Post-Modern Metaphysical Implications of Digital Printing on Screen Printing
If one were to make the bold assertion that the printing industry is dead and that our own thrift and drive towards perfection has killed it, than one must first consider what it means to be a dead industry. For an industry to be dead, it must have been superseded by a newer and higher form of production. The spinning wheel killed the hand weaving of yonder, and that was in turn done in by the invention of mechanical spinning wheels and so on and so forth. The point is that although those industries try to carry on, they ultimately failed as our human spirit pushed off the shackles of conformity, tradition, and ignorance and reached forward out of the cave and into the light.
Many make the claim that this is what is happening to the screen printing industry of today. I aim to demonstrate that although perhaps traditional screen printing wont be done for ever, digital technology is not the revolution that makes traditional screen printing obsolete. The fact of the matter is that digital printing is in its infancy and not going to overtake screen printing anytime soon.
The reasons for this edifying line of thought is that it choice brings along with it variety. In existential way, our valuing choice and independence has given rise to the prodigious amount of variety that exists and has made this choice the ultimate good. If everything is relative and nothing absolute, then the choices that arise give rise themselves to variety, the new ultimate good. This ability to choose for ourselves ensures that screen printing isnt going anywhere. Because screen printing is still very cost efficient on order of twenty or more t-shirts, people will still choose to print in the traditional manner. People shall still purchase them because they are of good quality and produced at a good price.
This revolution will not come because digital printing does not allow for the exponential increase in production sometimes associated with an increase in technology. Once again our free will guarantees that screen printing is not leaving yet because people still save money on the t-shirts. This extra money is often, although not necessarily correctly, linked to an increase in happiness which is the ultimate drive for the individual. Thus one can see that the myriad of choices for printers helps in an economical way to give consumer choice and value which ultimately leads to their increased happiness all deriving from the ability to choose to use screen printers over digital printers. Thus choosing a traditional screen printer will make you happier and is the obvious choice for large orders of t-shirts.
Many make the claim that this is what is happening to the screen printing industry of today. I aim to demonstrate that although perhaps traditional screen printing wont be done for ever, digital technology is not the revolution that makes traditional screen printing obsolete. The fact of the matter is that digital printing is in its infancy and not going to overtake screen printing anytime soon.
The reasons for this edifying line of thought is that it choice brings along with it variety. In existential way, our valuing choice and independence has given rise to the prodigious amount of variety that exists and has made this choice the ultimate good. If everything is relative and nothing absolute, then the choices that arise give rise themselves to variety, the new ultimate good. This ability to choose for ourselves ensures that screen printing isnt going anywhere. Because screen printing is still very cost efficient on order of twenty or more t-shirts, people will still choose to print in the traditional manner. People shall still purchase them because they are of good quality and produced at a good price.
This revolution will not come because digital printing does not allow for the exponential increase in production sometimes associated with an increase in technology. Once again our free will guarantees that screen printing is not leaving yet because people still save money on the t-shirts. This extra money is often, although not necessarily correctly, linked to an increase in happiness which is the ultimate drive for the individual. Thus one can see that the myriad of choices for printers helps in an economical way to give consumer choice and value which ultimately leads to their increased happiness all deriving from the ability to choose to use screen printers over digital printers. Thus choosing a traditional screen printer will make you happier and is the obvious choice for large orders of t-shirts.
The Hidden Dangers of Soy
Do You Believe That Soy is Healthy? With obesity, thyroid problems, osteoporosis, and a host of other problems on the rise, you may want to reconsider.
Did you know that the soy industry is a $70 billion a year business? I started researching soy when I developed a severe allergy to soy in 2003 (the anapylactic shock type). What I learned is very disturbing.
We are eating soy products today at levels never before seen in history. Advances in food technology have made it possible to isolate soy proteins, isoflavones, and other substances found in the bean and add them to all kinds of foods where they've never been before. The number of processed and manufactured foods that contain soy ingredients today is astounding. These days it can be hard to find foods that don't contain soy flour, soy oil, lecithin (extracted from soy oil and used as an emulsifier in high-fat products), soy protein isolates and concentrates, textured vegetable protein (TVP), hydrolyzed vegetable protein (usually made from soy) or unidentified vegetable oils. Most of what is labeled "vegetable oil" in the U.S. is actually soy oil, as are most margarines. Soy oil is the most widely used oil in the U.S., accounting for more than 75 percent of our total vegetable fats and oil intake. And most of our soy products are now genetically engineered.
