People looking for some instant money from the hybrid car tax rebate had better act fast, as the credit is expiring. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Car buyers wanting to take advantage of instant money from the hybrid vehicle tax rebate had better act fast. The tax rebate on most hybrid cars and trucks, and on some diesels, is expiring in January 2011. Tax credits do remain for some plug-in vehicles, though.

Tax rebate for green cars to expire

In 2005, the government rolled out a new tax credit that promised instant money at tax time if a person purchased a hybrid car or certain diesel powered vehicles as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit, for those who could or did take advantage of it, offered a great incentive to consult a loan company to finance a greener car. However, according to USA Today, that incentive is expiring. As of January 2011, there won’t be a break on the income tax bill for buying a hybrid car like the uber-popular Toyota Prius or eligible diesel models such as a Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

Some rebates still available

Though the bulk of the rebates are expiring, there are some that will still be available. Tax rebates will still be available for plug-in electric vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf. The hitch, though, is that to get those vehicles, a person has to get a personal loan for a lot more. The Leaf lists for $32,000 or more before any instant cash off the tax bill, and the Volt goes for about $40,000 before the rebate. The Prius, by contrast, goes for less than $25,000, although the Prius is no longer eligible for a rebate. Part of the bill was that once a car maker had sold 60,000 green vehicles, the rebate would no longer be available.

Better act fast

There are still some rebates available on some hybrid or diesel models, but only two weeks remain for the credit to be used. There is a list on USA Today and Consumer Reports of which vehicles are eligible for a rebate until Jan. 1, 2011.

Sources

USA Today

Consumer Reports

Even the golfing and country club crowd runs into financial trouble. Image From Wikimedia Commons.

Recessions take a toll on every social class, believe it or not. Some of the wealthiest of the wealthy do pay cash for everything and carry very low debt loads. However, some wealthy people simply take out way bigger bank loans. Some people would rather risk debt and disaster to have the biggest house and flashiest car, and it is showing. Foreclosures on large properties are increasing, as even the wealthy lack the instant money to pay the mortgage. Even rich people could use loan modification.

Recessions affect even the rich

There have been some high profile tumbles for some incredibly wealthy people. Just look at Nicolas Cage; he wound up losing more than one property, among them a $35 million mansion which was foreclosed. The home is listed for only $11.5 million. Granted, millionaires aren’t worried about their credit scores. That said, too much debt is bad. People should aim to have the fewest encumbrances, even of low interest loans, as possible at a time. Remember also that banks can sue delinquent homeowners for the difference in foreclosure sales. Three families from the “Real Housewives” series nearly lost their homes. Jim and Alexis Bellino, from the “Orange County” show of that series had to get mortgage modification after they defaulted.

Aren’t rich people supposed to be good with money?

According to ABC, the Los Angeles County area has exploded with foreclosures on incredibly expensive properties. In fact, the number of foreclosed on properties worth $1 million or more in that area has gone up 300 percent since April of this year. However, it isn’t so much that rich people are careless with their money. In fact, it’s the opposite. People who are more plugged into the realm of finance know that there’s a time to cut your losses and walk away.

Is real estate still a good investment?

The question of whether real estate is a good investment is becoming more pertinent. Plenty of people put a lot into houses for years, even decades, only to lose more than half that value thanks to the market tanking.

Sources

ABC

More people are freeing themselves from the prison that credit card debt can become. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Some of the good news about the recession is that many Americans are wanting to tighten their belts and get rid of debt. Many are adjusting their budgets so that a little fast cash can get applied toward debt, especially toward one of the most common and expensive sources of debt. Fewer people are using credit cards these days, and smaller balances are being carried. Not only that, but there are also fewer delinquencies. It seems that people are able to get debt relief by their own bootstraps.

Balances fall for credit cards

For the fifth financial quarter in a row, the average balance carried on credit cards has fallen. The level of outstanding credit card debt has not only continually fallen, it has fallen to a new eight-year low, according to CNN. That’s a low point in the economy that you want to have. Not having a credit card bill every month that can send you running for a payday loan is something that a lot of people are aspiring to, and it seems that the American people are doing something about it. Not only do your bills decrease, your credit score starts to increase. It’s like giving a cash advance to yourself.

Even better news

On top of that, there are fewer credit card delinquencies.  Defaults on credit cards, or 90 days past due payments, have plummeted to just 0.92 percent nationwide. That is a decrease of 17.1 percent from the previous quarter and a 21.3 percent decrease from last year. That means that a lot of people invested their tax return money wisely. Instead of buying a new flat screen or cellular phone, their returns went toward paying down debt. This is great for consumers, and credit card companies have to be somewhat happy about some more instant money coming in.

Lean mean saving machines

Something that has been made clear during the recession, it is that too much consumer debt is bad for you. It makes a person very vulnerable in case anything goes wrong, which is why it’s a great thing to see people tightening up on their borrowing.

