SWB: Alan B. Rowley II - Success Coach - ECoaching - Email Coaching

I've Won The Lottery

                   AWARD WINNING NOTIFICATION / FINAL NOTICE

Sir/Madam,

We happily announce to you the draw of the EURO MILLIONS SPANISH LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL  WINNINGS PROGRAM PROMOTIONS INCONJUNCTION WITH -LOTTERY held on the 15TH FEBUARY 2008 in SPAIN. Your company or your personal e-mail address attached to ticket number 653-908-321-675 with serial main number 345-790-241-671 drew lucky star  winning numbers 34-32-90-43-32 which consequently won in the 2ND category, you have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of 960.000.00 Euros.(NINE HUNDRED AND SIXTY THOUSAND EUROS).
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
 
The online draws was conducted by a random selection of email addresses from an exclusive list of 29,031 E-mail addresses of individuals and corporate bodies picked by an advanced automated random computer search from the internet all the continents of the world.
.No ticket were sold but all email addresses were assigned to different ticket numbers for representation and privacy.

This lottery was promoted and sponsored by  Spanish European Lottery Board in line with the King Of Spain (REY) for it's annual promotion in order to enhance and promote the use of Internet Explorer Users around the globe. This promotional program takes place once in three years. Due to mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep your winning information confidential until your claims has been processed and your award remitted to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program by some participants.

To claim your winning prize, you should contact the assigned office by e-mail OR telephone for Processing and remittance of your winning funds to you.
CONOSUR
seguros & reaseguros Company
MADRID ESPAÑA
Contact persons:MRS GISELA WILLIAMS
                DR TOM J.LAGE

Email:info.seguros@aol.es
Email :  infoseguroscom@aim.com
DIR/TEL: 0034 606 711 372
TEL/FAX: 0034 912 919 802

Remember, all winning must be claimed not later than two weeks, after this date all unclaimed funds will be included in the next stake.Please note in order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications please remember to quote your Reference number and Batch numbers in all correspondence with the claims officer. 
Furthermore, should there be any change of address do inform our agent as soon as possible.Congratulations once more from our members of staff and thank you for being part of our promotional program.We hope with part of your winning you will take part in our end of year 50 millions Euro International lottery.

Sincerely yours,
MRS,CARLOTA GUILLERMO.
Director Online International Promotions Unit/Lottery Co-ordinator.

N.B
............................................DISCLAIMER.....................................
This message is confidential. It may also be privileged or otherwise protected by work product immunity or other legal rules. If you have received it please let us know by reply it from your system; you should not copy it or disclose its contents to anyone. All messages sent to and from Seguros Mapfre S.A España may be monitored to ensure compliance with internal policies and to protect your winning from the Euro Million Spanish Lottery Award Promotion.
The contents of any e-mail addressed to our clients are subject to our usual terms of business; anything which does not relate to the official business of the firm is neither given nor endorsed by it.

I think I must have amazing luck to have won a lottery that I never entered.  Booyah!

Dollar at Record Low vs. Monopoly Money

How long will it be before we see this headline?

I saw a headline today about the dollar being at a new low against the Euro.  Isn't that a weekly occurrence?  I'll bet it's easy to write the articles for that section of the paper.

Pull up last week's article, change the date, and submit the new article.

The Secret Service is going to have their hands full if they are going to assist the Federal Reserve in keeping people using Federal Reserve Notes as money.  People are going to switch to gold, silver, foreign currency, alcohol, and anything else they have or can get to use for barter.

I also saw that Bernanke was going to tell the Senate that the Fed is going to continue to cut the interest rate.  It won't be long before we are using gold foil covered chocolates to buy things.

Who Needs a Raise?

The head of our school district has asked for a raise for herself and her administrators, which includes principals and vice principals in the schools.  The raises would range between 7% and 12%.  The raise is intended to encourage people to apply for vice principal jobs.

She makes about $119,000 a year and the others make somewhere between $107,000 and $120,000 a year.

