Studious Eccentric Perspective

Outlook Trick I didn't know

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 12 Jun 2016 05:02:00 +0000

Something new and exciting happened while using outlook. I was like a kid in a candy sore, with a smile on my face of how cool I have discovered something I didn't know. Okay, let me get to it. I was sitting on my desk, writing an email that I was supposed to have an attachment. In the email I write the sentence "see the attached ....." In haste trying to send the email, I forget to attach the document to the email. To the amazement and surprise a pop up comes up and I look closely to examine what it was saying.

"You have not attached the document"

Then I remember that I did not attach the document. This meas that outlook is reading or examining your email as you write looking for keyword that are in the ribbon. When it finds the keyword like "attachment" it will prompt you to attach the document. Is this the beginning of not sending an email twice because you forgot to attach a document? This happened in outlook 2016.

What would you do?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Dec 2014 05:03:00 +0000

I don't do this but;
At first I thought it was the customer who was rude to the NTB (National Tire & Battery) employee the way he responded to her rudely - I sympathise with him. My turn comes wanting to know why the work on the car I had asked and paid for wasn't done, instead of explaining to me nicely "the reason we didn't do it is the better tires are where they are supposed to be and it's safer for you that way". He comes finishes with a statement "your damn car needs a lot of work, you are lucky I didn't write you a damn quote of $3000 of repair work your car needs".
First he spoke to me as if he is doing me a favour for not "writing me a $3000 quote" as suggested.
Second on my receipt, when I go any other place even just to do an oil change come with a list of recommendations on the car, there was no recommendation on what needs to be worked on.

This is when I knew that it was his attitude and rudeness, not the previous 2 customers that came after me and walked out. I don't think I am ever going back to NTB, just lost a customer.

What would you do in this situation?

Importing .QBO Files into Sage 50 For Bank Reconciliation

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 06:48:00 +0000

As an owner of sage 50 accounting software, I have been researching a lot on how to easily import bank statement or transactions in portable form without manually entering them. Running a small business, I have a lot of transaction that occur daily and trying to manually enter them will take a lifetime and most of my time from doing other things to generate more revenue. The frustration for me was that I could connect using Sage 50 to my bank. I called the bank to find out if there is a way I can be able to connect to their servers for me to download daily transactions. But I was told, basically, that they cannot do that and I have to manually download one of the offered format. I tried uploading .QIF, and .OFX but Sage kept giving me an error saying:

"An error occurred while reading the file that you selected."

I even tried to download the CSV and converted it to .OFX using software that can converts CSV to .OFX or .QIF. But the same error kept showing.
One of the versions offered by my bank is the "WEB Connect for Quickbooks 2012 and above" and "WEB Connect for Quicken 2012 and above". Quickbooks will download .QBO file and Quicken will download .QIF file. I was about to give up when I decided to try downloading and uploading the .QBO file without converting to any other format.

It worked like a charm, the import was smooth, it recognised and posted every transaction for the period, reconciled all the transactions that were recognised. In my case, there were a few transactions that were not reconciled because of the way I posted the transactions in Sage 50. This solved my problem that I have been dreading for some time, was able to reconcile a years worth of transaction in 2.5 hours.

Remember download the "WEB Connect for Quickbooks 2012 and above" NOT "WEB Connect for Quicken 2012 and above".

P.S.: This worked on Sage 50 2013 version. I did not try o 2012 or 2011 (which I possess both too).

mmc could not create the snap-in when running task scheduler or event viewer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 01:26:00 +0000

I was having problem with my computer when I tried to create an automatic backup for one of my programs. Every time I tried to open Task Scheduler, I received an error stating that

"mmc could not create the snap-in when running

CLSID: FX{b05566ad-fe9c-4363-be05-7a4cbb7cb510} ".

I then tried to open Event Viewer and the same error popped up with the same message but different CLSID code. I did a search on Microsoft website and found how to troubleshoot the issue by running a scan on the whole system.

Open command Prompt (Windows logo+R on keyboard) in admin mode
Run sf /scannow

After the scan is finished, there are several messages that can be received after running the prompt. Mine was;

Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them. Details are included in the CBS.Log......

I knew that I had some corrupt files on the system and I could not open the CBS.log in the folder to see the configurations. I ran another command

findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log >"%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt"

this will put a folder on your desktop where you can look through and find the corrupt file. After searching for 30 minutes trying to find a feasible solution, not wanting to try to take back the file, I found a command prompt suggested by Andre Ziegler that fixed the corrupt file but did not stop the error from popping up, the DISM command.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

After running the DISM command, I ran the sf /scannow command again and the corrupt files were replaced by new files from microsoft. But I had to do one more step.

