Payday loan clerk shot in robbery. / Image: swanksalot/Flickr/CC BY-SA

Jamie Brock, a clerk for USA Payday Loans in Hanover park, Ill., was shot in the forehead at point blank range during an October robbery. The shooter, Admise Wilson, apologized to her in court Monday. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Shooter had been in twice before

The robbery occurred on Oct. 5, 2010. Wilson, 34, was a regular customer who had been in twice before that day to check on his account. On the second visit, seeing that she was alone in the store, Wilson told Brock, 35, that he needed to check something at his bank and would be back in five minutes. He returned with a .22-calibre handgun, put the muzzle to her forehead, and fired.

”Everything went black,” Brock said. “I fell. I couldn’t see.”

Victim played dead

Wilson took $1,000 in cash and threw a paper shredder at Brock. He then put the gun to the back of her head, but Brock played dead.

“I’m holding my breath and thinking, ‘Please don’t shoot me,’” Brock recounted Monday in the Cook County Circuit Court.

Victim identified the gunman

Wilson fled without firing another shot. Brock then called 911 and identified the gunman. Next she knocked on the wall, trying to get help from the Jimmy Johns sandwich shop next door. Finally, she called her family and told them what had happened.

Wilson was arrested an hour later. Police found the gun still in his possession, as well as $242 in cash. He was taken into custody and later confessed to the shooting. He was charged with several crimes, including attempted first-degree murder.

A remarkable recovery

Brock has made a remarkable recovery, though she regularly sees a neurosurgeon, and has still not returned to work. The incident left a 3-inch scar in her forehead.

Victim confronts her shooter

Brock addressed Wilson in court Monday as she held her husband’s hand. “I don’t know the reason why you did what you did. I have a daughter who just had her eighth-grade graduation,” she said. “I have a son with cerebral palsy. I was the breadwinner in my family. You don’t know at all what you could have caused me that day if I had died.”

Wilson made a tearful apology to Brock in court. “I didn’t mean for it to happen that way. I’m sorry for the pain I caused to you and your family. I’m glad you’re up and moving around.”

Robber sentenced to prison

Wilson was sentenced to 25 years in prison by Judge Thomas Fecarotta Jr. To avoid prosecution for attempted murder, Wilson pleaded guilty to armed robbery and aggravated battery with a firearm. Under the terms of the plea bargain he must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence and three years supervised probation.

Sources

Chicago Tribune: http://triblocal.com/hoffman-estates/2011/06/20/please-dont-shoot-me-woman-recalls-shooting-as-man-pleas-guilty-apologizes/
Daily Herald: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110621/news/706219985/

Before you agree to relocate for a new job, do the math on the cost of living change. Flickr/MoneyBlogNewz/CC-BY-SA

Finally, businesses are starting to hire again. Many people will be faced with the choice of whether they should move in order to take on a new job. Before you accept a job and a salary offer, be sure to take into consideration the cost of living in the location you’re moving to. Also, if you must sell your home, be smart about home-staging — getting your home ready to sell for the best price.

Small businesses making new hires

Thanks in large part to small businesses, unemployment is receding and people are finding jobs. For those who have been unemployed for a long time, taking the first job and salary offer that comes along is tempting. However, when that job offer comes with the caveat that you must relocate, take careful consideration. First, check the cost of living comparison. Second, if you own a home, consider what it will cost and how long it will take to prepare it for sale.

Cost of living comparison

A great salary in Spokane, Wash., might be only enough for Ramen Noodles and a studio apartment in Portland, Ore. Any time you receive a salary offer in another area, make sure that salary will be enough to maintain your lifestyle. CNN Money has a cost of living comparison calculator (linked below) that calculates what salary you’d need to make in a different area to maintain your current expenses. It also breaks down where the extra money goes. For example, housing in Portland is 53 percent more expensive than housing in Spokane.

Selling a home in a down housing market

If you are looking to sell your home, there are plenty of inexpensive ways to spruce up the place. Replacing bathroom and kitchen hardware and new paint are common ways to make an old home look new. However, many of the most important aspects of making a home attractive are free — but easy to overlook. HGTV provides a comprehensive that covers everything from clutter cleanup to furniture arrangement. Follow the link below to a solid checklist of ways to improve your chances of selling your home.

Sources

CNN Money Cost of Living Comparison

HGTV 15 home-staging tips

Carlos Slim Helu, world's richest person. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

The Forbes billionaire list names the 1,011 people in the world whose net worth is more than $1 billion. The people on the 2010 Forbes billionaire list aren’t worrying about getting the cheapest personal loans, obviously, but the list shows some interesting shifts in the world’s money supply. For instance, last year half the people on the Forbes billionaire list were from the U.S. This year, only 40 percent are from the U.S. And, unlike last year, the world’s richest man is not from the U.S. Here are the top 10: the richest people in the world.

1. Carlos Slim Helu, $53.5 billion

“Carlos Slim Helu and family” top  the Forbes Billionaire list. Helu lives in Mexico and is part-owner of Latin America’s largest corporation, mobile phone company America Movil. He also owns a construction conglomerate and owns stakes in several other companies, including the New York Times.

