This is great!!! Too Many people FREAKING OUT like crazy. Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics. Our society is nuts!
Okay if you have trouble viewing the video below, you can see the whole thing at http://www.todaysbigthing.com/2009/12/15
12.17.2009
10.24.2009
THE BIG BAFFLE
What's that old definition of insanity? "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?
Well this blog is about a few government programs that I think have a little bit of insanity to them, and I will tell you why.
First of all the programs:
They say we are almost out of the recession and things are looking up, however I fear they are wrong.
The next presidential candidate that will take on national debt as if it was Saddam Hussein has my vote.
PULL YOUR HEAD OUT...
Well this blog is about a few government programs that I think have a little bit of insanity to them, and I will tell you why.First of all the programs:
- Cash for Clunkers http://www.cashforclunkers.org/ Was this program set up so everyone could buy (spend their money) a new car or so the government could have their constituents spend their money to help out a failing industry? I believe the later. The interest is not in the people but in the companies.
- $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Credit http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/2009/glance.php Again, is this to help first time home buyers or is this to try and save a industry that imploded. Either way it encourages the general public to spend, spend, spend. Yes, it may be a good time to buy a home now but the overall incentive is to get in debt. An acquaintance told me that they bought a home and tried to use this 8,000 but in the paper work, it is worded that the 8,000 has to be paid back through the life of the loan? I wouldn't mind hearing if others have had similar experiences?
- Cash for Refrigerators (Yes Refrigerators) http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/aug2009/db20090821_304909.htm Wow what will they they think of next, Cash for used toilet paper? Again, this effort is to help the companies Whirlpool and Electrolux.
Please tell me that someone else sees the underlying problem here?
Does it make any sense at all that during a BIG recession that our very own government leaders put out incentives for Americans to spend their money?
Is this not one of the biggest OXYMORON's of all time; nation in recession, nation encouraged to spend and go in debt (by the leaders???).
In most cases, the average American does not have any money to spend. The average American is in debt, yet the government finds a way to advertise cars on sale, refrigerators on sale, houses on sale, spend-spend-spend. Yes, spend money you don't have!!!
Our government clearly spends money they do not have. That is ever evident by the national debt clock about to hit 12- TRILLION.They say we are almost out of the recession and things are looking up, however I fear they are wrong.
The next presidential candidate that will take on national debt as if it was Saddam Hussein has my vote.
PULL YOUR HEAD OUT...
9.18.2009
Today's BIG Thing!!!
I came across this great website called "Today's Big Thing". I quite enjoy the website and the name parallels with the title of this blog, the BIG Picture! It is a site that posts one video clip every day. The video clip that day is probably selected amongst thousands but this site knows how to pick funny videos. So I added a "liked links" to the page. Last week I added the national debt clock counter which I was excited to have on the blog as well. For those that follow this blog, you know how I feel about the national debt.
Enjoy the website, I do. Here is a brief listof a few recent videos worth looking at:
September 17
September 15
September 11, favorite
September 2
August 26
August 11, favorite, I found the site on this day
August 6
August 5, fake
August 4
I haven't really looked at videos prior to August.
PULL YOUR HEAD OUT!!!
9.05.2009
How do you waste your time?
I read an article the other day about an 11-year old whiz kid who just graduated from LA College. I liked the article. I like reading about societies potential next Einstein or the next great mind. At the end of the article it discusses Moshe's dislike for video games saying they are a waste of time because it doesn't help others. I thought that was interesting coming from an 11-year old . So below is the article, and keep in mind: HOW DO YOU WASTE YOUR TIME?
11-YEAR OLD GRADUATE
Moshe Kai Cavalin, 11, graduates with honors from East Los Angeles Community College with a Associate Arts degree in Liberal Studies this week, but just don't call him a genius.
"I consider myself a regular kid who works hard and does his best," says this only child of a Taiwanese mother and an Israeli father.
When Cavalin started college at the age of 8, he may have been the youngest person in class, but he ended up tutoring some of his 19- and 20-year-old classmates in math and science. Cavalin was one of 3 in the school graduating with a 4.0 GPA.
Astrophysics is his passion. Albert Einstein and Bruce Lee are among his idols.
Yet like a twist out of a Hollywood action flick, Cavalin combines his exceptional smarts with fearsome martial arts abilities: The preteen has won numerous national martial arts championships.
Up next for the tireless boy wonder: In the next take six months to a year he plans to devote himself to martial arts, write a book for kids on how to succeed in school, and take up scuba diving.