There was considerable research done in 1966 about the harmful substance within the soybean.
Soy contains several naturally occurring compounds that are toxic to humans and animals. The soy industry frequently refers to these toxins as anti-nutrients, which implies that they somehow act to prevent the body from getting the complete nutrition it needs from a food. The soy toxins (such as phytic acid) can certainly act in this manner, but they also have the ability to target specific organs, cells and enzyme pathways, and their effects can be devastating. As with any toxin, there will be a dose at which negative effects are not observed.
Health experts are particularly concerned that breast-cancer sufferers who take soy or phyto-oestrogen supplements could feed the disease and reduce the effectiveness of their treatment.
Those soy food or isoflavone supplement manufacturers that proclaim the anti-cancer properties of their products are guilty of giving false hope to millions... but worse they may be placing consumers at greater risk of contracting the same horrendous diseases they are trying to avoid.
Another area of concern is infant soy formula. New research suggests high concentrations of manganese found in soybean-based baby formula can lead to brain damage in infants and altered behaviors in adolescents.
The say soy can reverse child obesity because soy foods provide critical vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein. They claim soy foods contain less calories and fat grams making weight loss easier. Kid friendly foods like soymilk, frozen pizza, taco-style meant and chicken-style nuggets. This doesnt sound like a healthy diet to me. And, now all the fast food chains are stating they are switching to no trans fats which just boils down to using soybean oil!
Dont be fooled. Reserve your pre-released copy now for only $10.95 plus S&H. Offer ends December 31, 2007 11:59pm and the price goes up to $16.95 plus S&H on Amazon when available. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.
To order go to: http://www.hiddensoy.com
Did you know that the soy industry is a $70 billion a year business? I started researching soy when I developed a severe allergy to soy in 2003 (the anapylactic shock type). What I learned is very disturbing.
We are eating soy products today at levels never before seen in history. Advances in food technology have made it possible to isolate soy proteins, isoflavones, and other substances found in the bean and add them to all kinds of foods where they've never been before. The number of processed and manufactured foods that contain soy ingredients today is astounding. These days it can be hard to find foods that don't contain soy flour, soy oil, lecithin (extracted from soy oil and used as an emulsifier in high-fat products), soy protein isolates and concentrates, textured vegetable protein (TVP), hydrolyzed vegetable protein (usually made from soy) or unidentified vegetable oils. Most of what is labeled "vegetable oil" in the U.S. is actually soy oil, as are most margarines. Soy oil is the most widely used oil in the U.S., accounting for more than 75 percent of our total vegetable fats and oil intake. And most of our soy products are now genetically engineered.
There was considerable research done in 1966 about the harmful substance within the soybean.
Soy contains several naturally occurring compounds that are toxic to humans and animals. The soy industry frequently refers to these toxins as anti-nutrients, which implies that they somehow act to prevent the body from getting the complete nutrition it needs from a food. The soy toxins (such as phytic acid) can certainly act in this manner, but they also have the ability to target specific organs, cells and enzyme pathways, and their effects can be devastating. As with any toxin, there will be a dose at which negative effects are not observed.
Health experts are particularly concerned that breast-cancer sufferers who take soy or phyto-oestrogen supplements could feed the disease and reduce the effectiveness of their treatment.
Those soy food or isoflavone supplement manufacturers that proclaim the anti-cancer properties of their products are guilty of giving false hope to millions... but worse they may be placing consumers at greater risk of contracting the same horrendous diseases they are trying to avoid.
Another area of concern is infant soy formula. New research suggests high concentrations of manganese found in soybean-based baby formula can lead to brain damage in infants and altered behaviors in adolescents.
The say soy can reverse child obesity because soy foods provide critical vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein. They claim soy foods contain less calories and fat grams making weight loss easier. Kid friendly foods like soymilk, frozen pizza, taco-style meant and chicken-style nuggets. This doesnt sound like a healthy diet to me. And, now all the fast food chains are stating they are switching to no trans fats which just boils down to using soybean oil!
Dont be fooled. Reserve your pre-released copy now for only $10.95 plus S&H. Offer ends December 31, 2007 11:59pm and the price goes up to $16.95 plus S&H on Amazon when available. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.
