I love this time of year. Christmas brings back so many wonderful childhood memories. One of ones I remember the most occured in elementary school. I cannot recall what grade I was in, though I think it might have been first grade. The janitor there was kind enough to dress up as Santa Claus and give or deliver gifts to all of us. I remember getting a small Matchbox car. It was one of my first memories of Christmas in New York.
Now Christmas is all around us. There are beautiful holiday decorations in my neighborhood. I wish I could say the same for my house but other than a wreath on the front door, I no longer put up any Christmas decorations. This is more due to laziness than anything else. Some years back, the Christmas tree stayed up until Easter time. After that, I think I realized it is better to just visit Rockerfeller Center if I wanted to see a Christmas tree.
I also enjoy watching all the holiday shows on television. This year, there was even something I had not seen before. It was an animated Shrek Christmas special. Not bad, but not a classic in my opinion. So far this christmas season, I have already seen each of the following: It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol (the one with George C. Scott as Scrooge), Mickey's Christmas Carol (which I have not seen in recent years), and of course White Christmas. I did not watch the Yule Log. I have seen it before, but did not watch it this year. I wonder if that is available as a screen saver for my computer. Hmmm...
As I type this entry, I am listening to 106.7 on the radio in NYC which for the holiday season plays holiday music 24/7. Great stuff, though I do get tired of hearing the same songs over and over again. I wish they had more variations of some songs but they seem to enjoy playing the same 50 or so songs again and again. Or you can go to Youtube and search for the many different versions of a particular song by various artists. A few weeks ago, I watched clips of John Lennon, Sarah McLachlan, The Corrs and Celine Dion performing the holiday classic, Happy Christmas (War is Over). Like I said, great stuff.
So, have a Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Time, time, time
In the blink of an eye, it has been two months since I last posted on this blog. There have been many newsworthy events that I wanted to blog about, but nothing that really made me want to finish writing an entry. Sure, I started to blog about this or that, which I will get to later, but in the end I decided not to post them. Why, you ask? Because I was not satisfied with any of them. I would start writing an entry and then feel like it was too short or too much rambling. So here are a few paragraphs of what I wanted to blog about but decided against.
The first thing that pops into my mind is the trade of former hot Mets prospect, Lastings Milledge, to the Washington Nationals. For those of you who follow the Mets like I do, you know that Milledge was a highly touted prospect. He was the first pick by the Mets a few years back and was the youngest player at the major league level in 2006. In 2007, he played in about half the games in a semi-platoon role with Shawn Green. His numbers statistically were okay, but nothing to write about. Over the last two or three years he has been the top minor league prospect in the Mets farm system and would have been the starting right fielder on the Mets in 2008. His potential was high. He could have been an all-star caliber player for years to come. He would have formed a solid trio of young cornerstone type players for the Mets along with Jose Reyes and David Wright. But, alas, that was not to be.
He got traded to the Washington Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. Two players who, while solid major leaguers, have already shown what they can do at the major league level. They will not be stars like Milledge may potentially become, but they also will not have to go through some growing pains that Milledge will need to overcome to blossom into a star. I understand why the Mets made the trade. They want to win now in 2008 and/or 2009. The window of opportunity to win a championship is slowly closing on the Mets and they did not want to lose games at the major league level while Milledge finds his footing. So, they traded a high ceiling player for guys who can be more predictable. Am I happy about it? No. But I understand why they did what they did.
The second thing I was going to blog about happened around the same time in early November. Some crazy nut decided to hold some people hostage in New Hampshire. It would not have been national news but for the fact that the hostages were workers and volunteers for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Frankly, I do not understand why people do these things. I learned later on that he was having some personal issues he had to deal with and the bomb that was strapped to his body was not a bomb but road flares. It was a happy ending all around, but one I do not want to see on the news.
Which lead me to the third thing I wanted to blog on recently, the Presidential election campaigns. Although one of my good friends playfully accuse me of being a communist/socialist, I like to think of myself as an independent when it comes to politics. Maybe an ultra-liberal Democrat. All I know is that I want universal health care. I want free education at all levels. I want Social Security to be solvent when I retire. I want to feel safe and secure in my home, my home town, my city, my state and my country. Is that too much to ask for? If not, I also want low taxes.