2. Bill Gates, $53 billion

The richest man in the United States, Bill Gates, slipped one spot on the Forbes Billionaire list this year, even though his net worth increased significantly. Last year the Microsoft chairman topped the list with $40 billion, and this year he is in the No. 2 spot with $53 billion.

3. Warren Buffett, $47 billion

Fun fact: the world’s third-richest man lives in Omaha, Nebraska. Investment tycoon and self-made billionaire Warren Buffett stayed in the top three this year thanks to a $10 billion increase in his wealth over the past year.

4. Mukesh Ambani, $29 billion

Mukesh Ambani, of India, inherited his father’s fortune and his oil business. He also owns a cricket team. If he wants to start handing out loans for people with bad credit, I have an idea for where he should start.

5. Lakshmi Mittal, $28.7 billion

Lakshmi Mittal inherited his fortune and ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaker. He started out in the family business in India in the 1970s and branched out on his own in the ’90s. He now lives in London but still has Indian citizenship.

6. Lawrence Ellison, $28 billion

Lawrence Ellison founded Oracle, a database giant. Oracle bought 57 companies in the past five years, and the company’s stock has gone up 70 percent over the past 12 months. Along with Bill Gates, Lawrence Ellison is the second college dropout on the Forbes billionaire list. (Kids, don’t try this at home.)

7. Bernard Arnault, $27.5 billion

Bernard Arnault’s luxury goods company makes Louis Vuitton and Moet & Chandon products. The company, called LVMH, also is developing upscale commercial property in Shangai. Arnault lives in Paris, France.

8. Eike Batista, $27 billion

It was a big year for Eike Batista, from Brazil. He made $19.5 billion over the past year, mostly from his oil-and-gas exploration company. Last year on the Forbes’ billionaire list he was No. 61 with $7.5 billion.

9. Amancio Ortega, $25 billion

The Forbes billionaire list calls Amancio Ortega a “style maven.” The Spaniard owns Inditex fashion firm, which operates in 73 countries. He also owns real estate including the building that houses Bicardi USA.

10. Karl Albrecht, $23.5 billion

I had to reread this one a few times: The world’s 10th richest man owns a chain of discount supermarkets. Karl Albrecht, from Germany, owns Aldi Sud, one of Europe’s dominant grocers. He plans to open a store in New York City this year.

That wraps up the top 10 on the Forbes billionaire list. The good news that they all have more money than they did last year, which indicates that, overall, the global economy is recovering.

In some patients, medication can reduce Asperger's disease symptoms. Image from Flickr.

Apserger’s disease is a form of autism that causes difficulty with social interaction and behavioral patterns including repetitive and restrictive actions. Those aspects of Asperger’s disease are explained in Part 1. This section, Part 2, discusses the discovery and naming of Asperger’s disease as well as what what causes it.

Dr. Hans Asperger, disease moniker

In 1944, long before payday loans online, pediatrician Hans Asperger first noticed behavioral patterns in some of his patients that included an absence of or limited empathy, lack of nonverbal communication skills and often physical clumsiness. The term “Asperger syndrome” was popularized in 1981 because of papers written by other researchers. It was not until 50 years later that Asperger’s disease — Asperger’s syndrome or Asperger disorder in the medical field — became a standardized diagnosis.

When Dr. Asperger first wrote about the syndrome that would later be named for him, he called it autism psychopathy. Autism means “self” and psychopathy means “personality disorder.” Asperger, an Austrian, opened a school for children with autistic psychopathy, but it was bombed near the end of World War II and much of his work was lost. This event is credited for the delay in spreading understanding and awareness of Asperger’s disease.

Causes of Asperger’s disease

Asperger syndrome is a genetic disease. The specific gene that causes Asperger’s disease has not yet been identified, but it is classified as a genetic disease because Asperger documented common symptoms found in  affected patients’ families, especially the fathers. Other extensive research also shows all autism spectrum disorders have a genetic component.

Experts say Asperger syndrome is the result of developmental factors, specifically brain development. These factors can affect many or all brain functions. Studies show that the type of brain development that leads to Asperger’s syndrome begins in a fetus shortly after conception.

Asperger syndrome resources

If you want to learn more about Asperger syndrome, you don’t need to go spending your pay day loans on books or information videos. There is plenty of free content online. There is a lot of valuable information on good old Wikipedia. Here are some other web sites to check out for more information on Asperger’s disease:

• Autism Society
• KidsHealth
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders
• Web MD
• Autism program at Yale

People with Asperger's disease are often highly intelligent but lack social skills. Image from Flickr.

Asperger’s disease — the focus of last night’s episode of “Parenthood” on NBC — is a form of autism. It is commonly referred to as “high-functioning autism.” Asperger’s disease is a complex and hard to understand syndrome, but as celebrities, the media and several organizations have strived to raise awareness about autism in all its forms, people are starting to understand. It takes a lot of study to really understand Asperger’s disease, but here is a crash course to get you started.

Asperger’s disease affects behavior

The main way in which Asperger’s disease manifests itself is through social interaction — or lack thereof. People with Asperger’s disease might appear to have some type of strange obsessive-compulsive disorder, as they engage in repetitive behavior patterns. For instance, they might meticulously reread an installment loan application before submitting it.They also often have restrictions, such as refusing to eat specific  foods, be around particular objects or go to certain places.