I navigated to the system32 folder (C:\Windows\System32) and looked for the mmc.exe.config file and renamed it. I recommend naming it mmc.exe.oldconfig or old_mmc.exe.config so you can revert back to it if things are broken. Open the task scheduler or event viewer again and voilà, it works like magic. The system creates a new config file.
You can also copy the mmc.exe.default file and rename it mmc.exe.config. But why go through that when the system creates that for you?

This was on a windows 8.1. This is a suggestion from my experience and have done this on several computers so I know it work. I can not guarantee that it will work for everyone.

Adding Pinterest to Opencart Shopping cart

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 16 Nov 2013 06:43:00 +0000

I have been learning a little bit of programming at my leisure time. I have been using opencart shopping cart for my business and of late I have decided to a task of making some changes to the site and adding some things. One thing that I always wanted was to add a social icons without major programming or trying to write a template. What I have been doing is making small changes and documenting them as I make them.
One reason I took this was after a search on the opencart website, nobody really gave an idea of how to add the social follow. One of the icons I wanted to add to my site was pinterest so my customers can be able to pin the products. I did not like the idea of taking the code and adding it to every page for it to work.

To make it short, to add or remove social icon here is what I thought and did:

With your choice of ftp program navigate to the following:

/catalog/view/theme/template/product/product.tpl
After you navigate and open the product.tpl, press CTRL+F on windows (CMD+F on mac) to search for "AddThis".
Look for tag and replace the word "email" with the social Icon you want.
Click save and you are done. This will show on all the product pages.

AddThis is already integrated to opencart and there is no need to copy and paste code from most social gadgets you may want to add.

OR

Another way of adding social icon is to add the script copied from (for example) pinterest below the "Addthis Button" comment before the tag.

It works!

OneNote on IPad

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:02:00 +0000

In the world of cross-platforms technology, I wondered how long it would take Microsoft to capitalise on the tablet market with Microsoft OneNote 2010. OneNote is one of the products by Microsoft that I saw it had the potential to be utilised on all platforms from IPad, Andriod and not to mention on its own tablets as an application.

I spent hours looking for an application that will synchronise my work or ideas. I did find a very good application called Evernote. It worked very well but I had already done most of my work in OneNote and was in the process of transferring the work to Evernote (though I was eerie of doing so). One reason that I like Evernote was the fact that you could work offline (if you have a wifi enable IPad) and when you get connected to a wifi, it automatically sync. That is one flow with OneNote at the moment, you have to be connected to access your work.

Either way, this has saved me a lot of time and headache as I am going to continue my work in OneNote and stop the transfer of all my work. I will find a better use of Evernote on my IPad as is also a powerful application with lots of potential for my business. Microsoft has finally utilised the cross-platform to bring powerful OneNote to all platforms.

Funny Things I Receive In Email

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 May 2011 20:47:00 +0000

Why Malawian Mini Bus Drivers Go To Heaven

A Priest dies and waits in line at the Gates of Heaven. Just ahead of him is a guy in casual Jeans and T-Shirt.

The Angel addresses this guy, 'Who are you, so that I may know whether or not to admit you to Heaven?'The guy replies, 'I'm Samalani Mbewe, a Mini Bus driver from Kawale, Lilongwe.'The Angel consults his list, smiles and says to Mbewe, 'Enter into the Paradise .' So the Kawale driver enters Heaven and the Priest is now next in line.

Without being asked, he proclaims, 'I am Father Anaclet Chilombo of St. Johns Cathedral of Mangochi for the last 41 years.'
The Angel once again consults his list and says, 'I am sorry, you are on waiting list. You have to pass some tests before you get entry to the Kingdom of Heaven .'
The Priest says, 'Just a minute. That man was a Mini Bus driver, and you issued him an instant entry. But I have to go through more tests. How can this be?'
The Angel replies, 'Father, I am sorry but up here, we go by results. While you preached, people slept. While he drove, people prayed.'

No Fly Zone Or Decleration of War?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 07:59:00 +0000