To order go to: http://www.hiddensoy.com
2007年12月21日星期五
The Benefits of Having a Business Credit Card
Whether you have a home business that you work alone or you have a larger company with several employees, a business credit card can be a valuable asset. It's a way to keep your business and personal expenses separate - vital for bookkeeping and taxes! But there are more benefits as well.
You probably have a credit score of your own. Your business needs one too. Having a credit card for your business allows it to build up a score.
A business credit card greatly simplifies how you spend for your business. You won't have to rely on writing out checks in advance for everything, and you can authorize trusted employees to make necessary purchases on the business credit card. While these obviously need to be well tracked, it saves you the hassle of coping with checks.
The benefit to your bookkeeping is quite clear. When you receive your statement, all purchases are there to be verified. Many credit cards offer special reporting for businesses, so that you can keep better track of your spending. Having the credit card record gives your accountant one more tool to work with.
You can also benefit from the rewards your business credit card may offer. You can earn travel, points and so forth, just as with other credit cards. While these may not be worthwhile if you carry a balance, if you pay off every month you have a definite benefit. Just make sure that you know the balance between what you would be paying in interest with and without rewards.
Company credit cards are not just for big companies. Big companies use them because they are convenient and make bookkeeping and spending easier, so that less time is wasted. Credit card companies do not require that your company be huge.
You will want to know that for a small business, your personal credit and your business credit can become intertwined. If your business has no credit history, all the company can do is look at your personal credit history to decide if your business is deserving of credit. Through the years this link may or may not become more important. If you're a one-person business, how else are they going to be guaranteed repayment, if not by you personally?
Do not let your concerns about using a business credit card keep you from investigating them. While there is a bit of extra work in keeping up with the payments, the time you save in tracking your business spending should more than make up for this.
You probably have a credit score of your own. Your business needs one too. Having a credit card for your business allows it to build up a score.
A business credit card greatly simplifies how you spend for your business. You won't have to rely on writing out checks in advance for everything, and you can authorize trusted employees to make necessary purchases on the business credit card. While these obviously need to be well tracked, it saves you the hassle of coping with checks.
The benefit to your bookkeeping is quite clear. When you receive your statement, all purchases are there to be verified. Many credit cards offer special reporting for businesses, so that you can keep better track of your spending. Having the credit card record gives your accountant one more tool to work with.
You can also benefit from the rewards your business credit card may offer. You can earn travel, points and so forth, just as with other credit cards. While these may not be worthwhile if you carry a balance, if you pay off every month you have a definite benefit. Just make sure that you know the balance between what you would be paying in interest with and without rewards.
Company credit cards are not just for big companies. Big companies use them because they are convenient and make bookkeeping and spending easier, so that less time is wasted. Credit card companies do not require that your company be huge.
You will want to know that for a small business, your personal credit and your business credit can become intertwined. If your business has no credit history, all the company can do is look at your personal credit history to decide if your business is deserving of credit. Through the years this link may or may not become more important. If you're a one-person business, how else are they going to be guaranteed repayment, if not by you personally?
Do not let your concerns about using a business credit card keep you from investigating them. While there is a bit of extra work in keeping up with the payments, the time you save in tracking your business spending should more than make up for this.
Brighten Your Friends Day with Funny Jokes
Funny jokes bring smiles to everyone, young or old, male or female. There are thousands of hilarious jokes available online so you never have to run out of funny things to send your family, friends, or coworkers.
Funny Jokes by Email - Finding Safe Jokes
With email you can send funny jokes to your friends or coworkers with the simple click of a mouse. Encouraging or funny emails always help relieve frustration during a busy workday. They bring laughs when someone's going through a stressful time. You might send funny blonde jokes to your blonde friend, or pass funny jokes about women, men, or bosses around to the men or ladies at work. There are also hilarious jokes about work, life, sex, rednecks, animals, and so forth.
Email jokes are popular, but beware of forwarding emails. Forwarding emails are emails that originate from an unknown person and begin circulating among friends via email. They often contain viruses, spy ware, or tracking codes that can hinder your computer's operation or even invade your privacy.
HINT: When sending funny jokes to friends and family, be sure to copy and paste your own set of jokes and attach your own images into the emails. Find a reputable joke site that allows you to use the available jokes so you won't have to worry about email viruses. You can read through the jokes in various categories and copy those you feel will make your friends laugh! Or, you can just send the link of the site to your friends so they can enjoy all the jokes.
