Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Real Money Online
There are a lot of offers for making money online, offers that promise a person can make so much money online that they will be able to quit their job and travel the globe, making money with their laptop. Now I do not know how true the claims of these Internet barons are, but I have found a few paying opportunities online that actually pay, real money, not the e-currency that a lot of programs tout. So far, I think the best paying program that I have found is Demand Studios, a program that pays freelance writers to write various articles. Demand Studios is not a get rich quick scheme, but is a legitimate, paying program that pays writers for quality articles that are written according to their guidelines. For those who can write and are able to write articles based on research, I recommend this site. One warning, Demand Studios requires a degree of effort, it is not for those who want to get paid for doing nothing.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Trip to McDonalds
McDonalds 10 piece McNuggett Meal/Deal
While driving up the road from work I heard the advertisement on the radio, "10 McNuggetts for $1.99". The ad hit its target, I was hooked. So after my karate class, I was on my way to Wendys when I saw the "Golden Arches" and the McNugget ad ran through my brain again. I pulled in and got me a McNugget Value meal with 10 McNuggetts, fries and a drink. Yum. Though it was not the healthiest choice, it was a tasty choice.
While driving up the road from work I heard the advertisement on the radio, "10 McNuggetts for $1.99". The ad hit its target, I was hooked. So after my karate class, I was on my way to Wendys when I saw the "Golden Arches" and the McNugget ad ran through my brain again. I pulled in and got me a McNugget Value meal with 10 McNuggetts, fries and a drink. Yum. Though it was not the healthiest choice, it was a tasty choice.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Valentines Day Ideas
Yesterday I shared a simple but neat and sweet Valentines Day project to give to one's sweetie. Here is one that will require a little more thought but will touch a girl's heart, it is a simple, no-brainer, but powerful way to a girl's or a woman's heart. My Valentines Day gift for today is to write your sweetie a poem. It does not matter if you are a good poet or not as long as it comes from the heart. It is nice of it rhymes and has meter, but a sweet abstract poem from the heart will have its effect. Get to writing. two weeks left to V-Day.
SEC Filings Basics
Ever wonder about the SEC, not the colledge division but the Securites and Exchange Commision. Here is brif overviewof the SEC and how to use their website to research publicly traded companies filings.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires public companies to make pertinent financial information available to the public. This information benefits large institutions and individual investors. Some of the information that companies must disclose include annual and quarterly filings, on forms 10-K and 10-Q, respectively; documents relating to offers to purchase large portions of the company; and filings regarding mergers and acquisitions. Investors can access the information through the EDGAR database on the SEC website. The EDGAR database serves as an electronic filing cabinet holding the latest information and filings from public companies.
Step 1
Access the EDGAR database on the internet through the SEC website, located at sec.gov. Click on the link, Quick EDGAR tutorial, which is found on the SEC website’s home page. This tutorial gives users information on navigating the EDGAR database.
Step 2
Click on the Companies and other Filers link that is on the Edgar Tutorial page. This link provides users with a search box to research a company’s SEC filings.
Step 3
Enter either the company’s name or ticker symbol into the search box. This will bring up the most recent SEC filings of a company.
For those not interested in a certain company but instead are interested in specific filing activity, there is a link to latest SEC filings. Instead of searching by company, SEC filings can be researched by State or filing number. Information gathered from the EDGAR database or any other source is not a guarantee of the future performance of a stock’s share price.
..
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires public companies to make pertinent financial information available to the public. This information benefits large institutions and individual investors. Some of the information that companies must disclose include annual and quarterly filings, on forms 10-K and 10-Q, respectively; documents relating to offers to purchase large portions of the company; and filings regarding mergers and acquisitions. Investors can access the information through the EDGAR database on the SEC website. The EDGAR database serves as an electronic filing cabinet holding the latest information and filings from public companies.