Dictatorship comes in many forms and I must make is clear that I do not subscribe to any form of dictatorship. Be it a leader of a nation or IMF, World Bank or western nations trying to tell poor countries how to run their countries and enforcing ideals that appeal to them. But the questions that rages in my mind is: "How can you say you will never support a government that gets into power by force, yet all the nations involved are supporting the rebels?" Once the citizens (of any nation) picked up arms and started fighting against the government forces, they became rebels; so the argument in the article that 'Qaddafi killing his own people' doesn't convince me to justify the involvement of the foreign nations in Libya to defend "it's own citizens" when they are carrying arms to topple the leader of the country. Be it a dictator or not, he is the leader of the country. The united nations resolution of intervention includes "any necessary measures to prepare for humanitarian aid". This is not short of declaration of war on Libya. I don't agree with Qaddafi using airplanes driving rebels out, but taking out the county's air defenses without concrete proof who shelled the city (as reported by Reuters that the video was not verified as to who shot in the city) proves to me that their is more to their (US and Europe) involvement than protecting the rebels and preparing for humanitarian aid. But I thought the purpose of the no fly zone was to prevent him from using air power? Then why bombing the air defenses instead of flying over the airspace to make sure that none of his planes are taking off and when they take off, then they can shoot it down. That makes more sense than bombarding the infrastructure that will be needed afterwards. What will happen when (if this will happen) another leader comes to power? This means that they have to start rebuilding over again. All this war has been a propaganda war trying to oust a leader not liked by the US and Europe.
Of course it started with the peaceful demonstration demanding democracy and violent response by the government. But the essence of democracy by force or through war does not bring true democracy. Look at Iraq and Afghanistan. Mozambique fighting for democracy (20yrs) and no democracy came until fighting stopped. Angola is another example. There are many non-violent ways to achieving democracy in a country. Look at Mandela and the ANC in South Africa; people were killed by the state during apartheid but achieved democracy through firm and consistent pressure of the government. If you try to use force to topple a dictator, he will almost always respond with force. But if the citizens pick up guns trying to fight him, he will be ruthless as he has the resources of the state to his disposal. But if you firmly demand the change, reluctantly they will give up the power. Such is the case in Tunisia and Egypt.
One point I must make is that, no foreign nation should be involved in the matters of sovereign nations only when there is proof that there are atrocities that are being committed. In this case, the rebels were fighting government forces, and yes there is going to be deaths and ordinary citizens caught in the crossfire will also die. That is the nature of war. When foreign nations get involved in matters of sovereign states, this undermines the sovereignty of the state. I know some will give me examples of Rwanda and Somalia, but the reports that were being broadcast over the airwaves was from one side of the story - the rebel side and was never confirmed. Even Public Radio was so biased that I had to change stations and listen to my Beethoven.
Reporters have to be partial/neutral while casting their doubts on the reports that they are getting knowing there is always two sides to the story. But not US journalism, all that is non existent. Look at the articles below and you will see my point.
When Qaddafi kills his people (rebels) with tanks in Benghazi those are atrocities but when the West kills civilians with Tomahawks in Tripoli, that is protecting civilians. What an irony or is it?

Simple Banking

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Since the introduction of banking (hundreds of years), the concept of banking was simple. People lend money to the banks, the banks pay me interest. Then banks in turn lend the money to someone else who wants to borrow - such as investors - for higher interest. The difference between the interest they collect from the banks borrowers and me was their compensations for the service (also known as profit). This achieved two important social goals - insuring banks liquid flow and protecting capital.
But the dynamics of the banking system has changed. People have not stopped lending money to banks, but banks have decided not to give interest on accounts - especially when they are Free - anymore. With the change in banking system, people are paying out more money to the banks in the form of fees instead of receiving interest on their money. The fees paid comes in the light of easy access to the banking through online, branches and ATM. I thought technology was supposed to make all this cheap and minimise cost? It is just like someone borrowing a car from you and demanding you pay them for borrowing your car. People think this is normal. What people forget is that when the banks lend you money, they have to pay interest to the bank. I wonder if this is that the representation of the change in civil society accepting the change against them.
Think for a second if you didn't put your money in the bank, that means there would be no banks. How about if the banks didn't get their interest on the money lent out, there is no way banks would make any profits. The banks are making interest on money that was lent to them without giving a return to you. You are providing them with raw materials to make profits, therefore must get a cut from the profits, not me paying more. They earn 10% on the loans made out, but offer you .002% of that.
A proposal: How about they deduct the fees that they charge from the interest they are supposed to pay me.
I am thinking of opening up a bank that just does that - interest bearing accounts, no charges for using ATM, having access to the website and visits to the branches. Anyone interested? Leave your comments

Updating programs on your computer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Most of us have bought computers and installed all the necessary security programs and other programs that we want to run on the computer. But updating them sometimes becomes a task, trying to open each program and check for updates. There are some programs that we downloaded and even forgot that we have them on the computer and they become outdated or sometimes not even supported anymore.
Luckily, there is a free software program called update checker from filehippo. It is a lightweight program that you can chose to run anytime including at startup. This will check all your programs (excluding microsoft updates and patches) and notify you which programs need to be updated. update the programs and you are good to go.
Another software that is I have come to like so much is ESET. This is an antivirus software, I was skeptical when I first heard of it as I was used to AVG, McAfee and Norton. But I was surprised to how smart the program is when running on the background. One feature that I really liked was its ability to check windows update and notify you of the updates to the computer (if you are running a windows computer). This is the feature I haven't seen in any antivirus software above that I have used. They usually give you 30 days to try, why not.
I would recommend update checker (because it is free) and give a try ESET antivirus software (to be specific try the Smart security 4.0)

