Final Four

Georgetown has finally made it back to the final four!
During the last game against UNC - at one point, they were down by more the 10 points, but they came back and with 40 seconds left, Wallace made an critical three pointer to tie the game. in OT, the Hoyas was unstoppable, and out-performed UNC to earn the seat to the final four!

How exciting - I wish this happened when I was still in Georgetown!

The next game will be on Saturday March 31, 2007 at 6pm!

Scotch Tasting

Last Thursday I went to my first scotch tasting. As I get older, more and more of my friends are drinking scotch - something I know nothing about... so to learn more, I went to my first scotch tasting event. I was surprised to see how distinct the flavors in scotch were. Unlike wine tasting, where the I find the flavors more hidden, in scotch, it was in your face, you cannot miss the fruitiness, nor the smokiness....

We tasted the following scotch:

Glengoyne 17
This was very light, and very fruity, the favor of crispy apple will hit your senses immediately.

Region: Highlands
District: Highlands
Body: Medium, very firm and smooth
Palate: Rich flavors, clean fruitiness

Macallan 15 Fine Oak
This is extremely popular here in the US - almost everyone drinks Macallan. This was as if the scotch was dipped in caramel.

Region: Highlands
District: Speyside
Body: Full, smooth
Palate: Toffeeish, gently fruity

Dalmore Cigar Malt
Most interesting texture to the tongue, so smooth and slippery, oil like... and slides right through the tongue and down the throat.

Region: Highlands
District: Northern Highlands
Body: Firm, smooth
Palate: A hint of rum butter, hint of burnt sugar and faint smoke

Highland Park 18

Region: Highlands
District: Island Orkney
Body: Remarkably smooth
Palate: Lightly salty, pine nuts

Laphroaig
One gentleman at the tasting described this scotch as "Highland Park on steroids" - but to me, it was more like hospital patient smoking on his death bed. To me, it smelled like a pharmacy. It does have a nice smoky sensation, but after taking a few sips, everyone's breath smelled as if they have just been smoking

Region: Islay
District: South Shore
Body: Medium, oaky
Palate: Seaweed, salty, oily

Macallan Amber Liquor (Scotch)
yummm..... alcoholic maple syrup! If I through this on my morning pancakes it would be perfect. A perfect substitute for cognac, port or any after dinner drink!

Speed Dating

Speed Dating - I seem to have just discovered this new phenomena. But apparently, everyone else in the entire country knew about it. Never knew it was so popular - but I guess people do have trouble meeting people, hence might as well pay to go to some event where you know you will not be stuck with someone that bore you to death, and you know that is looking for the same thing that you are as well - love - or casual fun.

So ladies and gentlemen - here are the sites to try:


hurrydate.com
speeddating.com
8minutedating.com
pre-dating.com

This is the modern way - no more wasting time on blind dates - we want results and we want them fast, so time to meet the love of your life in 4min!

The Modern Gold Digger

The new way of a gold digger - no more lying - lets be straight forward!

the article below on was MSNBC

Does beauty plus money equal love?

TODAY
Updated: 2:58 p.m. ET Feb 14, 2007

Bobbie Thomas
TODAY style editor
Meeting a rich guy — it's long been the secret goal of many on the dating scene. And now a company called Pocket Change has made it official, hosting speed dating events for beautiful women and rich men.

“Women want money in a man, men want beauty in a woman — this is a factual force of nature,” states the Pocket Change Web site. “Women don’t ask ‘So, what does he do for a living?’ because they’re interested in his personality and guys don’t ask ‘is she hot?’ because they’re concerned with character. Guys know that money buys them the car, the house and the trophy wife.”

As a single girl in the city, I bravely accepted my TODAY assignment to “investigate” this new trend in dating: Does pretty girl plus rich guy equal true love forever?

I slipped on my LBD and patent pumps, grabbed my clutch, pen and paper — trying to channel my inner Carrie Bradshaw, in the hopes of helping all those gals searching for love.
“Why wealthy men and beautiful women? The reason that we're doing this is because we really attempted to simplify dating,” said Jeremy Abelson of Pocket Change, a weekly newsletter detailing the most expensive goods and services found in New York and sponsor of the speed dating event.

Applicants needed to meet some basic criteria — guys who are 25 and under must make at least $200,000 a year, and men between the ages of 26 and 30, $300,000 a year. Older than 30? The required income level jumps to $500,000.

