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Concerning any controversy, don't immediatly assign to malice or conspiracy that which can be explained by mere stupidity. Keep that rule in mind and political science will make sense. Remember, Occam did not work for Gillette. -- John

People buy term life insurance in case the unforseen happens. You but whole life insurance because the forseen will happen. -- John

Is this the time to buy? It very well could be if you have a strong belief that you will keep your job or business. In addition to incredible bargains and the usual tax breaks, until july 09, you can get up to $7,500 tax CREDIT (not deduction). That means that if you owe $7,500 in taxes you pay nothing in federal tax. This applies to any home, new, used, etc. but only if you haven't owned a home for a few years and will make the new home your primary residence. Fixed mortgage rates are likely to drop below 5% for a 30-year and you have the deal of a lifetime! -- John

It struck me this week that this can be a very strange time of year when I go the mail box. Sure, I really feel the Xmas spirit when my broker, banker, and unknown local car dealers send me cards wishing me happy holidays, but there are are even stranger (actually strangER'S) cards. It seems that in addition to people you've never met wishing you happy holidays in an attempt to seem buddy, buddy and get you to spend money with them, but there are also these strange postcards and Xmas cards which carry photos of children and adults (presumably their parents but how can you be certain?) none of whom I have ever seen. These strange people don't seem to have last names and may be homeless so there is no way I  can determine who they are even as a former Google Answers researcher. I may be incorrect about not having last names or homes, but if they do have full names they don't share them and the only address I can identify is just some postmark which probably indicates

After the suicide of a 13-year-old girl who was bullied by an adult neighbor, it was discovered that it wasn't actually illegal in some states so new laws were passed in and people are now being prosecuted for similar activities. There are some complaints already surfacing that this violates free speech. Ridiculous! As is the dumb statement that that "kids will be kids." Yes, kids will be kids, but names can not only hurt but kill and it is the job of adults and society in general to bring up children as responsible social beings, not dismiss bullying and other bad behaviors as just "kid stuff." Yes, it is kid stuff, but kids are basically wild animals and as parents have increasingly left the rearing of children to TV, movies, and greedy media moguls, almost daily we see more and more signs of just how close we are coming to real-life "Lord of the Flys." As a long time reporter and member of the only non government profession other than ministers whic

Today the Fed took steps to supposedly crack down on credit card company practices which are so outrageous that they are virtually fraudulent (and would actually be illegal for them [as they still are for you and me] if certain states and the Congress hadn't passed special exemptions to usury and other laws). They have outlawed little tricks such as doubling or tripling your interest rates on existing balances EVEN IF YOU NEVER MISS A PAYMENT! Sounds wonderful but the fine print not mentioned in most news reports is that these laws won't take effect for years! Long AFTER the current crisis is probably over. Also, the fine print permits companies to cancel existing cards and issue new ones with much higher rates – guess what they are going to start doing. Come ON, take a WAG. Anyone with an ounce of common sense would know that these new regulations need to not only go into effect immediatly, they should be retroactive if they are to have any real benefit. But, as we all know,

Check out this official video copied to youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_BPtvwtJIA&feature=PlayList&p=DCB91A83001C892B&index=0 It is a basic introduction to scams. You can make money working at home, but only if you build a business or get a salary job from some big employer. You NEVER need to pay anything to get a legit offer.

"Whatever!" is not an argument. IF it is NOT used as a shorthand metasyntatic variable for the basic randomness of the universe and an acceptance of both entropy and the consequences of ignoring Darwin; then it is merely slang for "HI, I'M REALLY STUPID AND I'M PROUD OF IT!" Sure, I understand that teens brains aren't functioning fully because they aren't yet completely developed (medical fact) but parents can still make an effort to control them and encourage them to learn their native language and attempt to use it when their lips are flapping in public.

