How stingy or extravagant can we be?

“Money makes the world go around,
the world go around, the world go around,

A mark, a yen, a buck or a pound,
a buck or a pound, a buck or a pound,
Is all that makes the world go around,
that clinking clanking sound,
Can make the world go round”

“ Money, money” Ontario Tenant Toronto Tenants

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/mba/lowres/mban826l.jpg

Just since you’ve been born, you achieve the life knowledge: it’s all about the money! Well, at least some people are brought up like this. No wonder that those people are slightly, let’s say, careful. It’s not that they are mean, oh no, they just know how to organize budget.

Of course, that’s what they think. For typical people it’s not saving or organizing money it’s simply being scrooge. Paradoxically, stingy people are those who would never suffer from poverty. What’s even more interesting, a lot of milliners are known to be a bit greedy. The most important question is if they got their fortune because they were stingy or did they become stingy because of their fortune?

As a perfect example of a greedy milliner we can consider Ingvar Kamprad, a founder of well-known furniture business Ikea. The company is famous in 32 countries for comfortable stylish furniture. It is said, that the annual business turnover is 14 000 €. It seems that the owner has all the predispositions to be a philanthropist, so what’s the reason that stops him? Friends of Ingvar don’t have doubts: he’s a real miser. They claim that he is know for asking his employees to remember about writing on the both sides of paper each time. What’s more, he’s this kind of a person who goes to the cheapest hotels and refuses to use mini-bar in room, because he can buy the same water in the nearby shop cheaper. What is really shocking, especially for men, when he’s being asked why he would drive old Volvo, he would respond it’s new, only 15 years.

When do you start becoming a scrooge? If you start rolling a knife along the toothpaste to make sure you used all of it or when you turn off the gas while you’r turning the pancake over :P

http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/cza0592l.jpg

The stingest thing you’ve ever heard of?

A guy who have two tv’s, set one on the other,one with no sound and the other with no picture.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/

4043/scroogemcduckandmoney19vx0.jpg

In oppposite there are people even worse: extravagant. It’s commonly know, that the more you earn, the more you spend, but there are some limits, for sake! Have you heard about programm “Sweet sixteen”? It’s about teenagers who organise thier lavish birthday party with parent’s money. No wonder they end up with three dresses for 15 000 $ each, famous raper on the stage and brand new car with red ribbon on it. Everything with parent’s acceptation. What is even more scary, one of the girl’s wish for her birthday present is a grill instead of a car. Not a simple grill, but grill on teath made from white gold and decorated with diamonds. Only 10 000 $ for one.

How rich do you have to be to buy a whole island for someone as a birthday present? Well, you have to be undecently rich J A futball star, Maradona, have just bought a small island Harris Island in Scotland for a 4 500 000 $.

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/pto/lowres/pton117l.jpg

His only concern now is how expensive bikini gift he should buy: the one with 70-carat diamonds for 5 000 000 $ or the one with ruby roses

and gold for 10 000 000 $ and obviusly how to wrap the island up with a tape and a ribbon on it :P

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/

http://images.google.pl/imgres?imgurl=

The Financial Crisis

The basis of the crisis which recently have shaken the economic markets were speculations on the mortgage loans in the USA. Firstly, American banks have started to provide mortgage credits at a much more favourable terms than in the past increasing the sums and requiring less security. Secondly, have begun to issue debentures (getting free cash to invest) using the mortgage as a pledge - assuming that these loans will be repaid. At one point, occurred that the number of so-called ‘bad credits’, so these which owners have problems with regular payment of the debt or aren’t paying them at all, have begun increasing. Dramatic decrease of prices of flats and houses have influenced it. People in difficult financial situation have started trying to get rid of their houses to give back the money to the banks, but by the violent loss of their value the money given to the owners have covered only a portion of the debts. Therefore, not only the collapsed market for mortgage loans, but banks and investment funds were in trouble because they have invested big money in bonds, which the loans were secured by mortgages. Since most operations in the financial markets now is the transfer of capital (and not for example invests in new jobs and technologies) the effects of this crisis started to feel all the existing players in the markets - from pension funds after the insurance companies.

When the crisis have begun the government of the United States have started to implement its programme of awarding financial aid, especially to investment banks. The most commonly it lies on giving loans from the state budget to companies which have lost liquidity. Reasoning for such procedure is a general concern about the state of the economy (frequently next banks collapse) and to protect the jobs. Another way is to control blocks of shares redeemed at risk companies, which maintain their liquidity but also leads to the situation when state takes control over them, that is the lead to their nationalization. It is what happened with American International Group (AIG) - leader in the insurance and pension funds as well as a significant player in the financial market, where the U.S. government bought a package of 80% of the shares gaining managerial control over staffing and the creation of policies the company. This situation reminds some solutions which were applied in the middle of the 80-year, when the U.S. defense industry was in trouble and the U.S. government's intervention saved among others Northrop-Grumman.

