Hotel scams

A popular scam these days, happening especially to spring breakers, is called "walking." This is where a hotel (supposedly) overbooks their rooms and offers to send the vacationers to what should be a comparable resort, even though it often turns out to be a much less desirable place. Despite the fact that the hotel pays for the cost of the small changes such as in transportation, they still end up saving money by giving you cheaper accommodations. This article gives some advice on how to handle the situation when you are being walked.

1-Refuse the room
2-Know what's happening behind the scenes
3-Invoke your status
4-Crack a joke
5-Be nice

Summer vacations are finally approaching, so read more about these 5 tips and how you should use them here.

Made in the USA

Many people seem to hold this belief that the US is almost powerless or useless compared to countries like China, in that we do not manufacture so many things ourselves anymore. What this article asks us to keep in mind is that, first of all this is a false claim, and second of all we need to keep our heads up if we want to get through this because recessions do end eventually. Despite the pessimism, the US is definitely still the world's leading manufacturer, with hundreds of billions of dollars invested in our plants. What it points out is that some of these beliefs may come from a little bit of truth, but in reality the politicians are the ones who use that type of information for their own advantage. They want us to "see" how bad things are so that they can personally be the ones who help save us. Also, another good point is that he baby boomers' generation seems to notice the changes in where items are produced more than the rest of us, because it's all stuff that used to be made here.

Manufacturing elsewhere is conducive to cheaper labor and/or materials, but it's important to realize that this is not the only factor in deciding where to open plants. R&D, engineering capabilities, quality control, property rights protections, management talent, accessibility of markets, and accessibility of raw materials are among the other factors that deserve attention, and these are the areas where the US is usually able to provide the best.

USA

Some banks need more help

The nation's 19 largest banks are currently being tested by the administration to see if they can withstand the worsening conditions in the economy. Hopefully, by early May these results will be published for the public to see. These stress tests will include different types of scenarios such as rising prices or rising unemployment rates and will see how efficiently the banks are able to react.

I think we all know how bad things are right now but I think this will definitely open up some more eyes and prove exactly how rough it could get if the problems continue to grow. The administration, from the sound of this article, seems fairly confident that not only can our country handle whatever our future holds, but our people can handle the truth. This should be a very compelling set of results and I hope everyone looks out for this and keeps themselves updated in the coming weeks.


stress test

Brown, Rihanna were no-shows at Kids' Choice

The annual Kids' Choice awards took place on Saturday, and according to this article the most talked-about couple in recent months was a no-show. They both received similar nominations in the Favorite Singer (male and female categories) and each had a Favorite Song. Brown is currently charged with a felony assault and making criminal threats, scheduled to be arraigned on April 6th.

I think it was smart not to show up, considering the extent of the horrific incident and the fact that this is based on children's nominations. If either of them won an award and needed to give a speech, or if they were interviewed by the press, they would not be able to ignore the situation and pretend everything was okay--that would be wrong, in my opinion. This is the type of moral situation that should be taught to kids on a more personal level by parents or other family (if they so choose), not broadcasted on television for them to make their own inferences. Rather than cause more problems, confusion, or debate--just excuse yourself from appearing. If older teens or adults want more information, they can get it themselves from other sources.


Kids' Choice no-shows

The White House is Going Green

This article points out that it's been done before, but yes, it needs to be done again. In 1993 Clinton saved $1.4 million with his many types of improvements for his first six years. Bush, during both terms, pushed for recycling and solar systems to save electricity as well. Obama expressed from the very beginning that he intended to take even further measures to conserve energy in his mansion. I think he is setting a great example, "showing people that it's not hard," as he puts it. Even the children's new swing set in the back is environmentally friendly.
Apparently, "small steps are underway," such as with the housekeepers. "It isn't about flashy stuff, [Architect Jean Carroon] said. It's about being smart and making it happen." I think it's important that the White House especially serves as our model; hopefully, people will see that every little step they take to follow this example will make a difference.

Going Green :)

Buy a used car? A new one might cost less

Under the simple principles of supply and demand, some new cars are actually cheaper than used ones. "A mix of drastic price cuts, rebates, and financing incentives is narrowing the gap" between new and used car prices, making new ones more appealing and actually a worthwhile splurge. Though leasing became a popular trend, some auto financing companies, according to this article, are not offering that option because it was not profitable enough for them. I don't know enough about the industry right now to make a fair judgment about that decision to rid of leases, but it seems counter-intuitive because I feel as though they should be looking for any way possible to make the sale possible for the consumers in times like these. On the other hand, people can't live without cars, so if they are forced to buy then there may not be much of a choice besides giving in.

