Dog Saves Abandoned Newborn Baby on Chilly Day in Argentina

The dog carried the baby to where its newborn puppies were and kept the baby warm, saving its life.

The dog obviously had more maternal instincts than the 14 year old mother who abandoned the baby in the woods.

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Candy Spelling Downsizing to a $47 Million Condo

Candy Spelling, widow of TV producer Aaron Spelling (Charlie's Angeles, Love Boat, Beverly Hills 90210, etc) has listed her 56,500 square foot mansion and is "downsizing" to a 16,500 square foot condo in L.A. that she bought for $47 million.

This is part of a new wave of luxury condo properties in L.A.  After traditionally favoring yards and houses, rich Californians are starting to copy New Yorkers so they can avoid traffic and sprawl.

She paid $2,848 per square foot for her condo, which is a record in L.A. but a bargain in New York City.

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How Markets React to Fundamentals

Freely traded markets, such as those for stocks, futures, and options, don't always interpret fundamental news in a straight forward manner.

Today, for example, ZachStocks had a post about Burger King. BKC just reported its earnings, and it greatly exceeded management's forecast.

You might expect that the stock would rise. Instead, the stock went down sharply. Zach gives the explanation that, because their predictions were so far off, BKC management lost credibility with investors.

Another example of "funny"mentals is the presidential stock market effect I wrote about on Wednesday.

While the conventional wisdom is that democrats are bad for business, the stock market does better when a democrat wins.

Investors already expect the worst from the democrat, so there is no downside, only the upside. This is reversed for the republican candidate.

This is what makes trying to time the market based on fundamental information very tricky. Not only do you need accurate, timely information, but you have to "out think" other market participants.

Like chess, you have to think many moves ahead, and try to piece together a puzzle based not only on what has just happened, but how other players will react to the news, what action will they take, etc.

This is why I only use fundamental information for two things: to choose good, solid stocks and (to a lesser extent) to see if they are reasonably priced.

Then, I buy my initial positions in the stocks, and then turn over the trading of the stocks to my mathematical formula which I write about in my book Stock Trading Riches.

My formula gets me to buy low and sell high based on pure, objective mathematics - not by trying to guess what people are thinking.

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Good Post About The U.S. National Debt Level

It's called:

Billionaires Acknowledge National Debt Is A Problem - Will Anyone Listen?

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Be Aware of ClickBank's Dormant Fees

I have promoted a few affiliate offers from Clickbank, and I made over $100 in sales.

Normally, $100 should be the minimum needed to get a check.

Clickbank, however, will not send your first payment until sales have been made with at least 5 different credit cards (PayPal sales don't count).

They say this requirement is for anti-money laundering or something, but basically it lets them hold onto your money and hit you with fees.

What happened is that I had put promoting Clickbank offers on the back burner, because I was making more money with other monetization programs.

Today, I logged into my Clickbank account for the first time in a couple of months and noticed that, because I have not had a sale in 90 days, they started deducting $1 per pay period from my balance.

Needless to say, this is something you should be aware of.

I guess I'll have to start doing more ClickBank promotions to avoid the dormant fees and get closer to the 5 different credit card requirement.

In fact, that is probably what they want - to goad us to keep promoting their products.

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Tribune Wants to Structure Cubs Sale To Avoid Taxes: Will Baseball Approve the Debt Load?

Chicago real estate billionaire Sam Zell bought the Tribune last December in an $8.2 billion leveraged buyout. Since then, he is anxious to sell assets so that he can make the debt payments.

The biggest Tribune asset he wants to unload is the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field. Some experts think that he can sell them for $1 billion.

The problem is that, since the Tribune bought the Cubs back in 1981 for only $20.5 million, they could owe up to $400 million in taxes.

So, Zell is not only searching for the highest price, but also for a buyer who would be willing to work with a structured sale to avoid taxes.

Zell wants to avoid paying taxes so that he can have more money for paying down the debt.

In fact, since Zell knew at the time of the buyout that he would need to sell assets, he converted the Tribune from a C corporation to an S corporation. The advantage is that, 10 years after the conversion, any assets the corporation had at the time of the conversion can be sold tax free. Any assets sold in the first 10 years, however, would trigger capital gains taxes.

