Home insurance

You normally insure your house against damage. The most common damage is fire. Okay, you might have to get an insurance policy for fire in case you fall asleep smoking, BUT you can save a lot on the little other extras.
For example, Hurricane coverage. Lets say you live in an area in the hurricane path, like for example, Florida or Luisiana. Coverage is expensive. But, do you need it? Hurricanes like Katrina and Andrew caused a bit of damage, but most houses in Florida weren’t harmed, same in Luisiana . The odds are in your favour. So, cut out the expensive hurricane and water damage item from your policy. When was the last time you saw that happening?
The same goes for tornadoes if you live in the mid-west. If you’ve seen tornadoes on TV, youll have seen they are very strong, but don’t cover much ground. The chances of being hit straight on by one are very small.
And last but not least, earthquake coverage. Large quakes are very rare, Again, don’t waste good money on coverage.
Back to fire insurance. If you do get a fire insurance policy, get the least coverage that you can. For ex.: If your house is worth 300.000$ get a policy for not more than 60.000$ The idea behind this is that a fire will start in one room ( 20% of the house or less) and the Fire Department will put the fire out before it spreads to the rest of the house. It’s not often a whole house burns to the ground.

Health Care Insurance

This covers a lot of ground. There are all types of coverage, from general health care down to specific health problems, like cancer, etc.
Try and get some coverage that includes the normal doctor visits and the ordinary medical tests. Something that will pay for the ordinary visits.
As for the specialized coverage, hospital bills, cancer or aids care, transplants, etc. these policies have a high cost. You’ve heard of horror stories of people losing their homes and everything they own due to some complicated medical condition. They just did things wrong, they signed the papers saying they would pay the cost of treatment. Truth of the matter is that they aren’t needed. In real life, Society ( and the Government ) are not going to abandon you in your hour of need. Just go to the local hospital and ask for help. Health care companies are among the most caring ones in the world.

Auto insurance

Ok, you have to have a minimum coverage as required by law. But why more ? You drive excellently, never have more than four or five drinks and know you have to stop most times at the red light.
Now it’s even better if you just bought a new car. New cars have normally a two year warranty or guarantee. Should you crash the car during this time you just return it for a new one. It’s just like when you buy a TV and it breaks during the guarantee, isn’t it?
As for a used car, if you have an accident you do what everyone does…just blame the other guy, he will have coverage, so your covered.

Life insurance

Wrongly called “life”. That’s how they named it so as to sell it. It’s really death insurance, your death. The idea behind this policy is that in the event of your death your loved ones get a bunch of money. Now, lets study this:

First of all, if your young, under 50, why should you be worried about death ? Young people don’t die, old ones do. You’ve got a lot of years ahead. In this case a life insurance policy is just throwing good money away.
Now, what if you are over 50? Here we want to break down the age groups involved:
a) from 51 to 70 – This is where you have to consider insurance, in case you die. If you have some savings ( added to what you saved by following all our previous advice), a house and a car, the kids are grown up and on their own, etc., do you really WANT them to be happy about you dying? In this age group the premiums are higher and the amounts insured lower, so why bother. It’s not as if you are going to enjoy the cash. If anyone suggests that you get life insurance, have them pay for it.
b) From 71 to 100 – Don’t even bother to ask about an insurance policy. Either they wont sell you one ( pretty wise, I think ) or they will ask for huge amounts in premiums, for very low amounts payable.

Accident insurance

This is a good one. For 60/70 dollars you can get flight insurance that will give you 1 million if you die. Sounds good, But, again, when was the last time a plane went down? You are betting against very very large odds. And, of course, if you win it means you didn’t.
Ordinary accident insurance covers death and dismemberment. If you read the policy, they put a price on every part of your body. It’s gruesome. But if your worried something might happen to you or if you are accident prone, try and keep the cost down. One way of cost cutting is to see if the insurance company might consider leaving some body parts out of the policy. For example if you are right handed you can eliminate the left hand and even the left arm from the policy. Insuring one eye only lets you keep watching tv. And as for toes and fingers, you have to calculate how many you can spare.

By following all these tips you can practically cut out insurance as an item in your budget. The amount of money you can save over the years is staggering. But then, just as a precaution take up prayer immediately.

