February 9th, 2009

Where Did The Bailout Money Go?


AM I THE ONLY ONE COMPLETELY FRUSTRATED RIGHT NOW?

Bailout
According to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, the chief proponent of
the big bank bailout, flooding the banks with taxpayers’ money was
supposed to get them to start lending freely again. And that, in turn,
was supposed to stabilize the markets and prevent the downturn from
being worse than it otherwise would be.

Given the way, that is, that Paulson had decided to use the first
installment of the $700 Billion bailout money to recapitalize banks instead of
buying up their toxic securities
, which he had then sold to Congress
and the American people as the best and fastest way to get the banks to
start making loans again, and help prevent this recession from getting
much, much worse.
(Stowers Translation: give banks back the money they lost through greed, corruption, arrogance, & incompetence)


HERE'S THE BANKING INDUSTRY'S DIRTY LITTLE SECRET:
THEY HAVE NO INTENTION OF USING THE BAIL OUT MONEY TO MAKE NEW LOANS OR HELP PEOPLE IN FORECLOSURE. 


The real
issue is that banks continue to refuse to lend money to consumers who
so desperately need it and who just bailed out their greedy rear ends.  Instead, it's business as usual.  The level of greed, stupidity
and arrogance is stunning for a bunch of people who just drove the rest
of the world to the edge of financial oblivion. You can't get 10 cents
from a bank right now.

HERE'S WHY:

I personally believe the banks that had received money are holding on to most of it so they could buy out other banks that might fail down the road. 

GREED…GREED…GREED


Personally, I feel sorry for President Obama because his administration is left to clean up a HOT MESS!  Please continue to pray for our President and his cabinet.




February 4th, 2009

Discovering The Truth About You

With 2009 destined to be a tough year for a lot of people, I thought now would be the perfect time to review Marcus Buckingham's book , The Truth About You which aims to empower you to enjoy higher satisfaction and performance in life and work.

If you are someone who still is not sure what to do with your life, then this is probably a great book for you to pick up.  It includes a DVD, the book and a notepad, all of which make for a very interactive experience.  If you are already in tune with your strengths and how you want to spend your life, and you are one of the 2 out of 10 people Marcus mentions that get to play to their strengths at work, then there are still some solid nuggets in the book for you as well.

The book discusses how successful people can build their dream jobs. The philosophy of the book revolves around 3 myths that hold you back from building your own dream job.

"Your strengths aren't what you're good at, and your weaknesses aren't what you're bad at." 

“When it comes to the job, the 'what' always trumps the 'why' or the 'who'."

“You'll never turn your weaknesses into strengths.”

It also explains the differences in your strengths versus your weaknesses in a way that you probably have not thought about. Ensuing chapters provide 5 pieces of advice (a chapter for each) to stay on your strength path and succeed in both work and life.

In short, if you're really yearning to discover more about your strengths or weaknesses, give this book a try.  Pick the book up and read it. Then give it away to a young person preparing for a new career path. And then treat yourself to a new copy.

To read the first 12 pages click “read” on the widget below:

Buy

Read

Disclaimer: I was given this book by the publisher, Thomas Nelson, as part of a program for book reviewers, but given no direction to follow nor compensation for this review.

January 30th, 2009

Just Do It! (You know you want to)

Mac_book_air3One of my facebook friends asked me to convince her why she should buy a Mac.  Her question inspired me to share my experiences with you.

Ok, here we go:

You know you’ve been thinking about it. 
Everyone is doing it.  Who wouldn’t when they look at their ugly black
Dell compared to one of the macbooks
Of course Macs look good, however, I’m sure you want reasons other than “they’re the
finest looking computers out yonder.”

Let me first give my testimony.  I used (“PCs”) for 18 years.  Then when Apple came out with OS X,
I was a little intrigued, although that didn’t stop my jeering.  After
watching it develop, I caved in and purchased an MacBook & an iMac G5.  Now I wouldn’t switch back for money or fame.

