How to find a job in difficult economic times

Posted on June 20, 2009
Filed Under Employment | Leave a Comment

We are living some hard times at the moment. Since the debt crisis that hit the entire world hard last year, hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost in the United States and every where else. People are losing their houses and their jobs at the same time. Those who had enough money save to survive this far but have lost their jobs in the last few months are desperate to find new jobs to feed their families. How can one find a job in such difficult economic times?

The truth is that there is no simple answer to the latter questions. It is clear that the manufacturing sector which has been in decline for the last couple of decades (at least) is not the place to go looking for a job. The financial sector that grew rapidly since the 80s has also collapsed after the more recent fiasco with the subprime mortgages. So, if you are thinking of going back to school to earn and MBA in hopes of getting a job in the financial sector, forget it. It is not going to happen.

Starting your own business is an alternative that some will definitely explore. Considering, however, that unemployment numbers are flirting with double digit numbers and lots of people are changing mentality towards saving money rather than spending uncontrollably, chances are that many new home businesses and mom and pop stores will also be failing ventures. In other words, if you start a new business now you will most likely end up with more debt than you have now.

So, what is really left?

Well, there is always the Information Technology sector. Sure, many companies are tightening their belts trying to minimize losses while this economic twister passes through, but at the same time many are thinking about how to grow their businesses for the years to come. IT is not going away since just about every industry today relies on computer technology to operate. To enter the IT sector if you have no prior experience consider taking some night classes at your local college. These are usually affordable and being at night allow you to take care of your children or work a part-time job if you have one. When it comes to IT jobs, it is always a good idea to keep your skills current so even if you have prior training it won’t hurt to take some more courses to familiarize yourself with some of the most current tech.

You can start you IT job search at any time by using one or more of the myriad of online resources. An job in the IT sector maybe one of your best chances for becoming employed in the current economic climate.

Why people retire poor

Posted on June 13, 2009
Filed Under Money | Leave a Comment

the gap between the rich and the poor cartoonIt is unbelievable the number of things people do to guarantee that they will retire poor. Every day that goes by I come across a new example of poor money management by people educated and not. Let me give you a recent example that took place in Australia.

A few months ago, the Australian government announced that as part of a very expensive stimulus package, i.e., the government spending money they don’t have in an effort to kick start a hurting economy because of the recent debt crisis that has crippled economies around the world, they will give every tax payer a nice $900 paycheck to spend as they wish.

So what do you think a reasonable person should do with this money?

Those in debt should rationally use the money to pay down their debt whether it is credit card or mortrage. It makes sense to do this because the less money you own the less you have to pay in interest over the years to the bank. Well, do you think people actually did this?

Actually, it turns out that most people took the money and wasted on luxury items they didn’t really need. They went out and bought iPods, iPhones, plasma televisions, etc. These are all items that we don’t really need especially when in debt and unemployed. What the heck are people thinking I will never understand. It is this type of behavior that makes our economy susceptible to fraud by the elite bankers and their politician and mafia friends.

And so there you have it. Another example of how people seem to go out of their way to mismanage their money and retire poor.

It’s a decision that I have to make sooner than later

Posted on May 19, 2009
Filed Under Health | Leave a Comment

I am seating here looking at my gut and reading a Lipofuze review (another miracle, fat-busting, diet pill) felling miserable about myself and the extra weight I gained the last few months. It was my goal about 4 months ago to get back in shape but with all the stress from work and a number of events that made a mess of my personal life, I totally missed my weight loss target for the spring of 2009.

Now, all I can do is feel depressed about the extra few inches added to my midsection and my inability to go up the stairs at work without losing my breath in the process. It is really time to do something about that before it is truly too later. I opened an account at fitday.com to keep track of the calories I consume and the amount of calories that I burn exercising. The site is nice because it keeps track of my stats over long periods of time along with nice goal graphs that if anything can be motivating. I also picked up a bathroom scale to measure my weight every day to make sure that I don’t lose sight of my targets but also to monitor my weekly progress.

I will be hitting the gym 5 days a week. I am busy at work and the stress is not going to go away but I will probably be better off exercising in the evening that staying at home and eating junk food. I definitely won’t be using any diet or weight loss pills. My goal is to reach my target of 165 lbs in 4 months time which means that I have to shed 1 lbs per week. A reasonably target that according to most articles that I have read is not going to compromise my health.

So, here we go!

Damn that Sun

Posted on May 15, 2009
Filed Under Health | Leave a Comment

I’m all for the significance of the Cosmos and the vast insignificance of humans and other living things on this planet but sometimes the little things that I should not care about seriously piss me off. Let me explain.

Recently, as in about a year ago, I moved to Sydney Australia. Not a bad looking city even though some mountains in the background would certainly help make the city look a bit nicer. Sydney harbor is certainly one of the nicest natural harbors I have ever seen. And the weather is very nice with mild winters and hot summers encouraging the locals and visitors to hit the local beaches every weekend. But the Sun is also the one thing in Sydney that seriously annoys me.