Not on the agenda: playing video games.
"I feel it's a waste of time playing video games because it's not helping humanity in any way," says the 11-year-old, who wants to use his knowledge to change the world.
11-YEAR OLD GRADUATE
Moshe Kai Cavalin, 11, graduates with honors from East Los Angeles Community College with a Associate Arts degree in Liberal Studies this week, but just don't call him a genius.
"I consider myself a regular kid who works hard and does his best," says this only child of a Taiwanese mother and an Israeli father.
When Cavalin started college at the age of 8, he may have been the youngest person in class, but he ended up tutoring some of his 19- and 20-year-old classmates in math and science. Cavalin was one of 3 in the school graduating with a 4.0 GPA.
Astrophysics is his passion. Albert Einstein and Bruce Lee are among his idols.
Yet like a twist out of a Hollywood action flick, Cavalin combines his exceptional smarts with fearsome martial arts abilities: The preteen has won numerous national martial arts championships.Up next for the tireless boy wonder: In the next take six months to a year he plans to devote himself to martial arts, write a book for kids on how to succeed in school, and take up scuba diving.
Not on the agenda: playing video games.
"I feel it's a waste of time playing video games because it's not helping humanity in any way," says the 11-year-old, who wants to use his knowledge to change the world.
8.21.2009
THE BIG ALERT
I grew up in southern Nevada and have lived here most of my life. However, the other day I was checking the weather and realized there was a weather warning in effect. I figured it must be a flash flood storm or high winds coming our way. However, to my dismay, the weather alert was EXTREME HEAT??????????
I was dumbfounded!!!
That is like going to Alaska in the winter time and packing shorts? Or bringing a jacket to Hawaii in the summer time? SO STUPID...
I'm glad that I checked the weather that day because I viewed the warning telling me, dude today is going to be HOT!!! If I hadn't sat at my computer and checked the weather, I would have gone outside and experinced HEAT, EXTREME HEAT?? Wow, that warning almost kept me from going outside and doing what I normally do outside every day here.
If any of you are familiar with the southern Nevada climate, you know that pretty much from June to late August you can expect temperatures from 105 to 120 on any given day.
A few tips the natiaional weather service provides for this EXTREME HEAT ALERT, are provided below:
- Spend more time in air conditioning places
- Drink plenty of water (not alcohol)
- Slow down, dont work outside in hottest part of the day
- Do not take salt tablets
Then I realized that this warning just must be for stupid people.
I imagine someone sued the weather service station after a trip to southern nevada because they were not forewarned about the HEAT.
PULL YOUR HEAD OUT!!!
7.30.2009
7.27.2009
ECONOMICS
I received this via email the other day and figured I would share.
An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before,
but had once failed an entire class.
--------------------------------------------
That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.
The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan".
All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.
The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.
As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D!
No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.
The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
So maybe this story is not true. But the principle is interesting and reminds me of another story of a person that tried to provide all solutions to everyone. Are we not known by our works, our efforts, our desires. Are we each given agency to learn for ourselves to figure out if there is something worth standing up for?
The key word in the last sentence is "succeed". How do you define success, how can you achieve success in the time you have been given in this life?
PULL YOUR HEAD OUT!!!
6.15.2009
What's up with 401(K)'s
Nothing!!!
Not much is up with 401Ks. When I was out of high school my dad told me how great the 401k plan is and I do agree it does have it's positives.
Now it might be easy for me to discuss why I don't like 401ks given the recent turn of the DOW index from 14,000 to 6,600 in about 6 months. However, I will give you a few reasons of my disgust with the 401k retirement plans.
I have lost money in my 401k plan and I recognize that I have no one to blame but myslef for that. Luckily though I am not 50+ and have not lost half my investment/retirement. However, I am young (or I tell myself that) and did lose 50% of my money, but that pot of money is relatively small compared to most others.
Here are a few reasons why I do not like the 401K plan:
1: By investing in a 401k one automatically signs up to become a mutual fund manager, or market investor. Are you qualified? Do you have what it takes? Most people are ignorant and think I have a retirement plan (a 401K), I will be safe....
2: You pay someone to manage your retirement money whether that fund goes up or down. Many people lost a great deal of money, but their mutual fund managers still made great money. In-fact they probably received a bailout on top of what we have been paying them every time a portion of our checks enter a 401k. Do you think our ancestors would roll over in their graves if they new we pay others to hold our money?
