As someone who is living it rough as an entrepreneur, worrying about yet another month if making rent (it wouldn't be the first time i've been evicted in the name of entrepreneurialism ) your comments are right on. Sounds like you've been around the block on this one already! Good luck!
We went down to our local SPCA a tried to adopt one of the 5 small dogs they had posted with pic on the net as "available". They were either sick today, or all of a sudden in need of more training, or 'just adopted.' I listened to one of the volunteers talk a nice-looking young woman out of adopting a larger, pit bull mix dog. Several families expressing interest in adopting dogs were all sent-off without a dog ahead of me too. I don't know why on earth my local San Mateo SPCA would want to KEEP all their 'available' dogs, but it sure seems like they do.
I think most people have a very difficult time determining what is really important to them. Instead they look at what is important to other people and make purchases based on what they see around them.
They end up with a lifestyle that doesn't really reflect their values. It just reflects their peer's purchases.
I am a life insurance agent and I firmly believe in Whole Life insurance on little ones. Especially the kind that is paid up in 20 years.
I often sell the 20 Pay Life plan. This is permanant insurance that builds significant cash value and the dividends pile up as paid-up additions to the original death benefit. (i.e. $25,000 at age 1 turns in to $50,000 at age 42 because of dividends). This plan gorws far after it is paid up.
How can this not be a smart idea?
Those who disagree are the kind of people that like to spend money on themselves.
I suppose having an extroverted personality can help a great deal along the road to Charmhood. Someone who listens intently but keeps to themselves might be seen as a "good listener" rather than "charming". That's a really good point.
It is true that adding your cell phone to the Do Not Call list is a good idea. I've had pretty good luck with the Do Not Call list for other landlines that I used to use. I certainly intend to do the same for my cell. I'm not sure if asking Intelius to remove a number is effective or not, as I have yet to try it.
Judging by the current database (at least, according to the reporter) chances are that many of the listings will be incorrect, anyway. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's something to keep in mind: you might start getting telemarketing calls that are meant for another individual.
As to whether or not I enjoy abusing people: well, duh. Who doesn't? But I especially love abusing companies who consider it their "job" to locate and sell my personal contact information without my knowledge or consent.
Why does everything have to turn into such extremes? People, calm down!! These are suggestions, not mind control. You don't have to listen to absolute arrogant bores if you don't want to. That's not the point of this post. Come on, stop being so contrarian and actually consider what's written. Sometimes we miss important points when we don't listen to others. It's about engaged listening, not letting someone blabber on.
To the above comment: Oh please. From my experience removing someone from your call list doesn't stop the sales calls. I've once had to ask five times for a magazine company to stop calling to offer their free mag. Sorry, if this offends you and if you are a fair person, but some places just aren't so honest. These lists can be sold to countless companies, which add up to who knows how many calls. Seriously, there are better ways of advertising and I think the majority of people who receive cold calls can agree that they are annoying and invasive.
I haven't tried any of the methods yet. For the people that used the method and said it worked did it remove all scratches even the tiny ones and made it look like it was brand new from the store again.
Modern central banking is an empirical system--they do what seems to work. If inflation rises, then they must have been creating too much money. If deflation threatens, then they must not have been creating enough.
The billions that they're creating now are targeted at keeping short-term interest rates stable. When inter-bank rates (such as the Fed funds rate) move above the target, the ECB, the Fed, and other central banks inject enough money to bring the rate back down to the target. If interest rates fall below the target, they'll drain those reserves back out again to keep rates stable.
So, the reason they don't do it all the time is that they don't want to force rates below their target (which is their current best guess as to what rate will keep inflation low but stable).
The actual mechanism of the "pumping" is to lend money to banks against collateral. The collateral used to be either treasury securities, or else loans the bank had made. Over the past few days, though, the collateral has been mortgage-backed securities. I'd be really interested to know how careful the Fed is being to ensure that these securities are not the exact same (potentially worthless) ones that triggered the whole situation.
I am wondering if you have to have the charming characteristics and be an extrovert in order to be considered charming.
