tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45400558604987992722024-03-13T03:54:37.226-07:00Crooked Rainbow TrailsR.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.comBlogger154125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-62401819169241811282014-02-02T10:10:00.000-08:002014-01-06T08:44:24.953-08:00Hawaiian Overtures<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-11uBD75Bs4M/TWagej3JkMI/AAAAAAAAAU8/S2YGqCu5ZOY/s1600/surfer.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-11uBD75Bs4M/TWagej3JkMI/AAAAAAAAAU8/S2YGqCu5ZOY/s320/surfer.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577321635428012226" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 94px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 117px;" /></a><br />
For better or worse, I've spent sometime in Hawaii (Kauai). There are some things I've learned that I will secretly share with you.<br />
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My macro observation is that Arizona and Kauai share similar major issues. Good jobs are scare. There is little 'sense of community' due to a transient population; too many part-time wealthy people, who remain greedy and isolated; a mostly poor native population, and low wages with no benefits. There is also a certain hedonistic undertone, which perplexes me frankly.<br />
Other then that, there is some humor in all of this:<br />
<br />
The residents have recently learned that cilantro is the same as Chinese parsley.<br />
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I ran into one "Gandhi wanna be" who drove a Lexus. I am sure there are more. Go figure that mentality!<br />
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The residents know which market sells poi on which days.<br />
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No matter how you slice it: Poi is still Poi, whether I eat it in Hawaii or West Africa. Pass the organic pizza please and do not hold the pepperoni.<br />
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I met two guys with Phd's. They were both pretty dumb. Go figure.<br />
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Don't confuse the Hanalei Pier with the one in Santa Monica!<br />
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The state bird is still the mosquito.<br />
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Nude beaches should have signs. And I'll take my camera if I want to!<br />
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The words "Awesome, Dude, 'you got it' 'right-on', organic, sustainable", are totally overused. For some, it's their only vocabulary, from what I could ascertain.<br />
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Everyone is into 'organic and sustainable" living, but few actually know what it entails. Just sounds good in a group of dudes.<br />
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Wealthy people from the mainland move to the island and in one week, they are 'healers' or yoga experts. They say, 'that's how we give back to the community'.<br />
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They can handle shoyu with green mango, li hing mui gummy bears, raw egg on hot rice, and pearl tea (carnation milk in hot water with sugar) with creme crackers.<br />
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The condiments at the table are shoyu, ketchup, chili peppah watah, and kimchee. Also, takuwan, Hawaiian salt, slice onion, and pickle onion.<br />
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They go to Maui and their luggage home includes potato chips, manju, cream puffs, and guri guri for omiyage.<br />
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A balanced meal has three starches: rice, macaroni, and bread.<br />
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They know 101 ways to fix their rubber slippers -- 50 using tape, 50 using glue, and one using a stick to poke the strap back in.<br />
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They sometimes use their open car door for a dressing room.<br />
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They wear two different color slippers together and they don't mind.<br />
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Nice clothes means a T-shirt without puka.<br />
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They are barefoot in most of their pictures.<br />
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They have a slipper tan.<br />
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Their only suit is a bathing suit.<br />
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They drive barefoot.<br />
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They have at least five Hawaiian bracelets.<br />
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They never ever, under any circumstances, wear socks with slippers, or an aloha shirt that matches their wife's muumuu.<br />
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They say "I going go for lawnmower da grass" when they mean "I'm going to mow the lawn."<br />
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Someone in the family named Boy, Tita, Bruddah, Sonny, Bachan, Taitai, Popo, or Vovo.<br />
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They still chant "Hanaokolele" when a friend or co-worker goofs up.<br />
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They say "Shtraight," "Shtreet," and "Shtress."<br />
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The "Shaka" and the "Stink Eye" are worth a thousand words.<br />
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They let other cars ahead of them on the road and they give shaka to everyone who lets them in. (And get mad if someone they let in doesn't say thanks.)<br />
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They park junk cars on their lawns and for some reason, watch Television in their garage.<br />
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Their philosophy is "Bumbai."<br />
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They would rather drag out the compressor and fill that leaking tire every single morning than have it fixed.<br />
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The only time they honk their horn is once a year during the safety check.<br />
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Owns two types of slippers: da "good slippas" and da "buss-up/stay home slippas."<br />
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The resident do not understand the concept of North, South, East, and West, but instead gives directions such as Mile Marker 7, The Safeway, turn off to the lighthouse, and uses landmarks instead of street names.<br />
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They take off their slippahs before going into the house.<br />
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When it's done, they say "pau!"<br />
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They would rather drive an 'island cruiser' then a Mercedes Benz.<br />
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When the 'surf is up' nobody goes to work.<br />
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There are only two sports: surfing and Frisbee.<br />
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AHI Tuna shows up in just about everything you eat<br />
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Business meeting never happen on time<br />
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The Hawaiian handshake is way too complicated<br />
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You need to take at least two showers a day<br />
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The pay stinks, but they offer you a plantation shack for 50% off<br />
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There is no such thing as a IRS W-2. It's either 1099 or under-the-table.<br />
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Forget about any employer-sponsored health insurance or 401K<br />
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There is an overabundance of 'meta-physical' types who look at you strangely.<br />
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As on the mainland, a business 'handshake' is by no means a 'contract'<br />
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Too many people who relo want to look like Gandhi.<br />
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If I get one more picture of an isolated beach, I will need to send pics of isolated desert.<br />
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For as long as you live there, you are forced to drive on one road, and one road only. And it 'dead-ends' at both ends.<br />
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Other then that, in Kauai, the weather is great, the men are good-looking, the women are smart, and all the kids are above average. What else could you ask for?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-75044861488429132362011-08-11T10:27:00.001-07:002011-08-11T10:27:50.014-07:00How'd Education Get to Where it is Today?As a former high school teacher, early own in my career, I understand some of the present-day challenges faced by families within the current US educational system. Charter schools per se, won't fix the problems that have been inherent in the very structure of the system itself. The problems and challenges just get a 'new face'. You can blame the 'industrial revolution' for current ailments within the system.
<br />
<br />As worked shifted out of the agricultural fields and the home, children had to be prepared for factory life. It was at that time, a 'step up' from agrarian work in the fields. The early mine,mill, and factory owners recognized that you could not bring a 'farmer' into an industrialized factory. Young people had to be pre-fitted to the industrial system. The result: mass education. And it worked.
