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Post by mhbruin on Jan 14, 2023 10:22:16 GMT -8
Dear Abby,
I was married to Bill for three months and I didn't know he drank until one night he came home sober.
Dear Abby,
My mother is mean and short tempered I think she is going through mental pause.
I Don't Buy Lottery Tickets. It's Like a Poker Game Where the House Takes Half the Pot. But ...
One lucky ticket holder in Maine is now a billionaire after scooping the jackpot in the US Mega Millions lottery that had been building for more than three months.
After no previous winner in 25 draws, the jackpot had ballooned to $1.35bn (£1.1bn), the second largest Mega Millions prize in history.
So what should the as-yet unnamed winner do with their newfound wealth?
Robert Pagliarini, a financial wealth adviser and author of The Sudden Wealth Solution: 12 Principles to Transform Sudden Wealth Into Lasting Wealth, has some tips for using the cash wisely.
First and foremost, Mr Pagliarini told the BBC, it is important to get a team of experts in place as counsel - an attorney, a tax expert and a financial adviser.
A therapist might also be helpful as many lottery winners face unexpected stress or anxiety if their relationships sour after winning, he said.
Then, pay off any debts, as one winner in India did with the 10m rupees ($125,000; £106,000) prize he collected.
He won in the nick of time - he won just hours before he was due to meet a prospective buyer for the house he was putting up for sale to cover his debts.
After you've paid off all your debts, the best thing to do is to buy assets - not liabilities.
"Assets are basically investments that return money to you, that appreciate in value or that pay you to own them," Mr Pagliarini explained. "So if you owned an apartment complex you would get monthly rent from it."
Other examples would be stocks, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, bonds, certificate of deposits, treasury bills, and real estate.
He warned to be wary of purchasing things that could be mistaken for assets, but in reality are liabilities. For example, buying raw land is a real problem, according to Mr Pagliarini.
"You think you're buying real estate, but you're not - really you're buying just this raw land that you then have to develop."
In 2009, 23-year-old Neal Wanless won $230m and snapped up a 50,000-acre ranch in Vale, South Dakota. Opting to spend more time in Canada, Mr Wanless recently sold the ranch to J-Six South Dakota Land Holdings for $37.5m.
Though it was double what Mr Wanless had paid, it was not a great investment, according to Mr Pagliarini.
If Mr Wanless had invested in the stock market or in an apartment building instead, he could have generated a much larger return on it.
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Post by mhbruin on Jan 14, 2023 10:24:29 GMT -8
I See a Good Moon Rising
John Fogerty ain't no fortunate one, but after this week, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer may be feeling like one.
Following a 50-year legal battle, the founding member of Creedence Clearwater Revival now owns the global publishing rights to the iconic rock band's songs.
It came after Mr Fogerty, 77, bought a majority stake in the rights to the band's catalogue from Concord Records, which has owned the rights since 2004.
"As of January this year, I own my own songs again," he wrote on Twitter.
"This is something I thought would never be a possibility. After 50 years, I am finally reunited with my songs."
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Post by mhbruin on Jan 14, 2023 10:26:04 GMT -8
Everybody Loves Soledar
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has mocked infighting between the Russian defence ministry and the Wagner mercenary group over who should take credit for efforts to seize the town of Soledar, saying it showed “a clear sign of failure for the enemy”.
In a late-night video address on Friday, Zelenskyy said the battles for Soledar and other eastern towns and cities in Ukraine were continuing despite competing claims by Wagner and the Russian government that it was their forces who had taken control of the salt-mining town.
The fall of Soledar would mark Russia’s first significant battlefield gain after months of military retreats and setbacks against Ukrainian forces, though military analysts and the United States have downplayed the strategic significance of the town, which has seen some of the bloodiest fighting in the war so far.
“The tough battle for the Donetsk region continues. The battle for Bakhmut and Soledar, for Kreminna, for other towns and villages in the east of our country continues,” Zelenskyy said in his address.
“Although the enemy has concentrated its greatest forces in this direction, our troops – the Armed Forces of Ukraine, all defence and security forces – are defending the state,” he said.
Zelenskyy then addressed the tussle between the Russian defence ministry and Wagner mercenaries.
“They are already fighting among themselves over who should be credited with some tactical advance,” he said.
“It’s a clear signal of failure for the enemy. And it’s another incentive for all of us to put more pressure on the occupier and to inflict heavier losses on the enemy.”
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Post by mhbruin on Jan 14, 2023 10:27:01 GMT -8
Jamaica Mistake?
Jamaican financial authorities have launched an investigation into a company holding investments for eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt after reports that he may have lost millions to large-scale fraud.
