SheSue Experience

Came across this website that has a bunch of weird trivia.  Gotta love it.  For instance if you drive a dirty car in Russia, you can get a ticket as it is illegal! A few more:

Ladies, move to Malaya where it is legal to have a harem of men.  But beware in Rhode Island where in the 1970’s, Legislature in the US entertained a proposal that there be a $2 tax on every act of sexual intercourse in the State.

Coffee is the second largest item of international commerce in the world. The largest is petrol.

Just when you thought you didn’t like your name – The Native Americans used to name their children the first thing they saw when leaving their teepee after the birth of a child.  Thus names like Sitting Bull or Running Water.

Remember how Julius Caesar ran around with a laurel wreath on his head.  It is said that he was covering up male pattern baldness.

Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, never phoned his wife or his mother, they were both deaf.

While 14 million died during World War I, some 20 million died of the flu in the years following.

More money is spent on alcohol and cigarettes than life insurance.

My favorite – the 2 highest recorded IQ’s belong to women.

The website is called Human World.  Check it out.  What’s your favorite?

Where did the idea for carving a Jack O Lantern come from? Many believe in the Irish folktale of the 16^th century about a thief named Jack who tricked the Devil.   According to one version of the story, Jack invited the Devil out for a drink. Jack convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin to pay for the drinks. In return Jack would relinquish his soul.

But, being a thief, Jack decided to keep the money and put it in his pocket which held a silver cross. This prevented the Devil from returning to his true form. Jack told the Devil he would free him if he would spare Jack for one year. The Devil agreed. But Jack changed his mind and tricked the Devil again. Soon after he died.

Being a thief, Jack wasn’t allowed into heaven. And since the Devil didn’t trust him, he was not allowed into hell either. The Devil gave Jack a burning coal to light his way into the night. Unable to hold the coal in his hand, Jack put the coal into a carved out turnip. Jack has been roaming the earth ever since with his Jack O Lantern.

Although many historical records indicate vegetables used as lanterns, there is no evidence of a pumpkin being used as a lantern until much later. It wasn’t until 1866 before any historical record mentions carved pumpkins being related to the Halloween celebration.  These current records all come the North America.

Whatever the history, the carved pumpkins of today are much more elaborate than those of years gone by. I remember carving a goofy face into a pumpkin as a kid. Today there are contests for intricately carved pumpkins. I found a great YouTube video of carved pumpkins simply called: Pumpkins!!!  What’s your favorite pumpkin memory?

While most are checking out Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge, you can choose a lesser known and thus less crowded Latourell Falls. There are actually 2 falls, the upper and lower falls. You can get to the main falls from the parking lot off the Historic Highway. It is a short walk to the viewpoint.

The second falls is a short hike away. This falls you can actually get behind. If you continue on this trail, it will take you back to the parking lot, or you can continue on to Guy W Talbot State Park for a picnic.

Hiking has always been a stress buster for me. Even psychologists agree that the simple act or walking is fabulous and prescribed for those going through depression. If you think about it, for every step you take and put your foot down, you are picking yourself up again. Over and over you pick yourself up. Add to this the beautiful scenery and peaceful sounds. Check out my short video and see if you agree. So get out there and hike out some stress.  Or, how to you get rid of stress?

A great resource: Hiking the Columbia River Gorge by Russ Schneider.

NEVER!  A small inheritance was coming my way, so I decided it was time to learn more about investing my money. I admit, that I have always lived pretty much from paycheck to paycheck. My husband has a nowhere job and I spent the past 20 years taking care of and homeschooling my children.