I sometimes forget the horror people go through with their
computers—although I am jolted back into reality when a friend calls
with problems, and is fixed after running Ad-Aware or some other
utility.  Defragers, disk doctors and utilities, registry repairers,
virus protection, spy/adware removers, and more all need to be bought
and run frequently.  It isn’t worth time, money, or stress.

Imac 

(Ooooo…looks so sweet…you know you want it)

  1. Stability.  Mac OS X is built on UNIX, which is
    synonymous with stability.  Windows, on the other hand is synonymous
    with the blue screen of death.  Tired of your OS (Operating System)
    hanging and applications crashing?  I was too.  Say goodbye to
    applications crashing your OS.
  2. Things Just Work.  This doesn’t really need
    explanation.  Hook up your Microsoft mouse.  Put in a USB key.  Connect
    your video camera.  It just works.  Really.
  3. No Viruses.  Which means all those emails can’t
    affect you, you don’t need to buy anti-virus software (although in the
    future you may), and no yearly anti-virus subscriptions.
  4. No Adware.  No more popups constantly!  No more programs being installed without your approval!  Free yourself from your bondage!
  5. No Spyware. 
  6. Boosts Your Productivity.  Because of all the
    above reasons, you have more time to work (or play) and not have to
    worry about your computer.  Ever said “Why can’t this just work so I
    can get my work done?” Well, it can!  In fact, you will most
    likely notice getting more things done because OS X is just fun and
    easy to use.  On top of that, the entire Mac interface lends itself to
    productivity and polish.
  7. Better Desktop Management.  A friend saw me use Exposé,
    and said “Wow, you are living in the next century.”  I use Exposé
    constantly and it has revolutionized the way I work with open
    programs.  But there is even more to come in Apple’s OSX Snow Leopard to be
    released this year.  What will my friend say when I get Spotlight, Dashboard, and Automator?
  8. Security.  Tired of Microsoft waiting months upon
    months (after the months it takes for them to acknowledge it) to fix a
    security issue?  Mac OS X is already configured to be secure right out
    of the box—even a preconfigured firewall to keep you safe from
    hackers.  You get the benefit of UNIX security combined with the beauty
    and polish of Apple.
  9. Encryption.  Need to keep others out?  When turned on, FileVault automatically encrypts all of your files.  You are 007.
  10. Application Ease.  Installing applications on PCs
    are a big deal, and watch out if you move any of the program files! 
    With Mac, you drop the application into your applications folder and it
    just works.  If you want, you can move it into a subfolder and nothing
    breaks.  Just try that on a PC and see what happens! Well, on second
    thought, don’t try it.
  11. Disk Maintenance?  Defrag, Scandisk, CHKDSK,
    Norton Utilities… kiss those wonderful pains goodbye.  Don’t know what
    those are?  That’s probably why your PC is so messed up (that and all
    the spy/adware/viruses).  Switch to Mac.  Your hard drive defrags
    automatically as files are moved, so you don’t have to worry about all
    that disk maintenance stuff.
  12. MS Office Compatibility.  If you purchase Office
    for Mac you get full MS Office compatibility.  Don’t want to do that? 
    Apple now has an inexpensive option for you with Pages and Keynote that are included in iWork,
    which are 100% MS Office compatible.  In fact, iWork may be better
    fitted for you (and cheaper) if you are not a hardcore MS Office user.
  13. Incredible Pre-Bundled Applications.  You get the full set of iLife
    applications, World Book encyclopedia, and a full version of Quicken. 
    iLife is not simply individual applications—they all work together
    seamlessly like you (should) expect.  Make a video in iMovie with background music from iTunes.  Make a slideshow of images in iPhoto, send it to a friend in Mail and then put it on the Internet.  Then put both on a DVD with iDVD.  Have a tune in your head?  Record it in Garageband—any
    instrument imaginable is there and a breeze to play.  Want to video
    chat with a friend in Japan about the song you just recorded?  Start up
    iChat.  In a phrase, the Mac
    has everything you need to organize and edit your digital photography,
    make movies from your camcorder, listen to all your music, create and
    record music, video chat with friends, and author your own DVDs.  Did I
    mention that it all comes free and pre-installed?  The software itself
    is worth over $500 in my opinion.
  14. Any Document Can Be PDF.  Every application (that
    can print) can save files as PDF.  Now that is handy, and sure beats
    shelling out all that cash for the full version Adobe Acrobat!
  15. Network with PCs.  Stuck in a network full of
    PCs?  Don’t worry—it’ll work.  Just plug it in.  Internet, file
    sharing, printer sharing and more with ease.
  16. Better Third-Party Applications.  With free
    programs like Quicksilver, NetNewsWire Lite, TextWrangler, VLC, and
    other incredible applications like Photoshop, Transmit, Final Cut
    Express/Pro, and others.  And of course your favorite browser, Firefox,
    also works like a charm if you don’t want to use Apple’s Safari.
  17. Control.  No more will you be awash in ignorance
    along with the brainwashed proles.  You will make an educated decision
    to purchase something that you can control and won’t control you.  You
    are not going to Walmart blindly picking a PC.  You have considered the
    alternative, weighed the options, and chose accordingly.  You are a Mac
    user.
  18. Look.  It just looks so d#@n good :-)