What Zell would like is for the buyer to form a leveraged partnership with the Tribune, which would keep a small percentage of the Cubs.

The partnership would borrow money to buy the Cubs, and the Tribune would get the money. As long as the distribution was borrowed money, the Tribune does not have to pay taxes.

There are 2 hurdles:

1. The buyer would not be able to start paying off the principle until Jan 1, 2018 (the 10 year anniversary of the buyout).

2. Major League Baseball has to approve any sale, and they have traditionally frowned on highly leveraged owners, because they are worried that they might not be able to field a competitive team.

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My Sudoku Book in Amazon Top 100 Gift List

My book Sudoku Fun, Volume 1 is #85 on Amazon.com's top 100 list of most gifted books, puzzles ->Sudoku category.

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Civil War Widow Died Yesterday

Yesterday, the Chicago Tribune had an obituary for a woman named Maudie White Hopkins.  She died at the age of 93.

Incredibly, her first husband was a Confederate soldier in the American Civil War!

The Civil War ended in 1866, and now it is 142 years later.

How does the math work out?

Well, it turns out that her first husband enlisted in the war at the age of 16, was captured the same year, and spent the war in a prison camp in Ohio.

Then, she married him much later - in 1934, when he was 86, and she was 19!

It was a caretaker relationship.  He wanted her to marry him and take care of him and, in return, he would leave her his house and land.

She described him as a "good, clean, respectable man".  He supported her on his Confederate pension, and left her his home when he died in 1937.  The pension ended at his death.

That is how a Civil War widow dies in 2008.

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How Will The Presidential Election Affect the U.S. Stock Market?

Ken Fisher is a billionaire money manager who writes a column for Forbes magazine.

He recently had a column in which he wrote that a lot of investors are worried about how an Obama presidency might affect their stock portfolios.

His answer, which he backed up through analysis of historical data, is very enlightening, because it shows an example of how the markets can react 180 degrees from conventional wisdom, and illustrates why Fisher (like me) is a contrarian investor.

The conventional wisdom is that, since democrats are anti-business, a democratic president will cause the stock market to go down. On the other hand, a republican president will be pro-business and cause the stock market to go up.

Fisher says that actually the opposite happens. Based on historical analysis, a democratic win in the presidential election results in a bullish stock market. The stock market usually performs better during the inaugural years of a democratic president, than a republican president.

Why does this pattern happen?

Because of the principle that is a key to contrarian trading - reversion to the mean.

The markets expect the worst when a democrat is elected president. Then, they are pleasantly surprised after his administration takes office.

On the other hand, the markets expect the best when a republican gets elected president, and then get disillusioned with his administration after he takes office.

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New Black and Decker Drill Shows the Power of Incremental Improvements

Usually, people like to talk about break-through inventions that seem to come out of nowhere.

But, the truth is that, in the business world, most successful products and systems are the result of incremental improvements that are made to existing products and systems over time.

For example, Black and Decker recently came out with their PS122K Cordless drill.

Even though I already have a cordless drill, I am interested in this drill because it has a couple of features that, after seeing them listed in the description, I knew right away from experience how useful they would be.

For example, the AutoSelect feature would be very valuable because, currently, I have to guess what setting to put on my drill when I'm trying to drill holes or place screws in different materials, such as wood, metal, or drywall, etc.

This results in a trail and error process, which means that I end up taking longer to finish my project.

With the AutoSelect feature, I can select the material, and I'm ready to drill!

Another feature of this drill that I think is an improvement over mine is the battery level indicator.

I know you may be thinking that this is a minor thing but, it's "minor" features like this that can make a big difference!

With my existing drill, I might not realize that it needs charging until the drill suddenly starts to run slow. Then, it is too late. It takes time for the battery to recharge.

With the battery level indicator, I could see that the battery charge is getting low, and I could have charged it after the previous time I had used the drill.

I hope you can now see the power of incremental improvements.

First, making a few modifications to an existing, proven system or product is cheaper, lower risk, and has a higher chance of being completed on schedule than pursuing a completely new project.