Lastly, the Mitchell report that came out about two weeks ago. Every sports fan should read it here or at the very least read a summary of it here. It is a depressing yet insightful read. I readily admit that I did not fully read and digest the full version. I did read the relevant portions, especially the eight pages detailing the allegations against Roger Clemens. For those of you who live under a rock and do not know who Roger Clemes is, he might have been the greatest right handed pitcher in the history of baseball until the Mitchell report. Now he is busy scrambling trying to disprove the allegations and protect his good name. All I can say is that I hope he is successful if he indeed did not cheat by using performance enhancing drugs. But that if he did cheat, I hope he rots in baseball purgatory and I will laugh and laugh and laugh as he gets denied entry into the hallowed halls of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
The first thing that pops into my mind is the trade of former hot Mets prospect, Lastings Milledge, to the Washington Nationals. For those of you who follow the Mets like I do, you know that Milledge was a highly touted prospect. He was the first pick by the Mets a few years back and was the youngest player at the major league level in 2006. In 2007, he played in about half the games in a semi-platoon role with Shawn Green. His numbers statistically were okay, but nothing to write about. Over the last two or three years he has been the top minor league prospect in the Mets farm system and would have been the starting right fielder on the Mets in 2008. His potential was high. He could have been an all-star caliber player for years to come. He would have formed a solid trio of young cornerstone type players for the Mets along with Jose Reyes and David Wright. But, alas, that was not to be.
He got traded to the Washington Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. Two players who, while solid major leaguers, have already shown what they can do at the major league level. They will not be stars like Milledge may potentially become, but they also will not have to go through some growing pains that Milledge will need to overcome to blossom into a star. I understand why the Mets made the trade. They want to win now in 2008 and/or 2009. The window of opportunity to win a championship is slowly closing on the Mets and they did not want to lose games at the major league level while Milledge finds his footing. So, they traded a high ceiling player for guys who can be more predictable. Am I happy about it? No. But I understand why they did what they did.
The second thing I was going to blog about happened around the same time in early November. Some crazy nut decided to hold some people hostage in New Hampshire. It would not have been national news but for the fact that the hostages were workers and volunteers for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Frankly, I do not understand why people do these things. I learned later on that he was having some personal issues he had to deal with and the bomb that was strapped to his body was not a bomb but road flares. It was a happy ending all around, but one I do not want to see on the news.
Which lead me to the third thing I wanted to blog on recently, the Presidential election campaigns. Although one of my good friends playfully accuse me of being a communist/socialist, I like to think of myself as an independent when it comes to politics. Maybe an ultra-liberal Democrat. All I know is that I want universal health care. I want free education at all levels. I want Social Security to be solvent when I retire. I want to feel safe and secure in my home, my home town, my city, my state and my country. Is that too much to ask for? If not, I also want low taxes.
Lastly, the Mitchell report that came out about two weeks ago. Every sports fan should read it here or at the very least read a summary of it here. It is a depressing yet insightful read. I readily admit that I did not fully read and digest the full version. I did read the relevant portions, especially the eight pages detailing the allegations against Roger Clemens. For those of you who live under a rock and do not know who Roger Clemes is, he might have been the greatest right handed pitcher in the history of baseball until the Mitchell report. Now he is busy scrambling trying to disprove the allegations and protect his good name. All I can say is that I hope he is successful if he indeed did not cheat by using performance enhancing drugs. But that if he did cheat, I hope he rots in baseball purgatory and I will laugh and laugh and laugh as he gets denied entry into the hallowed halls of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Upper West Side
This weekend I will be trekking to the Upper West Side for some open houses. There is one unit in particular that has caught my eye. Looking at the price and comparable prices in NYC, my first thought was that it is a steal. A small true one bedroom for the low low price of 329K. It is less than a block from Central Park and is on 101st street. The listing is in the NYTimes here.
I tried to figure out what was wrong with the building or neighborhood or particular unit during the course of today. Was the unit in a bad neighborhood? No, how could it be a bad neighborhood less than a block from Central Park in this day and age on the Upper West Side. I will do a walkabout before the open house just to assuage my concerns. Was the building infested with vermin? I will try to find out over the weekend during the open house. Make sure to ask the broker about bed bugs or roaches or rats. Lastly are there dead bodies still in the unit? That will definately be something I will keep a keen eye on and look for any blood splatter on the walls or in the drains.