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<br />Built on the factory model, mass education taught basic reading,writing,and math skills; some history and english. That was about it. However, beneath this curriculum lay a secondary objective: It consisted, and still does, of three basic 'courses':obedience,punctuality; and rote,repetitive work. Everything the factory owner demanded of his workers. The minor league of the factory environment. It demanded workers who would take orders from a management hierarchy without questioning those orders.
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<br />So, from the mid-nineteenth century on, one found a relentless educational progression. Mass education at the time, was a wonderful step forward. Nevertheless, this type of education, machined generations of young people into a pliable, regimented work force as required by the mechanical age and the assembly line work. And all of this worked well for the creation, existence, and success of the Corporation.
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<br />In all, these three institutions: Family,education,corporation, created a social fabric that lasts even to this day. Thus, in order to make significant, major changes in education, you would also have to re-define the family and the corporation itself, which is actually occurring within the social fabric of many countries.
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<br />Thus, I do not believe that you can simply change the educational system by moving to either private or charter education facilities, if the 'base line' philosophy doesn't change as well. And that's probably not likely to occur in the near term.
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<br />For concurring opinion you can read, Alvin Toffler's Future Shock<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-70845811107544322532011-04-30T18:43:00.000-07:002011-04-30T18:53:53.704-07:00That is AmoreI met Marie, my wife, when she was 18. A blond, blue-eyed and vibrant Italian lady, who spoke Italian fluently and was Italian before she was "americano". How things change.<br />40 years later, the Italian is gone. The pasta is not the same. The old Italians from the family are long gone. My wife speaks only English.<br />And here we are. Between a rock and that hard place. Our grandparents wanted so badly to be American. They wanted acceptance. Therefore, we could not speak "italian". Only English, my grandmother would say. <br /> We became "americano" hoping and anticipating that acceptance of that life would raise us from the bedrock of Italian peasantry to the heights of American ingenuity. Some of us succeeded. Others made pizza or fixed roads. Or did nothing. My grandfather made wine,which he drank more then sold.Whatever.<br /> The journey has been long and hard for all. I just hope, that after giving up our heritage and our cultural and our music and our wine...that there is actually something there in becoming 'americano'. I still sleep on it. For me, my wife, my children and their children. "The moon has hit my eye, and it is a big pizza-pie"...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-19939924045922746722011-02-28T07:50:00.000-08:002011-02-28T07:56:52.141-08:00A Very Bad Year for Your Wallet: This Year!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n8CiwoZRRXc/TWvFi1WJQwI/AAAAAAAAAVM/rK9Ea7AoBg0/s1600/hawaii_10002-90079-69.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 116px; height: 174px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n8CiwoZRRXc/TWvFi1WJQwI/AAAAAAAAAVM/rK9Ea7AoBg0/s320/hawaii_10002-90079-69.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578769765654676226" /></a><br /><br />Bad weather and global instability are spurring price hikes for everything from cotton to oil. <br /><br />The worrisome economic news just keeps on coming. Inflation is creeping higher, as prices rise for everything from corn to coffee. The government's Consumer Price Index — a standard measure of how much household goods and services cost — rose 0.4 percent in each of the last two months, the first back-to-back increases that big since the summer of 2008. Now, forecasters say global weather problems and instability in the Middle East could make crude oil, cotton, and other important commodities even more expensive. Here are four ways you may be affected:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Clothing</span><br />Clothing prices, after falling for a decade, are expected to rise about 10 percent this spring, according to the Associated Press. The price of cotton has already more than doubled over the past year. Your cotton underwear will definitely get tighter!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Fuel</span><br />Crude oil prices recently hit a two-year high, as unrest in the Middle East, particularly Libya, fed investor worry about oil production. Gas prices have risen 20 percent over the last year, and could go even higher. Even a Preus won't help the ache on this one. Try a walking-stick.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Food</span><br />The cost of staples such as wheat, corn, and sugar has jumped dramatically in recent months, largely because of droughts, floods, and rising demand. Now's the time to plant that Kale and Collards!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Household essentials</span><br />Rising fuel and ingredient costs will also translate to higher prices for items such as toothpaste, soap, and batteries. Shower once each week, don't brush your teeth everyday, and don't use anything with a battery.<br /><br />And that's all the good news fit to print!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-80641263691277516032011-02-27T09:35:00.001-08:002014-10-03T08:59:39.507-07:00Scared Penniless<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mcIXGd-xZvw/TWqNXXDUBMI/AAAAAAAAAVE/Jir-01HV99Q/s1600/homelessman.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mcIXGd-xZvw/TWqNXXDUBMI/AAAAAAAAAVE/Jir-01HV99Q/s320/homelessman.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578426520916198594" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 243px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
If you are a 'boomer' you should be 'scared penniless' when you retire. The fact is the recent economic situation has destroyed whatever future you have economically. And the government doesn't care, nor does your stock broker or your banker. You are on your own buddy.<br />
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65<br />
Age the oldest baby boomers are turning this year<br />
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More than 8.5 million<br />
Projected number of Americans who will be over age 85 in 20 years<br />
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Less than 25 percent<br />
Amount the median household headed by someone aged 60 to 62 has of the retirement savings needed to maintain his or her standard of living, according to data from the Federal Reserve. "Inevitably, we find that, for the average person, there is not enough there," says financial adviser Paul Merritt. "The discussion turns out to be: What kind of part-time work do you want to do after you retire?"<br />
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About 50 percent<br />
Amount of wealth lost by baby boomer households between 2004 and 2009, due to shrinking 401(k) accounts and the real estate collapse<br />
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Only 50 percent<br />
Share of working Americans that have tax-sheltered retirement accounts<br />
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75 percent<br />