Secondly, there is less selling needed, because customers are already experience with 90% of the functionality of your product and (if you have chosen the right improvements) their experience will allow them to instantly see the value that your upgrades add to the original product.

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Real Estate Lesson from Beijing's Athlete's Village

The Chicago Tribune has a reporter at the Beijing Summer Olympics whose assignment is to look for lessons that could help Chicago - if we get chosen to host the 2016 Summer Olympic games.

She recently had a column about the athlete's village, which was built for the games.

Many of the athletes and coaches told her that it is the best village ever. They especially like it when compared to Athens four years ago - which is considered one of the worst.

Here is where the real estate lesson comes in. An Olympic athlete's village costs a lot of money (Chicago's estimate is $1.1 billion) and it will only be used for a few weeks. So, both Athens and Beijing designed the housing with a plan to reuse it.

The big difference is that Athens designed it to be a public housing project, while Beijing had the project done by private developers who build luxury apartments and were allowed to sell them before the Olympics to get their investment and profit.

So, in Athens, the athletes lived in basic units with dirt paths while, in Beijing, the athletes got to live in luxury apartments.

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Nishita Shah - Next Generation Billionaire?

Forbes Magazine had a list of possible future billionaires and, besides the expected names like Tiger Woods, they mentioned the glamorous Nishita Shah, who is only 28.  She is of Indian origin, but lives in Thailand.

Forbes estimates her worth as $375 million, and says she is the 19th richest person in Thailand.

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Not All The Olympic Women Gymnasts Are Tiny Little Girls...

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/100/story/48882.html

In Beijing, Oksana Chusovitina won a bronze medal for Germany in the vault.  She is in her 5th Olympics, and is a 33-year old mother with a 9 year old son.  She competed in meets with Nastia Liukin's father/coach.

Sandra Izbasa of Romania won the gold medal in floor exercise.  She is 5'5", so she towers above all the other women's gymnasts.

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Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps Eats 12,000 Calories a Day

According to this Yahoo article, swimmer Michael Phelps (who just won 5 golds in Beijing) eats 12,000 calories a day.

This is 9,500 more than the FDA recommended amount for an active, young male (2,500 calories).

He is still thin because he trains 30 hours a week.

Here is his typical daily diet:

Breakfast: 3 fried egg sandwiches, 2 cups coffee, 5-egg omlette, bowl of grits, 3 pieces of french toast, 3 chocolate chip pancakes

Lunch: 1 pound pasta, 2 ham and cheese sandwiches, energy drink (1,000 calorie)

Dinner: 1 pound pasta, 1 large pizza, energy drink (1,000 calorie)

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Amazon.com Goes Green

Amazon.com has now set up a separate environmental section to promote green products.

One of the products they feature is the Scotts Classic Reel Mower, which I bought a few weeks ago.

I have been using it in place of my gas lawn mower, and I love it!

I had wanted to get a manual lawn mower because I thought they are simple and elegant - and I was correct!

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Amazon Prime Free Trial

If you make a lot of purchases from Amazon.com, you may want to check out their Amazon Prime service.

Basically, you pay a $79 annual membership fee. In return, you get unlimited two day shipping on most of their merchandise. You can also get overnight shipping for only $3.99 per item.

Amazon is now offering a free one-month trial of Amazon Prime.

This means that you can get free shipping for a month. Then, you can see how much shipping you saved, multiply it by 12, and see if it justifies the annual membership fee.

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Endless.com: Simple, Elegant Shopping for Shoes, Handbags, and Accessories

Recently, I needed new shoes, and I bought a great pair at endless.com.

This online store is owned by Amazon.com, and they sell men's shoes, women's shoes, kid's shoes, and handbags.

They have a lot of choices and they offer free shipping and free return shipping.

It is normally hard for me to find shoes in physical stores, because I have to requirements that really limit my choice:

First, I need size 10 1/2 EE (extra wide).  I can't comfortably wear shoes that have a normal width.

Secondly, I refuse to wear shoes with laces.  I  will only buy slip-on shoes (this irks my wife).