There are no vice principal openings.

On the other hand, there are 7 teacher openings.  My wife asked a few teachers if adding their spouses pay to their own, if they made $119,000 a year.  She hasn't found any that do yet.

The teachers are considering going on strike if the pay raises for administrators are approved.

Sensible Shoes Sunday

Diablo Cody is apparently going to wear a couple pairs of Stuart Weitzman's shoes to the Oscars.  Not at the same time, mind you.  That wouldn't be sensible.

I have to confess that I have absolutely no clue who Diablo Cody or Stuart Weitzman are but it's the example here that's important and the Oscar's are a great attraction-getting showcase.

The first pair of shoes, beautifully named the "Retro Rose", will be worn by Cody as she walks down the red carpet.  They will have a rose pattern, hence the name, made out of diamonds.  This pair of shoes will be worth more than a million dollars.

When Cody is done doing her red carpet walk, sans Joan Rivers, she will change into some ballerina flats that are more comfortable.

"Weitzman said: 'I think it is great and typically Diablo that she chose to be not just glamorous but also practical in her choice of shoes for this year's Academy Awards.'"

Yay for million dollar shoe practicality!

*** Update.  It appears that Cody might not wear the shoes after all.  She didn't know that wearing million dollar shoes would attract so much media attention (including this blog).   

Sword Point Saturday - Audio Environment

More on your environment.  This time, the sounds or lack of sounds that you surround yourself with.  Sounds, music, words, all have an effect on us in some way.  It might be mood, stress level (up or down), and sounds have been shown to be able to change heart rate.  They are powerful and should not be left to chance, when possible.

Pick 3 different activities and tell me what sounds you purposely have accompany them.  Here's mine:

Karate:  I play what my wife calls "Anger Music".  I have recently stumbled across Pandora Radio where you can put in a song or a group and it will play music like your choice.  You can give a thumbs up or down on the music it pick to refine what the AI picks for you.  Put in No Leaf Clover by Metallica and you get some great music that inspires you to hit people.

Blogging:  It depends on what I'm writing and what time it is.  Right now, I have it picking songs where it's coming up with the following groups: INXS, Aldo Nova, Joan Jett, Styx, Foreigner, Night Ranger, Asia, and Scandal.  Anyone who was in high school in the early 80s knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Sleeping: I have a little fan on my nightstand.  It creates a very minor breeze but I love the white noise.  I have a very hard time sleeping without it.  When the power goes out, I wake up.  I have to remember to take it with us on trips because trying to sleep in a hotel is just about impossible without it.

Your turn.  5 Sword Points.

Offsetting Taxes

The plan is to tax oil companies $18 billion and use that money for tax incentives for energy sources besides oil.

I love this line:

"The American taxpayer should not be subsidizing oil and gas companies during times of record profits and record prices at the pump," Rep. Charles Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said last week when he introduced the energy tax package.

Where does Rangel think that the oil companies are going to get the $18 billion.  Maybe by passing that cost on to "the American taxpayer" that shouldn't be subsidizing oil companies. 

Don't get me wrong.  I think it's a good idea.  Raising the price of gas and oil so that consumers become more aware and start helping in the look for alternatives is great.  Giving incentives for other energy sources is fine.  Just don't pretend that the tax payers aren't paying for it.

The bill would also give a $4,000 tax credit for buying a hybrid vehicle.  I like that because the next vehicle I buy will be a hybrid.  If I'm going to buy one, I might as well take any benefit that I can.

Mark is the New Sword Point Winner

Mark, the Beer Dart Champion, is the latest Sword Point Saturday winner and can pick up to $80 of Success Warrior gear (remember, does not include my wife) as the prize.

Mark's score has been reset to zero and the game continues with a change to encourage people who only participate once in a while.  The game will end at 100 points from now on.  The winner will have their score reset to zero.  Everyone else will have their score reduced to a third of their ending score.

