Making Sense Out of the World

Joan Jett – Crimson & Clover

It seems to get harder each day to find good music online. Music that you can get for free. I know a lot of websites try to block free music and most of us have seen the changes that YouTube has done over the years. You use to be able to find any song and the artist that sung it over at You Tube. Then people like Metallica and Prince didn’t like to see people getting their music for free, so they started to taking actions to block it. I think it was the Metallica .vs.  Napster case in court that got the ball rolling for these music artists to have more power over their music rights.

I think the artists need to grow up and understand technology is helping us to make our lives easier. Being able to get free music online is a part of that modern technology and it’s not the online website’s fault. The social networking giants like MySpace and YouTube is a blessing for most of us to find good entertainment online. They are creations that need to continue to develop and evolve as we go forward. I don’t think placing bans and restrictions on these websites is the way to go.

Just think about the guy that came out with the blank cassette or bland CD that can record a song from the radio or another cassette or CD. This is a cheap way to get music for us that can’t afford to pay the asking prices in stores. This guy needs to be praised for his invention and it’s up to the artists to find new ways in which people buy their music. Trying to stop new technologies is not the way to go. I know the entertainers and music artists will disagree with me and the main reason why is this is taking money out of their pockets. If they could just put their self on the other side of the fence, they could see how modern technology is helping the people that isn’t rich. Our technology and laws can’t continue to be dictated by the rich people of this country. Their only desires is to get richer and they have no intentions or cares about the rest of us that are not on their income level. I want to see free music online and I want it to be good music. This doesn’t have to stop with music and we can go into other avenues of entertainment like the movie industry for instance. Let’s make things better for everyone and not just for the rich folks. We all need to have equal rights in this country and letting technology lead the way is the best move we can do!

Popularity: 5% [?]

Remember when it seemed like a calculator would solve all of our math problems? Our teachers in school kept telling us we would need our math skills later in life and we just figured a cheap calculator would do the trick. As we got older, we learned that the calculator could only go so far and that math is a lot more bigger than we ever imagined. The basic math skills we got taught in our early years was just the foundation for what was about to come. Learning the basics is the most important part, because without that solid foundation to build on, we will be severely limited in our math skills as an adult. It’s a good thing that students of all ages can take advantage of a good Online Tutor to help them learn the basics and the more difficult levels of math.

Free Online Tutoring is available for students K-12th grade and even the more advanced students attending a college at some major university or working on a college degree online. Professional tutors are online ready to help individuals one on one to get the best education possible. TutorNext is one of the great online companies that help students of all ages in math or any of their other subjects they may be having difficulties in. Their tutoring rates are affordable too. If you’re currently a student or a parent of a student and could use a little Math help; then it’s only logical that you would seek a Math Tutor for that help. It can make a big difference and everyone is going to need good math skills, regardless of what their dreams or future plans have in store for them. Math Tutors Online are going to play a big part in the education levels we reach in the future for our great country. It will be these online tutors that are teaching math and other subjects online, that will keep our nation strong from an educational standpoint.

QUESTION: I’m having trouble in a subject at school; where do I start or go for help?

ANSWER: You will want to seek help from a trusted source online, that has well-trained tutors ready to help you one on one with your specific struggles. TutorNext can provide that for you and all students in grades K – 12. Students seeking help at higher educational levels (college) can also benefit from the online services that TutorNext is offering and they have the cheapest rates too!

A good Math Problem Solver isn’t something that occurs by accident or overnight. It takes a lot of hard work to learn the higher forms of math that come into play after the basics are taught. Not everyone is going to learn what it is they need to know from a classroom setting. A class that has lots of students and one teacher doesn’t work for everybody. Some students need that one on one attention to learn what it is they need to know. An Online Math Tutor is the answer for these students that can’t fully understand their math classes and this works the same way for all of your other subjects too. Just don’t give up if you have problems learning a specific subject. Find help with one of the many great online tutors that are there ready to help you.

Popularity: 6% [?]