To those who want to make the right decision (and those who have
already made it), I applaud your intelligence and good taste.  May this
help banish your burdens and be a boon for years to come.

Apple should hire me for plugging them - what do you think?
January 28th, 2009

Tips for Success - Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

IT'S TIME FOR A MID-WEEK CHECKUP…

So far you've learned:

1.  MAKE DECISIONS THAT SUPPORT YOUR GOALS
2.  PREDICT THE OUTCOME FOR ALL DECISIONS

Strategy

TODAY:

3.  NEVER MAKE AN IMPORTANT DECISION AFTER 3PM

Make meaningful decisions in the morning to early afternoon.  Numerous studies have shown the mind to be most alert during the first few hours of the day.  As the workday wears on, you will be tired, sluggish, and tend to rush through decisions because you are not thinking clearly.  So try to avoid making important decisions after 3pm.  Consider this time the end of your day.  If you have the option, always ask to sleep on big decisions.  This gives you time to consider all factors and make an informed decision in the morning.

4.  BE STRATEGIC

Having a strategy is synonymous with developing a plan of action.  A strategy serves as a guiding force when you are faced with decisions that have many factors.  Therefore, developing a strategy for attacking multifaceted decisions is absolutely necessary.  In fact, don’t allow yourself to make a single decision until you have a plan.  First figure out how you will make your selections and then begin to make your choices based on the criteria you’ve established.

So, how are you doing?

January 26th, 2009

Tips for Success - Making The Right Decisions

Recent scientific studies indicate that emotions play a HUGE role in decision-making.  Furthermore, decision-making is an involved process and one that is critically important to master if a person wants to be successful. 

NEWS FLASH:
ALL highly successful people are good decision makers

They find that making good decisions leads to enjoyment and self-confidence.  Successful people enjoy the decision-making process itself and consider it be an excellent and challenging way to constantly resharpen their minds and skills. 

Decision-making

This week I will share two principles each day that will help you make wiser decisions.  Again, if you will dedicate one week to
both principles, in 5-6 weeks you'll be a different & successful
person. 

1.  MAKE DECISIONS THAT SUPPORT YOUR GOALS

When working toward your goals, you may easily get derailed when a tempting situation presents itself.  Though it is difficult to refrain from doing something you want in the moment, it is important to exhibit discipline.  Some examples include postponing dining out, weekend getaways, and shopping sprees when you're trying to save for a home.  Continued commitment to your long-term goals is necessary if you desire to be successful.

2.  PREDICT THE OUTCOME FOR ALL DECISIONS

It is impossible to know for certain how a particular decision will turn out.  It is, however, possible to predict what might happen.  Predicting outcomes is a valuable tool when deciding between several options.  For example, if you are deciding to pursue an advanced degree, consider the outcome of your options.  Law school is an expensive investment ($150,000 for 3 years) but can help increase your earning potential later in life.  Determine how much time you have before making the decision.  Use 90% of that time thinking & considering the outcome - THEN DECIDE!