“For the women, the application process is very simple,” said Abelson. “You need to be beautiful. End of story. You go to the Web site, you upload five pictures. Those five pictures are judged. If you make the cut, you are accepted.”

The participants felt the requirements were fair ...

“I definitely would agree with some people who say ... how can women be judged for their beauty and men just for their wallet,” said Ana Maria Nacvalovaice, fellow speed dater. “Coming to an event like this allows me peace of mind that the people who are here tonight have been carefully screened.”

“I was kind of hesitant. I thought it was a little — maybe you're shallow. But, you know, and then I started thinking about it and I was like, you know, it would be probably a great way to meet — a really good-looking girl,” said Shawn Vardi.

In just two weeks, the company screened 950 applications, narrowing the field down to 40 men and 40 women.

“I think that the concept works because it is so simple. What do men want? They want beauty. What do women want? They prefer successful men,” explained Abelson.
“Why is such a good-looking, successful guy or a pretty, smart, sexy woman coming to you? Why would they come to speed dating?,” pondered Janis Spindel of Serious Matchmaking Inc. “Guess what? This is New York. It's a very tough city, just like any other city with dating. It's very hard to meet the right person.”

Many singles seemed optimistic about finding a potential mate. “The possibility of meeting a lot of wonderful, smart, successful men. That's always appealing,” said Saila Smith.
Let the games begin!We had three minutes with each of our dates to see if beauty and bank accounts mattered. One interesting encounter epitomized the night:
Vekrum: Hi.
Bobbie: Hi. Bobbie.
Verkrum: Vekrum.
Bobbie: Nice to meet you.
Vekrum [to Bobbie]: You just got upgraded, baby.

As the night wore on, I began to notice how differently the men and women approached this speed dating game. Most of the guys checked yes or no, immediately after learning the woman's name, while the ladies waited until the end of their meetings to scribble down notes on potential suitors.

And much to my disappointment, the men appeared at a loss for words when I revealed that I was financially independent and loved my job. Just as women might rely on their beauty, some men are just as guilty of relying on their bank accounts to impress dates.
So does wealth and beauty equal love? “It's a social experiment,” offered Abelson. “Do I think that there will be relationships after this? Absolutely.”

And Spindel explained, “This is not about getting a date. Even though it's called speed dating, these people are coming to hopefully find a committed relationship that's going to eventually, down the road, lead towards marriage.”

My fellow daters remained positive about the experience. “I very much hope I meet someone here tonight who is interesting and I perhaps have a wonderful future with,” said Nacvalovaice. “If not, then I'll have a great story to tell for years to come.”

“And will I find my husband tonight? [Laughter] Who knows, you know?,” wondered Smith.
But for me, chemistry and attraction trumps all, even that black American Express card!

Hotter than hot

What is more attractive than a smart women who has all the right looks?

take your pick and vote for this years ERISA Hottie: Female Nominees

Hottie at every age

These are not your average ERISA attorneys - but they are the nominees of the year! So ladies, stop thinking ERISA attorneys are all overweight ugly textualists - here are your pick of this years hotties!

http://www.abovethelaw.com/2006/09/erisa_hotties_your_male_nomine_1.php#more

Wake up and smell the cosmopolitan

Wake up and smell the cosmpolitan....


My friend found this posting on craigslist - and I must admit - so true! I want to meet the author.

Once again, I witness the insanity with bemusement and equilibrium. I’m at an event this weekend with an acquaintance of mine, one of the most attractive women I know. She’s not quite drop dead, movie star gorgeous, but close, kind of “girl next door” meets playboy: blonde, blue, perfect features, petite, very feminine. The thing is, she knows it. Not in a hugely stuck up way, but she carries within herself a deep sense of entitlement, for she has always been the prettiest girl, and along with that has come a set of expectations and exemptions.

Now I’m not jealous, though at times have been envious. I’m attractive, cute, been called beautiful even, with nice features—but not model looks. I’m a size 6, not 2, I have a cute bob, not the sexy long locks, I forget to do my nails, and I usually wear pants to work, not a tight, designer skirt suit.

So anyway we’re at an event, full of young-ish, single-ish attractive people. Within 20 minutes, she’s got a few guys competing for her attention. I make eye contact with a cute, but not hot, guy, you know the one, a bit skinny, wearing khakis and glasses. He wanders over, we chat, I introduce him to my friend and bam….his eyes glaze over and he throws his hat into the ring with all the other men vying for her attention. I might as well be invisible, and at this point am free to watch the spectacle with bemusement: three or four men competing for her attention, a few more hovering around, wondering if there might be a strategic inroad at some point.