See also:

US to tackle financial crisis - BBC

and

Financial crises: Lessons from history

Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He was born on March 27, 1963 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
He fall in love with movies when he was 10 years old. Since this time he's watching a couple of movies every day.
In 1988 he wrote a script to „Natural born killers” and sold it to Oliver Stone, who changed the original script. Tarantiono wasn't happy about that.

His next script was for „True Romance.” For money he earned on it, Tarantino made his next movie: „Reservoir Dogs”, which was critisized for high level of violence.
In 1994 Tarantiono made his the most famous movie: „Pulp Fiction.” It won Golden Palm in Cannes for the best picture, Golden Globe for script and seven nomination to Oscar (got only one: for the best original script.

Later Tarantino made „Four Rooms” and „Jackie Brown” but this movies weren't even in half so famous as „Pulp Fiction”.
He returned in 2003 with two parts of „Kill Bill”. Third, and the las part, Tarantino wants make about 2020.

Two years later Tarantino was a guest director in „Sin City”, movie made by his friend, Robert Rodriguez. For directing one scene, Tarantino earned 1$ (he wanted to make it for free, but US law forbbides it). For directing another one scene in „Sin City 2”, Tratino earned... 2$.
In 2007 Tarantino-Rodriguez duo made two parts of „Grindhouse” („Death Proof” and „Planet Terror”) - their trubute to B class horror movies from 1970's.

Recentlly Tarantion finished his latest movie: „Inglourious Basterds” - a story about Jewish soldiers fighting with nazis during World War 2.

Tarantino, as like as a few other directors, apperas as a supporting actor. He was: Mr Brown (Reservoir Dogs), Jimmie Dimmick (Pulp Fiction), Warren (Grindhouse: Death Proof) and Soldier (Grindhouse: Planet Terror). He also apperaed is Robert Rodriguez's „From Dusk Till Dawn” as Richie Gecko and „Desperado” as a guy telling a joke in the bar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0y-Qjjd-1U

Tarantino's style is called as postmodernism. He mixes geners. His movies aren't in chronological order (ex.: Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill). His movies have high level of violence and swear-words.

Tarantion as a group of actors which he likes to work with. They are: Steve Buscemi, Samuel L. Jackson, Harvey Keitel, Eli Roth, Tim Roth, Uma Thurman and Bruce Willis.

Jobs that will disappear and appear in 20 years

Technology develops faster and faster. Here are few jobs that will disappear or appear in the next 20 years:


Jobs that will disappear


Grocery Store Cashier

Using credit cards is much more comfortable than cash. Presumably, all jobs dealing with paper money, like bank tellers, could be obsolete in two decades, as we rely more on credit and digital money. We already have grocery lines where we can scan and bag our own groceries and then pay the machine.


http://www.momsneedtoknow.com/2009/01/13/coupon-101-understanding-sales-and-coupons/


Film Processor

If you want to stick with old-fashioned photography, you better build your own darkroom. All the photo stores are going digital now.


http://www.boltoncolourlabs.co.uk/bcl/NewFiles/120-roll-film.html


CD Store Manager

Why browse for CD's at a store when you can search for MP3's online? Music producers are going digital, and sellers must adjust as well. Compact discs don't have the artistic flair of old records, so they won't have the same vintage cachet either.


http://www.purepc.pl/node/989


Encyclopedia Writer

Everyone's using Wikipedia now. This 21st-century encyclopedia is free, online and edited by readers. It's much easier to find something on the Internet than to search in many volumes of thick books.


http://nowsourcing.wordpress.com/



New jobs that will appear


Gene Screener

In the future, a genetic screen could be as common as a drug test. Employers will need technicians to collect and analyse DNA from potential hires as they attempt to screen out workers with a propensity for drug abuse or other conditions that could interfere with productivity.




http://www.walgreens.com/library/contents.html?docid=000437&doctype=10



Drowned City Specialist

Suppose climate change happens a lot more quickly than expected. "There will be a whole lot of jobs for people who deal with drowned cities," says Stewart Brand, a futurist and co-chairman of the Long Now Foundation. Belongings will need to be rescued, and houses must be moved to higher ground.


http://premiermeansbusiness.com/



Teleport Specialist

Imagine walking to a teleport station at the end of the block, dematerialising and reappearing at work. Cars would be gone, auto mechanics would be gone, gas station would be gone and a whole new economy could develop based on the teleporter!


http://www.flickr.com/photos/trevor303/3110214977/



Space Tour Guide

It's likely we'll soon be taking trips to space for pleasure and showing off. Virgin Galactic, a unit of Virgin Group, is already planning just such a space program. The trips, which cost $200,000, will begin soon.


http://science.howstuffworks.com/moon-landing-hoax.htm