I haven't worn laced shoes for more than 10 years. When I used to wear shoes with laces, my left shoe would always come untied - so I decided that laces were an unnecessary complication to life.

Endless.com, however, offered me a lot of choice for extra-wide slip-ons.

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Fwd: A Pet's Diary

DOGS AND CATS - SAME WORLD - TWO DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES!!! LOL

 

DOG'S DIARY

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!

9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!

9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!

10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!

12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!

1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!

3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!

5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!

7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!

8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with my people! My favorite thing!

11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

CAT'S DIARY

Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.

In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet.  I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of.  However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am.

Bastards!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight.  I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event.  However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies."  I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking.  I must try this again tom orrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges.  He is regularly released and seems to be more than willing to return.  He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant.  I observe him communicate with the guards regularly.  I am certain that he reports my every move.  My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. That is.......For now...

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Making Money Online Through CPA Offers

Before May, I had made money online through pay per click (Adsense), affiliate sales (Amazon Associates and Clickbank), paid posts (PayPerPost) and through the sales of my own products (my paperbacks Stock Trading Riches and Sudoku Fun, Vol. 1).

In May, I decided to try CPA (Cost Per Action). While CPA could include clicks and purchases, they usually refer to offers that pay the publisher (i.e. website owner or blogger) for actions in between a click or a purchase. Examples include getting visitors to fill out forms, submit their email addresses, etc.

I then signed up with 2 companies that promote CPA offers: Commission Junction and RocketProfit.

Out of these two, RocketProfit has so far turned out to be very lucrative!

They have a lot of "email submit" offers. These offers usually give something free (i.e. a gift card) for entering an email address and then filling out surveys.

Now, personally, I'm not sure if it is worth it to spend time filling out the surveys, but there are a lot of people who want to these regularly to earn something.

I have tried to attract them.

So, I added the link on my sidebar (the one that said "Hot! The Latest Mystery Offers! Get Free Merchandise!").

Now, if you had looked at this page when the link was up, you would have seen a no-frills page which just listed offers by number. I did this for two reasons:

1. purposely to build mystery, and to test my theory that minimalism is a powerful concept.

2. Because email submits are a little shady. Some of them don't work or don't pay. With the simple links, I could easily swap offers in and out. I changed them around and kept stats. A few of them stood out with lots of clicks and no conversions. I dropped those.

I then added this post on Free Visa Gift Cards.

Well, this worked very well! I earned a passive $33.60 in May, and I got paid on the 15th of the next month because RocketProfit pays as long as you accumulate $25 (vs. $100 for Adsense, etc.)

Even better - in June, I spent $65 on sending PPC from a lower tiered search engine (which I won't name) to my mystery offers and earned $236.75!

The reason I won't mention the search engine or discuss my landing page (except to say it was similarly themed to the free visa gift card post above) is that I developed something I can milk because it scaled!

In July, I decided to see if it would scale, so I spent $700 and....

... I made $2,239.90! (unofficial because I won't get my check until the 15th).

Needless to say, I recommend RocketProfit and CPA offers - with the caveat that (as I mentioned above) some of the offers are duds, so you have to spend some time monitoring your stats and cut the ones that do not perform.

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Published My Second Book "Sudoku Fun: Volume 1"

I just thought I would let everyone know that my second book, Sudoku Fun: Volume 1, has been published.

This is a book of Sudoku puzzles that I created myself.

Like my first book, Stock Trading Riches,  this book is available online at both Amazon.com and Target.com.

So far, the sales of the new book look promising. 

I have sold 69 copies of "Stock Trading Riches" in the last 10 months, but I have already sold 6 copies of "Sudoku Fun" in its first 3 days - without advertising it on any of my blogs yet.

I already have plans for my next 13 books!

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Canadian National Railway (CNI)

The western suburbs of Chicago are currently up in arms against Canadian National Railway because they are proposing to buy the EJ&E (Elgin Joliet and Eastern) railway, thus quadrupling the number of freight trains.

But, on a separate note, Forbes Magazine recommends the stock, which has Bill Gates as a major shareholder.

CNI has the rail industry's highest net profit margin (27%) and has shorter term freight contracts than other railroads - which allow it to raise prices.