There are tons and tons of companies out there that are looking for people just like you. They want to send you free products to try and use and then tell them what you think about them. Not only is this a good way to get free products through the mail, but you can also earn some cash while you’re doing it! It’s a great opportunity for those that have a little extra time on their hands and can give back some valuable feedback to all of these companies. If you have the time to sit down, so you can do paid surveys, then this can be an excellent opportunity for you to start making some money online.

Does this sound like something you would be interested in? To take surveys online and create another stream of income coming in? Internet users all over the world each day are participating in these surveys and getting rewarded nicely for their efforts. This is something that is free to do and would be ideal for stay-at-home mommies or a retired worker that has a lot of free time during the day. I would love to get products and write up reviews on them. It’s not often to find people that are willing to send you something for free. It’s really nice when they send you free products and then pay you money for writing about them.

Any company that chooses to market in this method, could also be building up a loyal customer base for their products. I could see how this would help them too. It would really help when a new product comes out and they want to spread the word about it. People online have the power to spread things very fast and some companies out there are already tapping in to this power. It really wouldn’t be that time consuming and even people that have 40 hour a week jobs, could still complete surveys online, so they could earn a secondary income too. We are certainly seeing a lot of new changes in marketing in the 21st century. A lot of these changes can help you and others that like to spend a lot of time on their computers each day. You won’t know until you give it a try. What do you have to lose?

Popularity: 14% [?]

A long tradition in the United States when it comes to groundhogs and the weather. We Americans like to know our weather forecasts and for decades now we have been turning to our groundhogs for that information. The groundhogs come out each year on February 2nd to make their predictions. It’s a simple process, but one that proves to work most years. If a groundhog sees his shadow on this special day in February, then that is bad news. A groundhog seeing his shadow means another 6 weeks of winter is ahead. The good news is if he doesn’t see a shadow, then we can expect spring to be arriving shortly. Yesterday in Georgia, the General Lee Groundhog did not see his shadow, so this means Georgia can start preparing for much warmer conditions that will be coming soon.

Most of the groundhogs did not see their shadow on Groundhog Day. There was one groundhog in Pennsylvania that did see his shadow, but this goes against all the other groundhogs in the United States, so he is obviously off with his prediction for the folks living in Pennsylvania. The General Lee in Georgia is the most trusted groundhog in the country, so we always pay close attention to his predictions and if he says that spring is on the way, then I believe him. Groundhog Day is now over and we will get to see the General Lee and other groundhogs come out next year on February 2nd, 2011 to give us another traditional weather forecast.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Our streets and roadways don’t need anymore drunk drivers. The statistics are still shocking to see; with all the tough laws we have in place for drunk drivers and the knowledge we know in the 21st century. MADD or Mothers Against Drunk Driving is still one of the leading groups in America, that stand up and support tougher laws against those people that decide to drink and drive. MADD is also good about picking up the pieces of a family that a drunk driver has destroyed. They help grieving families make it through their darkest hours; when a drunk driving accident is to blame.

Is there anything I can do to help? Yes, the obvious thing is not to ever drink and drive. That is the one thing that will help the most. If we all did that, we would never have an innocent life taken away from us at the hands of a drunk driver. Another thing that would help, is to find help for a friend, co-worker, neighbor, or relative that might be struggling with an addiction to alcohol. Even if they have never been in a auto accident before, it doesn’t mean they won’t be a part of one in the future. The best way to insure this, is to seek professional help and get them into an Alcohol Treatment center. If we can start filling up all the Alcohol Rehab facilities with people that want to end their addiction to alcohol, we can start seeing fewer accidents, where a driver drinking alcohol is to blame. There has to be a starting point some where and obviously the tough laws we have in place to discourage drivers from drinking is not working well enough.