Number of Americans over 65 whose annual income (including Social Security) is less than $34,000, according to a report from the Congressional Research Service. "Furthermore, household income drops precipitously with every decade, and most of the poor in their 80s and 90s are women, who — unless their husbands possessed vast wealth — are very likely to become poorer when they are widowed."<br />
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85 percent<br />
Assumed share of a household's pre-retirement income needed to maintain the same standard of living in retirement<br />
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$87,700<br />
Median income, in 2009, for households nearing retirements (with heads aged 60 to 62) that have 401(k)-type accounts<br />
<br />
$74,545<br />
The 85 percent of that salary needed for retirement.<br />
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As much as $35,080 a year<br />
Amount Social Security will provide for such a household<br />
<br />
$36,465<br />
Amount needed from other sources to maintain pre-retirement standard of living. "Most 401(k) accounts don't come close to making up that gap,"says E.S. Browning in The Wall Street Journal.<br />
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$149,400<br />
Amount the median 401(k) plan holds, according to the Center for Retirement Research<br />
<br />
$9,073<br />
Amount per year such an account would provide a household, less than 25 percent of the $36,465 needed<br />
<br />
9 percent<br />
The current median amount that people contribute to 401(k) plans, including employer contributions, according to Vanguard Group, a leading provider of the plans. "In general, people facing problems today got too little advice, or bad advice," says Browning. "They didn't realize that a 6 percent annual contribution, with a 3 percent company match, might not be enough."<br />
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12 to 15 percent<br />
Amount, including employer contribution, that Vanguard recommends people contribute to their 401(k) plan<br />
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Sources: Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-39298235210842300112010-06-23T16:55:00.000-07:002010-06-23T16:56:28.935-07:00Another BIG Corporate RIP-OFF=Six FlagsLook at the millions of pay out to people who have no business even being there!!!<br /><br />Six Flags cuts workforce, 3 top executives<br /><br />By The Associated Press (AP)<br /><br />Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the theme park operator that emerged from bankruptcy protection last month, said Monday that three park executives are leaving the company as part of recent layoffs that the company estimates will save it $16 million a year.<br /><br />The company did not disclose how many jobs were affected in the June 16 reductions, but said the move mainly targeted its New York City and Dallas corporate offices. Six Flags also is moving its CEO to the company's Dallas corporate headquarters. The estimated savings excludes severance and other costs, Six Flags said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.<br /><br />"The effect of these reductions should bring the company's general and administrative costs more in line, on a percentage of revenue basis, with other companies in the regional theme park industry," the company said in the filing.<br /><br />Leaving the company are Michael Antinoro, executive vice president of entertainment and marketing, Andrew Schleimer, executive vice president of strategic development and in-park services, and Mark Quenzel, executive vice president of park strategy and management.<br /><br />The three executives had nearly three years left on their contracts and stand to receive their base salaries throughout that term. Antinoro receives $400,000 a year in salary while Quenzel and Schleimer each are paid $500,000 annually.<br /><br />Their employment agreements also call for them to receive their target bonus for the past year, which totals $500,000 a year for Antinoro and Quenzel and $400,000 for Schleimer. The three also will receive severance and 12 months of health care and life insurance.<br /><br />The company, which runs 19 theme parks in North America, filed for bankruptcy protection in June 2009, burdened by high levels of debt and declining park attendance. Its restructuring plan reduced its debt and redeemable preferred stock to about $1 billion from about $2.7 billion.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-50828486648022171012010-04-01T06:26:00.000-07:002010-04-02T06:24:57.520-07:00MLB Spring Training: What I Learned After Six Weeks in The Trenches<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S7Snz5NtJCI/AAAAAAAAAUk/vr1ofgrPddE/s1600/minor+league.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 131px; height: 87px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S7Snz5NtJCI/AAAAAAAAAUk/vr1ofgrPddE/s320/minor+league.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455169558625985570" /></a><br />I'm the third guy from the left in the picture.<br /><br />Well, after six weeks of working MLB Spring Training in Arizona, I learned a few things and made personal observations about others. I attended numerous games among a variety of good and not so good baseball teams. I worked the Press Box, tickets, bag checks, the stands, the practice fields. Everything I guess, but food service, which I refused to do. I came across mostly wonderful people in the stands; some decent, down-to-earth professional baseball players, some owners, coaches, scouts, tv/radio announcers, media types, players' wives and girlfriends.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Here's what I think I learned:</span><br />1) Most baseball players, for some strange reason, drive black Cadillac Escalades.<br />2) Some baseball players wives/girlfriends need to go to charm school. Or at least, understand the game of baseball. Left field is from 'left' from home plate, NOT "left" from the ladies room in center field. That would be 'right field'. DAH!<br />3) Some baseball players wives/girlfriends need to understand 'dress code' at ballgames. This ain't the prom. Dress accordingly please.<br />4) Most baseball players who don't earn a million bucks are decent, friendly people.<br />5) Some baseball players who earn over a million bucks need to go to charm school with their wives/girlfriends<br />6) Most baseball players are not much bigger in person, as when you watch them on tv.<br />7) Press/media people have higher opinions of themselves then the general public does. They also tend to be a bit overweight.<br />8) Baseball Management types take the game too seriously. It's not brain surgery. They think it is however. And that presents a need for a reality check.<br />9) Most baseball players willingly sign autographs for young kids. Some ignore them entirely.<br />10) Spring Training uniforms are really ugly. <br />11) Some baseball players are really ugly.<br />12) If you are a baseball player and have a #89 uniform, and your name is not printed on the back of the uniform, you are not going to play in the major leagues this year.<br />13) If you come out of the club house wearing cleats you will play. If you are wearing sneakers.... you will not.<br />14) The best players only play 4 or 5 innings. Then they go home. The AAA players play 3 or 4 innings, towards the end of the game.<br />15) Baseball players don't smile often. Management never smiles. It's a game after all.<br />16) Star baseball players don't walk from the clubhouse to the field. They are driven in a golf cart.<br />17) Too many fans have too many baseballs/bats for autographs. I still don't understand fighting to get these autographs. I don't even know the names of most players, let alone having them sign something, like my shirt. Why waste a good shirt?<br />18) Most star players don't want to show credentials at the entrance gates, and they cannot tell me what their favorite baseball movie is!