I signed up for a community ed class on investing. This is a 5-part class. This post is week one: Foundations of Investing. We started with pretty basic stuff such as 5 reasons why investing should be a top priority:

• Inflation rises faster than your paycheck
• Be prepared for emergencies
• Your dreams always cost more than you expect
• Government programs may not be solvent (like Social Security)
  
• You may decide to make a life change that will require extra money

We learned about setting goals. Even though I know I’m starting way too late, I still need to get in writing an idea of how much money I need to be putting away. Some great financial calculators can be found at www.lpl.com/rebecca.horn. My goals need to be SMART:

Specific

Measurable

Actionable

Realistic

Time-line

She gave us a great sheet on tips for how to save money on every day things. Some examples: cut back on eating out, rent a video instead of going to a movie theater, buy things in bulk, combine errands to save on gas, cancel unused subscriptions like to magazines or gym dues, buy store brands, cancel the premium cable channel and take advantage of free entertainment.

Next we went over several charts reinforcing my guilt at not having started saving sooner. These charts showed how much more money you will have if you start investing earlier. Finally we began a discussion of types of investments. Three things to remember are diversity, quality and long term.

There are 2 major types of investments:

Loan Investments are money loaned to a bank, institution or company. In return, the investor expects timely payment of principal and interest over a fixed time period. These could include cash accounts such as checking, savings, money market and IRA accounts. OR income accounts such as CD’s, bonds, Treasure notes and bills, Corporate bonds, Municipal Bonds, Fixed annuities and 401(k) accounts.

Owner Investments are when you take partial ownership of the company or group of companies through the purchase of shares. The investor participates in the gains or losses of the investment. There is no fixed rate or fixed time period. These include: your home, business, growth and income stocks, variable annuities, 401(k), or Mutual funds.

We learned that we should only use loan investments as holding places for money we aren’t sure what we are going to do with. To make the most money, you need to put most of your money in the owner investments. The instructor was Rebecca Horn who is a local investment adviser.   She was a bit disorganized, but boy did she know her stuff.  She was also great at explaining things both in words and charts she drew on the board.

Some books she recommended:

Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach

One Up On Wall Street by Peter Lycnh

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Ordinary People, Extra-Ordinary Wealth by Ric Edelman

Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley

Aflenza by David Wann and others

Anything by Suze Orman

We were all brought up being told to put a hat on when it’s cold outside because we lose most of our body heat through our head.  Now that it’s starting to get cold in the morning, I automatically reach for my hat to “keep warm”.  But like a lot of other myths passed down through the ages, this is also just a myth.

To reinforce the myth, the military did studies on hypothermia.  They dressed men in arctic survival suits and exposed them to frigid temperatures.   Sure enough, all the men were freezing within a few minutes.  Since they had no hat on, it was determined that they lost body heat through their head.  Now come on, think about it.  They had no hat on, duh!

In reality you lose no more heat through your head than any other part of your body.  If you covered all your body except one arm, you would be just as cold as if you had no hat on.  In fact you would lose more body heat with your arm exposed because there’s more surface area exposed.  It is through any surface area that you lose body heat.

Added fact: why do you shiver?  This is one of the body’s natural reactions to cold.  Shivering takes energy which in turn generates heat.

So should you leave the hat at home when it’s cold outside?  No way, but don’t forget the coat and gloves as well.

You are hungry and have a craving for something sweet.  You reach for cookies or candy or thousands of other products that will satisfy your craving.  Check the ingredient list and you will find one thing in common: high fructose corn syrup.  Dating back to the 1960’s when manufacturers replaced sugar with corn syrup, studies have shown that this links to when the average American began to gain weight.

High fructose corn syrup is found in over 70% of all prepackaged foods including what we think is good for us like yogurt, granola bars, and even whole wheat bread.  Many studies have been conducted, but you will find that physicians agree that corn syrup is toxic to your body.

How does it make you gain weight?

1. It impairs the hormone that controls appetite
2. it inflames and ages liver cells which are responsible for breaking down fat
3. It wreaks havoc on the body’s ability to control blood sugar which can bring on diabetes
   
4. It raises the level of uric acid which can raise your blood pressure
5. it makes your skin sag

Between 1960 and 2008, obesity has risen to 31% of the American population.  The consumption of high fructose corn syrup went from 1/2 pound per person to over 60 pounds per person today.  So the next time you get a craving for sweets, skip the prepackaged foods and head for the fresh fruit section.  Your body will thank you.