If you are doing any of the above when cleaning a DVD disc…Stop!

2. Always exagerate. If you stayed out late and had a few drinks too many, say that you were kidnapped and forced to drink eight tequila shots. The reasoning behind this is that it sounds so improbable it must be true.

3. When your going to lie, first tell the person that “this is the absolute truth”.

4. Remember, if it ever comes down to it, your smart enough to beat a lie detector.

5. If you lost all your money gambling, etc., use the old proven trick of telling your spouse that you’ve been robbed. The fact that your robbed every two weeks just goes to show that you have bad luck.

6. When lying, look up and to the right. Looking that way stimulates the part of the brain associated with imagination. So, that will help you when you are thinking of the stories to…

1. No dress code for tourists

Don’t dress like your going to a Hawaiian Luau in a conservative country. It’s ok for the beaches, but not for the centre of London. Try and find out what the local dress codes are. The idea is to blend in, not to stand out.

2. Look at my new big camera!

Everyone travels with digital cameras, camcorders, etc. But in quite a few places, South America, Africa or most countries of Asia, it’s not a good idea to show off that super whatever. They attract unwanted attention (robberies) and immediately brand you as a tourist. Try to keep them in a bag, and, if possible, go for the smaller units.

3. Speak up

Watch your voice, people tend to speak loudly when in unfamiliar territory.
Speaking loudly and slowly won’t help people to understand you if you don’t speak their language.

4. How many dollars is that?

Try to memorize the local money exchange rate so you don’t have to pull out a calculator every time you look at something you want to buy. This may be specially useful in some countries, were locals may try to rip you off with the exchange rate.

5. Im completely lost!

Maps. Of course you need them in a strange city. But try and read them discreetly, not walking down the street with the map all open.

6. I hate this food…

As to the food, wherever you go, try and not put down the local cuisine even though to you it seems awful. Many tourists do this not realizing that it’s impolite. Also, try and not moan all the time that you’re dying for a hamburger.

7. Big tips

Don’t over tip. In most places a 10% tip is fine, a bit more if you feel like it. But just because the place you’re visiting is very cheap doesn’t mean you have to over tip. People will take your large tip but not respect you any more for it. In some places of the world the average monthly pay is around 100 dollars, so a 5 buck tip is way out of proportion.

8. Use only Dollars

Try to get some local change before you travel. It’ll save you a lot of trouble…specially if you didn’t follow tip number 4.
If your travelling to some out of the way area it might just be that they don’t have credit cards. Carry some cash, not too much, just in case.

9. Everyone should speak English

Before you travel, try to learn a bit about the place you are going to, as well as a few key words of the local language. It’s surprising how a few words in the local language make things so much easier.

If you have more tips on how not to look like a tourist, please leave them in the comments!

We all know that the chances of winning the lottery are extremely low, to say the least. In spite of that, people do win every week/month all over the world. And they all had something in common…they had a ticket!
So, if you are one of those that prays every night to win the lottery, but didn’t buy a ticket…please, re read this item.

2.- If you buy a ticket, don’t check the results

The normal procedure is to check the results after the drawing. How else do you expect to know if you’ve won?!

3.- Buy a ticket, win, but lose it

You don’t want this to happen. Items 1 and 2, you can survive, but this one can actually kill you! It happened before.
If you do decide to play the lottery, you do check the results and you actually WIN…please, by all means, DO NOT LOSE THE TICKET!

4.- Buy a ticket with a friend and give it to him to keep

Buying a ticket with someone else or with a group of people is a pretty common thing to do. Now, if you win the big one…lets say 250 million dollars, are you sure that the person that has the ticket is going to remember that you paid for half?

5. Chose the winning numbers, but don’t play them…then check the results

Don’t pick the numbers unless you are going to play. And if you do, don’t check the results.
The last thing you want in your mind for the rest of your life is that you had the winning numbers, but you didn’t play them.

6.- Win the lottery and from the excitement get a heart attack

If you did everything correctly…you bought the ticket (only for you), you checked results, you didn’t lose it and you actually won…try to stay calm and not die from the excitement!