We need to take a new approach and instead of targeting drunk drivers; start targeting anyone and everyone who has an alcohol problem. It’s only a matter of time that a person with an unstoppable addiction to alcohol is going to get behind the wheel. It may not be easy to talk to these folks or convince them to join a rehab facility, but we must try. Let the people closest in your lives know that there is Private Alcohol Rehab places available, so no one has to know they have checked-in to one of these facilities. If you think it’s hard talking to people with alcohol abuse problems, just imagine how hard it is to tell a family that daddy, mama, brother, or sister is not coming home tonight, due to a drunk driving accident. We can all lend a helping hand when it comes to the battle against drunk drivers in our local cities and neighborhoods. Try to do your part and help someone get off of alcohol today; even if that someone is you!

Popularity: 1% [?]

An online casino is a great way to spend your free time online. If you’re bored and need to find something to do for a few hours, an online casino can cure that. If you like to use your free time to do something productive, like winning a lot of extra money on the Net; then an online casino can help you there too. People that enjoy online gaming sites do it for different reasons. Some will spend real money in the hopes they can win more real money; while a large portion of folks online do it for the entertainment purposes. They will use play money or fake money to cure their cravings for casino-style gaming. I have heard of a lot of stories about people that have big gambling trips planned to places like Atlantic City, Las Vegas, or a local spot for gambling fun and will discover online casinos to help them practice-up for the real gambling that will take place on their real-life trips to the casinos.

Where To Play at Online?

There is a lot of different places to choose from; when you do decide to play at some of these casino games online. It can be tough to determine which online casinos are the best. Online Casino Spotlight is a website dedicated to locating the best places to play online. They have a rating system for the top 10 places and it’s easy to do your own review and make a choice from the valuable services they offer online gamers. I think it’s safe to assume most would want to play at a website they trust and play at one that has a top 10 rating too.

I have a lot of fun playing video poker. Poker is an easy game to understand and play. It’s not always easy getting up enough friends to play in real life or finding a good serious game of poker on the net. The next best thing to a real poker game is coming on the World Wide Web and searching for the websites that offer video poker.  I don’t usually have a lot of luck with video poker and I am someone that could use a long list of video poker tips and advice on how to win more often. I still enjoy playing it.

If you have never tried to play poker or a slot machine online, you should get out there and at least try it once. Most people may not think they have any special skills for these online games. Don’t go play the games you don’t understand or have any ideas on how they work. I’m sure you probably know the rules of BlackJack and how to play it. Most of the online casinos will offer Blackjack as a choice to play. You can start off with Black Jack and move to other games as you learn more about gaming online. There really isn’t nothing hard about any of the casino games. It’s just a matter of learning how to play and applying the basic strategies in each game. Give one a try and come back and let me know how you did. I fully believe in beginner’s luck and I think you will have that on your side today!

Popularity: 13% [?]

I know they are out there and it’s just a matter of time before I track them down. It was in Dahlonega, Georgia where the first U.S. gold rush took place. Those old timers back then found a lot of gold around the Dahlonega area of North Georgia. They were mining it out as fast as they could and many of the materials got used in building projects that took place 60 miles to the South in Atlanta, Georgia. Today the capitol building in downtown Atlanta is covered with a paper-thin sheet of gold that was mined from some of the gold mines in Dahlonega, Georgia.

A lof of the material used to pave and construct the Atlanta roadways was taken from the mountains of North Georgia. Many years after the roads were finished, people began to notice gold in the streets of Atlanta. This is still true today for a couple of the roads that still remain in the Atlanta area and have only received some minor patch jobs over the years. So it is true that the streets in Atlanta, Georgia was once paved with gold.

Now is it possible that any of this gold still remains in the mountains and hillsides of North Georgia? The answer is yes and most of the gold in North Georgia has never been mined and the majority still remains undiscovered in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. A gold museum in Dahlonega today shows the Eastern Gold Belt and how it runs through a large section of the Northeastern part of the Peach State. A lot of good information about Georgia gold can be found at the Dahlonega gold museum.

In Cherokee County there were a few gold mines in operation and these gold mines were finding some nice amounts of gold. There is not a good documented history of the gold that was found around the Sixes Road area, but this author believes that more gold lies in this Southern Gold Belt area than all of the gold that has ever been mined out of the Dahlonega gold mines.