Democracy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Change to democracy has to be wanted by the people, almost everyone. Democracy should not be forced upon any nation by the international community, nor by picking up guns trying to topple the leader in power. This will always leave the power vacuum in the nations. Recent developments in the Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and now Libya have seen demonstrations trying to bring democracy in the respective countries. Violence erupted in all these states and the use of force by the police and/or military was condemned by everyone. People were wounded and some killed during the uprising and of course some will during a turmoil like that with the military or police involved.
With the killings of demonstrators in Libya, the international community condemned Gaddafi - which they are entitled to. After the killings, the demonstrators ceased a base in Benghazi and armed themselves vowing to oust Gaddafi through war. The moment they picked up arms getting ready for war, they became rebels. No matter what nation, if there is an opposition bearing arms against the government army they become rebels, and there is (almost always) going to be war and people are going to die. There is no war without a bloodshed (Read The Face of War), therefore the condemnation by the US and Europe stopping Gaddafi from fighting the rebels (after they armed themselves) and supporting them shows the bias of these nations towards the leadership of different nations. I have heard journalist (supposedly they have to be neutral) being in the lead calling him names, his army militia, and to the point making him evil because of how he dress . This raised so many questions to me that remain unanswered:

Why they are supporting the rebels and recognising a different government when they claim that they will not recognise governments that come into power by force?
Isn't putting support for the rebels ecalate the tension instead of rectifying the problem?
In the face of war innocent people die, why is the US and European nations making seem like innocent people will not die? Look at Afghanistan and Iraq.
Why call for an immediate halt to violence against civilians when the army is fighting against the rebel? If the rebels had war planes, are you telling me that they would hesitate to use them?
They claim, for the US that it is for national security, is it really or the oil?
Why is it that when they lifted sanctions against Libya, they praised Gaddafi, but now he is a criminal.

And many more.
For the record, I didn't and don't condone what Gaddafi did by killing peaceful demonstrators, but I am writing about the sovereignty of states and the power of those states and its people to institute democracy that is welcome by all citizens. I am also not in support for any dictators like Gaddafi or Robert Mugabe. A good example will be Tunisia and Egypt where people were killed but they stood their ground until the leaders of their nations resigned and did not pick up arms and resort to war. Take examples of Malawi and South Africa, democracy instituted by the people through a referendum, giving people the power to chose what they want. The Libyan people should have forced a peaceful referendum to determine if they want to change the regime.
All these uprisings have one thing in common, they all did not have a replacement leader after forcing out the current leader. That is when there is always power vacuum that needs to be filled, meaning that either the military or the member of the current cabinet will have to take over. If the current member of the cabinet takes over, where is the real change people are looking for as he/she will continue with the policies of the ousted leader (almost always). A democratic process where there is totalitarian rule must be through referendum and then oust the leader. The process of which should continue after the first election.
All this does come at the economic cost of the nations and an understanding that change from one form of government will bring change to economy. Some good and some bad. Trade of goods, currency fluctuations, and wealth imbalance are some of the economic forces that come with change and sometimes can lead to discontent. But this will also lead to accountability on the part of the leader elected to office.
Your thoughts?

Renewable energy in use

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:10:00 +0000

A solar powered plane took off in Switzerland on monday demonstrating the technological advancement in the renewable energy industry. The plane completed a 24 hour test flight. There is a lot of work to be done before it becomes commercial airlines.

YouTube Introduces New Features

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 08:13:00 +0000

Image via CrunchBase

YouTube is pretty much the whole of online video and most of people that go on YouTube probably don't watch only the video that they were going to watch. But they find themselves, for the next 20 or 30 minutes, watching related videos. But one of the annoying thing that I found on YouTube was that if you wanted to watch a related video or the next series of the video, I had to wait for the video to finish and then click on the next video hoping that the browser will reload quickly and play the video.
Now you don't have to wait for that. YouTube has introduced a QUEUE feature where you can add videos that you want to watch in a list that you want. You can rearrange the videos by dragging them into preference position. This feature enables you to populate the videos in one place and then play the without losing the video you want to watch.

In order to add the videos to the queue is simple. When you move the mouse over a video that has not been added to the queue, a button appears at the bottom of the video. CLICK on the button and then 'add to queue'.
In addition to the queuing, there is an option of 'turning on' and automatically play the videos added. Turning on auto-play saves you the time to click on the play button over and over. Also another feature made available is the 'Shuffle' button. This is a good feature for music lovers on this website, easily add the music videos to the queue, turn on the shuffle and music will play randomly.

Well Enjoy the new experience with YouTube.