Now, some of those guys might—might--score a number. Maybe—if you play your cards right. But that one—the cute but not too hot, not too tall, not too rich guy—you’re wasting your time. For while she may happily accept a 14$ martini from you, she’ll turn to me, roll her eyes, and mouth “save me.” Or you, super smart policy wonk who is bedazzled by her pearly whites, you don’t know that she actually told me she prefers frat boys. She’s never even heard of Thomas Friedman, much less read an editorial. And you, the one who is under 5’10” and a grad student? Forget it. Too short, too poor.

Now, you might intuit some of these things, but go for it anyway. Here are a few things you probably can’t intuit. She’s never traveled further afield than Mexico. She spends her weekends shopping, working out, and getting ready. She thinks dating a guy who drives a Porsche is an accomplishment. More to the point, although she is not unkind, she’s always been coddled because of her looks and consequently has never been forced to develop other characteristics—like compassion, empathy, strength, sexiness, vulnerability.

And you know what else? She’s like a dead fish in bed and finds anything beyond blindfolds to be wholly unacceptable and disgusting (This straight from an ex boyfriend of hers, who admitted it to a friend of mine). Why? She’s never had to learn that looking good is not enough once you’re past the bar scene. What you also don’t know is that standing near here, outside the spotlight, is another woman—attractive, strong, accomplished, adventurous (in all ways) funny, and down to earth. The kind of woman who appreciates your gesture of buying a drink, but does not expect it, who actually prefers grounded, if imperfect, men to "hot guys", who doesn’t do her nails because she’s always breaking them going camping or building shelves, is not interested in the car you drive (she rides a bike to work) but is interested in what you’re reading, what you’re thinking, what you want, what turns you on--who you are, not what you appear to be or what you can do for her.

So all you guys complaining that all DC women want are tall, rich, hot stupid guys and there are no nice, normal, cool women--, its, time to wake up and smell the cosmopolitan. She’s only hard to find because you—blinded by the blonde—aren’t looking.

Single and Fabulous?

Here is an interst article from the NY times:
Why did they have to use a picture of a woman with her cat?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/16/us/16census.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5070&en=f4c43dd44de05994&ex=1169614800&emc=eta1

51% of Women Are Now Living Without Spouse

By SAM ROBERTS
Published: January 16, 2007
For what experts say is probably the first time, more American women are living without a husband than with one, according to a New York Times analysis of census results.

Erik S. Lesser for The New York Times
“A gentleman asked me to marry him and I said no. I told him, ‘I’m just beginning to fly again, I’m just beginning to be me. Don’t take that away.’”ELISSA B. TERRISDivorced in 2005 after being married for 34 years.
In 2005, 51 percent of women said they were living without a spouse, up from 35 percent in 1950 and 49 percent in 2000.
Coupled with the fact that in 2005 married couples became a minority of all American households for the first time, the trend could ultimately shape social and workplace policies, including the ways government and employers distribute benefits.
Several factors are driving the statistical shift. At one end of the age spectrum, women are marrying later or living with unmarried partners more often and for longer periods. At the other end, women are living longer as widows and, after a divorce, are more likely than men to delay remarriage, sometimes delighting in their newfound freedom.
In addition, marriage rates among black women remain low. Only about 30 percent of black women are living with a spouse, according to the Census Bureau, compared with about 49 percent of Hispanic women, 55 percent of non-Hispanic white women and more than 60 percent of Asian women.
In a relatively small number of cases, the living arrangement is temporary, because the husbands are working out of town, are in the military or are institutionalized. But while most women eventually marry, the larger trend is unmistakable.
“This is yet another of the inexorable signs that there is no going back to a world where we can assume that marriage is the main institution that organizes people’s lives,” said Prof. Stephanie Coontz, director of public education for the Council on Contemporary Families, a nonprofit research group. “Most of these women will marry, or have married. But on average, Americans now spend half their adult lives outside marriage.”
Professor Coontz said this was probably unprecedented with the possible exception of major wartime mobilizations and when black couples were separated during slavery.
William H. Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution, a research group in Washington, described the shift as “a clear tipping point, reflecting the culmination of post-1960 trends associated with greater independence and more flexible lifestyles for women.”
“For better or worse, women are less dependent on men or the institution of marriage,” Dr. Frey said. “Younger women understand this better, and are preparing to live longer parts of their lives alone or with nonmarried partners. For many older boomer and senior women, the institution of marriage did not hold the promise they might have hoped for, growing up in an ‘Ozzie and Harriet’ era.”
Emily Zuzik, a 32-year-old musician and model who lives in the East Village of Manhattan, said she was not surprised by the trend.
“A lot of my friends are divorced or single or living alone,” Ms. Zuzik said. “I know a lot of people in their 30s who have roommates.”
Ms. Zuzik has lived with a boyfriend twice, once in California where the couple registered as domestic partners to qualify for his health insurance plan. “I don’t plan to live with anyone else again until I am married,” she said, “and I may opt to keep a place of my own even then.”
Linda Barth, a 56-year-old magazine editor in Houston who has never married, said, “I used to divide my women friends into single friends and married friends. Now that doesn’t seem to be an issue.”
Sheila Jamison, who also lives in the East Village and works for a media company, is 45 and single. She says her family believes she would have had a better chance of finding a husband had she attended a historically black college instead of Duke.
“Considering all the weddings I attended in the ’80s that have ended so very, very badly, I consider myself straight up lucky,” Ms. Jamison said. “I have not sworn off marriage, but if I do wed, it will be to have a companion with whom I can travel and play parlor games in my old age.”
Carol Crenshaw, 57, of Roswell, Ga., was divorced in 2005 after 33 years and says she is in no hurry to marry again.
“I’m in a place in my life where I’m comfortable,” said Ms. Crenshaw, who has two grown sons. “I can do what I want, when I want, with whom I want. I was a wife and a mother. I don’t feel like I need to do that again.”