This old mill is still present in Cherokee County today. This is a rebuilt version of the mill that got rebuilt in the late 1800’s and the iron wheel was added in during this time frame. You have to go back almost 100 years earlier to those early 1800’s to see large groups of folks settled in these areas around Sixes. Even today it is still not clear why so many people was densely populated in this area of Cherokee County, Georgia. Some do believe it was the gold mines that led to so many people living in this relatively small area.

The author wonders to the Cherokee Gold claims in the Sixes area and if  there ever was a such thing as the Sixes Gold Mines. According to a sign in Downtown Canton, Georgia the Sixes Mines is where gold was first being mined in Georgia.  There is evidence that the White man was searching and mining for gold in 1819 at the Sixes Gold Mines. This is 9 years before the Dahlonega Gold Rush and it’s often credited as the first U.S. Gold Rush. The gold rushes that led west to California and Alaska came later than the Georgia gold rush in Dahlonega, GA. Is it possible that the Indians hid their gold in the area of Sixes before they headed out on the Trail of Tears? This author believes there is some treasures from the various Indian Tribes that hid their gold here; before the horrible Trail of Tears began; which would force all Indian civilizations out of the North Georgia Mountains. Areas around Hightower and the current day name “Yellow Creek” that’s located in North Cherokee County near Ball Ground, Georgia was an area of strong Indian settlements. It was Forest C. Wade’s book that has led to a lot of modern day gold hunters to seek these areas out and many are searching in the wrong areas. These modern day prospectors would have a little more luck if they move just south of their searches in Yellow Creek and around the Franklin Gold Mine areas of Ball Ground. There is still some buried Indian Treasures to be found in a few different spots just north of Canton, but south of the Highway 372 area that cuts through the middle of Ball Ground and Free Home in the Cherokee County area.

Taking out the gold pan and searching for Nature’s deposits is your best bet for finding gold in North Georgia. There is still large areas in North Georgia that are filled with chunky gold and a few of those big nuggets. It doesn’t take much effort to sift through a pan and discover several pickers; if you will just do your gold panning from the right streams and creeks that run through the North Georgia area. A metal detector is another quick way to find some of the larger nuggets that are currently sitting on top of the ground in North Georgia with a lot of the recent heavy rains that fell in 2009. New material has been washed up in Georgia and makes it perfect for some good gold prospecting. The larger gold nuggets are really not hiding, the residents in Georgia just haven’t looked for them. You have to look before you can find them.

Before you load up the gold pans, sluice boxes, high-bankers, dredges, and other gold finding equipment, please do a check in your own backyard first. 1 out of every 3 homes in North Georgia have gold located on their properties. About 4 out of every 5 homes in the Eastern Gold Belt that runs through Georgia have gold on their lands. Find the gold that is already on your property, before you go looking for gold on someone else’s property.

Gold Treasure Hint #1

I am going to start leaving hints that gold prospectors in Georgia can use to find more gold. These hints will lead to natural gold deposits and gold left by Indian Tribes in the 1800’s; before they got forced off their lands by the Georgia Government and U.S. Governments. These hints will be found on my different blogs and eventually each blog will contain more than just 1 hint.

Your hint for the very first one is already contained in this blog post. Remember the part about looking for gold just south of Highway 372 and north of Canton, Georgia? Keep that in mind and this is your first hint that will be followed by many more. As long as the good lord will allow me to live and blog online, I will provide one of the most extensive sources of knowledge on finding more gold in Georgia. No books to buy (at least not yet…..lol) and all of this valuable information will be found free online for anyone to discover, that has an interest on the treasures of Georgia and the highest concentrations of gold that can be found naturally in our lovely area of North Georgia.

Popularity: 15% [?]

It isn’t too hard to find a nice golf course in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. There is over 80 golf courses in Myrtle Beach and the nearby surrounding areas. I would like to find some specific golf courses that were linked with one of the Myrtle Beach Resorts. You can find some resorts that are located away from the Atlantic Ocean or on the side of the main strip that is not ocean side. Sometimes a resort or hotel offers a much lower price when they are located on the wrong side of the main strip, but I’m not really looking to save money on this Myrtle Beach trip. My buddies and I have decided to go all out on this year’s road trip and the expenses is not something we are concerned about. The Oceanfront Myrtle Beach Resorts are the only ones we are considering for this trip. If we can’t see water from our balcony; then we don’t want it.