This will keep everyone in the game and still reward the people who tried but didn't win. 

I am sorry to disappoint many of you but the real winner is me. 

First, I already have a Success Warrior shirt and mine *does* come with a hot blonde included.

Second, I have probably learned more about money from this blog than each of you.  It's been quite an eye opening experience that started with me focused just on our personal debt and moving out to the larger picture of national economics. 

So, I would like to thank all of you for stopping by and reading this blog and thank everyone that plays the game.  It really keeps me motivated to keep on learning.

Congratulations to Mark and a sincere "thank you" to everyone.

The Shape of the Stock Market

I've mentioned this before but PTE Rick sent me this great cartoon so it's worth mentioning again because it's so true and so odd (at least to me).

I glance over the stock headlines just about every day.  I don't read too many of the articles because these people seem like they are crazy and I don't want to catch what they have by reading about it every day. 

The stock market goes up and down and the news says it's based off of what authorities say.  Not what they do, mind you, but what they say.  It's like everyone is trying to time the stock market.  You know, buy low, sell high and all that.  Can it really work from day to day?  I have no idea.  I bought some stocks in January last year and haven't sold them and don't even ever look to see how well they are doing.  Set it and forget it was my attitude.  I know, I'm not market savvy.

Well, I was savvy enough to invest in the Asian market instead of the US market.  Once the illusions propping up our stock market fade leaving the reality of huge debt and impending bankruptcy in the open for all to see, the game of the stock market will be over for a while.

Back to that game though.  Someone spreads a rumor that Bernanke will announce that the Federal Reserve is going to drop interest rates.  Stocks go up.  OPEC says they *might* lower output.  Stocks go down.  King George puts together a lame-ass stimulus package.  Stocks go up.  The bill gets stalled in the Senate.  Stocks go down.  The Senate approves the bill.  Stocks go up.  Someone important points out that the checks won't be in consumers hands until June.  Stocks go down. 

Day after day, you can watch this yo-yo action and what the media attributes the action to.  I read the headlines just to be amused.  A butterfly could flap it's wings in India and it would affect our stock market if Paulson mentioned it in a press conference.  Crazy stuff.

***

5 Sword Points for Ricky T for sending the cartoon.

Sword Point Saturday - Environment

A lot of people make goals and then do very little if anything to achieve those goals.  Some people get to a point where they just quit making goals because they never seem to follow through on them.

One of the best things a person can do when they make a new goal is to change their environment in some way that assists them in their goal or at the very least, helps keep them focused on their goal.

To achieve a new goal, you essentially have to become a new person, with a new way of thinking and many times that manifests itself in the physical world.  Sometimes it might be a minor change and some goals require a complete identity overhaul.

5 Sword Points - What is a current goal you have that you are willing to share?  How have you changed your environment to support that goal?  What other change could* you make to your environment to help you achieve your goal?

* "could", not necessarily "will".  You can let your imagination run on this question if you want or you can answer with something you really will do.

One of my top goals for the first half of this year is to get in shape for the cruise we are going on in June.

I have changed my front room so that there is plenty of space to exercise.  It's one big wide open space so I can do P90X.

A change that I could and will make is to find space to set my weight bench back up.  It's going to mean doing some rearranging somewhere but I'm going to need it if I'm going to follow the Turbulence Training program.

What about you?

Taking What I Can from Bernanke

My close friend, Ben Bernanke, will probably be dropping interest rates for the next few months in an effort to try and keep the country out of a recession (don't you dare suggest that we are already in a recession or I'll be forced to defend Ben's stance).

I'll be keeping an eye on the interest rate and when it looks like it's been dropped as much as it's going to go, I'll refinance my house.

Remember, boys and girls, when I talk about refinancing, I'm talking about refinancing for the amount that I owe.  I won't refinance and take the equity out of my house.  I called that "the sinister refi" and that's completely different.

Unlike bigger cities in the US, houses here have continued to appreciate in value.  What this means is that I will be able to lower my payments with the lower interest rate and I will probably be very close to being under the PMI limit.