Funny Videos
Everyone loves a funny video, as evidenced by the tremendous popularity of "America's Funniest Home Videos" over many years. People love to watch funny videos of funny animals, bleeps and blunders, sports blunders, practical jokes, funny accidents, and funny encounters. With the Internet, you can download funny videos for your own website and make the videos available to your website visitors. You can also download them and send the files by email or watch them on another site. You might want to make your own funny video and send it to friends and family as a joke or for a gag gift.
Funny Pictures
Another way to get some laughs with friends is to view funny pictures or pass them around by email. These can be pictures of animals, people, events, or anything that would strike someone as funny. Funny pictures can be converted to Internet files using a digital camera or digital files. They can be scanned into a computer, or if you're an artist, you might be able to draw some funny pictures.
Funny Business for Your Website
An idea for your business is to add funny pictures or funny videos to your website for visitors to watch or download. Find something funny that relates to your business. For example, if you own an insurance business, find a video or picture that uses humor to illustrate possible insurance needs. A man flipping into the air off his bike after hitting a curb is not really funny in life, but for potential insurance customers, it might bring a few laughs through a funny video. You'd be surprised at how these types of funny home videos or photos get attention and visitors!
Search online to find a funny joke site that offers written jokes, funny videos, funny pictures, and more. You can make your friends laugh every day of the week!
Funny Jokes by Email - Finding Safe Jokes
With email you can send funny jokes to your friends or coworkers with the simple click of a mouse. Encouraging or funny emails always help relieve frustration during a busy workday. They bring laughs when someone's going through a stressful time. You might send funny blonde jokes to your blonde friend, or pass funny jokes about women, men, or bosses around to the men or ladies at work. There are also hilarious jokes about work, life, sex, rednecks, animals, and so forth.
Email jokes are popular, but beware of forwarding emails. Forwarding emails are emails that originate from an unknown person and begin circulating among friends via email. They often contain viruses, spy ware, or tracking codes that can hinder your computer's operation or even invade your privacy.
HINT: When sending funny jokes to friends and family, be sure to copy and paste your own set of jokes and attach your own images into the emails. Find a reputable joke site that allows you to use the available jokes so you won't have to worry about email viruses. You can read through the jokes in various categories and copy those you feel will make your friends laugh! Or, you can just send the link of the site to your friends so they can enjoy all the jokes.
Funny Videos
Everyone loves a funny video, as evidenced by the tremendous popularity of "America's Funniest Home Videos" over many years. People love to watch funny videos of funny animals, bleeps and blunders, sports blunders, practical jokes, funny accidents, and funny encounters. With the Internet, you can download funny videos for your own website and make the videos available to your website visitors. You can also download them and send the files by email or watch them on another site. You might want to make your own funny video and send it to friends and family as a joke or for a gag gift.
Funny Pictures
Another way to get some laughs with friends is to view funny pictures or pass them around by email. These can be pictures of animals, people, events, or anything that would strike someone as funny. Funny pictures can be converted to Internet files using a digital camera or digital files. They can be scanned into a computer, or if you're an artist, you might be able to draw some funny pictures.
Funny Business for Your Website
An idea for your business is to add funny pictures or funny videos to your website for visitors to watch or download. Find something funny that relates to your business. For example, if you own an insurance business, find a video or picture that uses humor to illustrate possible insurance needs. A man flipping into the air off his bike after hitting a curb is not really funny in life, but for potential insurance customers, it might bring a few laughs through a funny video. You'd be surprised at how these types of funny home videos or photos get attention and visitors!
Search online to find a funny joke site that offers written jokes, funny videos, funny pictures, and more. You can make your friends laugh every day of the week!
2007年12月20日星期四
Taking Cost of Living Into Account When Assessing An Overseas Nursing Contract
One of the scariest things about moving your nursing career overseas is the feeling of uncertainty when it comes to accepting a contract. Many questions go through your head, is this enough money? How much will it cost to live? Will I have enough to send home?
When looking at an employment contract for a nursing job abroad it is very easy to focus on the salary youll be receiving and judge the medical recruiters offer on that basis alone. However, should you fall into this trap you could be robbing yourself of some very attractive opportunities...