link

Daughters 'adapting remarkably,' Obama says

According to Mr. President, his girls (and his wife) have adjusted very well to their new home. "'What's interesting is actually how unimpressed they are with it,' the president added, laughing. 'They are unchanged.'" ...so far, at least. They seem to be keeping busy with school and maintaining their same routines, according to other sources as well. It's interesting that though they are still pretty young, they seem to be put in the spotlight often as sweet, stylish, sensible, intelligent girls who deserve admiration for handling their dad's situation so maturely. Not to take anything away from them because I could imagine it is a difficult change, but does anyone know if Fox News loves them as much as some of the other stations do? This entire article in the "Politics" tab was about Obama's single comment on his daughters. It's a human interest story, I suppose, but at least tell us something we didn't know..?

daughters

As economy falters, interest in teaching surges

It seems the trend lately is that when business professionals are struggling at work with the economy's downward spiral, they look to the education field to pick them back up not only economically, but also for personal satisfaction. For one man, he started out reading to children in classrooms part-time and he couldn't get enough. His background in computers allowed him to eventually start and lead his own technology classes. Apparently there is a "New Teacher Project" to help train people like him to switch careers successfully. It is estimated that over one third of new teachers are career switchers.

Personally, I think this a great opportunity for currently-struggling professionals who want to explore other options for which their knowledge and experiences are applicable; however, are all these people fit for a classroom? Are there downfalls in allowing the frustrated businessman or woman to run a classroom of kids? I think it is great for high schools, when teens are more mature and thinking about college and about their future because they can get some great real-world advice and guidance this way, but I am skeptical that these career switchers are fit to teach younger children--I think you have to be a special kind of person to run a class of elementary school-ers.

teaching surge

Made-to-order magazine lets readers choose: "mine"

I found this article under the Business section at msnbc.com describing an experiment by Time Inc. which will create a personalized 36 page magazine called "mine" for those who sign up to participate. This 5-issue, 10-week subscription is completely free: the first 31,000 respondents will receive a print copy mailed to their home, and the next 200,000 after that will receive the online PDF version. Sponsored mainly by Lexus (actually--they came up with the idea), a company who also prides itself in customer satisfaction and customizable features, the readers will be able to choose 5 major titles (out of a possible 8: Sports Illustrated, Time, Food and Wine, Real Simple, Money, In-Style, Golf, and Travel &Leisure) which will be the main areas covered in each issue.
The print media are trying to "offer the customized experience that the Internet [does]" with personalized newsfeeds. I think this will be really interesting to follow, to see how satisfied the subscribers are with this new concept or to see if it measures up to their usual online experiences.

"mine" article

Progress in Mexico drug war is blood-drenched

Lately, we have been hearing a lot on the news about the problems in Mexico which have been affecting US citizens as well, turning into a national security issue. The US Government has even issued warnings to our people about the risks of simply vacationing there--especially important now that it is spring break season, when college students often make Mexico a popular spot. Much of the reason for all of the violence is that drug traffickers are "melting down in terms of capabilities [because they] are losing the ability to produce income," according to an Attorney General in Mexico. This does not reflect the actual power of the gangs, he claims, and therefore they will be defeated.

US and Mexican governments, according to this article, are "winning" these drug wars (although it may not seem that way to us). The problem here is that this "win" has been at the cost of thousands and thousands of lives: 90% of the deaths are believed to be linked to drug trade, as are many of the kidnappings. These issues are slowly spreading across the US border.

Can we really consider this a win, especially when it is believed that problems will get worse before they get better? Something else to consider: though this seems to be a terrible trade-off, do we really have a choice? It does not seem so, from what I read here at least.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29620369/

Excessive tanning salons throughout America's big cities

Despite all of the known repercussions for our health, Americans continue to excessively use indoor salons to enhance their tans. San Diego State University researchers found that, in many cities, there are more tanning salons than there are Starbucks or McDonalds. This is a scary realization, considering that one of these two food chains is almost everywhere we look. It seems surprising that news of the growing prevalence of skin cancer these days has not diminished the public's desire to look a certain way, but on the other hand, the pressure to impress others with our appearance is often very high.
According to this article I found on msnbc.com, some contributing factors that make this activity so common are the affordable prices, available package deals, close proximity to our homes, school or work, and long salon hours. As for the more personal reasons why people choose to indulge: they enjoy the "healthy" glow of a tan, the relaxing feeling of laying in the sun, and the warmth of the bed on a cold winter day. Tanning is also one of my guilty pleasures once in a while for some of the same reasons, although I try to refrain as much as I can because the consequences do scare me. "[M]ore than 1 million people tan in tanning salons on an average day, nearly 70% of them girls and women aged 16 to 29." I think in later years, this is the exact cohort of people we will find to be most at risk for skin cancer and other problems such as damage to our vision.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29552556/