Further Reading

CNN Money

The economic mountain has come to Mohamed El-Erian, and a "new normal" may be the result. (Photo Credit: CC BY-SA/Mattbr/Wikipedia)

Pacific Investment Management Co. (Pimco) CEO Mohamed El-Erian, a sought-after commentator on the United States’ economic condition, has called the past decade a “lost decade” of unemployment and dismal tidings for the nation’s labor market, reports Bloomberg. The economic waters the U.S. has become accustomed to sailing have turned back, never to return, suggests El-Erian. More people than ever need a loan, but the credit market will not currently bear the demand. There will be, in his words, a “new normal” to which America must adjust.

Unemployment and labor continue to suffer

Unemployment remains at a high level, credit markets are on their guard and additional federal stimulus isn’t likely to solve the issues plaguing the nation’s labor market, said El-Erian. Charles Nenner of the Charles Nenner Research Center is even more pessimistic. On Bloomberg Television’s “On the Move,” Nenner predicted that the Dow Jones will fall to 5,000 within two years, underscoring El-Erian’s belief that the U.S. economy isn’t as flexible as policy experts believe. Playing with interest rates and holding hands out for an instant money bailout aren’t necessarily the best springboards to long-term recovery. People and institutions that look for cash now without understanding the long-term impact of borrowing from the future to prop up the present are doomed to fall from the trapeze and strike bottom.

“This country has very weak safety nets,” El-Erian said on “Bloomberg Surveillance.” “It is built on the assumption that our labor markets are very flexible, that if you lose your job in California you move somewhere else, you get another job, and what we’re seeing is structural unemployment.”

Stocking up on high-quality assets

Pimco’s strategy has been to stock up on high quality assets. The company’s Total Return Fund, which has returned 11.8 over the past year (besting return on peer bonds by 67 percent, writes Bloomberg), is the largest of its kind in the United States. But for the country as a whole, a more dramatic focus on structure is needed, says El-Erian. In addition to the mildly ineffective bouts of stimulus, the dead-in-the-water U.S. housing market isn’t producing the assets needed for recovery. The U.S. economy needs to restructure the way business is done. “It needs other agencies to help and in particular, it needs structural policies to be there,” El-Erian informed Bloomberg. “Put another way, you need to stimulate not just demand, but also you need to make supply more flexible.”

El-Erian’s concept of a “new normal” could act as a fresh rubber band that will snap back after economic calamity, or a faux safety net made from IOUs and dreams of wild market speculation.

Sources:

Bloomberg

Pimco

Understanding the “new normal”

Many small businesses are struggling and relying on SBA loans to make ends meet. Image from Flickr.

The Small Business Administration has been charged with helping businesses weather the recession, and money is running out. The 7(a) lending program provides loans, personal and large, to small businesses around the country. The program, which was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is currently in a holding pattern, waiting for more money.

How the SBA provides low cost loans

The Small Business Administration itself does not give instant money to business owners. Instead, the government agency backs up loans made by banks. With the SBA “insurance policy” against default in place, banks are much more willing to act as money lenders to often cash-strapped small businesses. The stimulus package authorized the SBA to waive fees and guarantee up to 90 percent of a loan’s value.

The effect of SBA loans

Small businesses are often forced to rely on credit and loan lenders to keep their businesses going. Over just a three-month period of April, May and June, the SBA lent out $3 billion over 12,123 loans. Compared to the same quarter of 2009, that is 21 percent more emergency money for cash-strapped businesses. The program, however, is still waiting for re-authorization, which is leaving millions of dollars of loans in limbo.

The SBA loan queue

Since the official authorization for SBA loans expired in May, the agency has been forced to queue requests for loans. There are currently 419 borrowers waiting for more than $123 million in SBA-guaranteed funding. Because these SBA loans are often one of the very few types of credit available to these businesses, the agency is scrambling to help them find financing. Given the length of the recession thus far and the fact that the economy is not yet growing at a steady pace, it is almost for certain that programs such as the SBA 7(a) program will need to continue providing support for small business.

Many business victims of the Ireland recession resemble this boarded-up UK pub (Photo: Geograph)

It was just a year ago that Ireland was in recession and losing a job every five minutes. Now the Wall Street Journal reports that the nation has officially exited the recession, based upon export-driven domestic product growth of 2.7 percent for Q1 2010. However, Ireland’s road to economic recovery remains long. One of the hardest-hit euro zone countries in the recent global recession, Ireland’s GDP had fallen by more than 14 percent entering 2010. As the New York Times indicates, a tremendous deficit and 13 percent unemployment have prompted Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen to warn that there’s no easy way out of the economic quagmire.

Ireland and the recession: Investor confidence required

Ireland and its recession have continued largely because the country is paying much more on its benchmark bonds than more economically healthy euro zone countries, says the Times. This has given investors pause and has not reduced guaranteed loan borrowing, making it all the more difficult for Dublin to take care of business. Ireland’s primary goal is to restore investor confidence through deficit reduction, but higher taxes, lower salaries for public workers and the fallout of the burst housing bubble – including an uptick in the origination of low cost loans – have made it difficult for Ireland’s population to wait patiently.