As you can already see, Aperger’s disease can be very difficult to diagnose, as behaviors such as refusing foods are very common in children. So don’t go around diagnosing people with OCD or picky eaters with Asperger’s syndrome. Leave that to the professionals.

Aperger’s disease and social interaction

The reason social interactions with people who have Aperger’s disease seem strange is that Asperger’s causes an inability to feel empathy, lack of interest in others and an absence of emotional connection. This is confusing because Asperger’s syndrome can also cause people to have disproportionate emotional reactions, such as extreme anger, to seemingly small events.

People with Asperger’s disease often don’t pick up on social cues, such as noticing when others are bored or irritated. Asperger’s syndrome is considered a high-functioning form of autism because those who have it can generally function in society, just with a certain degree of awkwardness. Also, people with Asperger syndrome are often very intelligent; many could understand no fax loans better than I. For more information, such as who discovered it and what causes Asperger’s disease, check out part 2.

U.S. Rare Earths owns deposits of minerals used in making computers and cell phones.

U.S. Rare Earths is a company that “holds the only known U.S. deposit of heavy rare earths with a concentration worth mining, according to a recent report by the U.S. Geological Survey,” says Fox News. So what does it all mean? Rare earths are used in all types of developing technology, such as hybrid cars, wind turbines, computer hard drives and cell phones.

U.S. Rare Earths and technology

Scientists have predicted that the world faces a rare earths shortage, but U.S. Rare Earths could prevent technological innovation in this country from being crippled. In the past, the U.S. has gotten most of its rare earth minerals from China. Now it is up to U.S. Rare Earths to develop its heavy rare earth mineral deposits.

Naturally, U.S. Rare Earths stock is a hot commodity as investors realize the potential for this company to make a killing. Some investors are probably getting instant cash loans as we speak to make sure they buy in to U.S. Rare Earths before the price per share skyrockets and even the biggest guaranteed payday loans out there won’t cover the cost.

Details on U.S. Rare Earths

Scientists’ predictions say the rare earths shortage will hit in about 10 years. Jim Hedrick, a former USGS rare earth specialist, says some developers are already experiencing a shortage. U.S. Rare Earths owns land rich with heavy mineral deposits on Lehmi Pass, which is on the border between Idaho and Montana. U.S. Rare Earths also owns mineral deposits in Diamond Creek, Idaho. On the periodic table of elements, heavy rare earth are the minerals ranging from terbium to lutetium.

U.S. Rare Earths’ founders started the company 15 years ago with the Lehmi Pass deposits. At the time, they were only interested in the concentration of thorium, which provides an alternative to nuclear fuel. After 15 years and countless technological innovations, U.S. Rare Earths finds itself in the position of owning the only known rare earth deposits in the country. For the time being, U.S. Rare Earths is concentrating on mining the Diamond Creek land in Idaho because it is closer to civilization and thus more “mining friendly.”

Image from Flickr.

An impending Cisco announcement has been on techies’ radars for weeks, and this morning the Cisco announcement finally came. Cisco Systems, which supplies hardware to Internet service providers, announced that it has developed a new router, the CRS-3, that can handle 12 times more traffic that previous models.

Cisco announcement: how it affects users

I know one group who will be happy about the Cisco announcement. You know those people who play online games on Xbox live or something similar and trash talk on their headsets? Their mortal enemy is lag, and lag is often caused by too much Internet traffic. Fans of “Call of Duty” and “Halo” rejoice; the Cisco announcement could mean decreased lag if your ISP buys Cisco Systems’ new router.

The new router might help you get approved for an online personal loan faster, but the main motivation behind this new product that led to the Cisco announcement is video. Cisco CEO John Chambers says that gaming, video tablets and 3-D have made video the Internet’s “killer app.”

Does the Cisco announcement excite you?

Faster Internet that can handle more traffic sounds like pretty good news to me, but the people over at CNET say the Cisco announcement simply amounts to “an incremental upgrade to Cisco’s existing product.”

CNET and other online media are saying  that the Cisco announcement was overhyped, but I never heard about it until today. What do you think about the Cisco announcement? Did you know it was coming? Are you disappointed? Excited? People absolutely freaked when Google announced that it would be starting a project to provide faster Internet in certain areas. I guess the Cisco announcement just didn’t meet some people’s expectations.

Technically correct

Apparently, Cisco Systems said that the new product would “change the Internet forever.” Though the CRS-3 router might be a small change according to some, technically making the internet faster and able to handle more traffic is changing it. Of course, the Cisco announcement is just one small blip in the never-ending array of products — like instant payday loans with no faxing — that have, and will, change the Internet forever.

Did you know you can design a custom home from your computer?

Haven Homes — manufacturer of custom modular homes, otherwise known as prefab homes — is currently experiencing a rare phenomenon in today’s housing market: Haven Homes is selling houses. Haven Homes makes customized mansions that cost less and are completed in a fraction of the time it takes to finish a traditional home. Here’s a look at why buyers are choosing manufactured, modular houses from Haven Home.

Haven Homes are less expensive

The Haven Homes concept is no different than the concept of manufactured homes that most people are familiar with. The pieces of the homes are built in a factory, then shipped and assembled on site. Haven Homes simply makes bigger houses, like the six-bedroom, six-and-a-half bathroom modular home recently constructed in Bethesda, Md.

