"House OKs rescue for homeowners, Freddie, Fannie"

Today the house passed a bill to bail out Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with their struggling mortgages with a 272 to 152 vote. They said that

"The bill would let the Federal Housing Administration back $300 billion in new loans so an estimated 400,000 homeowners who cannot afford their house payments could try to escape foreclosure by refinancing into safer, more affordable mortgages. Lenders would have to agree to take a substantial loss on the existing loans, and in return, they would walk away with at least some payoff and avoid the often-costly foreclosure process."

No one bothers to mention that financial companies need to stop lending to everyone they meet. It is not a smart business decision. This why there are problems right now. If someone is 100k+ in debt, they probably should not get more loans or more credit cards. However, they don't bother to cut them off. I know Freddie and Fannie are mortgages companies. But same idea applies. No second mortgages. No extra loans

I am not sure how long the link will last. However, I know this issue is not going away that easily.

More planets? Didn't they say pluto wasn't one?

For all you astronomy lovers out there, The International Astronomical Union (IAU) discovered another planet. They have dubbed it, Makemake.

Fourth Dwarf Planet Named For Polynesian God

Also, on August 12, 2008 there will be the Perseids meteor shower (aka shooting stars.) It will be a beautiful site. (It can be used for a romantic outing.) (Binoculars are good for star viewing if you do not have telescope, but meteor showers can be seen without either.)

For more information on the meteor shower:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseids

For tips on watching the meteor shower:
http://stardate.org/nightsky/meteors/

Enjoy.

Be Aware

Needless to say, it is Hurricane Season. For anyone who doesn't live in Hurricane areas it is just as scary as tornadoes, blizzards, and any other type of disaster.

This post serves two purposes.

First, to emphasize paying attention to the news. May it be weather related (such as hurricanes, tornado, etc.), or just general news. (Such as Indymac, Fannie Mae, and so forth.) By paying attention, you are preparing yourself for the unfortunate. Anyone with the tiniest reasoning skills can foresee trouble. Do not forget the local news. It worth your time and effort. Those are the events that rule your daily life. Such as I would not have known the change in the amount one can sue for in the small claims court.

Second, organize all your important documents into one place, and put in a unlocked tote like container. (It needs to be easy to carry) I was told before that it is okay to have a lock on it, but you don't really want to lock it, because if you are ever robbed, you do not wish for the robbers to take the box. If it is left unlocked, they can open it and see that there is no money or jewels in it. Also, it is wise to have a certain amount of cash stashed away, because in a crisis, it is quite likely plastic (credit/debit cards) can not be used.

Remember, we are a paper (document) dependent world. (Our assets and ownership is tied into who we are, and if you don't have what you need to prove it, then it can be difficult to get what you need and what belongs to you.

The following picture is the current hurricane conditions. It is something I watch very closely. I got it from the National Hurricane Center. (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/)



Take care, be safe, and stay aware.

What to Watch Out When Job Hunting

Job hunting is a difficult task. I do not think anyone would disagree.
In this time and era, it is futhermore complicated by people who want to scam you.
I can not say exactly what to watch out for. Just like with all other types of scams, you have to use common sense.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

I have included some sites that may aid your search.
Needless to say, it does not cover all things out there.

http://www.419legal.org/
http://www.ripoffreport.com/

One tip is try to stay with reputable companies and school (university) job listings.
Another tip is google the company or the person sending you a job offer.

Craigslist is a good source for local job posting, but remember anyone can put something up. Be careful of scam posting. (Craigslist also warns of scammers. Do take time to read what they say.)

Good luck to you all.

This is Disturbing

Indymac (the second largest FDIC insured bank) has been closed down. I can only hope this does not become a trend.
I have included two links to this story, just incase one of the links expire.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080711/ap_on_bi_ge/indymac
http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=648907

Good luck to all, and take care.

No Tax Break for Ball State University

According to Ball State online, the IRS has given Ball State University a limit on cell phone, and PDAs.

"The IRS just gave Ball State University an excuse to limit the use of university-owned cell phones and PDAs. According to the Internal Revenue Service's Taxable Fringe Benefit Guide, cell phones and PDAs are now 'listed items,' which means the university can't claim them for tax purposes."

http://media.www.bsudailynews.com/media/paper849/sections/20080710Forum.html

For Your Amusement

This is a funny site.
Basically it covers the big news topics with a bit of humor.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0708/hamilton071008.php3

If you scroll to the bottom, there is an archive of previous articles.

Also, if anyone cares, the lexicon of the day is: impetuous. It means impulsive, without thought.

"We pay dead people"

I found this interesting article which talks about how heirs of the recipients of stimulus payments got to cash in, due to the recipients dying.

Check it out:
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=769947

Hurricane Tracker

For those who live in hurricane/ typhoon areas, hurricane season is a big deal.
Everyone emphasises on being prepared for hurricane type weather.
It can show up very fast, like Katrina.

One of the best sites to track hurricane weather (both Atlantic and Pacific related) is the National Hurricane Center website.
They have all types of maps and charts that are easy to understand. Also, they have hurricane background information, and the lists of hurricane names used, to be, and retired.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml

Stay safe and be well.

Saving is Good.

As everyone tightens its belt to save money here are some easy ways without giving up much to do so.

The first two links are the same article, because I know yahoo links to sometimes expire.
The article talks about how to increase gas mileage, which we all know is good.
They mention combining errands, avoiding left turns, and a bunch of other tips.

http://news.yahoo.com/page/parade/gas

http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2008/edition_07-06-2008/4Save_On_Gas

The other link talks about how to increase your savings. One tip they mention, that I really like, collecting instead of spending your change.

http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2008/edition_05-11-2008/8Savings_Strategies

Good luck to all, and take care.

How to Buy a Car.

Buying a car is not an easy task.
You can not just go in there and say "I want a car."
If you do, you are likely going to be ripped off.

I found an article that gives some tips on buying a car, so you may get the best deal on what you want.

http://biz.yahoo.com/cnnm/080702/070208_dont_tell_salesman.html?.&.pf=family-home

Good luck and be well.

Accounting and Financial Sites

I found this accounting site that is really useful.
Even though it is a mainly British Accounting / Financial site, it talks about issues related to our daily lives.

Check it out!

http://www.accountancyage.com/

Another useful site I found that relates to taxes is

http://tax-news.com/

Happy Birthday America

I know this is slightly belated, but Happy 4th of July.
That is all that needs to be said.

TGIT?

According to Associate Press, Utah is moving toward a four day work week.
Wonder how that is going to go. I do think that will decrease efficiency.

Check it out:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080703/ap_on_re_us/four_day_workweek

DIY

DIY (Do it yourself) is a major current trend that has been around for a while
It is a good way to save money, and to learn about the things around you that you use every day.
Of course, doing a DIY project is only good, and only saves money if you do it right.
I read this article/blog about common DIY mistakes.
Hopefully this will help anyone out there who takes on a DIY project.
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/home/5-common-do-it-yourself-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them-189644/

Good luck and best wishes.