Hanging their hat on exports

Ireland attracted companies like Intel, Microsoft, Facebook and LinkedIn to address previous recessionary woes, but this time, the Irish government is depending upon an export revival, according to the Times. Wage and energy cost decreases – as well as a falling euro – have “improved competitiveness,” writes the Times, but that may not create enough jobs. In fact, wage cuts have driven young workers away. They want instant money, not the promise of a better Ireland in 10 to 15 years, when experts predict future infrastructure spending will resume.

Prime Minister Cowen gritting teeth over 2012 elections

The long, hard road to economic recovery via tough deficit reduction may be the only way that Ireland will escape recession. However, politics are often a “What have you done for me lately?” arena. Prime Minister Cowen, despite his promise that he will not cut public salaries further in Ireland’s next budget, is on the ropes after the haymaker of public opinion. Irish voters may have had enough.

Sources:

Wall Street Journal

New York Times

Related Video:

The Euro made slight gains today. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

After an aggressive plan was put into place to stabilize the value of the Euro, the Euro dollar values began to move on the market. The plan was unveiled by the IMF and European Central Bank to put a massive reserve in place to head off a European debt crisis and aid in the Greece bailout.  The Euro climbed after a lull, and several other major currencies experienced huge swings.  It may not mean too much at the moment, as it doesn’t mean that a modest gain on the Euro means instant money will rain from the sky.

Euro dollar gain only slight

The Euro dollar comparative value, or how much one Euro is worth in American dollars, made only a slight gain, according to the Wall Street Journal.  The Euro was at $1.2732 on Friday, but on Monday, May 10 moved up to $1.2775.  The gain amounted to only 0.2 percent, and the Euro is actually down 10.5 percent so far this year.  Some other currencies gained along with the Euro, like the Australian Dollar, and some others tumbled, such as the Japanese Yen.

Stock markets rebound

Obviously, aside from people who hold more wealth in Euros than dollars, another beneficiary of the Euro dollar climb was the world stock markets.  The Dow Jones jumped over 400 points, Standard and Poor’s saw an increase of over 4 percent for the day of trading after news of the European bailout.  It would seem that some measures of recovery are beginning to take place.The recent near crash of the Dow Jones due to a typo seems to have been abated by good news from the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Is the global crisis over?

The global crisis is not over, not by a long shot.  The Greece bailout has yet to even be enacted, never mind any gains or recovery realized.  A Euro dollar gain, and especially one so modest, doesn’t mean its time to break out the Champagne just yet.

All you will need to do is fill out an easy application form and let our wide network of online lending companies do the rest. Make sure that you don’t leave out any vital personal information, so that the loan process can run smoothly for both you and the loan agent.

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5. Show proof of US citizenship.

Benefits of applying for fast cash online

There are many benefits to applying for fast cash through forms of online loans, but for this article, I’ll focus on the three most important.

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Get the fast cash you need now

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Puerto Rico statehood is a hotly debated issue in and out of the Commonwealth. Image from Flickr.

UPDATE – April 28 – The U.S. House of Representatives has passed HR 2499, the bill calling for a vote on Puerto Rico statehood. HR 2499 passed 223-169 and now moves on to be considered by the Senate.

The U.S. Natural Resources Committee has moved to bring HR 2499, a bill regarding Puerto Rico statehood, to the house floor. HR 2499 is not directly a vote for Puerto Rico statehood, but it does require a vote to be taken in Puerto Rico. Statehood is one of the possible outcomes of this vote. So why is Puerto Rico statehood such a contentious issue? It has something to do with tax debt, something to do with autonomy and a lot to do with questions of representation.

The history of Puerto Rico statehood

The history of the question of Puerto Rico statehood goes back many years. While Puerto Rico was first colonized by the Spanish, it became a United States colony in 1898 during the Spanish-American war. In 1900, the Foraker Act created a civilian government, separate judicial system and nonvoting member of the United States congress. In 1917, all Puerto Ricans became U.S. citizens. In 1947, Puerto Rico was officially made a commonwealth – not quite Puerto Rico statehood, but not an independent nation. Instead, residents of Puerto Rico are U.S. Citizens without voting representation in Congress or the necessity of giving instant money to the IRS.

HR 2499: A vote on Puerto Rico statehood

HR 2499 is a bill in the House of Representatives that calls for the fourth plebiscite – national vote – regarding potential Puerto Rico statehood. The other three plebiscites held have not come out strongly for or against Puerto Rico statehood. The pro-statehood and pro-commonwealth parties in Puerto Rico have about equal support, and the pro-independence party has about 5 percent support. HR 2499 would create the first congressionally-sanctioned plebiscite about Puerto Rico statehood.