3: A financial planner will tell you that the market since inception has averaged over 12% a year. This is a true fact, however will that trend always remain? There are lots of existing factors that do not point in that direction. Lets say it does though, if the DOW were at 10,000 in 2010 and it averaged a 12% gain for the next 20 years, in 2030 the DOW would be at 96 thousand and change. Yeah right!!!
4: HIDDEN FEES, gotta love those!
5: A 401K plan provides a false sense of future security, which increases a tolerance of debt and promotes bad spending habits of living beyond ones means.
6: Your money is essentially inaccessible until you 59.5 or whatever the age is now. Sure you can borrow against it which is a stupid idea and you can pull money out of it which is another stupid idea! This equals a loss of other investments that you could have made during this time.
7: Limited choices of funds and lack of education. Red=risky but high returns (go for the lottery wins) Green equals having your money in the bank. Choices based on risk, yes you are a good investor. Can anyone name a stock in their mutual fund?
Not much is up with 401Ks. When I was out of high school my dad told me how great the 401k plan is and I do agree it does have it's positives.
Now it might be easy for me to discuss why I don't like 401ks given the recent turn of the DOW index from 14,000 to 6,600 in about 6 months. However, I will give you a few reasons of my disgust with the 401k retirement plans.
I have lost money in my 401k plan and I recognize that I have no one to blame but myslef for that. Luckily though I am not 50+ and have not lost half my investment/retirement. However, I am young (or I tell myself that) and did lose 50% of my money, but that pot of money is relatively small compared to most others.
Here are a few reasons why I do not like the 401K plan:
1: By investing in a 401k one automatically signs up to become a mutual fund manager, or market investor. Are you qualified? Do you have what it takes? Most people are ignorant and think I have a retirement plan (a 401K), I will be safe....
2: You pay someone to manage your retirement money whether that fund goes up or down. Many people lost a great deal of money, but their mutual fund managers still made great money. In-fact they probably received a bailout on top of what we have been paying them every time a portion of our checks enter a 401k. Do you think our ancestors would roll over in their graves if they new we pay others to hold our money?
3: A financial planner will tell you that the market since inception has averaged over 12% a year. This is a true fact, however will that trend always remain? There are lots of existing factors that do not point in that direction. Lets say it does though, if the DOW were at 10,000 in 2010 and it averaged a 12% gain for the next 20 years, in 2030 the DOW would be at 96 thousand and change. Yeah right!!!
4: HIDDEN FEES, gotta love those!
5: A 401K plan provides a false sense of future security, which increases a tolerance of debt and promotes bad spending habits of living beyond ones means.
6: Your money is essentially inaccessible until you 59.5 or whatever the age is now. Sure you can borrow against it which is a stupid idea and you can pull money out of it which is another stupid idea! This equals a loss of other investments that you could have made during this time.
7: Limited choices of funds and lack of education. Red=risky but high returns (go for the lottery wins) Green equals having your money in the bank. Choices based on risk, yes you are a good investor. Can anyone name a stock in their mutual fund?
The solution...
Figure it out yourself!!!
I think it is simply to not put all your eggs in the same basket. I believe that future generations will not bank on 401Ks the same that we have been told to not count entirely on Social Security. I think younger generations will need an assortment of investments to retire properly: real-estate, bonds, business ventures, stock investments, passive income, collectibles and other types of investment vehicles.
May we not be as the picture when I started this blog.
http://ryansbigpicture.blogspot.com/2008/09/big-picture.html
6.10.2009
3.12.2009
BIG MONEY!!!
Many of you might have seen an email being flown around trying to depict to the public what comprises a trillion dollars. I previously showed you this in zero's in a previoust post.
http://ryansbigpicture.blogspot.com/2008/09/money-thats-problem.html
No matter how you may try to conceive a trillion dollars, I think that many of you do not fully understand a trillion dollars. I liked the e-mail I received so I am including it on this blog. Although it is shown what a trillion dollors is, it is still unfathomable.
Shame on ourselves for allowing our government to be ELEVEN trillion dollars in debt and throw around trillion dollar bills in congress.
Here you go...
No matter how you may try to conceive a trillion dollars, I think that many of you do not fully understand a trillion dollars. I liked the e-mail I received so I am including it on this blog. Although it is shown what a trillion dollors is, it is still unfathomable.
Shame on ourselves for allowing our government to be ELEVEN trillion dollars in debt and throw around trillion dollar bills in congress.