One area that has caught our attention is a location known as the Grand Strand. I’m sure the locals know the place I am referring to and the travelers that go to Myrtle Beach every year, are also probably aware of the real estate that makes up the Grand Strand region of Myrtle Beach. There is some very popular places located on these sandy beaches and it looks like the perfect travel destination for me and my crew. I can already picture us now, on those beautiful Carolina beaches, with the sea breezes whipping through our hair, as we enjoy some of the best coastal lines in the country. You won’t find many; if any beachfront property that is as beautiful as the ones Myrtle Beach has to offer. The Beach Resorts Myrtle Beach better get ready, because they are going to have some wild vacationers hitting their Grand Strand area in late spring of 2010!

No matter how much fun in the sun we have at those classy resorts in Myrtle Beach, we still plan to get in a round of golf each day we are there. I normally get sunburned pretty bad on these beach/golf trips, so not sure my last day will be swinging the golf club in that hot South Carolina sun. I will definitely get a chance to play 3 eighteen hole golf courses and possibly a 4th one; if I don’t forget to reapply my sunblock. I am all ears for suggestions on the best golf courses in Myrtle Beach to stroke at this spring. We would like to find the closest golf courses to the Grand Strand in Myrtle Beach, but could travel a small distance if we find one worth traveling for. Please assist my buddies and I in finding the best 3 or 4 golf courses Myrtle Beach has to offer. I know it’s hard to narrow it down that much with so many great places to play golf. Just give it your best shot and feel free to list 10 to 15 golf courses and we can do our own elimination process. Thanks in advance and look forward to reading the suggestions!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Caressa Cameron was the lucky winner in Saturday night’s Miss America Beauty Pageant that had contestants from each U.S. State and some American Territories participated too. It takes a lot of luck to win one of these beauty pageants with so many contestants and most of them as deserving to win as the winner is. The new 2010 Miss America comes from the U.S. state of Virginia. I’m sure Caressa Cameron will do a fine job representing the people of Virginia and the USA, as she will now be in the spotlight for 1 year; until a new Miss America gets crowned in 2011.

Here are some of the other lovely ladies that came up just short as they were still on the stage when the announcement was made that Miss Virginia had won the 2010 Miss America Pageant.

California – Kristy Cavinder

Any thoughts on Miss California? I think she has a nice sweet look to her and could have easily been the 2010 Miss America winner. Kristy Cavinder from California has a great smile, pretty teeth to go along with that great smile, and a nice skin tone or color too. Not quite as dark as Caressa Cameron’s skin color. It looks like California did a good job with finding a worthy candidate to represent the Golden State and Kristy Cavinder did very well in the contest.

Tennessee – Stefanie Wittler

Can you say perfect? Well the Volunteer State of Tennessee did a fantastic job with their choice to represent them in the Miss America Pageant. I did not watch the event live on the TLC channel Saturday night, but why didn’t Miss Tennessee win the 2010 Miss America Beauty Pageant? Perhaps Stefanie Wittler did not look as good as this picture would suggest she does. I think she looks a lot better than the winner from Virginia; at least that is my opinion. She may have did poorly in other areas of the contest, that I am not aware of. I am simply going on looks and she appears to have the looks of an all American girl from the South. After seeing the contestants Miss Virginia, Miss California, and Miss Tennessee; my vote as of right now would have to be leaning toward Stefanie Wittler as the most deserving contestant from the 2010 Miss America competition.