Similarly, Shelley Fidler, 59, a public policy adviser at a law firm, has sworn off marriage. She moved from rural Virginia to the vibrant Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C., when her 30-year marriage ended.
“The benefits were completely unforeseen for me,” Ms. Fidler said, “the free time, the amount of time I get to spend with friends, the time I have alone, which I value tremendously, the flexibility in terms of work, travel and cultural events.”
Among the more than 117 million women over the age of 15, according to the marital status category in the Census Bureau’s latest American Community Survey, 63 million are married. Of those, 3.1 million are legally separated and 2.4 million said their husbands were not living at home for one reason or another.
That brings the number of American women actually living with a spouse to 57.5 million, compared with the 59.9 million who are single or whose husbands were not living at home when the survey was taken in 2005.
Some of those situations, which the census identifies as “spouse absent” and “other,” are temporary, and, of course, even some people who describe themselves as separated eventually reunite with their spouses.
Over all, a larger share of men are married and living with their spouse — about 53 percent compared with 49 percent among women.
“Since women continue to outlive men, they have reached the nonmarital tipping point — more nonmarried than married,” Dr. Frey said. “This suggests that most girls growing up today can look forward to spending more of their lives outside of a traditional marriage.”
Pamela J. Smock, a researcher at the University of Michigan Population Studies Center, agreed, saying that “changing patterns of courtship, marriage, and that we are living longer lives all play a role.”
“Men also remarry more quickly than women after a divorce,” Ms. Smock added, “and both are increasingly likely to cohabit rather than remarry after a divorce.”
The proportion of married people, especially among younger age groups, has been declining for decades. Between 1950 and 2000, the share of women 15-to-24 who were married plummeted to 16 percent, from 42 percent. Among 25-to-34-year-olds, the proportion dropped to 58 percent, from 82 percent.
“Although we can help people ‘do’ marriage better, it is simply delusional to construct social policy or make personal life decisions on the basis that you can count on people spending most of their adult lives in marriage,” said Professor Coontz, the author of “Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage.”
Besse Gardner, 24, said she and her boyfriend met as college freshmen and started living together last April “for all the wrong reasons” — they found a great apartment on the beach in Los Angeles.
“We do not see living together as an end or even for the rest of our lives — it’s just fun right now,” Ms. Gardner said. “My roommate is someone I’d be thrilled to marry one day, but it just doesn’t make sense right now.”
Ms. Crenshaw said that some of the women in her support group for divorced women were miserable, but that she was surprised how happy she was to be single again.
“That’s not how I grew up,” she said. “That’s not how society thinks. It’s a marriage culture.”
Elissa B. Terris, 59, of Marietta, Ga., divorced in 2005 after being married for 34 years and raising a daughter, who is now an adult.
“A gentleman asked me to marry him and I said no,” she recalled. “I told him, ‘I’m just beginning to fly again, I’m just beginning to be me. Don’t take that away.’ ”
“Marriage kind of aged me because there weren’t options,” Ms. Terris said. “There was only one way to go. Now I have choices. One night I slept on the other side of the bed, and I thought, I like this side.”
She said she was returning to college to get a master’s degree (her former husband “didn’t want me to do that because I was more educated than he was”), had taken photography classes and was auditioning for a play.
“Once you go through something you think will kill you and it doesn’t,” she said, “every day is like a present.”

