Different Topics

As the world mourns the loss of one of music’s greatest stars, Michael Jackson, I ponder his legacy. Michael certainly had his problems, but once a little time has passed, I think he’ll be best remembered for all of his great songs. He made his mark back in the early 1980’s with the biggest selling album of all time, “Thriller.” Many wonderful songs later, he began to be viewed as “unusual,” to say the least, for all of his personal problems. But just like Elvis and Frank Sinatra before him, we will remember Michael, too, for his musical contributions. We don’t choose to remember Elvis as the overweight, drug-addicted person, but rather the King of Rock and Roll. The slender, attractive, heart throb Elvis is who we most think of. I, for one, will miss Michael. He had it tough at times, and maybe some of that he brought on himself. But like his great song, “Man in the Mirror” says, “If you want to make a change(in the world), take a look in the miror.” We could all benefit if we followed that advice. Good bye Michael. We will miss you.

Technorati Tags: king of pop, michael jackson

Are you someone who likes to invest in stocks? If so, buying and selling stocks by yourself has never been easier or cheaper than now. There are many online brokerage sites that will allow you to invest online for cheap. The price per transaction is usually around ten bucks or less. Choose from Schwab, TD Amerirade, and many others. The key to successful online investing is research and manging your positions. If you want more information, I wrote an article that was published recently called “How to Get Started With Online Investing.” You can read it here.

Technorati Tags: get started investing online, online investing

Yes, the housing market has been bad for awhile, I know. But I honestly believe we have bottomed. What does that mean? Well, it means that home prices have stopped going down. There has been an awful lot of depreciation over the last year or so when it comes to the values of our homes. It has been dreadful and down right depressing. The economy has suffered, and the housing market has been one of the biggest causes. I don’t think our home values are starting to appreciate just yet, but I do believe the worst is behind us. Even if we see a flat lining effect for a little while, it will be better than more drops in home values. Once we have seen the stabilizing effect for a few months, confidence could begin to be restored. If consumers feel better about things, they could, in turn, start spending a little more. Then we may see the whole economy improving. Once again, the housing market could be an instrumental part of it.

Technorati Tags: housing, housing market, real estate market

I just recently bought an iPhone and I have to say that it is all that…and then some. I always hate getting something new when it comes to transferring everything over and all the new things you have to get used to. But the transition to the iPhone was unbelievably simple. I was looking at all of my favorite gadgets the other day. There they were sitting there on my desk. My GPS device, a handheld Pocket PC, my cell phone, and an MP3 Player. They looked a little lonely. Just a short while back, these cool gadgets were both practical and fun. Now they have been rendered useless…by my new iPhone. Because it does it all. The iphone is what each of these things were, and even better. As far as transferring all my contacts, songs, emails, etc…it was as easy as plugging the iPhone into the computer with USB. This magic thing called sync did the rest. It was amazing. Now my only concern is what to do with my old favorite gadgets. They all still work, but I don’t need them anymore. Maybe I will clear some space on the shelf and call it the Gadget Hall of Fame.

Technorati Tags: cool gadgets, iphone

Stress is a word we are all too familiar with. Is it something that we can control?  In many cases, I believe the answer to be yes.  Feeling overwhelmed at times can lead to stress.  One suggestion I have which has worked for me many times is to focus on one thing at a time.  For example, if you work in an office and your desk is full of scattered papers, this can lead to stress just by looking at it.  Try organizing the papers by placing the highest priority items on top.  Focus on that top form, complete that task, and then move on to the next.  Then when distractions occur, and they will, return to your work working on the top form once again.  As the pile gets smaller, you feel the feeling of satisfaction of accomplishment.  As more work comes to you, simply prioritize it by placing it in the pile at the appropriate spot.  Of this may not work for everyone that it has worked for me many times.  Give it a try and see if your stress level doesn’t drop a notch or two.