Louisiana – Katherine Putnam

Next up is Katherine Putnam from the state of Louisiana. Now the New Orleans Saints beat the Minnesota Vikings the weekend before the Miss America Pageant to earn their spot as one of the two teams in the 2010 Super Bowl. It wouldn’t be fair to let Louisiana have an NFL team in the Super Bowl and let their beauty pageant representative win Miss America too, right? Well I seriously doubt the judges were thinking along those lines, but Ms. Putnam did not win Saturday’s contest. She was one of the last 5 women on the stage when the winner was announced, so she did do the state of Louisiana justice with her advancements in the beauty contest. She is a very lovely young lady and I’m sure she has been the most beautiful girl in the room a lot of times in her life. It just so happens that Saturday night was not one of those times and she does lack that little extra that makes her stand out. I can see why she didn’t win the Miss America crown.

Kentucky – Mallory Ervin

Well the last of the 5 contestants is Miss Kentucky, but by no means is she really last. I think I found my 2010 Miss America right here. I believe Mallory Ervin is the complete package and perhaps I’m a little bias with my opinion. No, I’m not from the state of Kentucky nor do I live there now. I am a resident of Georgia, but I am an online blogger. I see that Mallory and I both share the same passion for blogging. I am impressed with this 24 year old’s blogging skill and she writes a lot of information in her blogspot blog I was able to find online. You can check out Miss Kentucky Mallory Ervin’s blog for yourself and see all the information she has on it and the great pictures that she’s added too. I believe America needs a Miss America that is a blogger. There were probably several contestants that have their own blogs, but Mallory Ervin from Kentucky is a real blogger. I also like the fact she does a lot of things in her community and for the school children at her old elementary school. You can see all of this through her online blog. She also has a great smile, nice facial appearances, and everything else from the “looks” standpoint that would have made her a great Miss America. It’s too bad that Miss Kentucky did not win the 2010 Contest, but I’m sure this 24 year-old beauty will do just fine. Mallory, her friends & family, and everyone from the state of Kentucky she be very proud of her top 5 finish in the 2010 Miss America Beauty Pageant; which was won by a 22 year-old beauty from Virginia named Caressa Cameron. Congratulations to Miss Virginia and the other 4 states that I featured on my blog post for the 2010 Miss America Pageant that was seen by millions of viewers last Saturday night on The Learning Channel.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Watching Sports with Friends and the Local Community

If you like to watch sports on television then you’re not alone. If you and your friends like to load up and head to a local sports bar or restaurant to watch the big game, you’re not alone here either. The owners of these restaurants and sports bars realize this and that’s why many of them subscribe to Commercial DIRECT TV. They want to provide their customers with as many different types of sports as possible, so their establishment is the place to be when the big game does come on. Other restaurant owners have picked up on this trend too and you don’t have to have a bar to put up a few TV’s and draw-in these devoted sports fans, that like to see their favorite teams playing.

For years now I have been playing trivia with my friends at sports bars. We are glad that these places have a lot of TV’s, so we can watch basketball, football, baseball, and hockey games when they come on the same night as our trivia night. There is nothing like the feeling of being in a sports bar where everyone there is rooting for the same home team. You get goose bumps when a baseball player hits a home run or the guy on Monday Night Football scores a touchdown and everyone claps and hollers in the restaurant.

The places we play trivia at don’t have the local cable services and it’s a good thing they don’t. Our local cable service offers about a dozen different sports stations and that can really limit your choices on a specific game you would like to see that night. The sports bars we like to frequent, have owners that paid a little more and got DIRECT TV for Business purposes. They will even invest the extra dollars into the full year pro sports packages that the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL offer each year. These packages can run about $200 for a full year, but these owners easily get their money back, because they have enough customers that know they bought the Direct TV satellite packages and will make a special trip to watch the game. Our local cable service will not be airing these specific games, so it’s the only way we can see it. While customers show up to watch the sports on the big screen TV’s, it’s only natural for them to order food and drinks, so it’s a win, win situation for the owners and the customers.

