What could you buy with $1.2 Trillion?

The New York Times did an article in 2007 about putting into perspective, how much $1.2 Trillion actually is.
Here is one way the U.S. could spend $1.2 Trillion

For starters, $1.2 trillion would pay for an unprecedented public
health campaign — a doubling of cancer research funding, treatment for every
American whose diabetes or heart disease is now going unmanaged and a global
immunization campaign to save millions of children’s lives.

Combined, the cost of running those programs for a decade wouldn’t
use up even half our money pot. So we could then turn to poverty and education,
starting with universal preschool for every 3- and 4-year-old child across the
country. The city of New Orleans could also receive a huge increase in
reconstruction funds.

The final big chunk of the money could go to national security. The
recommendations of the 9/11 Commission that have
not been put in place — better baggage and cargo screening, stronger measures
against nuclear proliferation — could be enacted. Financing for the war in
Afghanistan could be increased to beat back the Taliban’s
recent gains, and a peacekeeping force could put a stop to the genocide in
Darfur.

Here's another way they could spend that kind of dough.

War

This is close to what the states has, or will spend on the war. According to this article (up to the time the article was written), direct spending on the war was up to $700 Billion. Hmm, that's a familiar number.

Read the article. It's pretty interesting.

US market down $1.2 Trillion.

The drop in the Dow Jones today equaled 1.2 Trillion dollars according to CNN. That's a big number. Twelve zeros to be exact! That's 1 Million Millions. Ok, let's have a look at the number.
$1,200,000,000,000

That's big! That's bigger than big. That's almost unimaginable.

I just wanted to show you how big that number really is.

U.S. Bailout Fails and the Stock Market Drops.

Well It happened. The $700 Billion dollar bail out plan got voted out today and the U.S. stock market is going down fast. The Dow Jones dropped 777 points today and oil dropped to around $95 a barrel. The most it has ever dropped in one day. I guess the people who actually made this mess will have to try and bail themselves out instead of depending on tax payers. The tax payers have already given $900 Billion previously to bail out the big wigs. That's ridiculous!

The corporate world depends on credit for their day to day operations. What ever happen to spending what you have? Our whole economy is like that and nothing lasts forever I guess. It's that same as personal finance. You have to spend less that you make. That just doesn't seem to happen in the business world. As soon as things start going good, businesses borrow more money and expand, instead of waiting until they can afford to pay for expansion themselves. These people just borrow, borrow, and borrow. Then they ask the taxpayers to bail them out and pay for thier debt? No. There has to be consequences for the people doing the borrowing or this sort of thing will just keep happening!

Markets all over the world are dropping because of this. Our markets will drop too but it won't bee near as bad for us. We probably will go into a recession though. Oh ya, and the Toronto Stock Exchange dropped by 840 points. Some economists are saying this will be like the great depression. If that happens we will defiantly hit a recession. Probably a big one. I'm gonna say that China will become the new super power sooner than I thought.

Life as the U.S. knows it has just changed folks (and for Canada to some degree)! I've already called my Mother to tell her to take all her money out of U.S. Stocks before things get worse.

I feel real sorry for the "average" American. Jobs are going to be lost, along with retirement funds and investments.

Remember this day! Sept. 29, 2008. Black Monday!

At least the millions of Homeless people that the U.S. produces shouldn't be affected too much.

We really need to think if we want people who save money in our government, or people who spend it all. Before Bush came into office there was a surplus in the U.S. for a number of years. He took care of that in 2 years.

Max N-Fuze - Max International's New Product

Max International (the network marketing business I run) has just announced their new product called Max N-Fuze. It goes hand in hand with MaxGXL (a glutathione accelerator) and MaxWLX (our weight loss accelerator). It's so new you can't even find it on the net yet but it will be on my Max Success website very soon. I started selling these products because they are good. No two ways about it. I wouldn't even think of getting into this business unless I whole heartedly believed in the product and company and I'm sure Max N-Fuze will not dissapoint.

Oooh, I'm excited! This is the info the company sent in a newsletter:

This breakthrough, patent-pending product represents a radical new
approach to nutrient supplementation.

Max N-Fuze is the fusion of established science and
forward-thinking nanotechnology to ensure your cells are receiving the nutrients
they need to perform and communicate to their full potential.

Features:

Promotes the production of the body’s natural cellular
defense antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), as
well supporting leptin sensitivity
Provides needed nutrients to further
optimize glutathione (GSH) production
Delivers vitamins, minerals and herbal
ingredients to support optimal cell function, cellular communication and
cellular defense mechanisms

Benefits:

The Max Cellular Transport System allows enhanced
passage through cellular membranes by encapsulating nanosized particles within a
highly purified water cluster so they are efficiently absorbed
Completes the
triad of antioxidant protectors: superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione
Contains D-ribose and CoQ10 to support ATP (energy) production and function
Utilizes patent-pending nanotechnology designed to maximize
absorption

I'm just hoping they don't charge to much for it.