When I got home tonight I decided to do some research on the apartment and the building. The first site I went to was Propertyshark which you can use after you register for free. It will allow you to get a more in-depth look at the building and will usually contain sales for units in the building for the last couple of years. It is a terrific website to virtually stalk an apartment building and can give great insight into how much the units should cost. Seeing the price appreciation also helps to find a trend though I think the trend should now be pointing to flat or even down.
Another very good site I found over the summer is this one from NYC. This site will allow you to search for an apartment sold within the last 4 or 5 years in NYC. It may not always be completely accurate or comprehensive, but it does a very good job in my opinion. A very scary job if truth be told. Anyway, I looked for the apartment I will be looking at this weekend and found it in the 2004 Manhattan link. This particular unit was sold in early 2004 for 155K. You read that right. Just less than 4 years ago, the unit was sold for 155K! Not sure why it was so low back then. Or why it was so low relative to the rest of the Upper West Side real estate market. But the owner is now trying to make more than twice what they paid for it just less than 4 years ago. The gall! The nerve! The lucky son of a bitch!
On a side note, I just want to point out that I have been brain washed by the realtors and brokers who keep pushing up prices during this real estate boom. To think that a small one bedroom apartment can be cheap for 329K can only be a sign of a weak weak mind. And I confess that I have a weak weak mind.
I tried to figure out what was wrong with the building or neighborhood or particular unit during the course of today. Was the unit in a bad neighborhood? No, how could it be a bad neighborhood less than a block from Central Park in this day and age on the Upper West Side. I will do a walkabout before the open house just to assuage my concerns. Was the building infested with vermin? I will try to find out over the weekend during the open house. Make sure to ask the broker about bed bugs or roaches or rats. Lastly are there dead bodies still in the unit? That will definately be something I will keep a keen eye on and look for any blood splatter on the walls or in the drains.
When I got home tonight I decided to do some research on the apartment and the building. The first site I went to was Propertyshark which you can use after you register for free. It will allow you to get a more in-depth look at the building and will usually contain sales for units in the building for the last couple of years. It is a terrific website to virtually stalk an apartment building and can give great insight into how much the units should cost. Seeing the price appreciation also helps to find a trend though I think the trend should now be pointing to flat or even down.
Another very good site I found over the summer is this one from NYC. This site will allow you to search for an apartment sold within the last 4 or 5 years in NYC. It may not always be completely accurate or comprehensive, but it does a very good job in my opinion. A very scary job if truth be told. Anyway, I looked for the apartment I will be looking at this weekend and found it in the 2004 Manhattan link. This particular unit was sold in early 2004 for 155K. You read that right. Just less than 4 years ago, the unit was sold for 155K! Not sure why it was so low back then. Or why it was so low relative to the rest of the Upper West Side real estate market. But the owner is now trying to make more than twice what they paid for it just less than 4 years ago. The gall! The nerve! The lucky son of a bitch!
On a side note, I just want to point out that I have been brain washed by the realtors and brokers who keep pushing up prices during this real estate boom. To think that a small one bedroom apartment can be cheap for 329K can only be a sign of a weak weak mind. And I confess that I have a weak weak mind.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Student loans
Today's post will be a ranting diatribe about the spiraling costs of higher education and student loans. Why? Just because it strikes my fancy at the moment and because I am one of those individuals saddled with a tremendous amount of student loans from my years of higher education. And because there is an article in the NYTimes about the rising costs of higher education.
Back in the 1990's, I remember going off to college and signing a lot of paperwork to finance my education. At the time, I did not give it much thought on how much I would need to pay for college. I did not care that I would be saddling future me with a huge debt that at times feel like the size of the national debt. The process was painless and easy. The loan paperwork was already pre-filled in with my information. All I had to do was sign them and promise my first born child. No sweat.
It was not until years later, when with my liberal arts education, I realized I had been screwed by my student loans. Now don't get me wrong. The education was valuable. It just wasn't that valuable. Having you ever done the math on how much the student loans are costing you? Let's start with the basics. I took out the max every year in stafford loans as a dependent child. That comes out to 2625 + 3500 + 5500 + 5500 in stafford loans, or 17125 for those of you who are mathematically challenged like this liberal arts educated blogger. And another 6000 over 4 years for my Perkins loan. That comes out to 23125 in loans for my 4 year college education. Thank goodness I did not need another year because that would have made me poorer.