Any restaurants that are struggling right now and need a boost, should try adding televisions for their customers. These restaurant and bar owners will want to focus on the sports channels and sports packages that are available with Direct TV. Here are just some of the sports related channels to look for; when deciding which satellite package you want to choose:

*ESPN

*ESPN2

*ESPNU

*ESPNEWS

*ESPN Classic

*Fox Sports

*TBS

*TNT

*NFL Network

*NBA TV

*Outdoor Channel

*Speed

*Turner South

*Fox Soccer Channel

*Golf Channel

*OLN

*FUEL TV

*CSTV: College Sports Television

*TVG: The Interactive Horseracing Network

*Altitude Sports & Entertainment

*YES Network

As you can see, there is a lot of sports channels that Direct TV can offer their customers and especially the ones that are wanting sports stations for business related purposes. This is not all of the sports channels and they’re a lot more that cover regional and local sports; depending on what areas of the country you live in. These sports bars have been tapping into this sports market for a long time. Management has learned to keep the TV’s on for all business hours. A DIRECT TV Business will provide national and local news during the lunch hours of the day for their patrons and gear things more toward the sports world for their evenings and nights. There is always something worth watching on TV; when a restaurant decides to choose hundreds of channels that satellite TV provides; over the 50 or 60 channels your local cable company offers. The sports bars have been entertaining with Direct TV for a long time now. Perhaps your business can find a way to use televisions and Direct TV to increase your daily business.

Popularity: 1% [?]

I love the National Basketball Association or the NBA. My favorite team is the Atlanta Hawks and my favorite player is Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. I try to watch all of the Hawks games and catch the Lakers when they come on locally. Watching professional basketball on TV is fun and most of the time this is how I see NBA games. It’s hard for me to get up the extra money and then travel down to Atlanta to see my Hawks play in person. I do try to do it at least one or two times a year.

If you visit NBA arenas often, you may want to look online for your next tickets. There are some good deals online for basketball tickets. Just for fun, I will check on the Los Angeles Lakers Tickets; when they play on the road at other NBA cities. I’m surprised at how cheap they’re in some cities; compared to what it costs at Staples Arena in Los Angeles. I’m sure other big cities in the NBA have slightly higher ticket prices; than those NBA teams in smaller markets. You can save money though, if you search out some of these deals online. You can even buy New York Knicks Tickets at affordable prices; if you shop online for them.

Basketball isn’t the only thing that has these discounted ticket prices. Other forms of entertainment has cheap tickets online too. The popular Disney on Ice Tickets that are hard to find, can usually be found online. It’s great to find tickets to events that sell out fast and still get them at affordable prices. This is possible for those that have a little time to spend online and seeing which different ticket brokers are offering the best deals. The next time you plan to go to an NBA game or an event that has hard to find tickets, see if you can find them online selling for cheap prices.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Conan O’Brien on NBC & Jay Leno

Jay Leno is NOT must see TV! NBC tried to show Leno’s talents off in prime time and guess what? No one wanted to see it! Why on Earth would they like him better, later on in the night? NBC viewers have decided and they don’t want to see Jay Leno. Not sure what’s so hard for the NBC producers to understand when it comes to the Conan O’Brien vs Jay Leno battle. There really isn’t a battle, because more people want to see Conan than Leno; it’s as simple as that!

Conan O’Brien is a better choice for the Tonight Show than Jay Leno. Why this is even a debate is beyond me. NBC is leaning to replacing Conan for Jay Leno and this will be a big mistake. Advertisers and viewers are both keeping an eye on this one and NBC stands to lose a great deal if they make this move final. No one is going to tune-in to see Leno and the domino-effect will continue with other shows that currently air on NBC. This late night talk show controversy goes much further than the time frame being debated on right now. NBC is leaning the wrong way and if they don’t sway back to Conan O’Brien’s corner soon, it will be too late for them. An all out ban will begin for NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, and their parent company GE (General Electric). No more NBC programs period for those of you supporting Conan O’Brien. We will not buy any more GE products either. I believe Whirlpool is a better brand anyways and other better choices than the products GE produce. If you think the GE stock has been lagging over the last few years, that lag will seem nice, when a lag becomes a decline. If you own GE stock now, you may want to go ahead and sell it. Be sure to get the vote out for Conan O’Brien and for him to remain as the host of the Tonight Show on NBC.

Popularity: 13% [?]