If you want to send money home, or have enough money to travel with and take advantage living in another country, then it is not the salary offered that you should be looking at when deciding if a contract is worth signing or not. What you need to be considering is the amount of money you will have left over at the end of the month, or you disposable income.
Disposable income is the difference between the income you receive in your pay packet and what you have to spend to live. Many factors affect your disposable income, and you need to consider them all when you are assessing a nursing employment contract.
Firstly, and probably most importantly, the cost of housing in the area where you will be nursing will have serious impact on how much money you have left at the end of the month. To find out how much accommodation will cost you - use the power of the internet. You can Google something like 1 bedroom apartment Albany New York. And take a look at what is on offer with the letting agents that come up. Alternatively you can try to find the name of a local newspaper and check the classified section for Apartments for Rent.
You may find that accepting a nursing job in an area which has a low cost of housing, or one where housing is included will result in you having a higher disposable income, even if the salary figure is lower than you are being offered in other places.
The second highest expense would probably be your food bill, and the cost of food can vary drastically, even within a country. The cost of food includes your groceries that you bring home and cook for yourself, and also the food and drink that you purchase while you are out. To find out how the cost of food will affect your budget you can again use the power of the internet. Many restaurants now have internet sites and you can even check out their menu and the cost of things like their set meal.
Of course there are some exceptions to this rule. If you are only going to shop at large chain stores and eat at restaurants like McDonalds then your cost of living will be largely unaffected by your food purchases because these companies generally set one price for across the country.
Now, between countries, thats different. You can actually use McDonalds to help you compare the cost of living between two countries. Each year economists work out the Big Mac Index which compares the cost of living in a number of countries and shows the information as how much a Big Mac costs. So the USA has a Big Mac cost of a dollar and places like Sweden have a higher Big Mac cost, but countries where it is cheap to live, like Indonesia, have a Big Mac cost of less than a dollar. It is a very rough guide to the cost of living in different countries.
Lastly, when working out your disposable income remember to use your take home pay when you work it out rather than your salary pre-tax. Unless you are nursing in the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia you probably will not receive a tax free income.
When looking at an employment contract for a nursing job abroad it is very easy to focus on the salary youll be receiving and judge the medical recruiters offer on that basis alone. However, should you fall into this trap you could be robbing yourself of some very attractive opportunities...
If you want to send money home, or have enough money to travel with and take advantage living in another country, then it is not the salary offered that you should be looking at when deciding if a contract is worth signing or not. What you need to be considering is the amount of money you will have left over at the end of the month, or you disposable income.
Disposable income is the difference between the income you receive in your pay packet and what you have to spend to live. Many factors affect your disposable income, and you need to consider them all when you are assessing a nursing employment contract.
Firstly, and probably most importantly, the cost of housing in the area where you will be nursing will have serious impact on how much money you have left at the end of the month. To find out how much accommodation will cost you - use the power of the internet. You can Google something like 1 bedroom apartment Albany New York. And take a look at what is on offer with the letting agents that come up. Alternatively you can try to find the name of a local newspaper and check the classified section for Apartments for Rent.
You may find that accepting a nursing job in an area which has a low cost of housing, or one where housing is included will result in you having a higher disposable income, even if the salary figure is lower than you are being offered in other places.
The second highest expense would probably be your food bill, and the cost of food can vary drastically, even within a country. The cost of food includes your groceries that you bring home and cook for yourself, and also the food and drink that you purchase while you are out. To find out how the cost of food will affect your budget you can again use the power of the internet. Many restaurants now have internet sites and you can even check out their menu and the cost of things like their set meal.
Of course there are some exceptions to this rule. If you are only going to shop at large chain stores and eat at restaurants like McDonalds then your cost of living will be largely unaffected by your food purchases because these companies generally set one price for across the country.
Now, between countries, thats different. You can actually use McDonalds to help you compare the cost of living between two countries. Each year economists work out the Big Mac Index which compares the cost of living in a number of countries and shows the information as how much a Big Mac costs. So the USA has a Big Mac cost of a dollar and places like Sweden have a higher Big Mac cost, but countries where it is cheap to live, like Indonesia, have a Big Mac cost of less than a dollar. It is a very rough guide to the cost of living in different countries.
Lastly, when working out your disposable income remember to use your take home pay when you work it out rather than your salary pre-tax. Unless you are nursing in the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia you probably will not receive a tax free income.
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