Archive for the ‘General’ Category
TIP 7: “A borrower nor a lender be”
Monday, March 7th, 2011
Tip 7 “A borrower nor a lender be”
Shakespeare may have been exaggerating a bit with this piece of advice. What he may have meant was NEVER BORROW ON CREDIT CARDS. When President Obama loaned the banks nearly half a trillion dollars of your money at low interest they of course reduced the amount you pay on your credit cards from an average of 25%, right? Must have missed the memo? They were loaned your tax money at low interest and loaned it back to you at 25%. Now that is the deal Shakespeare was talking about.
I like Obama and believe in him BUT he needs to get a few credit cards like the rest of us and then talk to the banks. 25% interest used to be against the law. No kidding it was called usury. Look It up. In the Catholic tradition you would be excommunicated and in both Islam and Buddhism it is a sin what credit card companies do.
So if you want to save money DON’T USE CREDIT CARDS OR BORROW ON THEM. They are predatory lenders. It’s that simple.
So what if you already owe a lot. That is simple to—stop paying them. After 2-3 months or so they will negotiate a new loan with you at a lower interest rate. Why? Because if they don’t they have to write off the entire value of the loan. Ask a lawyer if it works. After 789,435 calls to your home while you are eating dinner they will get the hint if you don’t answer. They will threaten you, tell you that you are a bad person, send you nasty letters, and even cancel your cards! Then they will try and get you to borrow even more. Tell them that you read Shakespeare and have decided to turn over a new leaf and won’t be using your cards again so please cancel them. If we all did this they would beg us to borrow money at a lower rate or they would go out of business. I am game if you are?
Balance transfers. Wow. Have you ever calculated the true cost of a balance transfer? Read the teeny, tiny, little, eeensy beeeeensy, microscopic print on the side of the envelope or wherever it can be least seen. It says that you can happily transfer your balances to another card for a small fee. To an elephant a small fee is a mouse, to a mouse a large fee is an elephant. Read the small print.
Missing a payment. Hmmmm now it takes a bank 24 hours to accept a deposit and have use of your funds, but takes 5-10 days for a check to clear so you can use or get your own funds? Once you are late on 1 payment the entire card interest can be adjusted —–UP!
Credit cards are notorious for creating ways to confuse you and get more of your money. ITS HOW THEY MAKE MONEY. They deliberately cheat and steal. If you think I am exaggerating just look up the congressional testimony of the credit card executives. They are thieves and thanks to Obama are now a bit more honest. Have to give credit where credit is due.
Lending—- Well we all have friends and family who need money now and then. It’s part of life. If you love them and can afford it then follow you conscience.
Lending businesses money. Most important thing is to write it down and sign it with a witness. This is good for even the best of friends because it avoids misunderstandings in the future and could save a relationship.
All the best,
Andrew Martin
Next tip coming soon: finding money in the couch
Tags: borrow, credit cards, family, friends, lend, Obama, save money, Shakespeare, tip 7, “A borrower nor a lender be”
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EASTER BUNNY STORY from the Chairman
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
This is my first blog ever. So, wanna make it really good. And to me good means funny because making people laugh is good for their health and heart.
Let’s talk about Easter.
Here we have a holiday where two of the stars are a bunny and eggs. Now bunnies I know a thing about. I actually was the Founding Chairman of Annies (Macaroni and Cheese) in fact my first wife is Annie. And in fact we had a pet bunny who can be seen on the front of any box of Annies. His name was Bernie Bunny.
Now you’d think there wouldn’t be much you could learn from a bunny but actually they have a lot to teach us. A bunny has only two natural defenses, it’s ears which are constantly listening for trouble and it’s legs which allow it to run away from trouble.