Here you go...
A $100 Bill (The remaining piles of money are composed of $100 Bills) 
$10,000 
This small stack of bills is One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) 
This crate of money is 100 million dollars ($100,000,000)
A billion dollars ($1,000,000,000) 
Behold, a trillion dollars ($1,000,000,000,000)!!! Note the man is still there to the left of the picture, the crates are stacked two high.
If I count correctly the area that is shown here is representative of the area within a highschool track, the football field and supporting area between the football field and the track. That is still stacking two high too.
One trillion dollars! May I remind you that the US is eleven trillion dollars in debt so stack 20 more crates high on the original two shown in the picture and you have our national debt. That means that the crates would stack to be about 100 feet high. Can you fathom it? http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
Let's all pull our heads out together!!!
1.25.2009
1.13.2009
THE BIG JOB OPPORTUNITY!!!
This post goes out to all my relatives or friends that are either single, newly married, about to retire, or just need to get away for 6-months. Australia is advertising the best job in the world. Yes, they are taking applications so go ahead and apply, the deadline is February 22nd. See the details of the article below.
SYDNEY (AFP) – An Australian state is offering internationally what it calls "the best job in the world" -- earning a top salary for lazing around a beautiful tropical island for six months.
The job pays 150,000 Australian dollars (105,000 US dollars) and includes free airfares from the winner's home country to Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland's state government announced on Tuesday.
In return, the "island caretaker" will be expected to stroll the white sands, snorkel the reef, take care of "a few minor tasks" -- and report to a global audience via weekly blogs, photo diaries and video updates.
The successful applicant, who will stay rent-free in a three-bedroom beach home complete with plunge pool and golf buggy, must be a good swimmer, excellent communicator and be able to speak and write English.
"They'll also have to talk to media from time to time about what they're doing so they can't be too shy and they'll have to love the sea, the sun, the outdoors," said acting state Premier Paul Lucas.
"The fact that they will be paid to explore the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, swim, snorkel and generally live the Queensland lifestyle makes this undoubtedly the best job in the world."
Lucas said the campaign was part of a drive to protect the state's 18 billion Australian dollar a year tourism industry during the tough economic climate caused by the global financial meltdown.
"Traditional tourism advertising just doesn't cut it sometimes and we are thinking outside the box by launching this campaign."
Queensland Tourism Minister Desley Boyle said some people might question whether it was risky to let an unknown person become an unofficial tourism spokesperson for the state.
"I think the biggest risk will be that the successful candidate won't want to go home at the end of the six months," she said.
"This is a legitimate job which is open to anyone and everyone."
Applications are open until February 22. Eleven shortlisted candidates will be flown to Hamilton Island in early May for the final selection process and the six month contract will commence on July 1.
Job-seekers can apply on .
Islandreefjob.com
The job pays 150,000 Australian dollars (105,000 US dollars) and includes free airfares from the winner's home country to Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland's state government announced on Tuesday.
In return, the "island caretaker" will be expected to stroll the white sands, snorkel the reef, take care of "a few minor tasks" -- and report to a global audience via weekly blogs, photo diaries and video updates.
The successful applicant, who will stay rent-free in a three-bedroom beach home complete with plunge pool and golf buggy, must be a good swimmer, excellent communicator and be able to speak and write English.
"They'll also have to talk to media from time to time about what they're doing so they can't be too shy and they'll have to love the sea, the sun, the outdoors," said acting state Premier Paul Lucas.
"The fact that they will be paid to explore the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, swim, snorkel and generally live the Queensland lifestyle makes this undoubtedly the best job in the world."
Lucas said the campaign was part of a drive to protect the state's 18 billion Australian dollar a year tourism industry during the tough economic climate caused by the global financial meltdown.
"Traditional tourism advertising just doesn't cut it sometimes and we are thinking outside the box by launching this campaign."
Queensland Tourism Minister Desley Boyle said some people might question whether it was risky to let an unknown person become an unofficial tourism spokesperson for the state.
"I think the biggest risk will be that the successful candidate won't want to go home at the end of the six months," she said.
"This is a legitimate job which is open to anyone and everyone."
Applications are open until February 22. Eleven shortlisted candidates will be flown to Hamilton Island in early May for the final selection process and the six month contract will commence on July 1.
Job-seekers can apply on .
Islandreefjob.com
Good luck to all that apply for the "Best job in the world".
Pull your head out and apply!!!
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