give your heart to someone worthy

Today, as i open my internet browser, an discrete but hard to avoid ad came up on my screen. A picture of a woman offering a large heart to the world, and the caption reads in chinese - "give your heart to someone worthy." It was a match.com advertising. And of course, all those lonlely ladies, looking for that tinkling warm feeling on a cold Christmas morning.... listening to Geroge Michael's "last Christmas"... "last Christmas I gave you my heart, the very next day, you gave it away... this year, I saving from tears, I going to give it someone specials...."

Did I point out it was a pictue of a lady??? and not a gent? subtle - but powerful message.

What a great ad - appealing to what promot people to spend money most - our faint and feeble emotions! (that is eay to manipulate).

New Job

All I want for Christmas is a new job. This is funny, many people think those of us who have law degrees has it made. That the world has open its doors because we have this extra degree. Unfortunately, that is as far from the truth as possible. Yes, there will be those stellar few - that it is true for them, but for the rest of us normal folks....Well...life is not so pretty. After consulting with my friends, we all agreed, the doors were shut in our face as soon as we entered law school - we could not even obtain the job we had before law school, with just our college degree. We are now stuck in this transient stage - where, we are supposedly over "qualified," for all these jobs, but not good enough for the law jobs we really want. And as a result - we either become unemployed!

Truth be told, I have never had so many rejections as I have had after entering law school. yes, I do admit, I didn't go to a top tier law school, I was not top of my class, I was not on law review...Basically I was not anything that anyone cared about! So here, I am... using tax payer's dollars to pay my bills...

To make the story short, law school may not be all it promised to be! (or maybe, this is all it promised to be - but I just missed the fine prints).

Millionaire Fair

For most of us, we sometime go to trade shows, car shows etc, but for the lucky few - "who got it like that" will attend the exclusive Millionaire Fair in Moscow, Amsterdam, Cannes, Shanghai or courtiers!

This is where you'll find that exclusive $1.27 million Goldvish gold and diamond encrusted cell phone, a sure wine $500,000 racehorse, and if you are short on cash, buy the $70,000 mini airplane! Or if you are sick and tired of dealing with people, you can buy your own island.

Other items includes Russian-Dutch (Timmerman Yachts) made yachts selling from $3.8 million to $20 million. Oh, but wait, no you cannot have one ASAP just because you have money. You better be the big shot among the big shots - otherwise you will need to wait in line as the yachts are sold out until 2009. But you can backorder, and you better do so, if you want your yacht in decade!

Other notables includes the exclusive fragrance by Guerlain for $64,000. I wonder who would buy that considering how we can all purchase custom made perfumes for about $250 and up - depending what you put in it.... then again, we are dealing with very famous and well-to-do people here..... who wants to be the first to have everything, and who wants to be the talk of the town!

Please note: the millionaire fair has not taken place in the United States - as US is not considered reliable customer for those of the rich and famous! But in Russia and China- where mass fortunes can be made - even though the average salary is still very low - is the new play ground for the rich and famous.

For those of us who are simply interested in attending, the price of enter the fair is about $50EURO, or $1500RMB - I would say - affordable, if you just want to see what money can buy. However, when these events come around, tickets sell fast!!!!

Public Transit will bring life to rural areas

There is an article in the "express" titled "Metro Offering To Sell Property Near 2 Stations." Yes, those will be two very valuable properties - considering how everywhere close to metro is now considered desirable. The article stated that metro will use this money to fund its long-term projects. So the two location will be near the Navy Yard, near the new baseball stadium, and the second one will be in Capitol Heights. I wonder which developers are jumping at the chance - man, I wish I can be involved in one of those projects.

And if we compare DC to San Francisco - if SF is any indicator, the Navy Yard area will be booming right before our eyes from its current more run down appearance.