<br />19) If you get a message on your phone that the toilets in left field have overflowed, move quickly and decisively to right field.<br />20) I have a better appreciation for the word "NO" and it's definition. Most people at baseball games do not. And I was there to help them better understand just what "NO" means.<br /><br />Overall, it was a great experience for me to spend these six weeks in the sunshine in Arizona, watching baseball. I could understand what it meant to so many kids to see players stretching, calisthenics, batting practice, running, jumping...all in the name of the game. And that's really all it is. A bunch of young kids wanting to just play. That's how I'd like to remember it. Not the money, the fame, the fortune. Nope. Just the game...for all it's worth...<br />Play ball!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-76250203623748545162010-03-23T14:17:00.000-07:002010-03-23T14:27:17.952-07:00MLB Spring Training: "Hey, mister can you autograph my cap?"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S6kxT6htHgI/AAAAAAAAAUc/dlnK20p94Tw/s1600-h/baseball.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 117px; height: 120px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S6kxT6htHgI/AAAAAAAAAUc/dlnK20p94Tw/s320/baseball.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451943042106596866" /></a><br />Well, after about six weeks into MLB Spring Training, someone finally asked for my autograph. Don't know why. I was sitting in the 'owner's box' alone, at an Oakland vs Seattle game.<br /><br />This little kid about six, knocks on the door, and says: "Hey mister, can you sign my baseball cap?". Gee, the only signature that I have that has any worth, is on a bank check. And sometimes, that doesn't even have any worth.<br /><br />In this case, I really didn't know what to say. If I said 'no' this kid might have been totally turned-off to baseball role models.Not that I am one, frankly. If I said 'yes', sometime when he got home, someone would say: "who the hell is this guy"? So, it presented somewhat of a dilemma. Thus, I agreed to sign the cap. And I did: <span style="font-weight:bold;">"To Ryan, Best....Willie Mays"<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-14607584761011972062010-03-22T08:39:00.000-07:002010-03-22T09:45:47.282-07:00MLB Spring Training: How to Get into the BallPark for Free...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S6eer54KpNI/AAAAAAAAAUU/-V9lM72F2mo/s1600-h/female++baseball.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 126px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S6eer54KpNI/AAAAAAAAAUU/-V9lM72F2mo/s320/female++baseball.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451500351063237842" /></a><br />During MLB Spring Training in Arizona, I've found a number of unique ways to enter the ballpark for free. They are relatively simply procedures:<br /><br />1) Wear a uniform of one of the teams. You could even carry a baseball bat (they are allowed but water bottles are not).<br />2) Get a bright yellow piece of cardboard. Write something on it and hang it from your rear-view mirror.<br />3) Carry an oversized video camera with you and wear your baseball cap backwards. Look disheveled.<br />4) Drive a Black Escalade or a 4-wheel Jeep Wrangler with really big fancy tires. They will think you are a baseball player.<br />5) Flash any kind of ID that looks like something 'official'. Try your drivers license.<br />6) Tell them outside the ballpark that you really have to use the rest room. There are no rest rooms outside the ballpark.<br />7) Use the "vendor gate" and show up with an empty box of hamburger rolls.<br />8) Tell your girlfriend to dress up in her very best, short-skirt outfit and she tells them that she is a 'player's wife'. Best if she is a 'trophy female'.<br />9) Say "this is my first day of work with the food service company"<br /><br />Other then that, just pay the $7.00 admission and have a good time!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-91543179224305255812010-03-19T11:33:00.000-07:002010-03-19T11:46:09.171-07:00MLB Spring Training: Hey Stupid, You Left Your Lights On<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S6PGOkpagKI/AAAAAAAAAUM/Noz-3rDWDz8/s1600-h/jap+fan.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 127px; height: 108px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S6PGOkpagKI/AAAAAAAAAUM/Noz-3rDWDz8/s320/jap+fan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450417927706280098" /></a><br />I can't imagine a major league baseball Spring Training game where, during a game that starts at one o'clock in the afternoon, someone would actually leave their headlights on and the car running...just to get to the game.<br /><br />Well, it happened three times the other day. One person I can understand. He was a Japanese tourist in a rental car. He was in a hurry to get an autograph from Ichiro Suzuki, the star outfielder for the Seattle Mariners. He not only left his head lights on, but he left the car running, with the keys lock inside. No matter, he left the car in the parking lot just that way, and was running for the stadium gates, the last time I saw him. <br /><br />Two other people did the same thing. One from Colorado and another from New Mexico. Head lights left on in the middle of the day. Why might I ask, were the head lights on in the first place? It was 80 degrees and sunny! Nevertheless, there they were. Three cars with head lights on, doors locked and no one in sight. And of course, the Japanese tourist who left the engine running too! <br /><br />I just hope he got Ichiro's autograph, because the tow truck company is going to charge him a lot more then that autograph is worth.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-34840685948905296332010-03-16T08:56:00.000-07:002010-03-16T13:40:28.108-07:00MLB Spring Training: A Smile Might be Worth a Thousand Purses<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S5-vbnnaP_I/AAAAAAAAAUE/lqmtHsBCMJ4/s1600-h/baseballfan1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 116px; height: 116px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S5-vbnnaP_I/AAAAAAAAAUE/lqmtHsBCMJ4/s320/baseballfan1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449266963167199218" /></a><br /><br />Giants vs Padres this evening in Arizona. Great weather with a cool breeze under the lights. Once again, I got the opportunity to 'check the baggage' at the front gate.<br /><br />As usual, the San Francisco fans showed up with their laptops, which I still can't figure out. The San Diego fans showed up in flip-flops, shorts, and tattoos with a few beers already consumed, it appeared. Some people actually show up to the wrong game at the wrong stadium. Had two from the Cleveland Indians. That game was 15 miles away. They decided to stay for this game. "Hey, for $7. why spend the extra gas."<br />They agreed!<br /><br />Additionally, and with great fanfare, the local "Gentlemen's Club" even sent some of their people over to hand out 'discount flyers'. Those women came through my 'baggage line', which was a nice gesture on their part. I even saved the 'discount coupons'.<br /><br />Throughout the exercise of checking baggage and purses for contraband, I have the habit of smiling and making positive comments to people, about how they look (you look marvelous), or how they are dressed (love the shoes), or something unusual about them (I love your purse or your shirt looks great). Everyone smiles back. Even those that I say "NO" to. NO, you can't take a pizza into the ballpark. NO, you can't take a Pepsi into the ballpark. No, No, No. That notwithstanding, smiling all the time.<br /><br />At the conclusion of the game, it's back to the same thing as fans exit the stadium...all with a smile, a grin, a 'thanks for showing up'. And "NO" you can't leave the place with that beer.