This concept is not going to amount to struggling families who rely on quick payday loans being able to afford huge houses. The six-bedroom house mentioned above cost $2.5 million. However, a similar sized home built in a traditional manner would have cost a lot more.

Designing Haven Homes is user-friendly

“Computer-driven drafting is mapping out prefab rooms with the ease of a Lego game,” says The Washington Post. Home buyers who want customized homes can quickly and easily design the houses themselves. Part of the draw of Haven Homes is that, within certain limitations, buyers can get exactly what they want faster and easier than they would otherwise.

More people are turning to modular homes. My guess is that the recession is causing people to worry less about the stigma that many associate with prefab homes and more about saving money where they can. I’ve seen photos of  Haven Homes on the company’s web site. After they’re complete, these high-end prefab homes are indistinguishable from “regular” homes.

Hasty homes

Part of what makes Haven Homes’ modular homes less expensive is decreased labor costs. The modular mansions take only a couple of weeks to manufacture in the factory, and just a couple of days to assemble at the building site. Finishing the home — building staircases, constructing the outer finish and hooking up plumbing and electricity — only takes a couple of weeks, too.

Homes similar in size take several months to complete with traditional construction. Thanks to easy customization, price and speed, Haven Homes is seeing more business in a housing market filled with mortgage loan modification and people who have been unable to sell their homes, even at deeply discounted prices.

Image from Flickr.

Today is National Grammar Day, and in 2010 I think it is important to focus on digital communication. Although MySpace, Facebook and other social networks have created a world where more people than ever see the things we write, people seem to put less care into those things. Just for today, for National Grammar Day, let’s focus on making sure the things we write on the Internet for all to see are correct.

National Grammar Day web site

National Grammar Day — unlike many fabricated, unofficial holidays — is not built to market or promote a product or draw a profit for anyone. As I learned from NationalGrammarDay.com, March 4 is simply a celebration of language. You don’t need to visit a money lender or get cheap payday loans to celebrate language, thanks to free speech. That’s what that means, right?

Of course, you can purchase T-shirts from the web site, but they’re not National Grammar Day T-shirts, they’re the type of shirts a grammar nerd could don any day. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t even figure out how to purchase said T-shirts, so clearly Grammar Girl, the founder of National Grammar Day, isn’t in this for the cash.

A sad story of a sad e-mail

I had an experience recently that I would like to share with you, dear Internet readers, on National Grammar Day. A student reporter at a community college wrote an e-mail to me asking about a local restaurant. A friend of mine tipped him off that I frequented the place, so he sent me a very short e-mail that contained one very broad inquiry about the place.

Putting aside this young gentleman’s lack of reporter skills, the thing that really bothered me was that the e-mail did not contain a single capital letter. He didn’t even capitalize his name. Honestly, I was insulted. A guy who apparently plans to be a professional writer couldn’t even take the time to make his one-paragraph e-mail to me grammatically correct.

A plea to you from me

The e-mail from the unfortunately budding journalist convinced me that this boy did not care about his job, had no respect for language or grammar and therefore had no respect for me. Here’s the point of the story: There are people like me out there. There are people who will write you off as not only an idiot but a careless, disrespectful idiot if you don’t bother using proper grammar in written communication.

So I beg you, just for National Grammar Day 2010, take care to make  your written communication grammatically correct. I know incorrect grammar in Facebook status messages will never go away, but just for today, edit your status before you post it for all to see. Hit that “spell check” button on your e-mail. National Grammar Day comes but once a year; let’s make it count. It’s more than six months until National Punctuation Day, so I promise not to ask again until then.

I leave you with this musical tribute to National Grammar Day, “March Forth.” (Get it? Because it’s March 4? Oh, just watch the video!)

Same-sex couples can legally marry in Washington D.C., as of today. Image from Flickr.

Washington D.C. passed a measure to legalize same-sex marriages in the district, and today that measure took effect. About 150 same-sex couples applied for marriage licenses in Washington D.C. today, according to The Associated Press. Here are a few stories from day one of legalized same-sex marriage in Washington, D.C. No amount of quick cash for a picket campaign can keep them from doing so.

Washington D.C.’s first same-sex marriage

Angelisa Young and Sinjoyla Townsend were the first same-sex couple to apply for a marriage license in Washington, D.C., according to the Washington Post. Now they will be able to share everything– the title of “wife,” health insurance and guaranteed payday loans. Of course, payday lenders have never taken marital status into account, but perhaps finances overall will be less complicated for Young and Townsend now

Washington D.C.’s first married same-sex couple met 13 years ago at the University of the District of Columbia. The Washington Post reports:

The couples won’t be able to marry until Tuesday at the earliest since it takes three business days for the applications to be processed. Young and Townsend plan to marry that day in a ceremony at the Human Rights Campaign headquarters with friends and family in attendance.

The numbers

The Associated Press reports that about 150 same-sex couples applied for marriage licenses at the court house in Washington D.C. today, where usually about a dozen apply. Couples from surrounding states such as Maryland (which aid last week it will recognize same-sex unions performed elsewhere), Virginia and West Virginia were present.  There were also a few protesters from Kansas and some extra security guards at the court house.