Step 1
Access the EDGAR database on the internet through the SEC website, located at sec.gov. Click on the link, Quick EDGAR tutorial, which is found on the SEC website’s home page. This tutorial gives users information on navigating the EDGAR database.
Step 2
Click on the Companies and other Filers link that is on the Edgar Tutorial page. This link provides users with a search box to research a company’s SEC filings.
Step 3
Enter either the company’s name or ticker symbol into the search box. This will bring up the most recent SEC filings of a company.
For those not interested in a certain company but instead are interested in specific filing activity, there is a link to latest SEC filings. Instead of searching by company, SEC filings can be researched by State or filing number. Information gathered from the EDGAR database or any other source is not a guarantee of the future performance of a stock’s share price.
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Sunday, January 23, 2011
Valentines Day Gift Ideas
Valentines Day is almost upon us again, the holiday that sends husbands and boyfriends into a frantic search for that special gift for their one and only. Finding the right Valentines Day gift can be challenging and at times expensive. For those who have limited finances and are running short of ideas, I will share a Valentines day gift idea that I used several years ago that I feel turned out good.
Several years ago when I was feeling somewhat romantic and running out of time on the eve of Valentines Day, I decided to make my wife a love song CD for as a Valentines Day gift. I downloaded three cool love songs and burned them to a CD and gave the CD to my wife on Valentines Day. A person can use any love song they want, perhaps their beloveds favorite artist. I chose "Your Song" by Elton John, "You're in my Heart" by Rod Stewart and "Everything I Do" by Bryan Adams. I think she liked the songs, but most importantly I hope she got the message I was trying to convey. The main thing is to let your Honey know how special that she is to you. Tomorrow, I may have another idea. I may try to post a Valentines Day gift idea everyday until Valentines Day. Then again, maybe not. Check back.
Several years ago when I was feeling somewhat romantic and running out of time on the eve of Valentines Day, I decided to make my wife a love song CD for as a Valentines Day gift. I downloaded three cool love songs and burned them to a CD and gave the CD to my wife on Valentines Day. A person can use any love song they want, perhaps their beloveds favorite artist. I chose "Your Song" by Elton John, "You're in my Heart" by Rod Stewart and "Everything I Do" by Bryan Adams. I think she liked the songs, but most importantly I hope she got the message I was trying to convey. The main thing is to let your Honey know how special that she is to you. Tomorrow, I may have another idea. I may try to post a Valentines Day gift idea everyday until Valentines Day. Then again, maybe not. Check back.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Sharebuilder Review
In the tricky waters of personal investing, it can be hard to know which broker to choose for your personal investments. For those new to investing and just wanting to test the waters of the stock market, Sharebuilder is a good brokerage for the beginning investor, with programs suited for someone just getting started and not ready to jump into the stock market head first as money do and also good for those with limited capital not wanting to spend a lot of money on commissions.
Sharebuilder’s automatic investment program allows investors to invest every Tuesday for $4 a trade, which is considerably lower than well-known brokerages such as E-Trade and Scotttrade. With the Sharebuilder automatic investment program, investors deposit their capital, set up their trades and Sharebuilder does the rest; every Tuesday Sharebuilder will initiate the trades set-up by the customer. As long as there is enough money in the account for the specified trades, Sharebuilder will initiate the trades every Tuesday for the investor; of course, the trades can be stopped or altered at any time by the investor on the Sharebuilder website.
Sharebuilder’s automatic investing program provides some advantages for their customers besides a low $4 dollar commission per trade. One of the benefits is that by automatically investing a set dollar amount, an investor does dollar cost averaging, which means that an investor buys more shares of a security when the price low and less when the price is high. Thus having a better return should the share price rise and less loss if the stock price goes down. Another benefit of automatic investing is that it helps investors have a more disciplined approach to investing.
In addition to an easy to navigate site and automatic investment plan, Sharebuilder has other features and programs that make Sharebuilder an attractive option when shopping for a broker.