Isn't it more than a bit silly how politicians and some normally sensible people act during campaigns? Just take the offshore drilling idea. I find it is always best to follow the money and you'll understand much better. Ignore the fact that drilling takes a decade and say we could buy that deep ocean oil tomorrow. Gas prices could drop $0.02 per gallon. But, of course, if it had any real impact, OPEC would just reduce production by 2% simply closing a valve -  that would be the end of that brilliant idea. So why the big noise about drill, drill, drill? Simple, the oil companies get $2 Billion in subsidies for drilling offshore, but none for drilling on the land they already lease. "If you can keep your head when all around you are in panic; you may not understand everything that's happening." - jm

It was a great story for McCain, but it may backfire. Technically, "Joe" turns out not to be a plumber. He has no license. The hypothetical "business" would seem to be a two man unlicensed plumbing/handyman operation. He ( Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher) isn't likely to be earning $250,000 profit any year soon unless he gets it from gullible TV booking agents paying for interviews. Am I too suspicious of politicians? Or, have I just interviewed too many of them in Washington? "If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, ..... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son! - Kipling "If you can keep your head when all around you are in panic; you may not understand what's really happening." - jm

OK, I stay out of politics since I never trust any politician to do what they say, but some claims are just too outrageously exaggerated to ignore. We've heard politicians suggest that ALL american oil dollars are going to countries which sponsor terrorists. Do they really consider Canada and Mexico to be dangerous? Those two countries supply half our imports. By the way, if fully exploited ASAP, offshore U.S. oil would provide about 1% of U.S. consumption in 10-15 years. The drill-drill-drill crowd forgets to mention that there are NOT unleased deep water oil rigs in the world. To drill you first have to order and wait for delivery of new production drill rigs (3-5 years). OH yea, and if people are serious about conserving oil and reducing the cost of gasoline, why does Detroit still sell cars that can go 130 mph? All it takes is a simple reprogramming of the computer to limit every vehicle to 75 mph max, making it safe for conservative drivers to travel at the speed limit. Als

OK, time for straight talk. There are some things you aren't likely to hear on TV because they correctly fear panic. We are in a time of crisis. There is no money in most banks to fund continuing operations of most businesses. They told you that on TV. They forgot to mention two businesses which need vast amounts of temporary credit to operate from day to day. Gas stations Supermarkets Both have very small profit margins and both need to have operating credit to buy stock (gasoline and food). At this point in the financial situation of the WORLD, the credit is just not there - YOUR credit card limit has probably just dropped even if you have GREAT credit. It really doesn't matter if your gas station or supermarket has wonderful credit if the banks simply refuse to lend it out even for a week. Only the government was able to lend money to Ford, Chrysler, or GM last week - they had all run out of operating cash. So, what happens when supermarkets and gas stations can't fin

Go to http://www4.fdic.gov/IDASP/main_bankfind.asp to find the condition of any FDIC insured bank   Certified Reuters Insight Expert Consultant www.newmedicineonline.com www.uraniumtoday.com www.helpdotcom.com www.countrycraftstore.com www.15767.com

After years promoting the need for Vitamin D-3 the networks have finally picked it up and are now claiming they have been talking about this for years when the truth is that they have been talking up sunblock and staying out of the sun. They are now turning on a proverbial dime with the major new study about Vitamin D and breast cancer. check out www.newmedicineonline.com for some of the overwhelming older evidence which people should have gotten years ago.

CNBC.com is again sponsoring an investor contest designed to gather personal information. OK, you have to give up something to enter contests with significent prizes. BUT. AFTER they collect your information (either for the use of their direct advertisers or to sell) it turns out that they weren't prepared for the web traffic and I found it impossible to log on for 20 minutes, then, after 45 minutes, I was still unable to actually enter the contest - that put me a day behind anyone who had been able to enter and essentially out of the running. I consider this fraud. What do you think? Would you ever enter personal information to enter a CNBC investment contest? I certainly hope not but gamble your personal data at your own risk. -- www.newmedicineonline.com The trouble with learning things the hard way is that sometimes you only get the one fatal lesson. - jm

Just in time for the "silly season" news cycle we have had our first shark-scare story. It was predictable. It was inevitable. It was essentially meaningless except for the individuals touched by the tragedy - it means nothing more than a story about someone being killed by a lightning strike which is much more common than shark kills. It is too soon to know if this will be the big "scare" story theme for this Summer. It could still be the Red Tide; people stealing cars from vacationers just to get the gas in their tanks; but we know there will ALWAYS be a big and, critically important, a scary story running through the Summer to keep people watching the TV news. A perrenial story is that of the need for sun screen. The TV always gets this wrong. Sun screens, like window glass, filter out half of the UV. Unfortunately the blocked part (UVB) is the part that generates Vitamin-D. UVA, passed by glass and most sun screens, actually destroys Vitamin-D, perhaps explainin