Deborah Weiner and Janne Harrelson, who have a 15-year-old daughter have been together 24 years. Weiner said she believed their marriage would provide a more solid sense stability for their daughter. The Post reported that the crowd applying for marriage licenses appeared to be made up more women than men. It costs $45 to get a marriage license in Washington D.C.

In good company

Washington D.C. joins Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont in legalizing same-sex marriage. According to all reports, day one of legalized same-sex marriage in Washington D.C. was a busy day for the court house, but it remained peaceful and filled with happy tears.

Oh, how I wish I could do this to Facebook. Image from Flickr.

The Internet has done countless wonderful things for humankind. However, it has also served to highlight people’s lack of regard for the written word, specifically when it comes to grammar, punctuation, capitalization and spelling. Most days I feel I must not waste time being annoyed by the countless errors I’m subjected to as I read through my friends’ status updates on Facebook, but sometimes it is just too much to bear. If you want to make the day just a little better for your cousins, your grammar-loving friends, your mom and especially me, avoid these common Facebook mistakes.   You can learn to avoid these mistakes without needing cash loans for tutors.

1. Misusing “your”

For some reason this word seems to be misused more often than it is used correctly. If you are using the contracted form of “you are,” the word is “you’re,” with an apostrophe and everything. Take the extra two seconds to think about what you are writing and get it right. You double check your information before you submit a personal loan application, right? Your is possessive, as in “your Facebook status.”

2. Apostrophe usage

Many people have decided that using apostrophes is unnecessary when posting message for all the world to see on Facebook. This can result in unclear communication and, more importantly, annoying me. When you’re using a contraction or making a word possessive, go ahead and use apostrophes. It will make your pinky feel useful.

3. Capitalization

I admit, I often neglect capitalizing when I am talking to friends on instant messenger. However, that’s because many times a lag in the conversation can make it confusing. When it comes to a Facebook status message, don’t be in such a hurry. Capitalize things, especially when referring to yourself as “I.”

4. Using homophones incorrectly

Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. People use “past” when they mean “passed,” “then” instead of “than,” “to” instead of “too,” etc. This bothers me mostly because I think that if writers were to think for a split second, they’d know the correct form to use.

5. Totally random punctuation

People use punctuation on Facebook that doesn’t actually exist or have a function in the English language. For instance, I have a friend who often uses “..” instead of an ellipsis (…) or a period. Why? I understand that commas and hyphens and semicolons and such are way too much to ask for, but at least stick to real punctuation. Calm down on the exclamation point usage while you’re at it.

6. Copy/paste statuses

This is not a specific mistake so much as an instance in which mistakes are more annoying. I am not a fan of the “copy and paste this to your status” trend, and it bothers me even more when I see the same mistake over and over. If you do copy and paste one of those viral status messages, go ahead and fix mistakes in it. You can do it. It’s as easy as getting online cash loans.

7. Quiz titles

I have actually seen grammatical mistakes in quiz titles that were about grammar. I don’t know who writes these quizzes, but for heaven’s sake, if you are writing a title on something that will be passed around and inevitably end up in my news feed, please get get it right. It is annoying enough to have my news feed clogged with announcements about the ridiculous quizzes my acquaintances are taking; at least don’t force me to read even more grammatical mistakes than I already have to.

Carnival Cruise Lines announces rate increase

Carnival Cruise Line tickets are in such high demand, the company is doing what any free-market-thinking enterprise would do: raising prices. The Carnival Cruise Lines web site says “rates increase on all summer sailings” on March 22. It appears as though wannabe cruise-goers will have to wait until then to make their travel plans.

I was excited when I went to the Carnival Cruise Lines web site and saw price tags smaller than most faxless payday loans. Did you know you can go on a cruise for just a few hundred dollars? Unfortunately, the cruises at the current listed prices are all sold out, so don’t get your hopes up. Still, if you want to go on a cruise this summer, be sure to book as soon as possible. Carnival Cruise Lines has an Early Saver Program.

Carnival Cruise Line pricing

I was pretty surprised when I saw how much it costs to go on a voyage on Carnival Cruise Lines. On the home page at Carnival Cruise Lines’ web site, it says 3-day cruises start at $169! In the past I’ve always written off cruises as being just for rich people. However, some of the cruises are cheaper than plane tickets, which brings me to my next point.

Airlines versus cruise lines

Airline ticket prices, terrorist threats and stressful airports have no doubt contributed to the record bookings at Carnival Cruise Lines. People are finding out that some cruises are cheaper than flights. Add the fact that cruise ships are not common targets of terrorist bombings and subtract the lengthy, annoying process of going through airport security, and you’ve got yourself a dream vacation. You probably won’t even need a small personal loan to pull it off.

Some people don’t fly because of fear, and some don’t want to pay ridiculous baggage fees. The fact that Carnival Cruise Lines has drawn a record number of customers despite the recession shows the price is right — and for many the time and travel method are right, too. If you want to avoid airports and save some money, mark March 22 on your calendar to take advantage of Carnival Cruise Lines’ lowest available prices.

Drawing of Casimir Pulaski from Flickr.