One of my relatives was a charming extrovert; he always made me feel great and loved to hear about me. When he died in his 70s, there was a two hour wait to see his family during visitation.
I, too, ask lots of questions and remember everything (I can't always reveal what I remember because people often think it's odd) but I don't think people usually consider me charming most likely b/c I'm somewhat quiet (listening to others) and an introvert.
Why waste your breath insulting someone who's just doing their job, when you can quickly and politely request that they remove you from their call list? They're legally required to do so. Or do you enjoy abusing people?
The mystery is where the Fed and European Central Banks get these billions they "pump" into the economy. How much "reserve" is in the Reserve? Is this just printing money? If "pumping" money into the economy is a good thing, why isn't it done all the time? Isn't this the "pump" that causes inflation?
The other side of the coin is the side most folks choose. The person with the most interesting tales, the funniest jokes, the brightest smile, will soon turn to the most horrible egotistic bore when all they say and do turns back to themselves.
How is the aspiring charming person to maintain sanity when they are the sole listener and most of those with whom they have contact are consummate ego maniacs who have no sense whatsoever of when to drop their favorite topic - themselves?
Mia Detrick in her book "Sushi" said "salmon is never served raw in sushi bars; it is lightly smoked or cured . . ." I have seen her quoted in some places but contradicted in others. What are the facts?
Tweezing out what is cause and what is effect is always hard in this sort of analysis. However, the Harvard School of Public Health page that I referenced does have this to say:
...moderate drinkers were more likely than non-drinkers or heavy drinkers to be at a healthy weight, to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, and to exercise regularly. Researchers have statistically accounted for such confounders, and they do not come close to accounting for the relationship between alcohol and heart disease. This, plus the clearly beneficial effects of alcohol on cardiovascular risk factors, makes a compelling case that alcohol itself, when used in moderation, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
I haven't checked the original research to see how well they handle things like "former abusers of alcohol who are now non-drinkers" skewing the results. I'm sure there'll be more studies going forward.
There are a lot of decisions that aren't worth spending much time on. For those, having a style--so that one choice or another is the obvious one for you--can save a lot of time, effort, and agonizing. If that style is an expensive one, though, the result can be a lot of extra spending--spending made pretty much on autopilot. One answer is being mindful in the big decisions that lead you to your personal style, so that you don't have to be quite so mindful of each individual little decision after that.
And, of course, it's never too late to change your style.
I like the quote "When you get to the point that you start talking about your lifestyle as if it were an additional member of the household, you're far, far gone." I would say there is still hope, they just need to change some values and the course their ship.
While there are some actual internal processes that seem to be positively affected by moderate consumption(1-2 drinks a day), I really don't get the sense that the body of evidence actually proves anything about alcohol use in general.
The common criticism against most of the positive alcohol studies are that a lot of people lumped in as abstainers negatively effect the results. Specifically, people who because of addiction problems, health reasons, disabilities have quite drinking. I have seen research that suggests that taking those type of people out of the study then the curve becomes a lot more "J" shaped rather than "U" shaped. No one argues for heavy consumption though.
The other argument is that like most studies they prove a correlation not the cause. EG - Maybe moderate drinkers tend to have more wealth, education, or some other quality that cause the positive effects, not the actual drinking itself.
It seems like more quality research and study needs to happen, IMO.
Books are often the source of the most genuine joy and pretty intense frustration of my life. Too many waiting to be read, too little space to keep them all, too expensive to buy every single one I love.
Some of my solutions:
Second-hand stores (now those you'll find anywhere in the world), online second-hand sources (most of them will ship for reasonable prices all over the world, like abebooks.com, alibris, halfpricebooks, even amazon sellers), bookmooch.com where you can get books for free, provided you're willing to part with your own too (I'm still new there, and my first book did cost me a bit much to SEND, but I had fun thinking it would end up in Singapour - but that's a different story).
As someone who is living it rough as an entrepreneur, worrying about yet another month if making rent (it wouldn't be the first time i've been evicted in the name of entrepreneurialism ) your comments are right on. Sounds like you've been around the block on this one already! Good luck!