We'll probably get a mortgage for 80% and a second loan for any amount over that.  We'll put all the extra money toward the second loan which will be at a higher interest rate to get it paid off as quickly as possible.

This will free up more money on a monthly basis to deal with the possible rocky financial road that lays ahead of us.

That's the plan anyway.

Bernanke and Paulson: No Recession

The economy is going to be "sluggish" for the first part of the year but it's going to recover by the end of the year and everything will be peachy-fine and we'll be back to our usual Wal-Mart selves.

"I believe our economy will continue to grow, although its pace in coming quarters will be slower than what we have seen in recent years," Paulson said.

By slower, does he mean, negative or will they just keep getting rid of the numbers they don't like to keep showing that the economy is okay?  "If you don't count house sales, car sales, gas sales, TV sales, and food purchases, you can see that the economy is clearly still moving up, although at a slow pace."

These guys are smacktards.

A Growing Trend

Around me lately I've seen quite a few people picking up side jobs or starting their own businesses in addition to their jobs.

As the value of the dollar continues to decline, we'll probably see more and more of this.  A declining dollar means that things will cost more or what many people call inflation.  The problem is that prices go up but salaries don't or don't keep pace. 

I read that the Federal Reserve just auctioned off something like $300 billion to banks at 3% interest.  Putting the printing presses up for bid.  How bizarre sounding.

Eventually the Federal Reserve will institute a BYOP program.  Bring Your Own Paper.  They'll print it and put the sacred "legal tender" stamp on it but the banks will have to provide the paper that it's printed on.  Instead of the fibrous paper that we have now, money will be printed on the cheapest paper China can make.  Instead of double-quilted Charmin pretend money, we'll have that cheap-ass waxy stuff you find in the bathrooms of government buildings.

There is some good news out there.  The Iranian Oil Bourse that was supposed to open on the 11th didn't open.  The grand opening has been pushed back to the 17th.  With any luck on their part, the secret anchor rebellion has been quelled.

The Shape of the Dollar

Businesses in New York are starting to accept the Euro as payment.  I'm sure the Fed won't be happy with this bit of news and neither will the IRS.  Not that I have any sympathy for either agency. 

You know that they will have to step in and put a stop to this sort of thing.  If it spreads, there could be problems for them.  They shut down Liberty Dollar for potentially operating a barter system outside of the Federal Reserve notes and they will probably have to make a few examples out of Euro accepting businesses.

Tourists like the deal because things seem so cheap in Euros and they don't have to pay to have the money exchanged.  It's great for them.

Some of the business owners don't exchange the money either.  They use it when they travel to Europe.  Wait until they start using Euros with other Euro accepting businesses here in America. 

Businesses on the Canadian and Mexican borders also take those currencies and I think that as the Fed and US government continue to destroy the dollar, we'll see even more people and businesses using foreign currency, gold, silver, and anything else of value to barter with. 

No one is going to want a worthless Fed note.

Sword Point Saturday - Globalism

There are two competing ideologies currently at work when it comes to America's sovereignty.  One group believes that boundaries should be erased between the US and other countries.  The other group believes the boundaries should be made more concrete.  One group believes that a lot of the world's problems would be solved if people were lumped into larger groups.  The other group believes that it will mean the end of the Constitution.

In between the two groups are a couple hundred million people that don't know about the struggle going on.

I've given it quite a bit of thought and I can see where the erasing of borders can seem appealing.  People kill each other because of religion and patriotism so getting rid of religions and countries might be a good thing.  I don't think it would work because people will always find reasons to group themselves together into us versus them.

I can see some practical reasons why it might not work too but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

5 Sword Points - Should we be encouraging globalism or should we strengthen our borders?  Why?

The True Nature of Iran's Internet Threat

Long time readers already know how devious gophers are and how quickly they can cut internet cables.  I went wihout internet access for a few days because the little bastards cut the line somewhere in the desert between me and home base, 120 miles away.  Finding the problem was probably a difficult task.  I can't imagine what it would be like to try to find out where gophers in wetsuits had cut an underwater line.