It is unbelievable how easily the Sun burns your skin in the summer. Even when applying a thick layer of sunblock there is little escape from the Sun’s rays. I guess it doesn’t help that the ozone layer is mostly depleted in the Southern hemisphere not filtering the dangerous UV rays from reaching the Earth’s surface. And it really gets annoying when temperatures reach and surpass 30 degrees Celsius above zero and you can’t go to the beach because of the sunburn you inherited the last time you were there.

Not to mention of course that all that exposure to UV radiation is not good for your skin long term and can cause skin cancer. And your average skin care products don’t do much to protect you from such nasty consequences although often can relieve some of the short term effects of sunburns.

I guess at the end of the day there is no such thing as a free lunch. You can either live in Canada and freeze to death for most of the year or live in Australia and fry your skin or die a horrible death in the hands of skin cancer. But I had to write about it because I now feel so much better about the whole situation.

Getting older sucks

Posted on May 10, 2009
Filed Under General | Leave a Comment

Life and workIt seems that these days every time I look in the mirror I see even more gray hair and more wrinkles all over my face. I am getting older and there is no denying it. When we are young all we want to do is to get older fast so that we can enjoy all the freedoms adults have; we want to be independent. But with adulthood come increased responsibilities that reduce our freedoms, those freedoms that we forget to enjoy when young.

Now, we have to spend the better part of our days working in hopes that we will be given a tiny wage increase at the end of the year or maybe that ever elusive promotion. We work nonstop putting up with office politics dreaming for the 2 weeks of vacation that we are entitled too just so that we can (hopefully) enjoy some of those freedoms that we took for granted when growing up.

Seeing all that gray hair and wrinkles in the mirror reminds me of the ignorance of youth. Oh, how was that wasted in meaningless activities playing video games, watching TV, surfing the World Wide Web, or just seating around doing nothing all day. Sure, I can use my Internet skills to find the best wrinkle cream in the market to try and give myself the impression that I am winning the war against time or I can just start living life. No more wasted weekends and evening in front of the TV. No more stressing about office politics and meaningless job issues.

It is time to live life to its fullest. Who is with me?

Rinker boat covers: Protecting your investment

Posted on May 2, 2009
Filed Under Sports | Leave a Comment

Rinker captiva sport boatI have to admit that I recently have developed a great interest in boating and especially sailing yachts in Sydney harbor. Of course, sailing a 24-footer is just one of many ways to enjoy a Saturday afternoon in the water. But what if you don’t live near the sea but you still love to go boating? Don’t worry because there are other options. For example, a Rinker boat is a great way to explore lakes and waterways.

But this post is not about how to get started with boating but more about one of the many ways to protect your investment if you decide to purchase your own boat and more specifically a Rinker. In order to protect your vessel and realize it’s full potential you should purchase a Rinker boat cover to protect it in all weather conditions.

You can expect to spend in the vicinity of $240 for this type of cover (this price has been discounted by 36% – its true value is much higher) and for this you can expect to get a 6.5 square yard Sundura cover that is the Rinker best seller due to its high quality. Nobody said that boating is cheap so don’t expect to get things for free. Owning your own boat doesn’t mean that you have to live in a trailer but it will cost you several thousand dollars every year to keep and maintain your vessel.

When you purchase a Rinker boat cover, you are automatically paying for quality and upon the sale, the cover has a 5 year warranty along with the 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are unhappy with the product then you can get your money back with no questions asked.

So, what the heck kind of material are these boat covers made from? These covers are made from Sundura, a 100% polyester material, and is the most popular cover available. Blue or grey are the only colour choices.

All Rinker boat covers are extremely durable and are resistant to water and stains but they are not automatically protected against UV rays and mildew. An additional protection process is available through Rinker to provide additional protection against fierce weather.

Any special requests for your new Rinker boat cover will be taken into account and company will assist you with any requirements based on your individual needs. Rinker will be pleased to help in any way possible but it is important to remember that if a special order is placed then the product cannot be returned because the company has an as-is policy.

It is unlikely that you will need to place a special order as the Rinker cover range is extensive, however, should you require something different then get in touch with the company first to see if what you want is available and what it would cost.

At the end of the day, if you purchase your own boat, you are bound to become obsessed with protecting from the elements and people. I can’t tell you how many people I had to ban from my boat because they kept trying to come onboard wearing shoes that left marks on my nice and clean deck. Hey, we sailors like to protect our boats and so if you can’t play by the rules, we are going to keep you off them. This holds true for you nature as well.

Diet pills cause more harm than good

Posted on May 2, 2009
Filed Under Diet | Leave a Comment

I have said repeatedly through this blog that the best method of weight loss is to carefully measure the amount of calories consumed in combination with a well designed exercise program. It is a simple recipe that will cost you next to nothing other than a gym membership; alternatively, you can exercise at the local park for free.

The weight loss formula that works is simple: Calories In < calories burned = weight loss.

Yet, millions of people spend millions of dollars each year on a dietary supplements and miracle diet pills, i.e., Anoretix, that don’t work and in most cases may cause bodily harm. Just yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned people against taking the diet supplement Hydroxycut because it has been found that it causes liver damage. In fact, it has even caused the death of a 19-year old in the United States. In the past, Xenadrine had also been found responsible for cause cardiovascular problems to some people who used it regularly for weight loss and energy boosting.