Want an Energy Drink? Think Again!

According to an article form the CBC website.
"Some energy drinks contain as much caffeine as 14 cans of Coca-Cola and have no labels warning consumers about potential health risks, say researchers with John Hopkins University in Baltimore."

That's a whole lot. Just a little warning.

There are better ways to keep your energy up.

1. Try getting at least 8 hours of sleep everyday
2. Exercise regularly.
3. Eat almonds if you know your going to need a boost (those things are pure energy).

I'm sure you can think of a few more ways. It's pretty self explanatory.

I also take (and sell) a natural product called MaxGXL and it keeps my energy level up all the time (not just a boost). I use it because I don't always eat as good as I should (I'm trying to work on that though) and it has a ton of other benefits as well.

I don't know, I've just never been into the energy drinks (ok, I've tried them a few times but that's it) and now I guess I never will be. I just never thought these drinks could be good for a person. It turns out there not.

Man dies in Winnipeg hospital waiting room after 34 hours. We waited for 17 hours that day.

A man died in a Winnipeg hospital while waiting for treatment. He was waiting for 34 hours. Can you even imagine? I can. The same day the man died, my wife had to go to a different hospital in Winnipeg to get something checked out that could have been a potential serious problem. That day, we sat in the waiting room for 10 hours before we saw a doctor (in between 2:00 and 2:30am, who made an appearance for 5 min. He told us to come back that same morning at 8 o'clock. By the time we got home, fed our newborn, and got to bed, it was around 4:00am. We went back for 8 and had to wait for our ultrasound until 11:00. The people in that department told us the results would be over at the other department in around 15 minutes. We waited until 1:30pm and I had to say something to them. I somehow managed to control my rage and explained that my wife is breast feeding and she needs to go home and eat and rest. The nurse seemed understanding, took us into a room, and said we were next on the list. We waited another hour in the room and decided that we were leaving at 3pm no matter what. The doctor came a few minutes later for 2 minutes to basically tell us the problem wasn't what they thought and that we could go home. So WE WAITED AROUND 17 HOURS to see a doctor for 7 minutes.

There is obviously a bit of a problem and I heard a doctor talking about cutbacks. The good thing is that in Canada we don't have to pay for health care. It was an inconvenience, but free is good. Also, as fun as it would have been to tell the nurse that we were walking out, I'm glad we didn't, because at least we know that my wife is ok. I do feel sorry for the staff at hospitals. They are busy, like crazy. That is the reason I didn't freak out on the nurse. They have enough stress as it is and given the opportunity, they do care, they just have policies and procedures like every other job has.

Google Chrome - A few things I've noticed

So as most people know by now, Google has come up with their own internet browser.

Google Chrome! I: gotta say, I like the name. You can find it here.

First off, it's pretty fast. I like fast. There's nothing worse for me than trying to surf the net and having to wait for websites to load. So far that department seems pretty good.

Secondly, I've noticed that it seems to take about 5 - 10 seconds to load up the home page. That may be my computer though. I can live with it because once it gets going it's pretty good.

It seems like sort of a mix between Internet Explorer and FireFox. It has the tabbed windows and also has a bar at the top were you can add your most used links. This make for easy access. I like that too. Easy is good.

You can set the home page to show thumbnails of your most used sites as well. Pretty cool but I haven't used that much yet (not to say that I won't in the future).

One thing that I've also noticed that is a big thing for me is that t has froze on me a few times. This is the reason I no longer use FireFox very often. It started freezing on me quite a bit. There is nothing I dislike more (as far as browsing goes) as when the browser freezes. This may deter me from using Google Chrome on a regular basis.

One other thing is that I've noticed that some of the fonts are not as clear when using the Google browser. If you have it, look on one of my websites with it, and then look at it using Internet explorer. From the landing page click the link to enter the site. Once there, check out the links on the left hand side. You will see a noticeable difference in the look of the font between the two.

Also, I was on a free add site which has a font editor built in. The editor did not show up using Google Chrome. I switched to IE and there it was. Go Daddy's website editor will not work with it either.

I'm not sure that it's ready to take over Internet Explorer, but I do think that they are onto something real good. I will be looking forward to updates and new versions.

Save on Gas

Just a recap on a post I did last year about 10 ways to save on gas.

Hurricane Ike Causes Gas Prices to Rise By $.13

Gas prices jumped by about $13 cents over night in Canada.   According to the CBC website, a bunch of refineries in Texas have shut down becuse of hurricane Ike.  

Personally I think it's just an excuse.  Do you ever notice how gas prices always jump during the long weekends when everyone is going camping?  Yup, we're getting gouged folks! 

Bringing the Second Baby Home

Bringing home a new baby can be hard on the other child/children.  We've just had a baby (this week) and now face the challenge of helping our 3 year old understand what is going on and why he can't have all of our attention any more.  He's been very interested in the baby, but also is acting up a little more than usual.  We are trying to include him as much as possible in taking care of the baby.  When he can't be included, I try and pick up the slack.  Today his grandmother also bought him a gift.  This is definetly a first for me as a parent.