The Puerto Rico statehood vote

There would be two votes if HR 2499, the bill raising the question of Puerto Rico statehood, is passed. First, a vote will be held on the question “Should Puerto Rico maintain its present political status.” If the majority of votes are “no” on that question, a second vote would be held. The second vote on Puerto Rico statehood would actually offer three options:

• Independence – breaking all ties between the U.S. and Puerto Rico, creating a separate nation
• Associated Sovereignty – eliminates the U.S. citizenship and Territorial Clause controls of Puerto Rico, but maintains ties with the United States
• Puerto Rico Statehood – makes Puerto Rico the 51st state of the United States, with six congressmen, two U.S. senators and eight presidential electoral votes

There are many good arguments both for and against Puerto Rico statehood. Some say Puerto Rico statehood would offer equal representation to a group of people who are subject to federal laws. However, others argue that Puerto Rico statehood would break up the unique and balanced system that has developed over the last 50 years. What do you think?

Sources:

HR2499.org
PR Statehood.com
No Puerto Rico Statehood.com
Wikipedia

Box Jellyfish (Image from Flickr.com)

About a month ago, 10-year-old Rachael Shardlow was swimming in the Calliope River near Gladstone when she was stung by a box jellyfish, a very potent venom-producing jellyfish. The box jellyfish is known to be one of the deadliest creatures in the world, capable of killing an adult human being in just four minutes, with or without the help of instant money. Amazingly, Rachael survived.

10-year-old stung by a box jellyfish

According to a report by ABC News, Rachael Shardlow is doing well, though she has scarring and is experiencing some short-term memory loss after her box jellyfish incident. “We’ve noticed a small amount of short-term memory loss, like riding a pushbike to school and forgetting she’s taken a pushbike,” said Rachael’s father, Geoff Shardlow.

Rachael was pulled out of the water and onto the riverbank, thanks to her 13-year-old brother. The box jellyfish did not just sting her; it wrapped itself around her limbs and would not let go. With the box jellyfish’s tentacles still strapped around her limbs, she fell unconscious shortly after she managed to inform her brother she couldn’t breathe or see.

‘This kid should not be alive’

Jamie Seymour, a zoology and tropical ecology associate professor at James Cook University, said that anyone with severe stings like Rachael’s, especially stings from a venomous box jellyfish, would likely not survive. “When I first saw the pictures of the injuries I just went, ‘you know to be honest, this kid should not be alive’,” he said. “…They are horrific.” Seymour says he does not know of any case where a victim survived after undergoing such extensive stings, no matter the amount of emergency money at hand. “Usually when you see people who have been stung by box jellyfish with that number of the tentacle contacts on their body, it’s usually in a morgue.”

A miraculous recovery

According to reports, Rachael Shardlow is recovering just fine. She says her wounds from the box jellyfish stings no longer hurt as much but are itchy. She admits she now fears the water, even though she only plans to swim in pools for the time being.

Besides the scarring and slight short-term memory loss, Rachael is doing well. Her father said “the greatest fear was actual brain damage [but] her cognitive skills and memory tests were all fine.” Rachael is expected to require ongoing treatment, but overall, she is healing miraculously.

(Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/of_guido/ / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Blippy credit card info exposed on Google set up 127 Blippy members for the easiest identity theft in the history of the Internet. Flickr photo.

The Blippy credit card info exposed on Google is way too much information.  Blippy invites users use the social networking service to tell their friends about what they buy online. Venturebeat reported Friday that at least one person figured out how to find Blippy members’ credit card numbers on Google. A search VentureBeat calls “fairly obvious” returned 127 results that included full credit card numbers. The Blippy disaster came just one day after Blippy announced it got $11.2 million in instant money from venture capitalists and basked in the attention of a profile in the New York Times.

Blippy sneaks credit card info from Amazon

Blippy credit card info exposed on Google confirms the worst fears of Blippy skeptics who wonder why anyone would want to accept a Blippy invite to share personal details about online shopping habits. The New York Times profile by Brad Stone reported that Amazon.com blocked Blippy invite code allowing people share Amazon purchases. The Blippy invite opened last fall and attracted 125,000 visitors in March. These numbers may have been achieved, in part it appears, through sneaking around Amazon by soliciting Blippy members for access to their Gmail accounts and taking the purchase data from e-mailed Amazon receipts.

Blippy invite code backfires

Blippy credit card info was exposed on Google when Blippy programmers apparently flunked HTML 101. Elanor Mills at CNET News reports that the problem grew from an oversight during the company’s beta test months ago. Blippy had no idea that raw credit card data was viewable in the HTML source of its pages. The data was removed, but for some reason it still shows up in the Google cache. Blippy co-founder Philip Kaplan told Mills that “Unfortunately, the incident was from early in our testing phase when we were just beginning to develop Blippy. We are working hard to bolster our security and make sure it’s stronger, including getting third-party audits from security experts and other measures to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Is Blippy an identity theft engine?

Blippy users actually link their credit cards to the Blippy site. When people link their credit cards to Blippy, merchants pass along their raw transaction data – including credit card numbers. Blippy claims to delete all data except the merchant and money spent. VentureBeat reporters determined that the Blippy credit card info exposed on Google are Citibank-issued MasterCard numbers. These 127 unfortunate Blippy users, and perhaps the whole naive bunch of them, appear to be sitting ducks for identity thieves ready to steal their money now.