Why are people willing to spend money to take supplements that can cause serious harm to them when they can easily get in shape by following the simple formula I presented earlier? What is it that people in North America want everything 5 minutes ago? Stop acting like a bunch of idiots and start using your heads people. Proper eating and exercise is the only sustainable and healthy way to lose weight and get in shape.

Health insurance is a big business

Posted on April 26, 2009
Filed Under business | Leave a Comment

hospital doctorHealth insurance is probably one of the biggest business out there. For those nations such as the United States that don’t have universal health coverage for all citizens, numerous companies are profiting greatly from selling expensive health insurance to millions of people every year. Ads for “affordable” insurance are always on TV, magazines, newspapers and, of course, the Internet.

It is not only the insurance companies that are bombarding us with advertising to pay what is yet the equivalent of another tax. There are thousands of marketers who are constantly trying to generate valid leads for these companies. A health insurance lead is worth a lot of money and these marketers are compensated handsomely for spamming us.

A lead is essentially a person who has agreed to give all of his/her personal information to a third party in order to receive more data on a health insurance plan. Basically, once a lead has been generated, a very persuasive sales person will take over and try to convert the lead into a paying customer. Health insurance companies are willing to pay top dollar for such information.

Not all leads become full paying customers but a good percentage of them do. And if a company pays $30 for a lead and that converts to a full customer paying thousands of dollars every year in membership fees, then you understand why lead generation is such a popular method of marketing.

At the end of the day, health insurance is a big and very profitable business. This is the reason why the elites who own these companies have repeatedly lobbied US politicians to prevent all attempts for universal health coverage in the country. And unless the new President elect Barack Obama grows some balls in the next 3 years, chances are that the status quo will remain for many decades to come.

The weight loss secret you have been waiting for

Posted on April 24, 2009
Filed Under Fitness | 1 Comment

naked obese personEnough is enough! I can’t take it anymore. Every other day, there is a new method for weight loss that requires no effort and will turn anyone into a supermodel overnight. Obviously these scams continue to exist simply because people always fall for them.

Wake up America! There is no miracle weight loss secret. Stop reading pointless diet pill reviews and start doing the two simple things that guarantee to help you maintain a healthy weight. And yes, these two things require effort. Simply put, no pain no gain.

So, what are the two things?

First, you have to measure the amount of food you eat and simply avoid overeating. Use a small kitchen scale to measure how much food you cook. Don’t eat more than the recommended number of servings every day. Talk with a certified dietitian who can tell you how many calories and what type to eat every day. Don’t starve yourself because it does not work. And don’t cut any kind of food such as fat or carbohydrates entirely out of your diet. Eat everything in moderation and you will be fine.

Second, turn off the TV and get yourself out of the couch and into your local gym. You have to exercise if you want to lose weight. It is that simple. You exercise to burn excess calories stored as fat in your body. How hard is it to understand that if you burn more calories than you eat on a daily basis you will inevitably reduce your body fat. Period. Make sure to talk a a fitness instructor and maybe a physician before starting an exercise program, especially if you haven’t had any exercise for a long time. Your heart does not like going from zero to hero overnight. Take it easy at first and increase the intensity over time as you get in better shape.

There you have it folks. The two simple things you have to do in order to lose excess weight or maintain a healthy weight. Eat a balanced diet and exercise. It is that simple!

Family summer vacations

Posted on April 12, 2009
Filed Under Family | 1 Comment

Orlando Florida Walt Disney theme parkThe current economic downturn is certainly going to make it difficult for many families to enjoy a summer vacation like used to in the past. For those who are looking for a break after another year of hard work, a family vacation is certainly the best remedy.

A vacation need not be expensive. There are many ways to save money and still have lots of fun. For example, you can have a local vacation. Why go to Europe and spend all your money on expensive plane tickets and hotels just so that you can stay in Rome’s historic downtown or near Paris’ Eiffel tower when you can easily have lots of good times in a local holiday resort?

It is always difficult to decide on a family vacation destination because you have to find a location that will be fun and interesting for both the adults and kids in the family. Keeping this in mind, I always recommend to families that they enjoy a vacation in Orlando Florida. Orlando vacations are the best for the whole family.

With a large number of mega-theme parks such as Walt Disney World, Sea World, Discovery Cove and Universal Studios to name a few there is plenty to keep everyone entertained for the duration of the vacation. For the adults in the group, there are plenty of great golf courses and an awesome fine arts museum to visit. Not that adults don’t usually have a great time at one of the many theme parks in the area. Of course, let us not forget that NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is also just a short drive away with many space-related exhibits to see; hey, if you are lucky, you might even see the space shuttle in preparation for its next flight.

Finally, because Orlando is such a popular destination for many families, there are plenty of affordable hotels for the more budget conscious traveler.

Orlando Florida is a great destination for a family vacation with lots to keep the adults and children busy and happy.

« go back — keep looking »
Your Ad Here