Sharebuilder’s automatic investment program allows investors to invest every Tuesday for $4 a trade, which is considerably lower than well-known brokerages such as E-Trade and Scotttrade. With the Sharebuilder automatic investment program, investors deposit their capital, set up their trades and Sharebuilder does the rest; every Tuesday Sharebuilder will initiate the trades set-up by the customer. As long as there is enough money in the account for the specified trades, Sharebuilder will initiate the trades every Tuesday for the investor; of course, the trades can be stopped or altered at any time by the investor on the Sharebuilder website.
Sharebuilder’s automatic investing program provides some advantages for their customers besides a low $4 dollar commission per trade. One of the benefits is that by automatically investing a set dollar amount, an investor does dollar cost averaging, which means that an investor buys more shares of a security when the price low and less when the price is high. Thus having a better return should the share price rise and less loss if the stock price goes down. Another benefit of automatic investing is that it helps investors have a more disciplined approach to investing.
In addition to an easy to navigate site and automatic investment plan, Sharebuilder has other features and programs that make Sharebuilder an attractive option when shopping for a broker.
HDTV Antenna
TV owners who do not have access to cable or do not have the means to subscribe to a satellite may choose to access TV signals via a TV antenna. There are TV antennas that available on the market or one can be constructed as a DIY project. A simple TV antenna that can access digital signals for HDTV and display channels for older analog television sets by using a converter box can be fabricated with some parts from a local hardware store and Radio Shack. Here is a link to a good resource for building a DIY antenna - HDTV Antenna Plans
Saturday, January 15, 2011
CSN Store Giveaway
Check out the CSN stores giveaway contest on my " Live from Blue Ridge Blog". I have not posted much on this blog, but here is a contest sponsored by CSN Stores and hosted on the blog. Check out the contest and enter to win a $25 dollar gift certificate at one of CSN's over 200 online stores.
Net10 Phone Review
I recently became a part of the cell phone culture when I purchased a Net10 prepaid phone. I am really impressed with the little Net10 device, so far it as given excellent service. As far as prepaid phone plans go, I feel like I got a real good deal. I paid $15 dollars at CVS for the phone, the phone came with 300 minutes and 60 days worth of service. After 60 days I will have to buy 60 more days of service and 300 minutes for $30, which means I am paying $15 a month for cell phone service. This is good for me since I rarely text and only use the cell phone when I absolutely have to. There are probably others out there who just want a cell phone for convenience or emergency purposes, Net10 is for them.
True Grit Movie Review
Just returned from watching the remake of the John Wayne classic "True Grit", which featured big names Jeff Bridges who also starred in "Tron" and Matt Damon. I was really impressed with the movie, which apart from a few choice words and scenes of violence and gore was a family friendly film. There was moments of action, humor and some heartfelt moments as well. I believe the duke would have been proud of this version "True Grit". The film add a truly unique soundtrack in that it consisted of old gospel hymns, songs that I grew up hearing in church, I was not expecting this from Hollywood. I give "True Grit" a thumbs up.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
PVC Fish Attacters
I guess I am behind on things, I did not realize that a fish attracter could be constructed out of PVC. Here is a rather complex plan on building one, but it looks neat.
The components needed are:
4 55-gallon plastic barrels
12 five-foot sections of 1 ¼ PVC pipe plumbing grade
8 four-way L 1 ¼ PVC couplings
8 three-foot sections of 1 ½ PVC pipe
Four cinder blocks
Mortar mix
Hack saw
PVC pipe glue
PVC pipe cleaner
Tape measure
Drill
Skil Saw
Preparing Components
1. Cut the four 55-gallon barrels in half with a skil saw. The barrels need to be cut lengthwise, with the lids cut in half but still attached to barrel.
2. Measure four of the 1 ¼ piece of PVC to divide into a two and a three foot section. The two-foot sections will form the base of the fish attracter; the three-foot sections will be the outer posts.