We went down to our local SPCA a tried to adopt one of the 5 small dogs they had posted with pic on the net as "available". They were either sick today, or all of a sudden in need of more training, or 'just adopted.' I listened to one of the volunteers talk a nice-looking young woman out of adopting a larger, pit bull mix dog. Several families expressing interest in adopting dogs were all sent-off without a dog ahead of me too. I don't know why on earth my local San Mateo SPCA would want to KEEP all their 'available' dogs, but it sure seems like they do.
I think most people have a very difficult time determining what is really important to them. Instead they look at what is important to other people and make purchases based on what they see around them.
They end up with a lifestyle that doesn't really reflect their values. It just reflects their peer's purchases.
I am a life insurance agent and I firmly believe in Whole Life insurance on little ones. Especially the kind that is paid up in 20 years.
I often sell the 20 Pay Life plan. This is permanant insurance that builds significant cash value and the dividends pile up as paid-up additions to the original death benefit. (i.e. $25,000 at age 1 turns in to $50,000 at age 42 because of dividends). This plan gorws far after it is paid up.
How can this not be a smart idea?
Those who disagree are the kind of people that like to spend money on themselves.
Very cool trick. Good persuasion tactics.
Visit The STReeTJeSUS BLoG
Good for your heart perhaps... But your liver pays the ultimate price.
Visit The STReeTJeSUS BLoG
I suppose having an extroverted personality can help a great deal along the road to Charmhood. Someone who listens intently but keeps to themselves might be seen as a "good listener" rather than "charming". That's a really good point.
Very subtle, #4. Keep up the great work.
It is true that adding your cell phone to the Do Not Call list is a good idea. I've had pretty good luck with the Do Not Call list for other landlines that I used to use. I certainly intend to do the same for my cell. I'm not sure if asking Intelius to remove a number is effective or not, as I have yet to try it.
Judging by the current database (at least, according to the reporter) chances are that many of the listings will be incorrect, anyway. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's something to keep in mind: you might start getting telemarketing calls that are meant for another individual.
As to whether or not I enjoy abusing people: well, duh. Who doesn't? But I especially love abusing companies who consider it their "job" to locate and sell my personal contact information without my knowledge or consent.
They, frankly, deserve it.
Listening to others is a sign of respect. Just from some of these posts its obvious that we can all learn to do it.
Why does everything have to turn into such extremes? People, calm down!! These are suggestions, not mind control. You don't have to listen to absolute arrogant bores if you don't want to. That's not the point of this post. Come on, stop being so contrarian and actually consider what's written. Sometimes we miss important points when we don't listen to others. It's about engaged listening, not letting someone blabber on.
To the above comment: Oh please. From my experience removing someone from your call list doesn't stop the sales calls. I've once had to ask five times for a magazine company to stop calling to offer their free mag. Sorry, if this offends you and if you are a fair person, but some places just aren't so honest. These lists can be sold to countless companies, which add up to who knows how many calls. Seriously, there are better ways of advertising and I think the majority of people who receive cold calls can agree that they are annoying and invasive.
Apparently, getting your teeth done (i.e. cosmetic dentistry) has the Diderot effect, at least in the UK where perfect teeth just aren't that common.
I haven't tried any of the methods yet. For the people that used the method and said it worked did it remove all scratches even the tiny ones and made it look like it was brand new from the store again.
Modern central banking is an empirical system--they do what seems to work. If inflation rises, then they must have been creating too much money. If deflation threatens, then they must not have been creating enough.
The billions that they're creating now are targeted at keeping short-term interest rates stable. When inter-bank rates (such as the Fed funds rate) move above the target, the ECB, the Fed, and other central banks inject enough money to bring the rate back down to the target. If interest rates fall below the target, they'll drain those reserves back out again to keep rates stable.
So, the reason they don't do it all the time is that they don't want to force rates below their target (which is their current best guess as to what rate will keep inflation low but stable).