NFL experts are wondering if Ted Ginn, traded by Miami to San Francisco, will be cheered or booed by 49er fans next season. Wikimedia Commons photo.

Ted Ginn, traded to the San Francisco 49ers on Friday, was a former first round pick of the Miami Dolphins  in the 2007 NFL draft. To trade for Ginn, San Franciso gave up its fifth-round pick in this weekend’s NFL draft. When the Dolphins traded second-round draft picks in 2010 and 2011 to Denver for wide receiver Brandon Marshall, it was common knowledge that the writing was on the wall for the underachieving Ginn in Miami, who may be flying to San Francisco Friday to take a physical. His primary role in San Francisco is expected to be as a return specialist.

Ted Ginn to 49ers for a paltry sum

Ted Ginn  is under contract for three more years at what may be considered paltry sums in the NFL – $1.03 million, $1.39 million and $1.8 million. Even so, he won’t be needing a personal loan. Marshall’s pay day with the Dolphins is a four-year, $47.5 million  contract extension that includes $24 million in guaranteed money. The deal includes close to $29 million in the first three years of the contract and makes Marshall the highest-paid receiver in NFL history.

Ted Ginn traded:  underachiever at Miami

Ted Ginn (AKA Ted Ginn Jr.) was being shopped around by the Dolphins even before the team acquired Marshall, an elite reciever whose immense talent and production on the field has trumped a long history of disorderly conduct and arrests. Ginn, the No. 9 pick overall in 2007, has yet to reach the potential football experts believed he had as a top-flight wide receiver. After three years in the league he has averaged just 43 catches per season and has just five career TD receptions. In contrast, Marshall, a fourth-round pick, has 307 receptions, 3,710 yards, 23 TDs and 10 110-yard games in the same timeframe.

Ted Ginn to 49ers: slowed by foot injury

Ted Ginn called  himself the “Fastest Man in the Big 10″ when he played at Ohio State. Back then, he may have been right. He had been unofficially timed at 10.02 seconds in the 100 meter dash and 4.20 seconds in the 40 yard dash. But Ginn never seemed to be the same after he injured his foot in the 2007 BCS title game won by the Florida Gators 41-14. The injury forced him to forgo field drills at the 2007 NFL scouting combine. Later in a private workout for NFL scouts, he could only muster between 4.37 and 4.45. On the field in the NFL, Ginn was supposed to make up for his small size (5-11, 180) with gamebreaking speed and moves. But his yards-after-catch numbers, which started at 5.1 his rookie year, fell to 3.6 n -08 and a paltry 1.3 in ’09.

Ted Ginn joins Quinn in San Francisco

When Ted Ginn was drafted by Miami, the selection was greeted with boos by Dolphins fans attending the draft. Many Dolphins players were hoping the team would select Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. Quinn was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, wasn’t instant money, and in an ironic twist, was recently traded to San Franciso, where he could be throwing passes to Ginn come this fall–if either player manages to get on the field.

The National Day of Silence 2010 asks students to be silent to raise awareness of LGBT bullying. Image from Flickr.

Today, April 16, is the National Day of Silence 2010. A student-run grassroots movement to bring attention to the bullying and harassment of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) students throughout the country. National Day of Silence 2010 is an event that anyone can participate in without instant cash loans to donate to the cause. Participants in the Day of Silence 2010 choose to not speak all day and often hand out Day Of Silence speaking cards to explain their silence.

History of the Day of Silence 2010

The Day of Silence 2010 is the 14th annual Day of Silence. First organized in 1996, the Day of Silence started on the University of Virginia campus. Just one year later, the National Day of Silence included more than 100 colleges. Each year, the National Day of Silence is dedicated to a victim of anti-LGBT violence.

National Day of Silence 2010

If you would like to participate in the National Day of Silence 2010, the basic idea is simple. No costs of instant money, no T-shirts to wear. Simply stop speaking during April 16. Of course, not speaking at all for a full day could cause some confusion. There are Day of Silence speaking cards available in PDF form to download. You can also register your participation at www.dayofsilence.org.

National Day of Silence raises students’ rights questions

The National Day of Silence 2010 is going to have participants in almost every major college and school across the country. The National Day of Silence has brought up several questions about a student’s right to free speech. While the right to not speak is considered protected under the first amendment, students do not always have as many protections while they are in a classroom.

For example, a student in a high school may not refuse to answer a direct question in a classroom situation. Some schools can also restrict some expression of the National Day of Silence 2010 if it can be reasonably thought that the students may be representing school opinion, rather than their own opinion. In general, the legal challenges around the National Day of Silence 2010 have been worked out, and just about everyone in the United States can safely participate in the silence.

See the National Day of Silence 2010 PSA

The Neti Pot is an ancient method of sinus irrigation to help allergy sufferers. Image from Flickr.