It is interesting to note that the "express" published this article next to the article titled "Washington Still Near Top in Job Growth Numbers." This article states that the number of jobs in DC has increased every month since June 2002, and we currently grew to more than 3 million in number of jobs. Together, this article suggests that private developments are still very desirable in the current "cooling" market. Right now, people are scared, sales and prices are down from last year - but wait - DC is still growing like crazy, hence the developers better put in their large bids now for a chance to develop these valuable pieces of land near metro stations! hidden message....hmmm....how interesting.....

Regardless - I wish I am working in the area of real estate...ahhh..... Because Greenspan is correct in his housing price indicator, this is the lowest we will see before the housing market pick up again!

have luggage and free hands

Yes, there is now a way that I can have everything I need when I go on long trips - or trips that just require me to bring a lot of stuff - so much that I cannot carry it all with me on the plane!!!

now we can use one of those luggage forwarding services! You pick when you want your stuff delivered, and when you want them to pick it up (time further away from delivery time will be cheaper). And when you arrive at your destination - whola! there is your luggage! So now, you no longer have to lug everything with you on the plane - and travel worry free!

try

www.luggageforward.com

www.theluggageclub.com

Finally - I can Sleep!!!

Finally, my bed arrived! and now I can sleep comfortably at my new place. The only problem is that they have not fixed everything inside - very annoying! these people!!!!

Finally. ice cream for my dog

In the last few years, the most trendy accessory is to have a small dog that will fit into your carry on. So we can carry our furry bestfriend every where we go! And with the popularity of many boutique and specialty dog bakeries (i.e. www.threedogbakery.com), Pedigree (the large pet food producer) finally decided to cash in on this popular trend and make Ice Cream Sandwich Treats for Dogs. It is said that these treats will be dairy based, and have the same texture as ice cream, but will contain only 1 percent lactose (most dogs are lactose intolerant). In addition, the treats will have no added sugar but will have added protein.

I wonder if my dog will like it...

Living Large in Small Spaces

So, I am finally going to close on my condo :-) The only problem is, city leaving means small spaces. And now I need to be creative with the use of my space and be very selective about the furniture I am going to buy. Everything piece of furniture I buy will need to do double duties... Even with the modern trend of designing for condo or apartment living - it is still hard to find suitable furniture that will not break the bank.

Right now I am debating on purchasing a sofa sleeper from www.apt-ny.com .
The problem is that I have no idea if the sofa or the sleeper would be comfortable. They only have one store, and that store is located in NYC.... and unfortunately, that is not where my condo is located.

Lunch Money

many of us have experienced this.... too much money is being spent on food!!! and we all try to cut back, but few of us are actually successful.

How much money should I be spend on food each week? no matter how I look at it, it always seems too much. And now, I am trying to get serious on cutting down.

Last week I spent about a total of $12 for lunch from Monday through Friday - hmm....good week.

This week, I am already on $17.50 (and today is only Tuesday). I went to subway yesterday... got a footlong sub, ate half and saved half to eat for lunch today. ($8) Went to the grocery store, bought 2 cans of soup and 2 bags of apple cripses, 1 bag of pretezels and 2 pouches of salmon steak. Hmmm....bad move since I can eat a can of soup of lunch each day....but I would need something to go with my salmon steak.

Snacking is also my down fall... if I didn't get the 2 bags of apple cripses or the 1 bag of pretzel, I would have saved about $5.50.

I tried fixing my lunches at home and bring it to work, but it is not cheaper than buying frozen entries at the grocery store when the entries are on sale.... does anyone have any suggestions on how to cut down on lunch spending?

9/11 A National Holiday?

Should 9/11 be a National Holiday? There are arguments on both sides. Here are some of the arguments:

We did not make Pearl Harbor a National Holiday: but people - let's ask yourself, how many people actually remember or know the date of Pearl Harbor? How many people remember? For those of you wondering, it is December 7, 1941.

Too close to Labor Day: This is just ridiculous for someone to even argue this, we want 9/11 to be a national holiday so we will never forget, not just to have another day off. I already know plenty of people from my office who were affected that already do take the day off to remember.
How long before people would start asking each other - as they now do for Memorial Day - say, "What're you doing for the Sept. 11 long weekend?" Here is a thought, remembrance day in Canada, November 11, is a national holiday, and growing up there I remember having the moment of silence in school, and wearing the a red poppy on my chest and thought to myself:

In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

and the nation remembers. Is this argument saying that Americans are not capable of doing the same?