Every day on the calendar marks some sort of holiday or another, and today is Casimir Pulaski Day. Many made up holidays celebrate food, drinks or customs such as talking like a pirate. A lot of these are dreamed up by manufacturers of certain products to promote sales. Perhaps we should create National Online Cash Advance Day? Casimir Pulaski Day is a different sort of holiday. Casimir Pulaski Day is a legally recognized holiday in just a few states, where there are varying degrees of observance.

Who was Casimir Pulaski?

On the first Monday in March, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana recognize Casimir Pulaski Day. Casimir Pulaski was a Polish immigrant to the United States who served as a general in The American Revolutionary War under George Washington. According to Wikipedia, Casimir Pulaski saved George Washington’s life, but there aren’t any further details.

Casimir Pulaski was quickly recognized as a brilliant military tactician, and he became Brigadier-General in charge of Four Horse Brigades, according to Pennsylvania’s Polish-American Center. It’s generally believed that certain states recognize Casimir Pulaski Day because of their relatively large Polish immigrant populations.

Father of the American Cavalry

Casimir Pulaski is perhaps most widely recognized for his contributions to the inception of the American Cavalry. The Polish-American Center writes that “in 1773, through Washington’s intervention, Congress approved the establishment of the Cavalry and put Pulaski at its head.”

This earned Casimir Pulaski the title many use to recognize him today, “the father of the American cavalry.” According to the PAC, even when military loans weren’t available, he insisted on the best for his men:

Pulaski often used his own personal finances, when allocations from Congress were scarce, in order to assure his forces of the finest equipment and personal safety.

Observing Casimir Pulaski Day

Because Casimir Pulaski Day is only a holiday in certain states, no federal services, such as mail, are interrupted. However, Chicago Public Schools and some surrounding districts are closed, and all school districts in Illinois have the option of being closed. The same goes for Wisconsin and Indiana school districts. Also state government buildings in those states are closed today.

Other states, including Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York and Michigan, observe General Pulaski’s Day on Oct. 11. Pulaski died from battle wounds he received during the Siege at Savannah on Oct. 9, 1779. Many Polish-Americans also consider General Pulaski’s Day and Casimir Pulaski Day a celebration of their heritage.

Bloom Energy's bright idea has formed into a box that can provide electricity with clean energy. Image from Flickr.

“It is real. It works,” said K.R. Sridhar on “60 Minutes.”

He is talking about Bloom Energy’s invention, the Bloom Box, which creates power using fuel cells. Sridhar hopes that every home in the U.S. has a Bloom Box. The invention can provide electricity at a lower cost than a regular utility bill, and it’s better for the environment.

How does Bloom Energy work?

Sridhar, the scientist who developed the fuel-cell-powered Bloom Box and is co-founder of Bloom Energy, spoke about Bloom Energy recently on “60 Minutes.” Luckily, he didn’t have to take out personal loans to start his company. He got several hundred million dollars in capital investments from capital firm Kleiner Perkins, which also helped fund Google, Amazon and Netscape.

According to New York Daily News, the Bloom Box “generates its power wirelessly through a combination of oxygen and a fossil fuel – natural gas, bio-gas, etc.” Sridhar said on “60 Minutes” that the fuel cells in the Bloom Box use sand baked into a ceramic and coated with proprietary inks. Bloom Energy’s Bloom Box will officially be unveiled Wednesday in San Jose.

Testing and commentary

Kleiner Perkins reports that if a home uses Bloom Energy instead of going through a utility company, its carbon emissions will be reduced by about half, and it costs less. Of course, there are still some people who won’t believe it until they see it, including Michael Kanellos, editor-in-chief of GreenTech Media.

“I’m hopeful, but I’m skeptical,” Kanellos said. “People have tried fuel cells since the 1830s.”

However, Bloom Energy fuel cell technology is good enough for Google. The company’s headquarters in California has gotten its power from a Bloom Box for the past 18 months. “We have a 400-kilowatt installation on Google’s main campus that delivers clean and affordable power,” said Google spokesman Jamie Yood. Wal-Mart, FedEx and eBay have also used the Bloom Box. Keep your eye on bloomenergy.com for the official public unveiling.

Personal Money Market offers Complaint Resources. This information is helpful for borrowers who have had a bad experience with lenders. The purpose of Complaint Resources are twofold:

1. To ensure borrowers have the tools they need to file a complaint against a lender who they feel has treated them unfairly.
2. To help Personal Money Market weed out unfit lenders. At PMS, we do business with only the best payday loan lenders.

Using the Complaint Resources is simple. Go to the page, find the name of your state and follow the instructions provided. Some states make it easier than others; depending on where you live the complaint filing process could be as simple as filing a form online. However, some states require you submit your complaint via postal mail.

About filing complaints

In most states, the process for filing a complaint against a payday loan company is the same as filing a complaint with any business. In most cases, you’ll need to contact the Office of the Attorney general of your state. Most states have specific forms for you to fill out, and in several states you can download them from the Attorney General’s site and print them out.

You may also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. This is especially useful for payday lenders that operate nationwide chains. The FTC does not resolve complaints for consumers, but it does keep files on businesses who have had complaints registered against them. If you wish to file a complaint with the FTC, simply go to Complaint Resources and look under “federal.”

Personal Money Market’s pledge to you

Personal Money Market is dedicated to offering the best payday loans at the best rates from the best lenders. We do not condone irresponsible borrowing or irresponsible lending. We strive to ensure that all the lenders who are attached to the Personal Money Market name are of utmost integrity. Please help us in our mission to ensure responsible lending.