The Neti pot is fast becoming the hottest allergy relief solution in the country during an exceptionally severe allergy season. The  cheap, low tech Neti pot has been used for nasal irrigation for centuries, but its popularity has skyrocketed among people with sinus problems after a recent feature on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Neti pot: nasal saline irrigation

The Neti pot promises allergy relief for millions of Americans suffering from allergies. Many people can save instant money by avoiding costly doctor visits and prescriptions by using a Neti pot to relieve their sinus problems. Using a Neti pot has even helped some severe allergy sufferers to avoid drastic sinus surgery. Neti pots are also recommended by ear, nose and throat surgeons for their patients after sinus surgery.

Neti Pot: What is it?

A Neti pot is a simple ceramic container that looks like a teapot or Aladdin’s Lamp. It’s also called a nose bidet, which could evoke an amusing visual juxtaposition. But seriously, the Neti pot is an ancient idea originally used in Hatha Yoga tradition. The literal translation means “water cleansing” in Sanskrit. The recipe calls for a pint of warm water, a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of baking soda. Using a Neti pot takes some getting used to, just watch the video below. But once allergy sufferers get past the intimidating appearance of the procedure, they can save money now and change their life for the future.

Neti Pot: how does it work?

The Neti pot allows allergy sufferers to thin mucus and flush it out of their nasal passages. David Rabago, MD, in an interview with WebMD.com, said tiny, hair-like structures called cilia line the inside of the nasal and sinus cavities. These cilia wave back and forth to push mucus either to the back of the throat where it can be swallowed, or to the nose to be blown out. Chronic sinus problems cause the cilia to beat in a slow and uncoordinated way. Saline solution can help increase the speed and improve coordination of the cilia so that they may more effectively remove the bacteria, allergens, and other irritants that cause sinus problems.

Neti Pot: is it safe?

WebMD.com says research shows the Neti pot is safe. About 10 percent of regular users experience mild side effects, such as nasal irritation and stinging and the rare nosebleed. Reducing the amount of salt in the solution, using the Neti pot less often, and using cooler water will reduce side effects. Because you’re using a Neti pot to battle sinus problems caused by allergies, it’s very important to sterilize it, either in the dish washer or with boiling water, after each use.

Neti Pot:  save time, money and suffering

There’s a chance using a Neti Pot can help allergy sufferers avoid the inconvenience of a doctor visit and spending extra cash on a prescription. Plus, you can find one for about $10-$20 at the local pharmacy, health food store or online retailers like drugstore.com. When the sneezing, watery eyes, and sinus headaches start coming on, regular saline sinus irrigation using a Neti pot can provide immediate relief and help keep the symptoms from coming back.

VIDEO: How to use a Neti pot

Rep. Eric Cantor and family were threatened by Norman LeBoon with a "final Yom Kippur." (Photo: Wikipedia)

Norman LeBoon called Rep. Eric Cantor “my Congressman,” even though the Philadelphia resident lived nowhere near the office of the Virginia Congressman. However, his hate-filled YouTube message to the politician was considered a threat upon Cantor’s life; it prompted the U.S. Attorney’s office in Philadelphia to charge LeBoon with two criminal counts. LeBoon is now being held without bail, so instant money can’t spring him from jail. According to the Philadelphia Star, the law became involved when Norman LeBoon’s anti-Eric Cantor video was seen by a San Francisco resident, who in turn reported it to the FBI.

Norman LeBoon may have had nothing to do with gunshots at Cantor’s office

What is clear is that Norman LeBoon’s video bears threats to Eric Cantor and his family. It mentions a “final Yom Kippur.” Luckily, as Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Reed told the Star, neither Eric Cantor nor his family was harmed. The shots fired at Cantor’s Virginia district office – the ones believed to have been fired in protest of the health care reform issue – have not been connected to Norman LeBoon at this time.

The messiah has a history of mental illness

As mentioned previously, Norman LeBoon is being held without bail. He is believed to be a flight risk and a danger to others. Reed told the media that LeBoon, who calls himself a “messiah” and “the son of the God of Enoch” in his YouTube videos, has a history of mental illness and will undergo psychiatric evaluation. He also has a prior arrest involving terrorist threats, assault and reckless endangerment of his roommate. That case is still open. Currently, the divorced father of two gets money now from disability.

More on the final Yom Kippur

Norman LeBoon clearly feels that Eric Cantor has a lot for which he must make atonement. In one of many rambling YouTube videos, LeBoon says, “Remember, Eric . . . our judgment time, the final Yom Kippur, has been given.” He refers to the Virginia Congressman by such colorful terms as “Lucifer,” “pig” and “abomination.”

It would seem that if Norman LeBoon were indeed a messiah, he would have been able to predict that posting such a video on a public video site would lead to the end of his ministry.

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The Initial Public Offering of a company is big news on Wall Street. Image from Flickr.

The initial public offering of a company is usually a very closely and carefully watched event. Today, three separate company IPOs have gone very well. Calix Networks, MaxLinear and First Interstate BancSystem have all shown better-than-expected stock earnings. Calix and MaxLinear are both companies focused on internet infrastructure and are doing very well on the talk of the National Broadband Plan. First Interstate, on the other hand, is a bank that has shown strength in the difficult economy, its IPO is providing instant money to inject into their growth.