<br /><br />At the end of the evening, my feet hurt and my face is sore from smiling. But you know, two people came up to me and said " you have a wonderful smile". I didn't know that. That simple comment made the ache in my feet go away, and the twitch on my face subside.<br /> <br />We should all try a little bit more to smile under duress, and to thank people for smiling at us. Even if it's only a baseball game under the stars on a cool, breezy evening in Arizona.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-16259176594039634852010-03-13T14:27:00.000-08:002010-03-15T08:00:17.070-07:00MLB Spring Training: They all want to tell you where they are from!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S5wXZS5dIZI/AAAAAAAAAT8/wHqjrQKm_T0/s1600-h/chicago.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 139px; height: 131px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S5wXZS5dIZI/AAAAAAAAAT8/wHqjrQKm_T0/s320/chicago.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448255372548448658" /></a><br />It's true. Most fans at Spring Training in Arizona are from somewhere else. I find most to be friendly, nice, and open in our discussions. The problem is, they all want to not only tell you where they are from, but to offer you a perspective on their home towns as well.<br /><br />This is nice if you are from Japan. However, I find that most discussions center around the Midwest US, specifically Chicago. These people seem to love the place. I can't figure it out. They are nice, outgoing, and definitely patriotic to Chicago, for whatever reason. They lack pretension. It Does not matter if they are CUBS or Sox fans. It's all the same.<br /><br />They tend to be somewhat overweight with no tan lines. I think it is the winters, although I know it is 'other things'. They are inquisitive. They asked question like "where do the Cleveland Indians play". They don't ask silly questions like Brewers fans about Bratwurst. <br /><br />They don't carry laptops to ballgames like Giants fans. They don't 'hey dude' like Padres fans and don't wear sunglasses indoors like Dodgers fans. They are simply here to enjoy their teams, eat some hot dogs, and laugh and cajole like people from Chicago. Pretension be damned! This is who I am, and if you don't like it, tough!<br /><br />I might add that they will tell you all the good things about where they come from, at some length. <br /><br />Simple thought. Refreshing reaction. I see none of them as 'losers'. They have a finger on the pulse of life. And they are funny. I guess it goes with territory.<br /><br />My kind of town, someone once sung. I tend to agree. Just don't ask them what town they come from.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-38357324799888975252010-03-13T12:14:00.001-08:002010-03-13T13:36:45.888-08:00MLB Spring Training: "I need to check your bag"!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S5v16dhMqxI/AAAAAAAAAT0/vGtQN5dFs3I/s1600-h/bag+lady.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 109px; height: 145px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S5v16dhMqxI/AAAAAAAAAT0/vGtQN5dFs3I/s320/bag+lady.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448218558939835154" /></a><br />Well, here I am at the front gate of a major league Spring Training baseball stadium. My job today is to check everyone entering for contraband: Water bottles, bootlegged Coca-Cola, food, lawn chairs, etc. Even dogs. Some fans buy tickets for their animals at Spring Training. So, if a dog has a ticket, do we legally need to allow them in with their owners? Sounds like an easy task. But no...oooo.<br /><br />"I need to check your bag" sounds innocent enough doesn't it? Here's the problem: Almost every time I said that to a husband entering the ballpark, he would invariably point in back of him to his wife. He would say something like: "The bag is behind me", "There's the bag over the there", or something to that effect. Sometimes, they would just point,and say nothing.<br /><br />Now, this presents a dilemma for a 'bag checker' like me. I'm trying to figure out an appropriate politically sensitive term rather then 'bag'. So, I started to use the term 'luggage'. "I need to check your luggage". Well, no one I know going to a baseball game actually has any 'luggage'. So, I got the response: " You mean baggage don't you?". Consequently, now back to the husband pointing in back of him to his wife! Baggage...Bag....paraphernalia. I just don't know anymore.<br /><br />Starting today, I am using the term: "I need to check your belongings" in the hope that some guy from Chicago, who looks like John Belusi, doesn't start to pull his pants down as he hands me his ticket. That would ruin my day!<br /><br />And I thought this would be easy.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-42234724065390241502010-03-08T13:32:00.000-08:002010-03-09T15:55:06.529-08:00Major League Baseball and the Smell of Hot Dogs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S5VsjjvBMwI/AAAAAAAAATs/y2tzBeHpAVc/s1600-h/hotdog+server.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S5VsjjvBMwI/AAAAAAAAATs/y2tzBeHpAVc/s320/hotdog+server.jpg" /></a></div>MLB Spring Training started last week in Arizona. And I was there. So far, four games between teams like San Diego, Seattle, Colorado, and San Francisco. Two in the pouring rain, which really isn't very pleasant.<br />
<br />
The good thing is that I'm doing all sorts of things, I thought I stopped doing a long time ago. There's no 'suit and tie' in this league. The teams wear practice uniforms, which are not that good looking. And the names of the players eludes me frankly. Lots of AAA players trying to make the team, the big leagues, the big money.The 'big guns' go home after the 4th inning in most cases.<br />
<br />
I usually start out in the broadcast booth, making sure the technical feeds are all in place and working. That's the easy part. Next, I secure the rosters for the day and then check credentials of the media, so they can sit in the press box. Once complete, I run over to the front gate and start to check the fans bags for counraband. You know, water bottles, food, umbrellas, lawn chairs. Even dogs! I get to say "NO" quite a bit.<br />
<br />
Then...back to the press box to make sure that everyone has credentials and didn't sneek into the box. Then, back to checking the roster, and the advertising/promotions sequence.<br />
<br />
When the game is over, I walk around the stadium to make certain everyone has left the building, including ELVIS. I 10-4 operations, lock the gates, and walk to my car. No autograph seekers, No signing baseballs or bats. Just me in my 'uniform' after doing something that I haven't done in years.<br />
<br />
And you know, after all of it, I feel like I did something positive for that day. No meetings, no phone calls, no attempts to impress anyone with my resume or credentials. Just some weary feet and a final 10-4...and out.<br />
Without the tie or the suit. Just a golf shirt and sneakers. Just like it used to be. And did I tell you, that although I do like the occasional hot dog, I am pretty sick of them at this point.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-87148408654142938272010-03-04T14:07:00.000-08:002010-03-05T10:26:39.509-08:00Foreclosure More Profitable than Loan Modifications for Servicers<h1><span style="font-size: x-small;">Report:</span></h1><h1><span style="font-size: small;">As if we didn't know. And the federal government's programs don't even address the issue below.</span></h1><span class="ecxsubmitted"></span> <i>The incentives <a class="ecxa-link" href="http://www.mortgageloan.com/finance-glossary/mortgage" target="_blank">mortgage</a> servicers receive for managing a home loan are a significant obstacle to <a class="ecxa-link" href="http://www.mortgageloan.com/mortgage-loan-modification" target="_blank">loan modification</a> that would help financially troubled borrowers avoid <a class="ecxa-link" href="http://www.mortgageloan.com/finance-glossary/foreclosure" target="_blank">foreclosure</a>, according to a new report from the National Consumer Law Center.</i><br />