Of course, that did not stop me from getting another degree. Or the one after that. Nope, I'm all for getting more education. Suffice it to say, that mentality brought my student loans total to over 100,000 dollars. That would have bought me a decent sized apartment in NYC a number of years ago. Of course, now it doesn't even buy me a parking spot in Manhattan. But that's neither here nor there. Back to the topic at hand. I had over 100,000 dollars in student loans. You know what that means? It means I'm in debt up to my eyeballs. (Or I was a few years ago, but I've put a big dent into that amount.)
Getting back to the topic at hand. Lenders should not hand out loan money like candy. They need to educate students, actually kids, about the ramafications of their actions. It would have been nice to see a little graph or chart that says for every 10,000 I took out, I would have to pay 60 or 80 dollars a month depending on the interest. There should be a lot of BOLD FACED WRITING IN ALL CAPS to show the borrower of what they will be getting themselves into. So a 100,000 loan at 8% would come out to something like 800 dollars a month for the next 30 years. Yeah, you read that right, 30 freaking years. Kind of puts a damper on my plans for early retirement.
And schools should also do more to keep costs down. Why does tuition only go in one direction? Haven't schools heard the old cliche that what goes up must come down? I realize schools like to have shiny new facilities or world famous professors or gold plated toilets. But not at the cost of putting their students in the poor house. I mean, come on, how can we donate any money to you if we are buried in debt. All I can say is that I will not be in a charitable mood with a big student loan hanging around my neck. Lastly, schools need to do a better job of teaching their students about fiscal responsibility. If the schools cannot do it, at least teach their students how to do it.
Back in the 1990's, I remember going off to college and signing a lot of paperwork to finance my education. At the time, I did not give it much thought on how much I would need to pay for college. I did not care that I would be saddling future me with a huge debt that at times feel like the size of the national debt. The process was painless and easy. The loan paperwork was already pre-filled in with my information. All I had to do was sign them and promise my first born child. No sweat.
It was not until years later, when with my liberal arts education, I realized I had been screwed by my student loans. Now don't get me wrong. The education was valuable. It just wasn't that valuable. Having you ever done the math on how much the student loans are costing you? Let's start with the basics. I took out the max every year in stafford loans as a dependent child. That comes out to 2625 + 3500 + 5500 + 5500 in stafford loans, or 17125 for those of you who are mathematically challenged like this liberal arts educated blogger. And another 6000 over 4 years for my Perkins loan. That comes out to 23125 in loans for my 4 year college education. Thank goodness I did not need another year because that would have made me poorer.
Of course, that did not stop me from getting another degree. Or the one after that. Nope, I'm all for getting more education. Suffice it to say, that mentality brought my student loans total to over 100,000 dollars. That would have bought me a decent sized apartment in NYC a number of years ago. Of course, now it doesn't even buy me a parking spot in Manhattan. But that's neither here nor there. Back to the topic at hand. I had over 100,000 dollars in student loans. You know what that means? It means I'm in debt up to my eyeballs. (Or I was a few years ago, but I've put a big dent into that amount.)
Getting back to the topic at hand. Lenders should not hand out loan money like candy. They need to educate students, actually kids, about the ramafications of their actions. It would have been nice to see a little graph or chart that says for every 10,000 I took out, I would have to pay 60 or 80 dollars a month depending on the interest. There should be a lot of BOLD FACED WRITING IN ALL CAPS to show the borrower of what they will be getting themselves into. So a 100,000 loan at 8% would come out to something like 800 dollars a month for the next 30 years. Yeah, you read that right, 30 freaking years. Kind of puts a damper on my plans for early retirement.
And schools should also do more to keep costs down. Why does tuition only go in one direction? Haven't schools heard the old cliche that what goes up must come down? I realize schools like to have shiny new facilities or world famous professors or gold plated toilets. But not at the cost of putting their students in the poor house. I mean, come on, how can we donate any money to you if we are buried in debt. All I can say is that I will not be in a charitable mood with a big student loan hanging around my neck. Lastly, schools need to do a better job of teaching their students about fiscal responsibility. If the schools cannot do it, at least teach their students how to do it.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Unwritten
I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
Oh, oh, oh
I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
Oh, yeah, yeah
You know, this would have been a great first post for this blog. I was just listening to my IPod and it hit me. Wow. In case you did not already know this, the lyrics are from the song Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield.