Calix Networks specializes in equipment

Based in Petaluma, California, Calix Networks started trading on the NASDAQ exchange today under the ticker symbol CALX. Calix specializes in designing and manufacturing equipment for fiber-based networks, including telephone, television and internet. One of Calix’s largest customers is independent service provider CentryTel, and the company is banking on the new National Broadband Plan to help increase sales. Calix’s initial $200 million start-up cost was funded by both private equity firms and venture capital investors. While Calix had assumed an IPO stock price of about $13, shares are currently trading for about $16. Most industry watchers are estimating that Calix will continue to improve its stock price as broadband becomes even more important to national infrastructure.

MaxLinear saves network power

Another network-focused stock that had a good IPO showing today is Carlsbad, California based Maxlinear. Trading on the NYSE as MXL, MaxLinear was last trading at about $18 a share. MaxLinear designs and manufactures processing chips for mobile and small-scale devices. MaxLinear claims that the technology it uses saves significant amounts of power, which helps extend battery life. Like Calix, MaxLinear raised initial start-up costs through quick payday loans from venture capital firms. MaxLinear was the most hotly anticipated IPO of the day and estimates were the stock would sell for $11 to $13 apiece, which they quickly surpassed. MaxLinear chips are used in a wide variety of cell phones, hand-held devices, televisions and consumer electronics.

First Interstate BancSystem

As an antidote to the high-technology Calix and MaxLinear initial public offerings today, the NASDAQ also saw the IPO of a regional bank. First Interstate BancSystem Inc. is a regional banking system with branches in Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming. The first U.S. bank to go public since July of 2007, First Interstate’s stock price went from $14.50 a share to $16 in morning trading. Trading under the symbol FIBK, First Interstate Bank was able to show an improved net interest income and total assets while many other banks were being taken over by the FDIC.

Sources:

Wall Street Journal
Red Herring
24/7 Wall Street

Learn to type or stay away from fluidnow.com

Florida residents whose typing skills are less than perfect may end up paying fees to file unemployment claims. The correct web address for filing unemployment claims through Florida Unemployment Internet Direct (FLUID) is www.fluidnow.com, which redirects internet users to www.floridajobs.org, the official website for the State of Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation. Typists who key in “wwwfluidnow.com,” however, without the period between “www” and “fluidnow,” find themselves at http://www.wwwfluidnow.com, an unscrupulous web site that charges fees to file unemployment claims.

Bypass fluidnow.com

In order to avoid paying extra cash for the privilege of being unemployed, Florida residents filing for benefits online should bypass www.fluidnow.com.  No matter how amazing their typing skills, Florida residents should go directly to the official web site (www.floridajobs.org) and click on the tab that says “File an Unemployment Claim.”

File complaints with the Florida Attorney General

The Florida Attorney General issued a warning last week to be wary of unofficial websites offering to file claims. Florida residents who have been charged fees to file unemployment-benefit claims may contact the office of the Florida Attorney General by phone at (866) 966-7226 or file online complaints at the Florida Attorney General web site.

Watch for scam sites in other states, too

According to the Sun Sentinel, unemployed residents of Oklahoma and Nebraska have been subjected to similar scams. It appears that unemployed residents of all states, not just Florida, can unknowingly end up paying fees to file unemployment claims if they wander onto the fluidnow scam site (www.wwwfluidnow.com).

Why Florida?

Florida has a higher-than-average unemployment rate, so it provides a ready source of instant money for scam companies with sights trained on benefit claims.  The U.S. Department of Labor and the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation reported that Florida’s unemployment rate reached 11.9 percent in January of this year, the highest unemployment rate in the state since 1975. By way of comparison, the national unemployment rate in January was 9.7 percent.

Roxanne Spillett's 2008 compensation was more than double that of CEOs for comparably sized non-profits. (Photo: Bgcc.org)

Without question, the Boys & Girls Club of America has done an admirable amount of charity work for the youth of this nation. But when CEOs like Roxanne Spillett take home a total salary of $988,591, it makes some Republican senators nervous. It makes them so nervous that they begin to question whether her organization should be receiving the millions in instant money federal funds they take in each year, according to The Huffington Post.

And Roxanne Spillett has been closing various Boys & Girls clubs

Tax filings indicate that in the same year that Roxanne Spillett took home nearly $1 million, organization officials spent “$4.3 million on travel, $1.6 million on conferences, conventions and meetings and $544,000 in lobbying fees.” That’s high overhead for a non-profit that’s closing down locations. If only the children could tap their blueblood country club buddies into this – then perhaps they’ll be able to keep Boys & Girls clubs open. Maybe the leftovers would be enough for a foosball table, maybe even a box of store brand popsicles!

Is Roxanne Spillett helping the children as she should?