Many people nowadays are turning to credit counselors for help with debt management.

UPDATE: Way back in 2004, Cambridge Credit Counseling got sued for apparent conflicts of interest and illegally high fees. When this article was written originally, it was based on incorrect information from an outside source, which said Cambridge Credit Counseling  was involved in a lawsuit. However, the lawsuit discussed below was settled in 2007. So that other bloggers may learn from my mistake, I have included the inaccurate text below, and there are notes from the Cambridge Credit Counseling CEO below in the comments section that explain the reality of the situation.

Original Cambridge Credit Counseling article:

The state of Illinois is suing Cambridge Credit Counseling, both for apparent conflicts of interest and illegally high fees. Cambridge Credit Counseling is a debt management service. They help customers create budgets and get rid of debt.

In the lawsuit, the Attorney General of Illinois says that Cambridge Credit Counseling has an inappropriate relationship with for-profit companies Brighton Credit and Brighton Debt. Gather.com says: “Cambridge actually paid them to service debts instead of the for-profits paying Cambridge for directing business to them.”

Cambridge Credit a curious case

I’m not sure why Cambridge paying the companies is somehow worse than if the Brighton companies had paid them. I can see why it would be a crime for Brighton to pay Cambridge, but not the other way around. I guess I’m no financial expert. However, you can check out Cambridge Credit Counseling’s (See: http://www.cambridge-credit.org/pdf/conflict%20of%20interest%20policy.pdf) conflict of interest policy on the company’s web site.

Also at issue in the lawsuit is the very valid matter of startup fees. Illinois law states that companies like Cambridge Credit Counseling can only charge $50 for startup fees. However, Cambridge has been charging customers startup fees that are equivalent to their monthly credit card fees. Obviously, if someone is going to a credit counseling service, that is likely going to be a pretty hefty amount.

Future for Cambridge Credit Counseling

Cambridge Credit Counseling is a nationwide company, so it’s possible that more states could jump in on the lawsuit. So far, there hasn’t been word of anyone else joining in, but it probably isn’t far off.

As far as I can see, the company has not yet released an official statement. Cambridge Credit Counseling is the largest credit counselor in the country. The lawsuit certainly won’t put the company out of business, but it could get it to change its policies, which is probably what the Illinois Attorney General is going for.

Legislation passed last year on new credit card laws goes into effect today, and banks are none too happy about it. “JPMorgan Chase, the nation’s largest credit card issuer, warned it expected its credit card business to lose as much as $750 million this year as a result of the new legislation,” says CNN.

That’s quite the hit, but credit card users will benefit — if they remain credit card users. Reuters reports that the new credit card laws will squeeze credit, meaning less of it will be available. Pretty soon, even more people will be turning to no fax payday loans when they need credit instead of traditional banks.

Better billing

For those who are still fortunate enough to have functioning credit cards, the new credit card laws of 2010 mandate less confusing billing practices, says Christian Science Monitor. Bills must be due on the same day each month, and card users must be informed of the amount due 21 days before the due date.

“Nearly all interest-rate increases on outstanding balances will be prohibited,” says CSM. Also prohibited are rate increases during the first year of service. Card issuers must inform customers 45 days before a rate increase.

Special care for 18-21

The new credit card laws state that people between 18 and 21 years old must either prove they have the means to pay credit card bills or have a cosigner before they can be issued a card. The laws also limit marketing to college students.

Rather than automatically having overdraft fees set in place that will be assessed any time a borrower goes over the limit, people must choose to be included in the overdraft program. If a card user who has not chosen to opt-in to the overdraft program makes a charge that goes over the limit the card will simply be declined.

Obama's health care plan blends the House and Senate proposals. Image from Flickr.

The Obama health care plan, in its most recent incarnation, is now available for all to see on the White House web site. Of course, it’s a very lengthy document and some parts are a little hard to understand, so I have composed a summary focusing on the parts that have changed since the last health care bill was made public.

Obama’s health care plan contains elements from both the House and Senate versions of the bill, but the White House site says it more closely resembles the senate version. One important question people want to know up front is how the government will pay for Obama’s health care plan. People don’t want to see the feds take out another cash loan and incur more national debt.

Paying for the Obama health care plan

The White House site says the bill will make health care more affordable:

The House and Senate health insurance bills lower premiums through increased competition, oversight, and new accountability standards set by insurance exchanges.  The bills also provide tax credits and reduced cost sharing for families with modest income. The President’s Proposal improves the affordability of health care by increasing the tax credits for families.

Low- and middle-income families also will get tax breaks to help pay for health insurance. Check out a table of income levels and tax breaks.

Crackdown

Part of Obama’s health care plan focuses on cracking down on waste, fraud and abuse. The bill creates a comprehensive sanctions database and calls for registration and background checks of billing agencies and individuals. It expands access to the health care integrity and protection data bank.

The president’s proposal also aims to ensure that people have access to mental health care. It also provides the ability for real-time data review and increases sanctions for committing Medicare or Medicaid fraud. Read a full list of crackdown measures.