The World is Watching

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 08:24:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

In a few hours, the world will witness teams battling to be crowned as the World Cup Champion after years of qualifying games. The games are played every four years and the field has been narrowed down to 32 teams. The battle begins with the host nation, South Africa taking on Mexico. The event is the pinnacle in the world of football and is the world's largest event that brings people from all walks of life to watch and celebrate the crowning of football king. This is the only sport or occasion where all differences are put aside, weapons are laid down and there is peace all over the world just to watch the game.

Of course not everyone will be celebrating when one nation wins. But as groups narrow, and nations dropping out of the groups towards the finals game, we see people jumping on other teams and supporting them hoping to win. After the game is over, there is one winner but we all agree that it was a good game or World Cup; such a country won the cup; and start debating the details of the game, the excellent football display by the teams, the amazing pass that led to an astonishing goal.

I have to make my predictions for the first and second games being played today. Almost everyone expects Mexico to beat South Africa but South Africa has displayed excellent football and has been playing really well in all their preparation games. It had 4 years to build a team for the World Cup. On the other hand, Mexico has been doing extremely well except for the last two friendly games played. I hope this will not play a factor in the first game. Given the fact that both teams are playing well and the weight being pulled towards Mexico, South Africa will surprise many with the pressure from the home fans and fuelled by being a host nation. My prediction will be South Africa over Mexico (the least will be a draw).

The second game between France and Uruguay, I predict Uruguay over France because France had trouble qualifying for the World Cup and Uruguay did not. In this group, I expect both South Africa and Mexico to the sweet 16 group.

Let the games begin.

Safe Holiday Shopping Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:52:00 +0000

The holiday season is here, and most people are starting to shop. During this shopping period, there are millions of transactions engaged per day – online and in stores. Criminals also have even more opportunities to steal credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, and bank account numbers at the same time. Sharing these shopping tips with friends and family can help ensure a safer holiday experience for everyone.

IN-STORE Shopping:

Always Keep Your Purse or Wallet in Your Possession.
1. For all of those that use wallets, keep your wallet in a safe and secure pocket, and constantly feel or check for it. The best place for the wallet is the back pocket with a button.
2. For purse carriers, keep your purse strapped to your shoulder on your front or side. Make sure that you put your hand on your purse when walking and shopping. Never have it in a position that will make it easier for a thief to steal from you and get hold of credit cards and check books.
3. It is extremely important to never set your wallet or purse down or leave it unattended.

Keep all Receipts.
Never throw away your receipts. Instead, put them in a folder and file them away in a safe place. Then, compare them to monthly financial statements to ensure there are no unauthorized charges or over charges. If there are any discrepancies, you have the proof to dispute the charges.

Pay by Credit Card Rather than by Check or Debit Card.
I am not fond of credit cards, but if you have one and do your shopping during the holiday, use your credit cards. Often they offer greater protection against fraudulent purchases than checks and debit cards. You can easily dispute transaction on a credit card than you would with your bank.

For Safer ONLINE Shopping:

Shop Only at Well-Known and Trusted Sites.
Shop with stores you trust and can directly access by typing their address into the web browser. Do not click on any links or advertisements from unsolicited emails. Thieves can create fake online retail web pages that appear identical to a reputable store’s website. Always look for the security icon (a locked padlock or unbroken key symbol) in the browser window or at the bottom right of the browser. You can also verify the asecurity of the website by checking if the website begins with “https.” The Better Business Bureau is a great source for researching the legitimacy of a company and their history of complaints.
Read the Shipping, Return, and Privacy Policies.
Not everyone read the shipping, return, and privacy policies of the online retail stores. Reading and understanding the shipping, return, and privacy policies before making any purchases will provide you with information on what the seller is gathering from you, how the information will be used, and how you can stop the process. If a site does not have a privacy policy posted, you may want to avoid any transactions. Also be sure to print a copy of each receipt or confirmation email you receive after the purchase.
Shop with Companies that Offer a Guarantee and/or Warranty
When looking at the policies of the company, look for what guarantees or warranty they offer. Reputable companies offer detailed guarantees that provide consumers protection. A guarantee or warranty displays commitment by the company to its customers that if something were to go wrong in the service delivery or if there is a defect to the actual product, it will replace, repair or refund.A guarantee also entails that the company stands by its product.

Just in case your wallet or purse goes missing, you must record the contents of your wallet on a paper and store it on a safe place (NOT YOUR WALLET) to make it easier for you when the situation arise.

Cash for Clunkers - Artificial Inflated demand?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:46:00 +0000

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The recent government of cash for clunkers program has been a success. But this brought me some questions to mind especially with the popular arguments by the everyone else including among the economists.
The first question that come to mind is the argument about how the government programmes wastes resources. But yet there is unanimous agreement that the program is a succes in trying to stimulate the economy. Doesn't that really contradict what almost everyone agrees about the government programs?

