Friday, February 5, 2010

Think you are poor?


Every year we gaze enviously at the lists of the richest people in world. Wondering what it would be like to have that sort of cash. But where would you sit on one of those lists? Here's your chance to find out.
Click the link above and enter your yearly income to see where you fall.

The image above shows that if you make $25,000 per year in the US you are in the top 10% of rich people in the world.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Bad Application of Advertising

Thursday, February 4, 2010

New Video of Challenger Disaster Surfaces After 24 Years

Do you remember where you were when the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion occurred. I was leaving my dorm room walking to a chemistry lab at Texas A&M. As I walked by the TV room I saw the first replay of the explosion, before they actually knew what happened.

Someone just published a previously unseen home video of the explosion on YouTube.
On a chilly January morning 24 years ago, Corydon optometrist Jack Moss raised his new video camera to the sky over central Florida and captured one of the darkest moments in American space exploration the explosion of the shuttle Challenger.

In the videotape, a stream of white smoke behind the climbing shuttle shoots into view but Moss, his wife and a neighbor noticed immediately that More..something was amiss when the channel separated into two streams.

Thats trouble of some kind, Moss can be heard saying. That didnt look right.

Moments later, someone is heard telling Moss that the Challenger had blown up.


Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

America's Biggest Rip-offs

Would you believe that there is 900% markup on movie theater popcorn? Want to know where else you are being ripped off?
Are you infuriated every time you open your cell phone bill? Livid when you buy a snack at the movies? These are nine of the rawest deals around.
Click the image to read about the rip-offs.

10 Most Influential Pastors

He has preached the gospel to more than 200 million people in 185 lands and, at 91, still maintains that his one purpose in life is "to help people find a personal relationship with God, which, I believe, comes through knowing Christ."

Billy Graham, whose crusade in Los Angeles in 1949 vaulted him into the public square, is far and away the top living preacher that has most influenced Protestant pastors, according to a recent survey by LifeWay Research.

In telephone interviews conducted in November 2009, Protestant pastors were asked to "name the top three living Christian preachers that most influence you." Twenty-one percent of pastors surveyed said Graham – that’s nearly three times the number who named Charles R. Swindoll, prominent pastor, author and host of the radio Bible-teaching ministry Insight for Living.
Click the image to read the full article.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Deduct Haiti Charitable Donations on 2009 OR 2010 Taxes

This just in from a financial blog I follow.
The millions of Americans who have donated money to the earthquake relief efforts underway in Haiti will be able to claim an itemized tax deduction on their 2009 tax returns, when a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate becomes law.

H.R. 4462 gives taxpayers the option of claiming charitable contributions for relief in Haiti on either their 2009 or 2010 tax returns, so long as the contribution is made before March 1, 2010. In addition, the bill allows taxpayers to use a telephone bill as proof of donations made via a text message.

In the PR announcement, they also warn of scams. As you might expect, there are many that are trying to take advantage of such a tragic situation.
Click the image above to read the blog post.

Thanks To Bob at Prudent Money

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Big Picture: Tough Guy Challenge 2010

The 24th annual Tough Guy Challenge took place last weekend, on Sunday, January 31st, on South Perton Farm, near Wolverhampton, England. Despite being billed as "the safest most dangerous taste of physical and mental endurance pain in the world", this year's race still attracted over 5,000 men and women - all of them signing a disclaimer saying "It's my own bloody fault for being here". About 600 racers did not complete the course this year - the winner being Paul Jones of Oswestry, England, completing the course in one hour 18 minutes. The Challenge is annual event to raise cash for charity with funds going to the Mr. Mouse Farm for Unfortunates. Special thanks today to photographer Mike King, who was kind enough to share 16 of his great photographs of the 2010 Tough Guy Challenge below. (31 photos total)
Click the image to see the full collection.>

Groundhog Day: How accurate is Punxsutawney Phil?

Like most TV weathermen, Punxsutawney Phil is more about style than science. Each Groundhog Day, people gather at Gobbler's Knob in Pennsylvania to await a winter weather prediction from America's favorite furry forecaster.

Today, the marmot meteorologist saw his shadow, foretelling six more weeks of winter. But just how accurate is Groundhog Day?

Flipping through the history books, it seems Punxsutawney Phil has spotted his shadow 99 out of 114 times. That would mean poor Pennsylvania rarely gets an early spring. However, according to the Stormfax Almanac, the groundhog is only right 39 percent of the time – a failing grade in school terms.
Click on either picture to read the article.