National Holiday is a celebration i.e. Memorial Day: is to celebrate the war is over: again, like my thoughts above, it this all Americans are capable of?

to be fair: here are some arguments on both sides:

Make 9/11 a national holiday? (click on "Yes" or "No" for link)
Yes
No

and you tell me what you think.

Tiger Woods

The weekend is over once again..... played golf on both Saturday and Sunday. And then it is back to work...now, if I can just be like Elin Nordegren (Tiger's wife), and marry a rich golf pro...everyday will be a weekend, and I can actually take advantage of the courses when it is quiet on weekdays. Not to mention the free lessons.....

I think this means I need to go buy some cute golf skorts to make sure I have a chance at scoring the next Tiger... now, if someone can tell me how I can look like a model give that I was not braced with long legs at birth.

The Fabulous life.....

For those of us who wonder..... and for those of us working towards that goal....

The Jet Set's Shopping List Unmasked: How do the very wealthy spend their money? You may not want to know.
By Thomas KostigenMarketWatch

Private jet owners have an average annual income of $9.2 million and a net worth of $89.3 million. They are 57 years old. And 70 percent of them are men.
Hannah Shaw Grove and Russ Alan Prince, two researchers, surveyed the group to find out who they are, what makes them tick, and perhaps most interestingly, what they spend their money on.

The average jet setter spends nearly $30,000 per year on alcohol (wines & spirits). Grove and Prince note that this amount is about two-thirds of the median household income in the U.S. And that's the smallest category of spending they surveyed.
The next smallest was "experiential travel," which includes guided tours, such as photographic safaris, or hikes to Machu Picchu, or eco-tours to the Brazilian rainforest, or kayaking in Baja California during the gray whale migration. For these experiences, jet setters spend an average of $98,000 per year.

Travel
But these journeys are small potatoes when compared to how much these wealthy individuals spend on hotels and resorts ($157,000 a year), or events at hotels and resorts ($224,000 a year). Spa treatments even fetch more jet-set dollars than wilderness tours. The average jet setter spends $107,000 a year at spas around the world.

Not that many of these "global citizens," as they like to be called, would know: Just 34 percent of jet owners open their own mail and only 19 percent pay their own bills, Grove and Prince found. This results in a sort of detachment from the world and creates "the low level of awareness that most jet owners have about their finances," they say.

Indeed, it would take a curious psychological composition to comprehend spending $147,000 a year on watches, as the jet set do. Or $117,000 on clothes. Or a whopping $248,000 a year on jewelry.

These people need serious help with their...finances. And that is partially why Grove and Prince conducted the survey -- as a note to advisers who might be able to help people with complex money issues.Getting Good Help

"Any way you slice it, private jet owners are an ultra-affluent bunch and, as such, likely have intricate financial requirements. As is often the case, there is a proportionate relationship between the amount of wealth and the complexity of the financial goals, meaning there is a greater need for a professional adviser to guide them through the planning process and supply them with strategies and experts to meet their goals along the way," they say.
Whatever. I'm far more interested in how much the super rich spend on cars ($226,000 per year), and boats ($404,000 a year on yacht rentals).

I'm even more interested to know what the $542,000 a year in home improvements was spent on. Grove and Prince say the average jet setter has more than two principal residences worth at least $2 million each. New kitchens? Kick ass sound systems? They don't inform.
But they do tell us that jet-setters spend the most amount of money on art, $1.75 million a year on average. It's also here that the spending patterns differ by the classes within the classes that Grove and Prince unearthed by analyzing the jet-set pack.

Trendsetters spend the most as group, but the least amount per purchase. Last year, 60 percent of this group bought art, at an average price of $500,000. Trendsetters are influenced by magazines, television and movies, Grove and Prince say.

Connoisseurs, on the other hand, spend on average more than $6 million per piece, yet are cautious purchasers: less than 10 percent of this class bought art last year.

I'm not sure which of the three personality types Grove and Prince defined among jet setters I'd fall into: Trendsetters are more likely to be impulse buyers; Winners reward themselves and those in their inner circle with large purchases for personal and professional accomplishments; and Connoisseurs are deliberate in their purchasing behavior and thoroughly research all aspects of a category, and a particular item, before making a decision.

Not that it much matters. I'd just like to be able to afford to spend $168,000 a year renting a villa or chalet, as the jet set do.

It'd be fun.

For the full report on how the jet set spend their money, go to www.hannahgrove.com and go to "white papers" in the publications section