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
Oh, oh, oh
I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
Oh, yeah, yeah
You know, this would have been a great first post for this blog. I was just listening to my IPod and it hit me. Wow. In case you did not already know this, the lyrics are from the song Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Real estate
The entry today is about the real estate market in New York City, particularly Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. No offense to the other three boroughs, but given a choice I do not want to live there. However, have you taken a look at the real estate prices in Manhattan and Brooklyn. They are not high, they are insane.
Unlike the rest of the country which is undergoing a correction in the real estate market, NYC seems to be immune to the crisis. Part of the reason is that most units in NYC is made up of co-ops. And co-op boards are notorious for weeding out financially suspect individuals from their buildings. It makes sense since a few rotten apples will cost everyone in the co-op money. It also keeps prices artificially high.
So what are prices like in NYC? Let me say that I first looked at the market back in fall of 2004 and saw a listing for a studio apartment for 250K. Not bad because that is a good location with a lot of access to public transportation as well as a lot of trendy restaurants. The problem was that the apartment was listed as 250 square feet. Mind you, this was not 2005 or 2006, but 2004. Crazy prices and the sad part is that it was not the top of the market. There is a great article in the NYTimes about the price of studios in NYC these days.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have gone to about a half dozen or so open houses in Brooklyn Heights/Downtown Brooklyn. Unfortunatley, I am not independently wealthy, just another worker bee trying to buy a first home. My budget for an apartment is not small in most parts of the country, but in the parts of NYC that I am looking to live in, I can afford a small 1 bedroom apartment or maybe a decent sized studio.
The most importatnt lesson I have learned is that size does matter and floorplans make apartments look larger than they actually are. The 1 bedroom units I have seen feel extremely cramped. The bedroom according to the floorpan was 14x11 but my measurements show the bedroom to be about 11x8. I do not think the walls are 3 feet thick, but maybe I am wrong. In any event, the best unit of the many I have seen is a 630 square foot alcove studio. It was priced a bit high, but again, this market is in my opinion not very rational. Maybe I will bid, but right now I think I will try to wait it out and hope prices will fall.
Unlike the rest of the country which is undergoing a correction in the real estate market, NYC seems to be immune to the crisis. Part of the reason is that most units in NYC is made up of co-ops. And co-op boards are notorious for weeding out financially suspect individuals from their buildings. It makes sense since a few rotten apples will cost everyone in the co-op money. It also keeps prices artificially high.
So what are prices like in NYC? Let me say that I first looked at the market back in fall of 2004 and saw a listing for a studio apartment for 250K. Not bad because that is a good location with a lot of access to public transportation as well as a lot of trendy restaurants. The problem was that the apartment was listed as 250 square feet. Mind you, this was not 2005 or 2006, but 2004. Crazy prices and the sad part is that it was not the top of the market. There is a great article in the NYTimes about the price of studios in NYC these days.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have gone to about a half dozen or so open houses in Brooklyn Heights/Downtown Brooklyn. Unfortunatley, I am not independently wealthy, just another worker bee trying to buy a first home. My budget for an apartment is not small in most parts of the country, but in the parts of NYC that I am looking to live in, I can afford a small 1 bedroom apartment or maybe a decent sized studio.
The most importatnt lesson I have learned is that size does matter and floorplans make apartments look larger than they actually are. The 1 bedroom units I have seen feel extremely cramped. The bedroom according to the floorpan was 14x11 but my measurements show the bedroom to be about 11x8. I do not think the walls are 3 feet thick, but maybe I am wrong. In any event, the best unit of the many I have seen is a 630 square foot alcove studio. It was priced a bit high, but again, this market is in my opinion not very rational. Maybe I will bid, but right now I think I will try to wait it out and hope prices will fall.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Nobel Peace Prize
Congratulations to Al Gore for winning a share of the Nobel Peace Prize. I hope his work will lead to a better tomorrow, one where our children can enjoy the beauty and majesty of the great outdoors. I have to commend Mr. Gore for his hard work, spirit and determination to bring his message of global warming to the general populace.
A lesser man would have faded into obscurity after his failed bid to become President of the United States in the disputed elections in 2000. Here is a man, who won the popular vote but lost the one that mattered in the electoral college. Rather than stay away from the public eye for the remainder of his life, he decided to champion the cause of the environment, one of his core values.
Since his defeat in the 2000 elections, Mr. Gore has gone on to win an Emmy, an Oscar and now a Nobel. Good job Al, and let's hope this is now the last thing you win.