Stocks & Securities Ltd, a private wealth management company based in the capital of Kingston, was placed under “enhanced oversight” while the Financial Services Commission (FSC) conducts the inquiry.
Bolt’s manager, Nugent Walker, told The Gleaner newspaper that the retired sprinter has had investments with the company for more than a decade.
The daily said millions of dollars were reported missing from Bolt’s account.
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Post by mhbruin on Jan 14, 2023 10:28:57 GMT -8
Tanks a Lot!
The UK is to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine to bolster the country's war effort, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said.
He spoke to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in a call on Saturday, during which he confirmed he would send the equipment and additional artillery systems, No 10 said.
Downing Street said the move shows "the UK's ambition to intensify support."
The BBC understands the initial commitment is for about a dozen tanks.
President Zelensky has thanked the UK, saying that the decision to send the tanks "will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners".
He said the UK's support was "always strong" and was "now impenetrable"
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Post by mhbruin on Jan 14, 2023 10:35:53 GMT -8
The Best Things in Life Are Free. But Running For Office Takes Money, Money, Money, Money
AdImpact's "Cycle-in-Review" report has some eye-popping data about political spending in the 2021-2022 election cycle. The ‘22 midterm was the most expensive midterm election on record, and by lot.
Perhaps most notably, ad spending in 2022 reached $8.92 billion, more than doubling the nearly $4 billion spent in the 2018 midterm. In fact, the cash lavished on the 2022 cycle rivaled the $9.04 billion spent in the 2020 presidential election.
Bar graph showing the funding level from 2018 to 2022 more than doubling.
Given the trends, AdImpact also projects that ad spending next cycle will surpass the $10 billion mark.
Traditional broadcast ($4.7 billion) and cable advertising ($1.7 billion) accounted for roughly three-quarters of overall ad spending, while connected TV (CTV), which is streamed through devices such as Roku or Apple TV, made up about 12% of overall spending.
Democrats really dominated the cycle. Democratic candidates and issue groups outspent Republicans by $390 million in general election spending on House, Senate, and gubernatorial races—$2.11 billion to $1.72 billion
But that advantage doesn't really do the disparity justice. Due to Democratic candidate spending eclipsing that of Republican candidates—$1.06 billion to $498 million—outside GOP groups attempted to fill in the gaps but got a lot less bang for their buck. So even though GOP issue groups outspent Democratic groups by roughly $100 million, Democrats still got more air time.
"Because of the advantageous rates afforded to candidates, this translated to Democrats in House, Senate, and Gubernatorial general elections being able to run nearly 25% more broadcast airings than Republicans," writes AdImpact.
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Post by mhbruin on Jan 14, 2023 10:38:56 GMT -8
While the QOP Avoids Life-Saving Vaccines, Here's Another Idea
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Post by mhbruin on Jan 14, 2023 10:40:11 GMT -8
Shocking News! The Liar and Scam Artist May Also be a Thief
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Post by mhbruin on Jan 14, 2023 10:42:50 GMT -8
The Gathering Storm
House Republicans are preparing a plan telling the Treasury Department what to do if Congress and the White House don’t agree to lift the nation’s debt limit later this year, underscoring the brinkmanship newly empowered conservatives will bring to the high-stakes negotiations over averting a U.S. default, according to six people aware of the internal discussions.
The plan, which was previously unreported, was part of the private deal reached this month to resolve the standoff between House conservatives and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) over the election of a House speaker. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.), a leading conservative who helped broker the deal, told The Washington Post that McCarthy agreed to pass a payment prioritization plan by the end of the first quarter of the year.
The emerging contingency plan shows how Republicans are preparing to threaten to not lift the nation’s debt ceiling without major spending cuts from the Biden administration. Congress must pass a law raising the current limit of $31.4 trillion or the Treasury Department can’t borrow anymore, even to pay for spending lawmakers have already authorized. Economists warn that not raising the debt limit could cause the United States to default, sparking a major panic on Wall Street and leading to millions of job losses.
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said Friday said that the Treasury Department will begin “extraordinary measures” next week to ensure the federal government is able to meet its payment obligations but that it cannot guarantee the United States will make it beyond early June without defaulting. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated Friday that the administration will not negotiate over the debt ceiling.
Treasury Department aides declined to comment on the GOP plan, and a spokesman for McCarthy did not return requests for comment.
In the preliminary stages of being drafted, the GOP proposal would call on the Biden administration to make only the most critical federal payments if the Treasury Department comes up against the statutory limit on what it can legally borrow. For instance, the plan is almost certain to call on the department to keep making interest payments on the debt, according to four people familiar with the internal deliberations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. House Republicans’ payment prioritization plan may also stipulate that the Treasury Department should continue making payments on Social Security, Medicare and veterans benefits, as well as funding the military, two of the people said.