Some children, yes – but could she be doing more? Could she make it with a pay cut during this recession. I don’t know about you, but I could barely make do with a $1 million salary. OK, it isn’t all “salary.” According to The Huffington Post, that amounts to a base salary of $360,774, a $150,000 bonus (was she paid by Kevin Garn, too?), $83,152 in “other compensation,” a whopping $385,000 deferred compensation and $9,165 in nontaxable benefits. Oh well, kids, perhaps you can find safe fun on the street corner.

And… drum roll… Boys & Girls club posted $13.6 million loss

This is also backed up by tax records. The senators responded to this with

“We find it hard to reconcile this loss with the amount spent on executive salaries, perks, and lobbying expenses. We are especially concerned because it is our understanding that some independent clubs have closed or are on the cusp of closing because of a lack of funding.”

Roxanne Spillett is no doubt well aware that the Boys & Girls Club of America received $41 million in government grants (our tax dollars, mind you) and $51 million in gift and contributions. If they spent $57.6 million on grants to local clubs and $37.5 million in salaries and benefits that same year, you can see that something has to give. The Post has the figures.

Roxanne Spillett made more than double the non-profit CEO average

Spillett’s near $1 million 2008 compensation more than doubled the $462,000 average non-profit/charity CEO money now – and that’s for non-profits with expenses over $100 million per year, according to Charity Navigator. As Charity Navigator President and CEO Ken Berger told the Post, “If you want to be a millionaire, go and work in the for-profit sector.”

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"Please don't hurt me, Mr. Son of the devil's spawn!"

Politics make for tough sledding, boys and girls. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel recognizes this, and reports indicate that he sharpens the runners before going to work. That’s why it doesn’t surprise me at all that people like Rep. Eric Massa refer to him as “the son of the devil’s spawn,” a classic phrase if ever there was one about political bedfellows. In the case of Eric Massa and Rahm Emanuel, however, their sparring matches extended into the shower. You can’t hide from the long arm of the Rahm, people.

Eric Massa won’t run for another term, claims Rahm forced him out

That’s one way of looking at it. Another might be Mr. Massa’s recent sexual harassment scrape, as well as thoughts about health care that run contrary to constituents in his district (see the video below). Some might argue that Eric Massa calling out Rahm Emanuel as “son of the devil’s spawn” has less bite than it could have, if Massa had a better public reputation. But there is little doubt that Rahm Emanuel isn’t tossing softballs when he’s hunting for Obama-centric votes. Emanuel isn’t above calling liberal activists who don’t fall in line “retarded,” and he has no qualms about living rent-free if it serves his political ends. But what stands out is that Rahm Emanuel is simply mean. Whether he gets his quick loans from Mephistopheles is uncertain.

The honorable Mr. Massa of New York shall elucidate

According to the Huffington Post, Eric Mass said that Rahm Emanuel is “an individual who would sell his mother to get a vote. He would strap his children to the front end of a steam locomotive.”

But is he mindful of the game, you ask? It appears that way, according to Massa, whose vote on health care reform was a vital piece. “You think that somehow they didn’t come after me to get rid of me because my vote is the deciding vote in the health care bill?” he asked.

It gets steamy in the shower

Massa claims that Rahm Emanuel once stalked him into a shower stall at the Congressional gym. As he puts it,

“I’m sitting there showering, naked as a jaybird and here comes Rahm Emanuel not even with a towel wrapped around his tush, poking his finger in my chest, yelling at me because I wasn’t going to vote for the president’s budget. Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?”

Eric Massa resigns; Rahm Emanuel continues to grind his gears

Yes, Massa claims he was set up during that whole sexual harassment thing. He also insists that Rahm Emanuel set him up. Are you sure you don’t mean Larry Craig set you up, Mr. Massa? That’s instant money, if you’re talking comedy. Ha.

(Photo Credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/neeta_lind/ / CC BY 2.0) and http://www.advanceusa.org/

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A quick payday installment loan is more than just another option. It can act as a close partner during your most trying times. If used wisely, an instant cash loan can provide you the fullest benefits without being a heavy burden. In times of trouble, it is always hard to borrow from people that we know; no matter if they are our sibling, parent, or friend, since many people would rather not strain their relationships. In that case, a short term installment loan is an essential tool.

How a short term installment loan works

You needn’t be apprehensive about a payday loan if you use it responsibly. An easy installment loan is provided by a payday loan lender to help people get back on their feet again, at their greatest convenience. The lender does not enforce the full repayment of the loan right away, so setting aside a small amount of payment lets you flexibly manage your money resources once more.

Life can be very hard. But with my payday installment loan…

I have always thought of myself as extremely hardworking. I work around the clock just like everybody else. Even so, sometimes it is not enough because I do fail to meet some of my goals from time to time. I have recently found out how hard it is for an ordinary person like me to get out a huge financial mess without going for a guaranteed loan. The best option for me was to go for a short term installment loan. In more ways than I can list, taking out this instant money has helped me survive.

So the next time you end up in a bind like me, look no further than this article to grab your own opportunity to apply for a payday installment loan.

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