A lesser man would have faded into obscurity after his failed bid to become President of the United States in the disputed elections in 2000. Here is a man, who won the popular vote but lost the one that mattered in the electoral college. Rather than stay away from the public eye for the remainder of his life, he decided to champion the cause of the environment, one of his core values.
Since his defeat in the 2000 elections, Mr. Gore has gone on to win an Emmy, an Oscar and now a Nobel. Good job Al, and let's hope this is now the last thing you win.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Personal finance
Money is very important. I have some but like most people, I want more. This entry, the first of many on personal finance that I will write about, will be on how to have more money. What you will do with more money is your business. What I will do if I have more money is retire early. I want out of the day to day drudgery of work. Granted I have not worked many years compared to my peers. Still I rather not work if I have the option.
Now, back to the topic of this entry, money. Do you know the old cliche, "it takes money to make money"? I am sure you have heard it sometime somewhere and thought what a stupid saying. If I had money, I would not need to make money. But again, it always helps to have even more money. And while the phrase might be a cliche, there is a lot of truth in the phrase. So how does money make money? Do they reproduce like people? I would hope not because a disturbing image pops into my head of two bills consummating their relationship. Or two coins for that matter. Ewww.
Money makes more money by the magic of compound interest, the most powerful force in finance. According to wikipedia, compound interest is the concept of adding accumulated interest back to the principal, so that interest is earned on interest from that moment on. You can read more about the magic of compound interest here. So the old cliche is true. Your money will make more money through the power of compound interest. And the more money you have, the more money you can make. Beautiful, it almost brings a tear to my eyes.
What does this information about compound interest mean? It means that you should start saving and investing now. I do not mean later, I mean now. Go online and open a bank account that pays you interest if you do not already have one. Go online and open a brokerage account if you do not already have one. Start an IRA or a ROTH IRA. Talk with you employer about joining the company 401(K) plan. Do it. It is very important that you start saving as soon as possible. The more time you have compound interest working for you, the more money you will have when you decide to hang it up and enjoy life.
I will discuss other topics on personal finance in future entries. If anyone has suggestions, I will be more than open to them. Preparing for early retirement is one of them. Among others will be: the type of accounts should I have, what type of financial instruments should I invest in, what stocks should I buy, etc...
Now, back to the topic of this entry, money. Do you know the old cliche, "it takes money to make money"? I am sure you have heard it sometime somewhere and thought what a stupid saying. If I had money, I would not need to make money. But again, it always helps to have even more money. And while the phrase might be a cliche, there is a lot of truth in the phrase. So how does money make money? Do they reproduce like people? I would hope not because a disturbing image pops into my head of two bills consummating their relationship. Or two coins for that matter. Ewww.
Money makes more money by the magic of compound interest, the most powerful force in finance. According to wikipedia, compound interest is the concept of adding accumulated interest back to the principal, so that interest is earned on interest from that moment on. You can read more about the magic of compound interest here. So the old cliche is true. Your money will make more money through the power of compound interest. And the more money you have, the more money you can make. Beautiful, it almost brings a tear to my eyes.
What does this information about compound interest mean? It means that you should start saving and investing now. I do not mean later, I mean now. Go online and open a bank account that pays you interest if you do not already have one. Go online and open a brokerage account if you do not already have one. Start an IRA or a ROTH IRA. Talk with you employer about joining the company 401(K) plan. Do it. It is very important that you start saving as soon as possible. The more time you have compound interest working for you, the more money you will have when you decide to hang it up and enjoy life.
I will discuss other topics on personal finance in future entries. If anyone has suggestions, I will be more than open to them. Preparing for early retirement is one of them. Among others will be: the type of accounts should I have, what type of financial instruments should I invest in, what stocks should I buy, etc...
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Give peace a chance
Today Yoko Ono dedicated the Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland as a birthday gift for her late husband, the music legend, John Lennon. The description of the tower can be found in the various news articles. My understanding is that it will be a tower of light emanating from a wishing well where anyone can add their wish along with thousands of others.
In light of this amazing tribute, I just want to take the time to make a wish for world peace. I know it is often joked about that beauty pagent winners should make their desire for world peace known when asked questions during the contest. But, seriously, isn't world peace worth working and wishing for?
So, join me for a moment to give peace a chance and wish for world peace. It may not happen today, it may not happen tomorrow, but someday I hope to see it happen. And I hope we will all be there to enjoy it too.