The second point that comes to mind is how the creation of demand for cars using the government rebates to trade in the old cars. This artificial demand will not last as soon as the money available runs out. Due to the increase in demand, automakers scrambling to rehire layed off workers and produce more cars to meet this demand. But after this demand is gone, the newly produced cars will sit on the car lots.

This is the same situation with the housing market. The $8000 tax credit is bringing people to buy houses to take advantage of this credit. But this does not signify that the market is getting any better because there are plenty of house that are still unoccupied. Does this really make sense to create artificial demand for something that will take time to get back to normal? That question I will leave it to be answered by you.

From Insolvency to profits

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:08:00 +0000

I have wondered how the banks are making money from nearly insolvency in a short period of time. This raised my eyebrows ealrier on how they can afford to do that. There are several reasons that I came up with namely; bank fees, interest rates paid by the feds to the banks are higher than normal while they are paying 2% on your savings and checking account and many more.

Bank Fees

Banks have made more money in fees alone than any other time in the history of the banking industry. Last year alone credit card fees jumped 18%. This year the bank fees are on track to a record high of $55 billion. Take note that these fees does not include the fees charged on credit cards or any other loans. Bank fees include overdraft fees, miscelleneous fees for them to transfer money from checking to savings (if you have overdraft protection), fees to get a cashiers cheque, fees for a returned check (cheque) you deposited and many other fees.

Scenario; You want go to a McDolnalds and bought a big mac for $4. You know that you have some money in your account, but your husband or wife goes to the store and spend some pf the money and you have $3.95 in your account. Once you swipe that card to purchase the Mac, it is worth $38.95 because you have to pay $35 in bank fees.

>Interest Rates
The Fed is paying interest rates for the money that the banks are holding in the reserves, the same money that they were supposed to be lent to the american people to stimulate the economy. The interest paid on the reserves is making money for the bank while in some way slowing down the economic recovery.
Kucinich in this video makes sense why the Fed is playing a role in the slo recovery considering the US economy is a consumer economy

Is the Fed really really trying to end this recession. One more quesion that I have is this, how can you control inflation when there is more money circulating in the economy, and low interst rates? There is something missing in this equation that is not being mentioned. Inflation will be high when we recover. Be back for an answer to these questions.

MC Hammer ft Pleasure Ellis & JD Greer - I CAN'T STAND IT

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:51:00 +0000

After a long absense in the singing arena, I found this song on the web by MC Hammer. It is a pretty good song but different from the ones he used to sing when he was at the top of his career.

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:47:00 +0000

I would like to thank all of you for taking the time to stop by the blog for the entire year. It is my humble pleasure hosting you with some of my crazy thoughts about everything, and an honor for you reading my blogosphere. I am wishing you a Merry Christmas. Let us celebrate the birth of Christ in our hearts, not only by giving the gifts.

Thank you for coming back again and again. I did not forget the one time visitors, I hope that you are going to come back again next year for I have some new ideas and new thought process (maybe).

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!

AND GOD BLESS!!!

Economy In A Recession, Surprise!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:37:00 +0000

The announcement by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) that the economy is in a recession was a surprise to many, including WALL STREET. We saw the DOW drop almost 680 points. I remember writing an article stating that the economy is and has been in a recession since 2006, though they beg to differ. According to the definition of recession, the economic slow down in the economy must be at least 4 quarters. But if we look at the data for real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales, we will see that most of this has been declining since 2006 and others more than others especially employment and industrial production.
We have seen Industrial production drop by at least 5% from the previous quarter (and had dropped all of last year), stagnant wages and unemployment rate rise. Wholesale and retail sales were doing a little better but not enough to pull the economy out of a recession. Since the economy’s Real GDP is determined by many factors such as interest rates, inflationary expectations, and the federal deficit, we have seen all these determinants go in the opposite direction (to make it simple) with growth
The questions that came to mind when I heard the news was that what took them so long to realise that the economy has been in a recession? How can we assess whether a recession is over? Should we wait until the NBER announces its decision? Are the NBERs dating procedure used in real time? That means most of the time when they announce that we are in a recession, it might be we are in the middle of it or we have been in one. I understand to aggregate all the data takes time but, with current technology data can be collected real time and be able to analyse and forecast the direction (AT LEAST) the economy is heading.
The time it took to realise OR come to the decision that the economy was in a recession is too long. I would not know whether they were trying to preserve the market confidence or plain they did not know what was going on (explanation needed for the delay). I believe people expect someone to tell them that the economy is in a recession and they believe them. I have been beating the drum of a recession for a period of time, and the news just came out. SURPRISE!!! Don’t know whether to believe the statistics released by these companies.