Why would they do it?  My guess is that they have become mercenaries like Blackwater.  Gopher terrorists sold to the highest bidder.  Team Texas Tea.

Their work may have delayed the Iranian Oil Bourse from going operational for a couple more weeks.  Supposedly it was supposed to open by the 11th but the gophers might have bought some extra time for people opposed to the bourse.

There is some controversy over whether or not the opening would actually affect the US dollar.  Some say no and many say yes.  I'm in the yes crowd and wouldn't be surprised to see the gophers hired to dress up like Iranians and make some overt threat against the United States in the near future.  Maybe drive speedboats mounted with machine guns out to threaten battleships.

If we go to war, it will likely mean more inflation.  If Iran gets the bourse operational, the yes crowd believes it will lead to more inflation.  It looks like we have put all our financial eggs in the oil basket. 

Looks Like We're Already At War With Iran

Not that anything has been officially declared . . . yet.  It probably won't be too long before Bush let's us know that terrorists in Iran are on the verge of attacking the United States and for our own protection, we need to turn their country into a crater. 

Iran has openly started their attack on the United States but not with terrorist attacks.  It's much worse than that. 

They aren't going to accept US dollars for oil any more.  They are going to switch to other currencies like the Euro and the Yen.  They are trying to go fully operational on the system by the 11th.  This might explain all the freak underwater cable cutting that's going on in the area.  Besides the sanctions, the US might already be on the attack, trying to disrupt Iran's communications.

Will the sanctions, cut cables, and threat of nuclear obliteration be enough to dissuade Iran from following through with their plan to destroy America?

So far, the answer looks like no but we'll see.  Saddam Hussein thought he could stop taking dollars for oil but we fixed that little problem.  In all probability, we are going to have to fix this problem as well.  It's more complicated with Iran though.

Our military is stretched and battered with men and equipment being run into the sand.  The French navy is moving into the area and has plans on building a base in the UAE.  The Russian navy is doing "training exercises" in the Mediterranean, which is handy since it's believed that Israel is going to be in on the attack of Iran.  The people of Israel are being told to prepare for a rain of missiles in return.

If Iran succeeds in switching from dollars to Euros and Yen, the United States world empire will fall.  I'm not concerned with dominating the entire planet but there will be some serious economic repercussions that come along with the crumbling empire.

I'll start into some of those tomorrow. 

Sword Point Saturday - Rituals

I am asking today's question out of sheer curiosity.

What rituals do you have in your life that you feel make a positive impact?

I'm not talking specifically about religion although I'm not eliminating that either.  I'm talking about rituals as in this definition from dictionary.com:

8. any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner.

I have been thinking about it this morning because I don't have many patterns in my daily life.  I'm unpatterned.  I know that I would be more productive if I would add a little more structure to my life but my mind seems to resist such ideas.

One reason for this, I believe, is my work and sleep schedule.  It changes so much during the week.  I work at 3 different time during the week, going to bed at 3 different times, and waking up at 3 different times.  Most people probably have 5 days in a row that are very similar in pattern and then take 2 days to break free and relax.

I have found that I have one ritual in my life that I created when I was a cop and has continued through today.  I prepare for work in the same way each day.  Most people probably do, I suppose.  It just becomes a pattern in life that can be done without much thought. 

5 Sword Points - What positive rituals do you have in your life?

As always, you can answer in the comments or answer in your own blog and link to it from the comments.

Free Personal Finance Program

I'm going to be giving Yodlee a trial run to see how I like it.  It tracks your money and update charts, graphs, and your net worth for you. 

It's going to take a little while to get set up but it looks like it's going simplify things for me when I try to update all my information each week.  I should be able to do it from this one site instead of going around to all the different websites.

If you try it out, let me know what you think.