In the long run

As far as making sure the cost of Obama’s health care plan can continue to be sustainable, the web site says:

President’s Proposal creates a set of benchmark payments at different percentages of the current average fee-for-service costs in an area.  It phases these benchmarks in gradually in order to avoid disruption to beneficiaries, taking into account the relative payments to fee-for-service costs in an area.

The plan also will delay and reform the high-cost plan excise tax, broaden Medicare hospital insurance, increase fees on brand-name prescriptions and close tax loopholes to prevent unjustified tax shelters. You can read about more improvements and view a searchable copy of the Obama health care plan at WhiteHouse.gov.

In Joe Stack's online note, he says he lived on peanut butter and bread in college. Image from flickr.

The story of the Austin plane crash and Joe Stack is bizarre and sad. Though Joe Stack’s death is tragic, I am grateful that reports so far say all the office workers in the building he crashed into made it out alive. The Huffington Post reports Joe Stack’s house was set on fire, as well. Media have confirmed since the beginning that the attack was in no way terrorist related. They also quickly uncovered what appears to be the final online writing of Joe Stack of Austin, TX.

The Austin-American Statesman first posted the lengthy note that was linked to Joe Stack. Many are calling it a suicide note, though he never specifically outlines his plans. You can read the full text at the Austin-American Statesman or the Huffington Post. Here is a summary of the main points.

Joe Stack says the system was broken

In first paragraph of Joe Stack’s note, he says he started writing because “there isn’t enough therapy in the world that can fix what is really broken.” What’s really broken, according to Joe Stack, is the government, especially when it comes to taxes — both how they’re gathered and how they’re spent.

Joe Stack believed that as children we were brainwashed into accepting laws, trusting the government and believing in justice. He says he felt no one would ever listen to him. “There has never been a politician cast a vote on any matter with the likes of me or my interests in mind,” he wrote.

Frustrated by tax codes

Regarding taxes, Joe Stack wrote that “we have a system that is, by far, too complicated for the brightest of the master scholars to understand. Yet, it mercilessly ‘holds accountable’ its victims, claiming that they’re responsible for fully complying with laws not even the experts understand.”

Joe Stack was an engineer, and he was particularly angry about exemptions and special rules in tax codes that applied to engineers. He tried to contact his representative to share his concerns, but he was ignored, he said.

Early life

It appears Joe Stack had some pretty strong reservations against big businesses, as well. He tells a story of when he was a starving college student. His neighbor was an elderly widow who lived on social security even though her husband had worked for a steel mill for 30 years. “The incompetent mill management and corrupt union (not to mention the government) raided their pension funds and stole their retirement,” he wrote.

He tells of his years struggling to make it as an engineer, and says after 9/11, “the Government came to the aid of the airlines with billions of our tax dollars … as usual they left me to rot and die while they bailed out their rich, incompetent cronies WITH MY MONEY!”

The sad ending

Near the end of Joe Stacks online manifesto, he says he believes violence is the only answer. Then it says:

I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.

The note is dated today, and signed Joe Stack (1956-2010). That brings us to end of this sad, strange story where Joe Stack crashes his personal aircraft into an IRS building in Austin, TX.

TIGER grants fund transportation projects. Image from Flickr.

The Department of Transportation today began revealing which states have won TIGER grants. TIGER stands for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery. The TIGER program is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, most commonly known as the economic stimulus plan.

The stimulus plan allocated $1.5 billion for the National Surface Transportation System, and that money is split into several TIGER grants that will go to several states. TIGER grants fund transportation projects such as street cars, highway repair, building new roads and improving public transportation. Here’s a list of a few of the projects that will be getting extra cash through TIGER grants.

Renovations in St. Paul, Minnesota

Though the stimulus plan only dedicated $1.5 billion to TIGER grants for transportation projects, the federal government received requests for about $57 billion. Long story short, states that get funding should consider themselves lucky. Also, most TIGER grants aren’t for the full amount that states applied for, they only supply partial funding for projects.

For instance, Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority in Minnesota applied for $135.8 million, and it is receiving a TIGER grant of $35 million. The money will go toward renovations on the Union Depot in St. Paul. Th Minnapolis Star-Tribune says “Ramsey County officials have long viewed the historic depot as a regional transit hub for trains, buses, taxis and bicycles.”

Street cars in Dallas

Though Ramsey County only got about a quarter of the funding for its project through its TIGER grant, Dallas fared a bit better — probably because its project is cheaper. Dallas will get a $23 million TIGER grant, a bit less than half of the $48 million it applied for.

Dallas’ TIGER grant will go toward a street car circulator. According to the Dallas Morning News, a Dallas City Counselor “said Dallas’ long term planning and commitment to building a walkable city were critical to winning the funding.” Dallas also has a plan in place to use city funds to complete the street car project.

Interstate in South Carolina

Percentage-wise, South Carolina didn’t fare very well with its TIGER grant, but that’s to be expected when a state asks for $300 million. South Carolina will get $10 million for its Interstate 73 project, which will create a long-awaited highway interchange in Dillon County.

Though the $10 million only funds 3 percent of the project, a South Carolina news station reports that “The grant includes optional innovative financing enhancements to support a direct loan for up to one-third of the project costs.” Some of the other projects that will get TIGER grant funding are restoring ports in Maine and expansion at Penn Station.