In fact, the way servers are compensated actually makes it more profitable for them to foreclose on delinquent loans rather than modify them, the report found, even though loan modifications might be more profitable for the investors who actually hold the mortgages.<br />
In fact, the report found that servicers typically face a near-certain loss if they do a loan modification, but can actually make money on a foreclosure.<br />
"Foreclosures are a costly ordeal for the homeowner, the lender, and the community," said the report's author, Diane Thompson, an attorney with the NCLC. "Yet they continue to outstrip loan modifications because <i><b>servicers have no incentive to help borrowers stay in their homes</b></i>."<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-39233109327281177332010-03-03T18:17:00.000-08:002010-03-03T18:17:20.267-08:00Six Flags Theme Park Management MAY be On the way OUT!Six Flags Incumbent Management May Be on the Way Out<br />
<br />
<div class="indent"> Incumbent management of Six Flags Inc. evidently will lose their jobs if holding company noteholders succeed in taking over the theme-park operator by winning confirmation of their competing reorganization plan.</div><div class="indent"><br />
</div><div class="indent"> In a statement last week, holding company noteholders owning $650 million in bonds said they are in the “final stages of finalizing” debt and equity financing for their plan. The noteholders explained how the bankruptcy judge said that having financing commitments behind a plan at a higher valuation would be a “key factor” in his decision about which plan to approve.</div><div class="indent"><br />
</div><div class="indent"> The noteholders’ statement said they have identified a “highly experienced, industry leading management team” to take over once their plan is approved and implemented. The holding company noteholders contend bondholders of the operating companies are trying to take over “at a substantial discount.”</div><div class="indent"><br />
</div><div class="indent"> The holding company noteholders also said they voted against the company’s plan. The contested confirmation hearing is scheduled to begin March 8. For a comparison of the company’s plan and the alternative proposed by holding company noteholders, see the Bloomberg daily bankruptcy report from Dec. 1.</div><div class="indent"><br />
</div><div class="indent"> The Six Flags Chapter 11 petition in June listed assets of $2.9 billion against debt totaling $3.4 billion, including a $850 million secured term loan and a $243 million revolving credit.</div><div class="indent"><br />
</div><div class="indent"> New York-based Six Flags filed under Chapter 11 with 20 theme parks, including 18 in the U.S. The parks have 800 rides, including 120 roller coasters.</div><div class="indent"><br />
</div>The case is Premier International Holdings Inc., 09-12019, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware (Wilmington).<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-55279764465311729242010-03-02T15:08:00.000-08:002010-03-03T08:29:09.075-08:00Someone Explain General Motors to US!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S42Zo0Bb7FI/AAAAAAAAATk/7xxCoKMdvjU/s1600-h/gm+exec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S42Zo0Bb7FI/AAAAAAAAATk/7xxCoKMdvjU/s320/gm+exec.jpg" /></a></div><span class="text">General Motors is now paying Fritz Henderson, the guy the automaker ousted as CEO 3 months ago because he wasn't cutting it. He's back and gets paid $59,000 per month (yea, per month as in 30-days), for 20 hr of work as a consultant to their European operation.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="text">59x12 is over $600,000 per year for being a part-time consultant. That seems like a lot of compensation.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="text">General Motors stated that a man with this type of experience needs to be paid 'adequately'. What experience might that be, you would logically ask. Well, wouldn't you? </span><br />
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<span class="text">$59,000 per month for 20 hours. We could feed lots of people in Darfur with that money...or Camden, New Jersey, for that matter.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-65678345115562361172010-03-02T07:25:00.000-08:002010-03-02T07:37:15.714-08:00The Fastest Way to Receive "Hits" on Your Blog...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S40tmpjt_3I/AAAAAAAAATc/H6mm-yEGhYE/s1600-h/meter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S40tmpjt_3I/AAAAAAAAATc/H6mm-yEGhYE/s320/meter.jpg" /></a></div>If you are reading this, I am watching you! Well, not you personally in your pajamas in front of your computer. But you, the IP Address. I now know where you are, what your IP address is, how long you spent here, and what articles you pulled up. I even have a map that pinpoints your location on google maps.<br />
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Normally, this is a relatively 'quiet' blog. Perhaps 150 'hits' per week. But wait, when I recently mentioned a few companies, the 'hits' just took a big burp. That's because many companies sign-up for "Google Alerts" which simply brings to your desktop any mention of your company (or you) over the internet. Now, most of those 'burps' I received didn't take the time to even read anything, once they saw it was just a Blog post. So, time spent on the site was "zero", which is fine with me.<br />
<br />
Recently, I mentioned companies such as UNO in Boston, Bally in Chicago, and Six Flags in New York.<br />
And what do you know? Their corporate IP showed up in my metering. That means there are people at work in these companies, just surfing around looking for 'stuff' on the internet with their company name attached.<br />
<br />
So, here goes some companies/organizations I'd like to see on my IP "meter watch":<br />
General Motors, Toyota, US Congress, IRS, Wells Fargo Bank, Bank of America, Time-Warner, Sony Pictures, McFarlane Toys, Eddie Bauer, NIKE, Globecomm, EMS, Lockheed-Martin, The State of Hawaii.<br />
Senator John McCain...I love you all! Resume forthcoming.<br />
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And remember, once you are here, "I gotch ya"... on the 'meter', that is.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-47740579166307552322010-02-26T16:38:00.000-08:002010-02-27T14:44:34.330-08:00Whither the maligned hot dog?<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S4hpKBhwpeI/AAAAAAAAATU/__V00Zi46H8/s1600-h/hot+dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S4hpKBhwpeI/AAAAAAAAATU/__V00Zi46H8/s320/hot+dog.jpg" /></a><span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content">The American Academy of Pediatrics has decided that if you are under 7 and attempt to buy a hot dog...YOU will be 'carded'!</span></span><br />
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The menacing, All-American hot dog is out to get our children, says the American Academy of Pediatrics, noting that hot dogs cause 17 percent of the fatal, food-related choking incidents suffered by toddlers. The other 83% is from hamburgers, stale granola bars, Pizza Hut pizza, pomegranate seeds, and BBQ'd Tofu.<br />
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While the Academy is craving a <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-02-22-1Achoke22_ST_N.htm">safer, new hot dog design </a> that's less likely to lodge in childrens' throats, The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council is counseling reason, as they usually do, when it comes to this subject.<br />