It’s hard to get a gauge on the market with all the “ups” and “downs” we see each day. Many are confident that the stock market is ready for a rebound and now looks like a good time to start preparing for that rebound. Investors want to get in when the prices are low and there are a lot of good bargains across the board right now. An Online Broker can get you ready for tomorrow’s turn around. Investing online is something many experienced investors already do and it’s a great way for new investors to get in the game. If you have never invested in the stock market before and are ready to start, consider some of the Stock Trading options that are available online. I have been using online stock brokers for a long time now and it’s really simple to use and understand. I haven’t had any problems and it’s a good way to manage your own stock portfolio.

Online Trading with Firstrade is a great choice for new investors. They allow investors to invest in stocks, mutual funds, options, and my favorite the ETF’s. An ETF is like a mutual fund but trades daily like an individual stock. This is one of the safer investment choices a beginner could choose; if they plan to make their own stock selections. You would have a hard time picking a bad ETF or a mutual fund. Investing in a mutual fund or an ETF is what is known as “not having all your eggs in one basket” or a balanced portfolio. Owning just one ETF or mutual fund does allow you the ability to have a more balanced portfolio, that isn’t just geared to one company. Firstrade offers their clients fixed incomes at competitive costs. You can also take advantage of Mobile Trading for convenience.

Another option that many online brokers offer is the ability to start up an IRA. These are retirement accounts that people can rely on to help them financially; when they decide to stop working in their golden years. Everyone should think about starting IRA Accounts; along with their other investments. The more we do now to prepare for retirement, the better off we will be later on in life. Now is a good time for current investors to start back investing and for new investors to get out there and get their feet wet.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Now that the promotion has begun we decided to check the newest digital radio offerings. Choosing a new digital radio today is like picking out one of the first High Definition TV’s. The HD Radio Receiver units are now becoming more popular and you are starting to see them become standard equipment in some cars. Some makers have implemented a bar code system to help track the installation of these devices in order to understand market penetrations and which models and types of cars these are being installed in.Plus more of the local radio stations are starting to broadcast in HD and in our local market that accounts for 5 of the top 10 stations. Of course larger markets will have more of a selection at the moment, but since HD radio is free and all you need is the HD tuner in your car this will be more attractive to most people over satellite.

With competition between satellite radio and local radio stations heating up the emergence of HD radio is growing weekly. We have been hearing commercials about our local stations starting to run programs in HD with the help of a new HD radio. This format not only gives you better, clearer sound, but also a whole new array of choices. Plus you can have enjoy the crystal clear sound in your home, car, or boat without being tied to one specific receiver and there are no costs to having HD Radio other than the equipment. Now is the perfect time to look to upgrade your current system in your car or home and surprise someone for Christmas. There are some great specials on various HD radios and accessories so now is the time to start shopping.

Popularity: 11% [?]

One of these crane machines is a great way for a small business to earn another source of income. Sometimes adding a simple bubble gum machine or a soft drink machine can result in a positive gain for the business owner. These machines don’t typically make a company rich, but it is a good way to gain a little extra money from their floor space, that would not typically be earning any direct income for the business.

Establishments that are geared toward families is where these machines work the best. All the kids love to gather around and play these toy machines in the hopes they might win a nice prize from it. Even when the kids don’t collect a prize, they still have a good time trying to win. It doesn’t cost Mom and Dad much money either to put a smile on their children’s face. Don’t think these crane machines are only for the kids, because I have seen my share of adults trying to win the prizes in these machines too.

Most small businesses that deal with the public each day, shouldn’t have much of a problem finding the floor space for one of these crane machines. Depending on which type and how many novelty machines a small business wants, will determine how much room is needed. Adding just one of these machines in a restaurant or convenience store is usually pretty effortless and the returns these crane machines offer can add up quiet nicely. Anytime a small business owner has a chance to earn money with little to no effort, they should always pursue these business ideas. You never know which idea will work out best until you have actually tried it. If I owned a business that was geared toward families, I would certainly give one of these crane machines a try.

Popularity: 1% [?]