Where did “PROFESIONAL” customer service and Courtesy go?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:13:00 +0000

First of all, I know that most people will pay your bills on time. Secondly, I have no excuse and here goes my story.
I called Diversified Consulting Inc. to reschedule my payment for the T-Mobile account that they had in my name. I called several times trying to speak to the account manager. But unfortunately they could only forward me to the supervisor who didn’t pick up the pone after leaving messages and 5 phone calls. Finally the sixth time I called he called me back and explained the situation for me rescheduling the payment. I recall very well, as I had a piece of paper with me that I wrote down the first time I talked to EDWARD WRIGHT (the supervisor), that I can call him back anytime to reschedule if anything came up that I couldn’t make the payment. And I did that, but to my surprise I was told that it was already submitted and they cannot stop it from happening. I understood that part but the most annoying part about Edward Wright is that, he kept on talking over me when I was explaining the situation to him. After asking him a few questions that he could not handle, he hangs up in my face. I called back and asked for the owner, who none of the operators were willing to give it to me, but they kept forwarding me to Edward Wright. At one point, he came to the phone as if he was someone else, maybe thinking that I am stupid not to recognise his voice, and still hang up in my face. But I did my own research and found the owner’s information and I will be contacting him on the conduct of the supervisor, maybe it MIGHT help.
I have a few questions for T-Mobile, is this how you handle your long loyal customers by giving you accounts to unprofessional companies like Diversified Consultants Inc.? I have been with T-mobile since it was Voicestream, 8 years. I understand business is business but T-Mobile chose wisely your partners in collecting your money otherwise you will lose most of your loyal customers, I for one I am considering after my contract ends.
Where did professional, superior customer service go in this country? Now we wonder why most customer service jobs are being outsourced out of the country. I would rather be helped by someone in India with courtesy than someone who is here but rude to me and threatening me.

Economy in Crisis, why the bailout might not work

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:21:00 +0000

I remember when my mum asked me a question, "how do you know that spaghetti is well cooked?" "By just looking at it, it gets bigger from the water", I answered and she gave me one from the pot to taste but unfortunately it wasn't done. She taught me a secret that I use up to today, throw the spaghetti against a refrigerator (which I believe most of you who cook know already) and when it sticks, you know that it is well done. That is what we are seeing with the solutions proposed by the leaders in trying to fix the economic mess we are right now. They are throwing spaghetti against the refrigerator hoping that it would stick.

The retreat of Henry Paulsons' plan on how to use the $700 billion indicates that the proposed solutions doesn't mean that they will work. They are just trial and errors hoping that the plan will work. We have already seen that with the money already injected into banks ($25 billion), the banks are not lending out to consumers as planned. And as we already know, some of the money is going towards consolidation/merger of banks that are on shaky grounds - give it a few more months we will see oligopoly on the financial industry just like the energy industry.

The argument that I have always been hearing is that the consumers are the ones that make the economy going, but if the banks are not lending to the consumers afraid of the risk posed by the consumers, how will the wheels of the economy be greased. I believe Ron Paul's idea of getting back to the gold standard makes more sense than printing out money and increasing inflation.

THE ROLE OF HOA’S AND WHY THEY ARE A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY - Common Sense Tells Me So

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:43:00 +0000

Living in homeowners associated neighbourhoods has made me realise how outrageous these associations can be. I have come to question the role of Homeowner’s Association and the role they play in the neighbourhood associated with them. I was intrigued by the notion of this idea and decided to do my own research to get an understanding on what they really are. What I have come to discover is beyond utterance of words but I still have so many questions unanswered. Questions like why do people keep paying association fees? Why do people agree to the terms of HOA when they are purchasing homes knowing that the association have control over their actions? Why do people chose to give their freedom away for the preservation of a home value (in other words choosing home value appreciation over freedom)? Maybe many people chose to live in a bind of regulations surpassing their freedom. And many more similar unresolved and unanswered questions.
There are arguments for HOA such as the surety of the preservation or increase in home values, building amenities for the neighbourhood, conformity in the appearance of the outside of homes (or get fined) and many more. But there are also arguments against them such as limits the voting power only to homeowners but not renters (but if the renter violates one of the handbook rules, they are fined and it is their responsibility to pay for it not the owner. Such arguments make sense but do not suffice the reasoning behind the formation of HOA. So I have come up with my reasons against HOA’s through reason and contemplation (whether you agree with me or not) vis-à-vis:

- Renters do not have to conform with HOA rules as they did not sign the contract at the purchase of the house (though most of the renters agreement doesn’t mention this and I am not suggesting that this be included in the agreement)
- Some neighbourhoods require that during a holiday season (e.g. Christmas) every house must hang decorations and anyone who doesn’t will be fined. Such impositions on residents is impedes the freedom that they have on their property. This is the case of forcing someone to do something even when they cannot afford it – the question is how do they know the financial situation or belief of the person residing in the property?
- Homeowners pay fees to the associations for the upkeep of the community including some areas that are close to the residences such as grass watering and mowing. But most of the time, the water bill is sent to the occupying resident and have to make that payment.
- The public benefits that the HOA brings such as pools, play grounds etcetera, but not many people use these amenities. I have observed so many times that only a handful people have or get the time to use them. The main amenity that I have seen most people use is the sidewalk and sometimes the park. Having 8 or 10 parks in a neighbourhood of 600 homes does not serve any good – that is my opinion.
- On the notion that the way the outside of the house looks determines the price of the house. This is a fact statement; regardless of the look of the house outside (holding all things constant – in good and liveable condition) the value of the house is going to appreciate. Taking into account some other factors like location and size the appreciation amount will vary.