The actual mechanism of the "pumping" is to lend money to banks against collateral. The collateral used to be either treasury securities, or else loans the bank had made. Over the past few days, though, the collateral has been mortgage-backed securities. I'd be really interested to know how careful the Fed is being to ensure that these securities are not the exact same (potentially worthless) ones that triggered the whole situation.
I am wondering if you have to have the charming characteristics and be an extrovert in order to be considered charming.
One of my relatives was a charming extrovert; he always made me feel great and loved to hear about me. When he died in his 70s, there was a two hour wait to see his family during visitation.
I, too, ask lots of questions and remember everything (I can't always reveal what I remember because people often think it's odd) but I don't think people usually consider me charming most likely b/c I'm somewhat quiet (listening to others) and an introvert.
Why waste your breath insulting someone who's just doing their job, when you can quickly and politely request that they remove you from their call list? They're legally required to do so. Or do you enjoy abusing people?
Thanks for putting all the data together, Linsey.
I'm with you. It's really rewarding to empower our readers with helpful information.
The mystery is where the Fed and European Central Banks get these billions they "pump" into the economy. How much "reserve" is in the Reserve? Is this just printing money? If "pumping" money into the economy is a good thing, why isn't it done all the time? Isn't this the "pump" that causes inflation?
The other side of the coin is the side most folks choose. The person with the most interesting tales, the funniest jokes, the brightest smile, will soon turn to the most horrible egotistic bore when all they say and do turns back to themselves.
How is the aspiring charming person to maintain sanity when they are the sole listener and most of those with whom they have contact are consummate ego maniacs who have no sense whatsoever of when to drop their favorite topic - themselves?
Mia Detrick in her book "Sushi" said "salmon is never served raw in sushi bars; it is lightly smoked or cured . . ." I have seen her quoted in some places but contradicted in others. What are the facts?
Tweezing out what is cause and what is effect is always hard in this sort of analysis. However, the Harvard School of Public Health page that I referenced does have this to say:
I haven't checked the original research to see how well they handle things like "former abusers of alcohol who are now non-drinkers" skewing the results. I'm sure there'll be more studies going forward.
There are a lot of decisions that aren't worth spending much time on. For those, having a style--so that one choice or another is the obvious one for you--can save a lot of time, effort, and agonizing. If that style is an expensive one, though, the result can be a lot of extra spending--spending made pretty much on autopilot. One answer is being mindful in the big decisions that lead you to your personal style, so that you don't have to be quite so mindful of each individual little decision after that.
And, of course, it's never too late to change your style.
I like the quote "When you get to the point that you start talking about your lifestyle as if it were an additional member of the household, you're far, far gone." I would say there is still hope, they just need to change some values and the course their ship.
While there are some actual internal processes that seem to be positively affected by moderate consumption(1-2 drinks a day), I really don't get the sense that the body of evidence actually proves anything about alcohol use in general.
The common criticism against most of the positive alcohol studies are that a lot of people lumped in as abstainers negatively effect the results. Specifically, people who because of addiction problems, health reasons, disabilities have quite drinking. I have seen research that suggests that taking those type of people out of the study then the curve becomes a lot more "J" shaped rather than "U" shaped. No one argues for heavy consumption though.
The other argument is that like most studies they prove a correlation not the cause. EG - Maybe moderate drinkers tend to have more wealth, education, or some other quality that cause the positive effects, not the actual drinking itself.
It seems like more quality research and study needs to happen, IMO.
Books are often the source of the most genuine joy and pretty intense frustration of my life. Too many waiting to be read, too little space to keep them all, too expensive to buy every single one I love.
Some of my solutions:
Second-hand stores (now those you'll find anywhere in the world), online second-hand sources (most of them will ship for reasonable prices all over the world, like abebooks.com, alibris, halfpricebooks, even amazon sellers), bookmooch.com where you can get books for free, provided you're willing to part with your own too (I'm still new there, and my first book did cost me a bit much to SEND, but I had fun thinking it would end up in Singapour - but that's a different story).
Love your blog, Philip - good material