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Many hot dog packages, it says, already feature warning labels and, besides, there are simpler solutions. Yea, I didn't know that there was actually a "hot dog and sausage council" either. Apparently, there is. And what small child is reading the 'warning label"? Not mine. They can't read!<br />
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Solutions: <br />
You could cut it up before your kid eats it!<br />
You could just eat it yourself.<br />
You could order a salad or milk toast.<br />
Or... some tofu shaped like a hot dog! <br />
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What will happen to the famous Dodger Dog or Nathan's Famous? Ball Park Franks? Will they become a distant memory? A by-gone era of rolls and big hot dogs. Will they too have to 'down size'? Will "Hebrew National" still remain kosher?<br />
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Proposed new Warning label: <b><i>"Don't eat this stuff if you don't have a big mouth!"</i></b><br />
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Whither the maligned hot dog?<span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content"> </span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-60820422105198717862010-02-26T10:22:00.000-08:002010-02-27T09:44:32.392-08:00On Senator John McCain's bid for another term...<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S4cII3_34sI/AAAAAAAAATM/Eu4EOHYCxtc/s1600-h/mccain.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442327623264363202" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S4cII3_34sI/AAAAAAAAATM/Eu4EOHYCxtc/s320/mccain.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 123px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 96px;" /></a><br />
Having lived in Arizona for the past 15 years or so, I can attest to the fact that we probably need a change in our representation in Washington DC. The problem is, whenever we elect someone new (in this case JD potentially), they wind up becoming part of the DC 'thing'. Maybe it is the water. I don't know. They seem to ultimately just forget who elected them and why they are there. It ain't to Party...no matter which one.<br />
It is to represent the people who elected them. Strange thought indeed.<br />
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So, I was thinking about John McCain, the old maverick, and what I might say to him, if he was ever in Arizona, and would ever take the time to have a drink with me.<br />
And I think I've got it:<br />
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And so, I go to PINK...the music group. It's pertinent, if not totally creative and irresponsible.Just hum along if you'd like.<br />
<br />
Da da da da, da da da da<br />
Da da da, da da<br />
Da da da, da da<br />
<br />
I don't know if I can yell any louder<br />
How many time I've kicked you outta here?<br />
Or said something insulting?<br />
Da da da, da da<br />
<br />
How did I become so obnoxious?<br />
What is it with you that makes me act like this?<br />
I've never been this nasty<br />
Can't you tell that this is all just a contest?<br />
The one that wins will be the one that hits the hardest<br />
But baby I don't mean it<br />
I mean it, I promise<br />
<br />
Da da da-da da<br />
Please don't leave me<br />
Da da da-da da<br />
Please don't leave me<br />
Da da da-da da<br />
<br />
I always say how I don't need you<br />
But it's always gonna come right back to this<br />
Please, don't leave me<br />
Please, please don't leave me...Until election day.... or something to that effect.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-43663176536622880822010-02-25T13:56:00.000-08:002010-02-27T09:45:23.639-08:00Just How FAR Down the Road is This?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S4b0wdIjJ-I/AAAAAAAAATE/-aai2mQEKvI/s1600-h/old+people+1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442306313015207906" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S4b0wdIjJ-I/AAAAAAAAATE/-aai2mQEKvI/s320/old+people+1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 130px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 87px;" /></a><br />
Since President Obama's election, the Republican party has gained support across all age groups, says a recent Pew poll, with a 5 percent to 6 percent jump among baby boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Civil War Veterans.<br />
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But the shift has been most pronounced among those born from 1825 to 1945, who have shown a 17 percent shift to the right. Support from older voters could be crucial in this year's mid-term elections. But will the aging of the party make it harder for Republicans to win down the road? And so, as a rebuttal, I would raise the pertinent issue of "how far down the road" is that? <br />
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If you were born in 1928, 'down the road' may be 'end of the road' as early next week. So, that 17% shift to the 'right' might just slowly erode over the next few months, as we go down the road, to that ultimate 'end of the road'.<br />
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Do the DEMS have anything to worry about? If the election is next Wednesday, certainly! After that, I wouldn't hold my breath. Maybe I would. And it is, and remains 'The Grand Old Party' afterall. "Old" and "Party" I think is an oxymoron. <br />
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As they say in Washington: "Party On"! And they certainly do. Dems and GOP. "It doesn't matter, as long as someone drives me home", the Senator from Wisconsin was overheard saying.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-80171449169344045652010-02-24T15:06:00.000-08:002010-02-26T08:12:35.918-08:00This Week's Corporate LOSERS...<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S4Wz5INnFvI/AAAAAAAAAS8/iU_iR_VRoqA/s1600-h/loser.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441953518785599218" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S4Wz5INnFvI/AAAAAAAAAS8/iU_iR_VRoqA/s200/loser.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 126px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 82px;" /></a><br />
How would like to work for one of these disorganized organizations. Sometimes,goes to show that a change in management doesn't always mean a change in the 'smarts'<br />
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Do I get a Refund? <br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">SIX FLAGS</span> -- The creditors’ committee for theme- park operator Six Flags Inc. filed a motion yesterday proposing that the bankruptcy judge order the warring factions into mediation before they embark on a contested two-week confirmation scheduled to begin March 8.<br />
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Blockbuster should be on the 'BLOCK'<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">BLOCKBUSTER</span> -- Blockbuster Inc., the movie rental chain, didn’t sufficiently profit from this month’s bankruptcy reorganization filing by competitor Movie Gallery Inc. to avoid being tagged by S&P yesterday as “vulnerable to default.”<br />
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A Horse With No Name...<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">MAGNA ENTERTAINMENT</span> -- Racetrack owner Magna Entertainment Corp. filed a reorganization plan this morning and scheduled a March 23 hearing for approval of the explanatory disclosure statement.<br />