Because everyone in the wild eats bunnies they have a lot to be nervous about and are always ready to jump at the first fright. So it is very difficukt to gain a bunnies trust if you’re a human because you’re so big and they are so small. In order to earn a bunnys trust, the first thing you have to do is lie down on your stomach so you appear as small as possible. Then you have to wait and wait, and wait a little more. Then keep waiting. Then wait some more. Wait one more time – until!!!!!! The bunny feels comfortable that you are there. Gradually and very slowly they will overcome their fear and their curiosity will let them hop over to you and investigate. If you ever so gently put your hand out you can place your fingers between their ears so that your fingers can massage where their ears touch their head. If you know anything about bunnies this is the one area they can’t reach with their paws and it’s the two muscles that hold up their ears and are constantly working that are the most tired and the most in need of being massaged. So they are very grateful when you massage those little ear muscles that never get massaged. Each day if you go back to the bunny and lie down quietly, it knows that if it comes up to you quietly you will massage it’s ears. They get so used to it that they actually will run up to you as soon as you lie down.
If you massage their ears for a bit of time they completely relax and their eyes close and their chin actually rests to the ground. And they fall into a state of zuzz. Now, the state of zuzz is a very special place for a bunny because it rarely gets a chance to not be alert and not be afraid. Now they know they have a big friend who is not going to hurt them.
One more funny thing happens. While you’re lying there massaging it’s ears, with the bunny inches away from your face, it begins to snore a little fury bunny snore. Then if you stop massaging it it wakes up and the only way it knows to communicate to you that it wants more massaging is to do something kind to you. So, it licks your nose, with a little warm bunny tongue. Now licking each other is how some animals groom each other and it is one of the highest bonds you can achieve with a bunny. It is quite an honor to have a bunny lick your nose as it is their way to show complete trust in return for your kindness.
Bernie Bunny and I shared this bond. He taught me a lot about patience, kindness, trust and affection. I hope this silly but true story will help you learn that too. HAPPY EASTER!!!
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Jeans for Genes
Friday, February 26th, 2010
I love my jeans! Joe’s Jeans and Seven for all Mankind are my favorites. These brands are expensive, but I love the fit, and I’m not above scouring discount stores and consignment shops to find them at a good deal. When I find a pair at a discount, I snatch them up and feel like it’s Christmas!
Recently, I’ve developed a whole new appreciation for my jeans – and for my genes.
In the US alone, through no fault of their own, more than 30 million Americans suffer from rare diseases with often unpronounceable names, including Ataxia Telangiectasia, Qazi Markouizos Syndrome and Faciocardiomelic Dysplasia. More than 22 million of those inflicted in American are infants and children; the number of people afflicted by rare diseases is dramatically increasing in our country. The physical and emotional challenges they face are often compounded by the isolation and confusion that stems from too little information about their conditions and what resources may be available to them. Some of these diseases have been brought to public attention through the efforts of celebrities like Julia Roberts, who advocates for research and solutions for Rhett Syndrome, and Tom Hanks, who acts as spokesman for Neuroblastoma, a rare cancerous tumor that affects the nervous system of children and infants. But while their efforts certainly do help, it is difficult to generate the medical and financial attention needed to productively address rare diseases on a national scale when such a small number of people are afflicted by each individual disease.
Several noble non-profits are working to change this by creating national umbrella organizations that offer funding, community and awareness for individuals and families suffering from rare diseases. By joining forces and encouraging non-profits working in the rare disease space to collaborate, they are becoming much more effective in increasing awareness and the effecting the large-scale fundraising needed to create real change in the medical field. New websites are springing up, providing a central location where families can find community and learn about the resources available to help them cope and help ease suffering.
This is Global Rare Disease week. Visit the Children’s Rare Disease Network’s website to learn more about the diseases that now afflict 10% of the US population. And wear your favorite jeans to show your support on Sunday, February 28th, 2010, Global Rare Disease Day. Visit CRDN’s Global Genes Project website to learn more.
You can also help by donating your used video games and game systems to Donate Games. One hundred percent of revenues raised are donated to help support research and families suffering from the more 7,000 rare diseases.
And of course, every time you save money with CommonKindness by using our online coupons and discount codes you can help support these and other great non-profit organizations!
Tags: brands, community, coupons, discounts, genes, grocery coupons, jeans, nonprofit, online discount codes, printable grocery coupons, research, video, video games
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