In light of this amazing tribute, I just want to take the time to make a wish for world peace. I know it is often joked about that beauty pagent winners should make their desire for world peace known when asked questions during the contest. But, seriously, isn't world peace worth working and wishing for?
So, join me for a moment to give peace a chance and wish for world peace. It may not happen today, it may not happen tomorrow, but someday I hope to see it happen. And I hope we will all be there to enjoy it too.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Baseball
I am a Mets fan so that should tell you all you need to know about what kind of mood I am in during this baseball postseason. The Mets had a 99.8% chance of making the postseason at one point in September according to an article in Sports Illustrated. I state again, a 99.8% chance of making the postseason. But alas they did not make the postseason and no amount of wishing or whining on my part will change that.
Yet, I have not turned my back on baseball during this postseason. It would have been immeasurably more fun had the Mets made the postseason. But they did not make the postseason. So I watch the games or listen to them because I enjoy a good game. The problem was who to root for during these games. After some soul searching (and internet research) I decided to root for certain players. I decided to root for ex-Mets still in the postseason. Why you ask? I do not know and it does not matter?
Imagine my surprise and joy that ex-Met Kaz Matsui played a pivotal role in the defeat of the Phillies. The Phillies, the same team that finished ahead of the Mets and and took the Mets spot in the postseason playoffs. And even though Kaz did not have a good career with the Mets, I was happy that he was in the postseason and doing well. So congrats to Kaz and thanks for putting an end to the Phillies run.
Tonight, I followed the Indians - Yankees game and I was happy Paul Byrd pitched a decent game and helped the Indians win the game and the series. As a Mets fan, there is some animosity towards the Yankees and their fans. The feeling is mutual and do not believe anyone who tells you differently. So I was happy that the Yankees season was ended by Paul Byrd and company. Why, you wonder? Because, Paul Byrd, in case you did not already realize this, is an ex-Met! Woo-hoo!
Congrats again to the two ex-Mets players I have mentioned who each played an important role in their teams postseason playoff fortunes. And thanks for knocking the Phillies and the Yankees from the postseason.
Yet, I have not turned my back on baseball during this postseason. It would have been immeasurably more fun had the Mets made the postseason. But they did not make the postseason. So I watch the games or listen to them because I enjoy a good game. The problem was who to root for during these games. After some soul searching (and internet research) I decided to root for certain players. I decided to root for ex-Mets still in the postseason. Why you ask? I do not know and it does not matter?
Imagine my surprise and joy that ex-Met Kaz Matsui played a pivotal role in the defeat of the Phillies. The Phillies, the same team that finished ahead of the Mets and and took the Mets spot in the postseason playoffs. And even though Kaz did not have a good career with the Mets, I was happy that he was in the postseason and doing well. So congrats to Kaz and thanks for putting an end to the Phillies run.
Tonight, I followed the Indians - Yankees game and I was happy Paul Byrd pitched a decent game and helped the Indians win the game and the series. As a Mets fan, there is some animosity towards the Yankees and their fans. The feeling is mutual and do not believe anyone who tells you differently. So I was happy that the Yankees season was ended by Paul Byrd and company. Why, you wonder? Because, Paul Byrd, in case you did not already realize this, is an ex-Met! Woo-hoo!
Congrats again to the two ex-Mets players I have mentioned who each played an important role in their teams postseason playoff fortunes. And thanks for knocking the Phillies and the Yankees from the postseason.
A blank slate
I have thought about blogging for quite some time but have never gotten around to it. What is the point? Who would want to read about whatever inane things that come to my mind at any given time? Of course, the real reason why I did not start a blog sooner is because I am lazy. Blogging can be a lot of work if you want to make it interesting for people to read. And would I really have the will and energy to keep up with blogging on a semi-regular basis? Only time will tell.
Right now, this blog is just a blog. There is no rhyme or reason for it. Just a place to put down my thoughts on whatever topics I want to write about. Sometimes the posts will be happy, sometimes the posts will be angry and sometimes the posts will be neither. I would hope that whatever the content of the posts, that the reader will enjoy that brief peak into my mind.
Till I post again...
Right now, this blog is just a blog. There is no rhyme or reason for it. Just a place to put down my thoughts on whatever topics I want to write about. Sometimes the posts will be happy, sometimes the posts will be angry and sometimes the posts will be neither. I would hope that whatever the content of the posts, that the reader will enjoy that brief peak into my mind.
Till I post again...
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