3. Cut the previously measured pieces of 1 ¼ PVC into four three-foot sections and into four two-foot sections using the hacksaw.
4. Cut a slit halfway through each one of the eight pieces of 1 ½ PVC pipe. The 1 ½ PVC will serve as a sleeve over the 1 ¼ PVC with one end of the barrel lid fitting down into the slit.
5. Drill a 1 ¾ hole through each end of the 55-gallon barrels. The holes should be two-inches above the horizontal cut of the barrel lid.
Assembling Fish Attracter
1. Cement the four pieces of two-foot 1 ¼ pipe into the cinder block using mortar mix. This will form the base of the fish attracter.
2. Slide the 8 five-foot sections of 1 ¼ into the 8 three-foot sections of 1 ½ inch pipe. Next slide the three-foot sections of 1 ½ PVC with the 1 ¼ encased inside into the eight 55-barrel halves, threading the PVC through the holes drilled on each end. Slide the slit cut in the sections of 1 ½ pipe onto the side of the drilled holes.
4. Join four-way PVC couplings to the ends of the 4 two-foot sections of 1 ¼ PVC PIPE. Attach the couplings to the pipe using the PVC pipe cleaner and PVC glue.
5. Attach four of the PVC pipe/55 gallon barrel assemblies to the four-way PVC couplings using the PVC pipe cleaner and PVC glue. If assembled properly, the PVC assembly will form a square.
6. Join four of the five-foot sections of 1 ¼ PVC pipe into the upward part of the 4-way coupling of the square PVC assembly. Attach remaining 4 four-way couplings to opposite ends of pieces of PVC pipe. All of the couplings and pipes should be joined together using PVC pipe cleaner and glue.
7. Attach the remaining PVC pipe/55-gallon barrel assemblies to the four-way couplings using PVC pipe cleaner and glue. If assembled correctly, the structure should be shaped like a square box.
For assembly purposes, after cementing PVC into cinder blocks, lay the posts on the ground instead of trying to assemble upright. Assembling fish attracter this way is especially helpful for someone working alone.
Make sure that the PVC glue takes before use, being through with the cleaner and glue will help with this. Make sure that the mortar is fully set-up before use; follow directions that come with mortar mix about proper set-up time. When moving the structure, use a partner to avoid damaging the structure. It can also be helpful to have a partner present when launching the fish attracter.
Here is a link to a diagram of the finihed product, LINK
The components needed are:
4 55-gallon plastic barrels
12 five-foot sections of 1 ¼ PVC pipe plumbing grade
8 four-way L 1 ¼ PVC couplings
8 three-foot sections of 1 ½ PVC pipe
Four cinder blocks
Mortar mix
Hack saw
PVC pipe glue
PVC pipe cleaner
Tape measure
Drill
Skil Saw
Preparing Components
1. Cut the four 55-gallon barrels in half with a skil saw. The barrels need to be cut lengthwise, with the lids cut in half but still attached to barrel.
2. Measure four of the 1 ¼ piece of PVC to divide into a two and a three foot section. The two-foot sections will form the base of the fish attracter; the three-foot sections will be the outer posts.
3. Cut the previously measured pieces of 1 ¼ PVC into four three-foot sections and into four two-foot sections using the hacksaw.
4. Cut a slit halfway through each one of the eight pieces of 1 ½ PVC pipe. The 1 ½ PVC will serve as a sleeve over the 1 ¼ PVC with one end of the barrel lid fitting down into the slit.
5. Drill a 1 ¾ hole through each end of the 55-gallon barrels. The holes should be two-inches above the horizontal cut of the barrel lid.
Assembling Fish Attracter
1. Cement the four pieces of two-foot 1 ¼ pipe into the cinder block using mortar mix. This will form the base of the fish attracter.