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The Chapter 11 plan will implement a settlement announced in January with the official unsecured creditors’ committee. The compromise calls for unsecured creditors to receive at least $96.5 million while the existing owners are to retain Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields in California and Gulfstream Park in Florida.<br />
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They burned $30MM in a month? NAY!<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"> CHEMTURA CORP</span>, a specialty-chemical manufacturer, reported a $7 million operating loss and a $20 million net loss in January on $147 million in net sales. Interest expense and reorganization items in the month totaled $11 million, according to the operating report filed with the bankruptcy court.<br />
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Chemtura consumed $29 million of cash during the month, with $30 million cash burned in operations.<br />
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Can I get my car out of repo?<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">PARKING COMPANY OF AMERICA Airports LLC</span>, the operator of off- airport parking facilities at 31 sites near 20 major airports, filed a Chapter 11 plan this week calling for a going-concern sale of the assets after holding an auction.<br />
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The PCAA companies, owned by Macquarie Infrastructure Co. LLC, want the bankruptcy court to require bids by April 14, followed by an auction on April 20.<br />
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I think it's the Cheese...<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">UNO Restaurant Holdings Corp.</span>, the operator of 99 Uno Chicago Grill casual-dining restaurants, received final approval yesterday for $52 million in financing after agreeing that unsecured creditors can receive up to $l.75 million toward claims totaling up to $12.5 million.<br />
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The old BALLY CROWD?<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">MIDWAY GAMES INC, </span>the creator of “Mortal Kombat” and other video games, is aiming to have a hearing on March 23 for approval of a disclosure statement explaining a liquidating Chapter 11 plan. In its seventh motion for an extension of the exclusive right to propose a plan, the company says it is in the “final stages” of drafting and negotiating with the creditors’ committee.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-863462627716336092010-02-24T13:55:00.000-08:002010-02-27T09:46:47.668-08:00Mr Toyoda goes to Six Flags...<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S4WkRoOZptI/AAAAAAAAAS0/eJlSsQO2-c8/s1600-h/theme+parks.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441936347509663442" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S4WkRoOZptI/AAAAAAAAAS0/eJlSsQO2-c8/s200/theme+parks.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 131px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 115px;" /></a><br />
The President of Toyota today, was driving from New York's Kennedy Airport, to the US Congressional Committee hearings in Washington D.C. However, he ended up in Richmond, Virginia. Reason he said: "the car wouldn't stop".<br />
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When he finally arrived in D.C., he was greeted by 10 Congressmen lined up outside the building, sitting in their Hummers, and holding signs that read: "Nothing gets by a Hummer". <br />
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Nevertheless, Mr Toyoda, still driving his Toyota, was last seen on I-95 just south of Philadelphia, apparently on his way to Six Flags in New Jersey.<br />
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According to eyewitnesses, Mr Toyoda apparently was not even driving the car. He was seen 'texting' on his cell phone and yelling something to passersby, and then putting both his arms in the air, as if riding on a roller coaster. Those Japanese executives sure know how to have fun, don't they?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-20534645882220071542010-02-23T09:55:00.000-08:002010-02-26T08:15:50.637-08:00You Can Get By on the Old Man's Money....<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S4QYkRAdarI/AAAAAAAAASM/VhCAo1Ja5Hc/s1600-h/rich.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441501261090089650" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S4QYkRAdarI/AAAAAAAAASM/VhCAo1Ja5Hc/s200/rich.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 140px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 123px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">"You're a rich girl and it's gone too far<br />
'Cause you know it don't matter anyway<br />
Say money, money wont get you too far, get you too far..." Hall and Oates<a name='more'></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br />
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THE RICH ARE GETTING RICHER and the IRS just released some data that drives home that point. Below are some eye-popping tidbits on the top 400 individual tax returns based on largest Adjusted Gross Income, according to the IRS.<br />
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· In 1992, the person ranked 400th on the list had an Adjusted Gross Income of $24.4 million. In 2007, that number rose to $138.8 million.<br />
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· In 1992, the average Adjusted Gross Income for the 400 people on the list was $46.8 million. In 2007, the average rose to $344.8 million.<br />
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· In 1992, the top 400 paid 1.0% of the country's total income taxes. In 2007, they paid 2.1% of the total.<br />
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· In 1992, the average tax rate for the top 400 was 26.4%. In 2007, the average tax rate was 16.6%.<br />
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· During the 16 years between 1992 and 2007, a select group of 3,472 different people made the top 400 list at least once. And, out of those 3,472 people, 72% appeared on the list only once. At the other end, 7 extremely wealthy people made the top 400 list every one of those 16 years! Don't ask who they are.<br />
The IRS will not tell you.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540055860498799272.post-78320806646610463102010-02-21T17:37:00.000-08:002010-02-21T17:49:04.553-08:00My First Day at Spring Training in MLB<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S4HiVwJKnRI/AAAAAAAAASE/9i7BTXVq3f8/s1600-h/baseballplayer.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 112px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Gbopf-dzmzs/S4HiVwJKnRI/AAAAAAAAASE/9i7BTXVq3f8/s200/baseballplayer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440878688168746258" /></a><br />OK. This was the 'big day'. My first day at Spring Training with the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners. The broadcast booth as director. Arizona heat and sunshine.<br />It's a Sunday in the ballpark.<br /><br />Oops. It is a rainy Sunday. Mudsville vs Dirtball in Arizona. The playing fields are closed. No sound of wooden bat on ball.No famous players to sign autographs. Nothing but me sitting by the broadcast booth, waiting for something...just anything.<br /><br />Well, as fate would have it, I spend the entire afternoon, Manning a security gate that no one comes through. No famous players, no autographs, no fans. Just me and the 'walkie-talkie'. 10-4 good buddy. Over and out.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://gadgets.fourthfloorequipment.com/guestbooker.xml&up_gbstr=I was just thinking&synd=open&w=320&h=200&title=Now...Your Thoughtful Thinking...&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></div>R.W. Carsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787165812939070649noreply@blogger.com0