Given my few opinions, you might have noticed that I am mainly against HOA. This is so because the value that someone gets from the HOA is minimal than without one. I believe that the existence of HOA can be done by the local government since they are already governing the cities that we are living in. But most people will argue that the government is playing a role in our lives – let me make this clear whether you agree with me or not, the government plays a role in every aspect of your life regardless of what we might think ranging from traffic laws to the constitution. The city can subcontract the job or hire its own employees to take care of the amenities that were already incorporated into the planned neighbourhood. The property taxes that are paid to the city can take care of those amenities, since they already get the money for them.
Looking at the history of the formation of HOA and passing of the law was to the benefit of the developer. They operate as a private non-profit entity collecting fees for the upkeep of the community. But another question that comes to mind is, how many amenities are they going to construct over a lifetime of the homeowner?

ABOLISH HOA’s. They are just another bureaucracy governing the homeowners with an iron fist. There are too many restrictions. Yes I have a choice of not living in an HOA neighbourhood, but in order to find one that is not HOA is so rare that you have to go and find your own place in the woods and start building from scratch. Or we have to look which HOA community we want to reside in. If they can tell you upfront about the bylaws before we move in, that would be great, but they tell you after almost everything is finalised.

Here are some of the things the HOA pays for - some of which is not covered by when you buy a house that is HOA affiliated- just in case you didn’t know:
- Water, garbage collection, electricity for exterior lighting, landscaping and plants, painting, vinyl and pressure washing, fences, carports, roads and paving, management fees, roofing, sometimes doors, termite damage, insurance, pool maintenance, legal fees, postage and sometimes security.

I guess the value of the property is greater than the value of your freedom. I have to think again on that. Here are 10 things Homeowners Association don't tell you.

Evaluation guide to Donations

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:39:00 +0000

That time of the year is approaching again, Tax season and a lot of people try to do things like organising their tax papers and donations at the last minute. Talking about donations, Have you ever wondered what the value of those donations made to places like Salvation Army? I found a interesting website by The Salvation Army that give the price range of donated items that can help determine how much you can write off on your taxes. No more guessing or wondering how much to write off, this is a useful resource.

But what you must know and make sure is that you have to get a receipt or proof of your donations. Sometimes you can not deduct the whole amount in the year of filing, but it can be deducted in subsequent years.

Good luck

Recapitalise the FDIC - What that really mean

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:24:00 +0000

I have wondered what the how the FDIC will act when the meltdown in the Financial market occur. I started wondering this when Indymac, Nevada Bank, was taken over by the Federal Reserve. But the long contemplation came a long time ago when I learned that a consumer is guaranteed only $100,000 of deposit per bank if any bank is to collapse - just like what is going on right now. I often wondered whether that was admissible to any person entrusting their finances in the bank but you are only guaranteed that amount. The funny thing is that they can reinvest those deposits in risky assets putting the consumer at more risk than it just sitting in the bank.
Now until recently, the number of banks failing has been on the increase - and it is not going to stop for a while - I have heard that congress need to act to RECAPITALISE the FDIC. But what does that really mean? Sitting on about $50 billion but insuring $1 trillion of assets of the Financial institution, that must be the first eyebrow raiser. How can you insure a trillion dollar asset when they are sitting on $50 billion insurance. In order for congress to do something to ensure the safety of the failure of many more banks - I don't see it inevitable - is to allow the FED Print more money. That mean Inflation will go up tremendously, that is on top of the current inflation rate of above 6% (according to my computation). Because there is no way I can see the FED can use taxpayers' money to finance another company, in this case FDIC. They cannot raise the money in the market by issuing any kind of securities or sell any assets to finance these actions.
Recapitalising FDIC means higher inflation that encompass everything else from high food prices to any other living cost. This is what happens to FIAT money economics differing the current problems to the future, I wish Ron Paul would have run for President to bring back the Gold Standard. The financial system has been based on nothing but paper for years. It is only a matter of time until the melt down. But letting the market to correct itself we are going to end up with Oligopoly system just like the Electric companies, higher prices due to consolidation/merger of companies.
Solution, hold on to your wallets and we have to just wait and see. This has beat me to the ground nights and days. But what I know is, this is not over yet!!!

Opinions welcome