2. Slide the 8 five-foot sections of 1 ¼ into the 8 three-foot sections of 1 ½ inch pipe. Next slide the three-foot sections of 1 ½ PVC with the 1 ¼ encased inside into the eight 55-barrel halves, threading the PVC through the holes drilled on each end. Slide the slit cut in the sections of 1 ½ pipe onto the side of the drilled holes.
4. Join four-way PVC couplings to the ends of the 4 two-foot sections of 1 ¼ PVC PIPE. Attach the couplings to the pipe using the PVC pipe cleaner and PVC glue.
5. Attach four of the PVC pipe/55 gallon barrel assemblies to the four-way PVC couplings using the PVC pipe cleaner and PVC glue. If assembled properly, the PVC assembly will form a square.
6. Join four of the five-foot sections of 1 ¼ PVC pipe into the upward part of the 4-way coupling of the square PVC assembly. Attach remaining 4 four-way couplings to opposite ends of pieces of PVC pipe. All of the couplings and pipes should be joined together using PVC pipe cleaner and glue.
7. Attach the remaining PVC pipe/55-gallon barrel assemblies to the four-way couplings using PVC pipe cleaner and glue. If assembled correctly, the structure should be shaped like a square box.
For assembly purposes, after cementing PVC into cinder blocks, lay the posts on the ground instead of trying to assemble upright. Assembling fish attracter this way is especially helpful for someone working alone.
Make sure that the PVC glue takes before use, being through with the cleaner and glue will help with this. Make sure that the mortar is fully set-up before use; follow directions that come with mortar mix about proper set-up time. When moving the structure, use a partner to avoid damaging the structure. It can also be helpful to have a partner present when launching the fish attracter.
Here is a link to a diagram of the finihed product, LINK
The Shooting in Tucson
The shooting in Tucson was truly a tragedy, a terrible, horrific event. But I believe it is time for our country to move on. Those on the left brought politics into the event, using it as an opportunity to attack the right, then those on the right attacked the left for making a political issue of the event. But can't we just let it go, nothing can change what happened. No amount of commentary or rhetoric will change what happened in Tucson, however, we can commit to making the future better and send up prayers for those affected by the shooting.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Does Global Warming Cause Snow Storms
Is all the snow that we have been recieving the result of global warming? I am no scientist, but if the earth is getting warmer, how come I am feeling colder. So far this winter, I have drove through an ice storm, missed three days of work on account of snow, seen a white Christmas ( a rare site in my neck of the woods), and witnessed a 12 inch and a nine incf snow, respectively. I am currently snowed in with the thermomter well below the frezzing mark. Global warming? You make the call.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Gulliver's Travels Review
Just got back from the new Gulliver's Travel movie which stars comedic great Jack Black. I am not a big Jack Black fan, so I was not really expecting much from the movie, mainly just wanting to treat the kids to a movie, but I was pleasantly surprised. The movie was a cleverly crafted comedy with just enough drama and good moral lessons laced in to engage the heart and soul without being preachy. Additionally, there was just the right amount of romance thrown in the mix making Gulliver's Travels a funny, feel good, romantic comedy. I have to give this movie a double thumbs-up, I believe it is one of the best movies that I have seen in a while, maybe the best of the season. There was a little crude humor, but mild and minimal enough not to hurt the movie, actually it made for a good laugh. For those who plan on taking their children, I have to warn you, this is not just a kids movie, plan on being entertained.
Papa's Pizza Buffet in Blue Ridge
Papa's Pizza Buffet in Blue Ridge is fast becoming my favorite pizza parlor in Blue Ridge. For price, taste, variety and friendly service it is hard to beat. The pizza and desert bar and salad bar are an incredible bargain at just under $7.00 for all you can eat. Not only is the food good, put the friendly atmosphere really makes you feel like a valued guest. For those who are looking for a great pizza buffet experience, I highly recommend Papa's Pizza Buffet in Blue Ridge, Georgia, which is one of the greatest little towns in North Georgia.
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