As if the current flu epidemic isn't bad enough, the H5N1 bird flu is still out there, still mutating, still killing people. The deadly bird flu is spreading in Korea and China (site of this year's Olympic Games) and most scientists are taking it very seriously. The PM of Great Britain and his science advisors sees the H5N1 threat as inevitably spreading and potentially more dangerous than the Black death of the middle ages - certainly a much bigger threat than terrorism. Nothing to panic about (yet) but definately something to make plans for. -- www.newmedicineonline.com The trouble with learning things the hard way is that sometimes you only get the one fatal lesson. - jm

Get Your Converter Box Rebate NOTE ! SOME TV will remain analog! If you get your TV signal over an antenna then your old TV will stop working next February as nearly every station switches to digitial. You don't neet a new TV, you need a TV converter box (about the size of a VCR). They cost about $50 but the government will give you a $40 rebate if you apply at https://www.dtv2009.gov/ What no one on TV is mentioning is that some stations won't convert to digital. See a list of low power stations for your state at: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/LPTVmap.html For more detail see: https://www.dtv2009.gov/lowpower/ Apply early, there are a limited number of coupons available, maximim 2 to household. If you have cable or satellite TV YOU DON'T NEED A CONVERTER BOX AND, IN FACT, CAN'T USE ONE UNLESS YOU ALSO GET LOCAL OVER THE AIR SIGNALS. -- www.newmedicineonline.com www.uraniumtoday.com www.helpdotcom.com www.countrycraftstore.com www.15767.com

Media FUD. FUD - Fear Uncertainty and Doubt, TV News' biggest ally other than violent death The three strains of flu hitting this year were not included in the flu shots and the media is going nuts misreporting things on TV. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell either because some stations are reporting that there is little or no protection against the new strains while others are saying it does. Somebody's gotta be wrong! The government, of course, is urging you to pay for the old vaccine anyway because a few years ago they promised the vaccine makers that they would push any surpluss vaccine. I still say get it because it offers some protection AND ANOTHER STRAIN COULD STILL SPREAD! Remember, there is virtually NO treatment for the flu (or common cold) because they are viruses and anti-biotics don't work against them. Tamiflu only works if taken almost before you realize you have the flu. Want to prevent the flu? Don't touch your face after toching public ob

Sales people and retailers are ONLY interested in selling so don't ask them, use some common sense – any non-digital TV will stop working in a year unless you also invest in a special converter. Bet there isn't a sign warning you about this in your favorite store.

While the TV news pundits and politicians are working hard to keep you frightened of terrorists and the collapse of civilization as we know it, the real threats are almost ignored. But, after all, if they don't keep you scared and confused, why would you spend yourself into debt to buy things they advertise that you don't need. (Really now, just what danger are you PERSONALLY in from terrorists? To estimate, try to compare how many in the U.S. have been killed by terrorists over the past 20 years compared to how many die on the highways each year due to drunk drivers. Beware the drunk driver, not the terrorist.) The flu is getting bad this year and the flu shots were for the wrong strain. It was reported as "Widespread" last week in 11 states despite the mild winter in many areas. While the flu shots aren't for exactly this strain it will provide some protection and shots are still available. Since the flu kills about 35,000 people every year in the U.S., mostly b

Super Bowl Game: Boring until the last 5 minutes, then great. Ads: Mostly boring with an occasional ad in incredibly and disgustingly bad taste. Lesson? A wardrobe malfunction brings Congress down on you but it is OK to rip out a young woman's beating heart. Probably not appropriate to show during a game unless it is American (we haven't actually killed anyone yet) Gladiators.

Has your school guidance councilor mentioned any of these: > If you can get into an Ivy League school the school will make certain you can afford tuition? (It works like this, Harvard and other I.L. schools will waive tuition if your family earns less than about $40,000 per year. This isn't some scholarship you need to win, it is just as simple as applying.) > Some college educations are a total waste of time and money – most people with a degree in non-technical subjects are still living with their parents and flipping burgers at 25. Math, engineering, and science majors get great jobs right out of college. > While trade school training is a great idea, most of the TV ads are really bogus. (You won't become the next great video game designer unless you have a college degree in computer science; you won't become a great designer just by learning a few computer programs – it really does matter if you are an artist; a trade school education won't get you a great