Also, CNI's stock trades cheap - 12 times trailing earnings vs. 18 times for Burlington Northern Santa Fe (which Warren Buffett bought into recently) vs. 20 times for the industry average.

Finally, CNI is poised for growth because it has exclusive rail access to the new container terminal at the Port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia.  This terminal  should capture more freight traffic to Asia because it is 10 days to Shanghai vs. 12 days for the Port of  Los Angeles.

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This is really "telecommuting"

This would be a little weird - you are actually fighting the war, but are at home, and have to "leave it at the office"...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080807/ap_on_re_us/remote_war_stress

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Japanese Surrogate Baby Born in India Stuck in Legal Limbo

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080806/ts_afp/indiajapanbabysurrogacyadoptionlaw

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Hollywood Squares Laughs - Oldies but Goodies

 

SOMETHING TO PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE!

Q. Do female frogs croak?
A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.

Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be?
A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.

Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years.
A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.

Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman?
A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake.

 

Q. According to Cosmopolitan, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married?
A. Rose Marie: No; wait until morning.

Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?
A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency.

Q. In Hawaiian, does it take more than three words to say 'I Love You'?
A. Vincent Price: No, you can say it with a pineapple and a twenty

Q. What are 'Do It,' 'I Can Help,' and 'I Can't Get Enough'?
A. George Gobel: I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment.

 

Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking?
A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget.

Q. Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather?
A. Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.

Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries . Are you going to get any during the first year?
A. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries.

Q. In bowling, what's a perfect score?
A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy.

Q. It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps. One is politics, what is the other?
A. Paul Lynde: Tape measures.

 

Q During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet?
A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately Peter, I'm always safe in the bedroom.

Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls?
A. Marty Allen: Only after lights out.

Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do?
A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark?

Q. If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to?
A. Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark.

Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people?
A.. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army.

Q. It is the most abused and neglected part of your body, what is it?
A. Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn't neglected.

 

Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horse radish on his head, what was he trying to do?
A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth.

Q. Who stays pregnant for a longer period of time, your wife or your elephant?
A. Paul Lynde: Who told you about my elephant?

Q. When a couple have a baby, who is responsible for its sex?
A. Charley Weaver: I'll lend him the car, the rest is up to him.

Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they?
A. Charley Weaver: His feet.

Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?
A. Paul Lynde: Point and laugh

 

 

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Options on Cubs Post Season Tickets

The Chicago Tribune recently had an article about fans who are paying options for Cubs post-season tickets, including $99 for an option to buy Cubs World Series tickets - which may or may not become a reality (the Cubs last went to the World Series in 1945).

The website, FirstDibz.com, acts as a middle man between the option buyer and the option seller (a season ticket holder).

If the Cubs do not go to the World Series, then the option buyer is out $99, and the seller gets the money (less FirstDibz.com's 17% cut).

If the Cubs do go to the World Series, then the option buyer gets the tickets, and is charged the face value price.

The buyer is risking the premium and, in return, gets a chance to buy tickets at face value that would cost a lot of money through ticket brokers.

Why would the season ticket holder sell an option rather than wait and sell the ticket through a ticket broker for more money?

Because, while they could get more money by selling through a ticket broker, that would only happen if the Cubs actually make it to the World Series. This way, they make money even if the Cubs get eliminated.

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Zimbabwe Knocking 10 Zeros Off The Currency

In a previous post, I mentioned how Zimbabwe is running out of paper to print its hyper-inflated currency.

I read a related article in last Thursday's Chicago Tribune that Zimbabwe is now going to knock 10 decimals off its currency, because computers could no longer cope with basic transactions occurring in billions and trillions of dollars.

Now, 10 billion Zimbabwe dollars will be equal to 1 new Zimbabwe dollar.

Economists expect this money to become worthless soon.

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Amazon Gift Card Promotion A Sign That Fall is Around the Corner

For the month of August, Amazon.com is promoting their gift cards and tying it to students going back to school.

I guess that this is a sign that fall is around the corner.

Their gift cards are actually very convenient because, after buying them, you have three delivery options:

* Email for immediate delivery

* Print at home

* Send in the mail

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