If anyone else is having the same challenge we are, here are some links that might help.

1. From the Expectant Mother's Guide

2. From Canadian Parents

3. From Child and Youth Health

Canadian Election - Links to party websites

Ok, so here comes another Canadian election.  I don't care for politics much(although I do follow it). 

Having said that, I still think it's important to find out about what all the parties have to offer. It's even ok not to vote, as long as you find out about all the parties and you're not just being lazy.

Here are the links to the websites for the parties involved.  Go look and find out what these guys are all about, and then make an informed decision.  

NDP  - Leader is Jack Layton

Liberal Party of Canada - Leader is Stephane Dion

Conservative Party - Leader is Stephen Harper

Green Party - Leader is Elizabeth May

Life is too short

Well, I've finally decided to find a new job.  I'm really happy about my decision, but I'm a little worried too.  I'm getting out of the industy I'm been working in for about 20 years and I have no idea what I'm going to do next.  It feels kind of good to get out of my comfort zone knowing that I'll be in uncharted territory.  

I'm just not happy enough with what I'm doing and that's a real important thing for me.  Life seems to short to do something you don't like all your life.  Life is for living, not feeling like your trapped, or a slave.  I don't care what anybody says, money is not that important.  The one thing money can't buy is more time in life.

And so my decision is made...I will not grow old doing something I don't like.

Quotes for our basement floor.

We've had two quotes on our basement floor so far. The first one is for $17 000 for the floor. That price doesn't include any reinforcement (rebar) in it. We had another guy come in and look at it. His rough estimate was for $22 000 including rebar.
We do want rebar in the floor to help prevent heaving and cracking in the future but that's a lot of money. Maybe, if we win the court case we won't have to worry about how much it cost.
The down part to all of this is that we were hoping to have our basement ready in a month or two, until we found the hole that is. Who knows how long it will take if we have to go to court. It could be a year or longer.
We are still waiting for at least one more quote then we will talk to our lawyer about how to proceed. This will be a huge lesson in patience for me.

Good news about the basement (maybe).

We talked to our lawyer about our basement trouble and he said it sounds like a case of "concealment". That is some good news. We have to get quotes on how much it is to fix everything and bring them in for a meeting. The lawyer said that if it doesn't cost too much we can take it to small claims court. It sounds like it's going to be around $10 000 to pour a new basement floor. We had a guy come in today and and start pointing out a bunch of other stuff and said everything would cost around $35 000. That included digging all around our house. I guess they are trying to get as big of a sale as they can. It would be nice if we could sue the previous owner for that too but I doubt it. I told him to give us a quote just on the floor and that we're not prepared to $35 000 right now. He took some measurements and will send us a quote.
We have another guy coming in on Friday.

We also have to talk to our lawyer and find out how much lawyer fees will likely cost. It is not out of the question to leave the hole and make everything else look as good as possible and sell. We were really not expecting this additional cost.

Do you know what your future will bring?

Here is the last entry in a series called "Best Ever Entrepreneur Quotes" from the Canadian Entrepreneur. They did 100 quotes in total.

The future will be what we make it.
John W. Dafoe - Editor
of the Winnipeg Free Press

This is something I strongly believe in because it's true all aspects of life. I know I've said this before but it's true. You need to know what you want your future to be! If you don't know your destination, how can you get anywhere. If you know what you want then you have a goal to work towards.
This really hits home for me right now as I'm thinking of a job change soon. I hope my boss doesn't subscribe to my blog.....lol

I'll really miss this series. You can find all the quotes on the website.

Basement Trouble

We moved into our new house in June. It really has been good. As I mentioned before, we got a deal because there was some sloping in the house. The teleposts in the basement, needed to be adjusted and it's almost back to normal. There was some heaving in the basement that pushed everything else up with it. Some of the drywall cracked as the house has come down but we are going to paint everything anyway so it's not that big of a deal to patch those up once the house fully settles. The upper level is going pretty much the way we've planned, but then there's the basement.

We had bought the house with the intention to remodel the basement as well. It was old and needed to be done. There is a sub floor in the basement which we want to remove. We had asked the previous owner about the sub floor and she told us that it helped to keep the basement warm. Well, we started taking the sub floor out last week and we found a 10' by 9' area where the concrete had been taken out and. There is nothing there but gravel. The previous owner must have forgotten to mention that. So now it looks like we have to replace the whole basement floor. We have some contractors coming in this week to have a look and give us our options. I've also contacted our lawyer to find out if there is any legal action that can be taken against the previous owner. We feel that the subfloor was put there to level the basement and hide the giant hole. Am I wrong? Shouldn't she have mentioned the hole when we asked about the sub floor.
I hope this house doesn't turn into a money pit.