Such a move would be unprecedented and hugely controversial, and even releasing the plan could turn into a major political liability for the GOP. A hypothetical proposal that protects Social Security, Medicare, veterans benefits and the military would still leave out huge swaths of critical federal expenditures on things such as Medicaid, food safety inspections, border control and air traffic control, to name just a handful of thousands of programs. Democrats are also likely to accuse Republicans of prioritizing payments to U.S. bondholders — which include Chinese banks — over American citizens.
“Any plan to pay bondholders but not fund school lunches or the FAA or food safety or XYZ is just target practice for us,” a senior Democratic aide said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a proposal that hasn’t yet been released publicly.
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Post by mhbruin on Jan 14, 2023 10:47:06 GMT -8
QOP "Logic" Let's Do the Least Popular StuffWhile 58% of voters would like House Republicans to prioritize lowering costs like groceries and gas, the GOP caucus is instead plowing ahead on the lowest priority among the six tested by Navigator Research poll: investigations. Given a list that included lowering costs, improving health care, cracking down on illegal immigration, dealing with the national debt, protecting American security from foreign threats (e.g. Russia, China), and investigating Biden, just 14% of registered voters chose investigating Biden.   
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Post by mhbruin on Jan 14, 2023 10:48:33 GMT -8
More QOP Crazy
The new GOP reactionary mania now moves political correctness further right. A Michigan Congressman has introduced a bill to encourage people to say “thank you for our freedom” to veterans instead of “thank you for your service.” We’ll see whether as Fox News claims, “Political correctness could cost Democrats the White House in 2024”.
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Post by mhbruin on Jan 14, 2023 10:50:35 GMT -8
More QOP Stupid
A Republican state lawmaker in Idaho is in a world of trouble since he claimed to be some kind of expert on women’s reproductive issues because he has worked with cows.
“I’ve milked a few cows, spent most of my time walking behind lines of cows, so if you want some ideas on repro and the women’s health thing, I have some definite opinions,” freshman Rep. Jack Nelsen, a retired dairy farmer, said earlier this week when introducing himself to the state’s House Agriculture Committee, according to the Idaho State Journal.
The Idaho Statesman newspaper singed Nelsen in an editorial for making the state a “laughingstock.”
“Not only were his comments offensive and embarrassing, they were odd, given that he was simply introducing himself to the House Agriculture Committee,” stated the editorial. “This was how he chose to introduce himself, by comparing women’s health care with milking a cow?”
It’s particularly worrying because the state might consider further restricting women’s reproductive rights in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year that jettisoned the abortion rights established in Roe v. Wade, the editorial noted.
“It’s scary to think that someone like Nelsen, who fancies himself an expert on ‘the women’s health thing’ because he’s ‘spent most of my time walking behind a line of cows,’ will have a seat at the table when deciding such matters,” the editorial lamented.
It “would be nice if men like Nelsen would demonstrate a bit of humility and decency, and not paint themselves as experts in women’s health care — which they certainly are not,” the editorial added. “It would also be nice if they kept their mouths shut a little more, didn’t insult women and saved Idaho from national embarrassment.”
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Post by mhbruin on Jan 14, 2023 10:51:27 GMT -8
More QOP Crime
The wife of a northwestern Iowa county supervisor has been charged with 52 counts of voter fraud after she allegedly filled out and cast absentee ballots in her husband’s unsuccessful race for a Republican nomination to run for Congress in 2020, federal prosecutors said.
Kim Phuong Taylor, 49, was arrested Thursday and pleaded not guilty to the charges before being released on a personal recognizance bond, the Sioux City Journal reported. Her trial is scheduled to begin March 20.
Prosecutors allege in an indictment unsealed Thursday that Phuong Taylor filled out voter registration forms or delivered absentee ballots for people in Sioux City’s Vietnamese community who had limited ability to read and understand English.
She filled out “dozens of voter registrations, absentee ballot request forms, and absentee ballots containing false information,” and delivered absentee ballots, sometimes without the knowledge of the people whose names were used, according to the indictment.
Pat Gill, who is Woodbury County’s auditor and election commissioner, said Thursday that he notified the Iowa secretary of state’s office after someone contacted his office because a ballot had been fraudulently cast in their name in November 2020.
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Post by mhbruin on Jan 14, 2023 10:55:08 GMT -8
More QOP Absurd
A U.S. judge on Friday rejected as "absurd" former President Donald Trump's effort to dismiss writer E. Jean Carroll's lawsuit accusing him of defamation and battery after he denied raping her in the mid-1990s.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan said there was no merit to Trump's argument that Carroll's battery claim under New York's Adult Survivors Act must be dismissed because the law denied him due process under the state's constitution.
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