Here are a few examples of how Not to do backflips…

1. Persistent kid

2. Bruce Lee type

3. I don’t know how their heads survive this…

4. Not even with some help

5. In the swimming pool

6. Real bad accident

7. Dogs do backflips too!

8. What about cats?

Personal Habits

Although some people think that chewing gum is a distasteful habit, the act of chewing relaxes the facial muscles giving you a more relaxed look.
The same goes for smoking, apart from relaxing you, it makes you look cooler.

Dress code

There is an unwritten dress code for each type of job interview. If youre looking for an executive position the experts say you should dress in a suit. A teachers position requires a coat and tie, or a dress, as the case may be.Wrong !

Don’t follow these dress codes, be yourself. If you’re used to wearing jeans, sweatshirt and baseball cap, wear them to the executive position interview. This will show you have personality, a much more important quality than what you wear.

Politically Correct

Some subjects are supposed to be controversial, to be avoided if possible, such as religion, politics etc.
Don’t let yourself be limited in the interview to a few narrow subjects such as your qualifications. Giving the interviewer your views on religion or politics, even though they may be somewhat radical, gives him the real idea of who you are and what you stand for.

Control

Try and not let the interviewer talk. If you dominate the conversation you control the situation. The possibility that you might say something inapropiate is minimal against the fact that you are in the drivers seat.

Honesty

Tell him the absolute truth about your previous work experience. Your interviewer will find your honesty refreshing. Telling him that you were fired from your previous job for punching your boss will give him a clear idea of the type of person you are.

Addictions

If you’ve had alcohol or drug problems, overcome or not, be honest and talk about it. ///////////////

Fake resume

Honesty should be the first thing when you write your resume. Not even close! What you must do is put everything you can think off in your resume…fake job titles, technical skills that you don’t have, courses you never took, jobs you never had, and even degrees. After all, they will never check!

Punctuality

Don’t arrive on time for the interview ! arriving on time is for losers, you don’t need to show that you really need the job or are so anxious to get it.
Always go 15 to 45 minutes after your appointment.

Negotiation

When talking about your salary always ask for twice as much as what you think you might get. There is always time to negotiate later, and you never know, you might get lucky. Also, employers like to see people with ambition.

Communications

Keep your cellphone on during the interview. If you get any calls or messages, answer them, in fact, make a few calls yourself while your interviewer is talking. The strategy behind this is to show him that you are a busy and solicited person.

Tests

If your prospective employer asks you to take a test of any kind, specially psychological oriented ones, refuse. It’s a bad start to let your employer know the extent of your personality disorders.

Thousands of people go hunting every year.Here are some tips for a safe and satisfying experience….

In many areas hunters are required to use red colored clothes, supposedly to alert other hunters where they are. Don’t do it. Red can be seen from far away by animals as well as men. The best clothes to use are camouflage ones,. Besides, the chance of being shot by another hunter is small.

When hunting quail in a group, you may want to surround the birds before you scare them into flying. Form a big circle around the area where the birds are and slowly close in scaring them into flight. When the birds in the circle fly everyone can shoot from all sides. There is a minimum chance of cross fire, but you are sure to get the birds!

There is a safety catch on every gun. It’s there to make sure a shot isn’t accidentally fired, but it’s drawback is that you lose time putting the safety off. Being an experienced shooter you and your friends don’t have to keep the safety on, that way you gain that extra second for the shot.

The saying goes “ alcohol and guns don’t mix “ Very true, but then, beer is ok. First of all beer has very little alcohol, and most important, drinking a few beers while hunting prevents dehydration. Anyway, when did a couple of beers cause problems?

Some experts say you have to use the right weapon and ammunition for the game your hunting. Like you need a shotgun for ducks or quail, and a high powered rifle for big game. Like all advice, this is a half truth. Next time you go hunting ducks try using a rifle to bring them down. The thrill of trying to nail a duck with a rifle shot is a unique experience.

You don’t need to buy or train a hunting dog. Any dog has a natural instinct for hunting. Even that animal you have at home sleeping all day. Just point in the general direction of the game and say “ fetch ”.

Some animal rights groups and governments consider some animals as endangered species, such as the panda. Pay no attention to this. If it really is endangered, this could be your last chance to shoot one.

Image credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1011663

1. Always move as quickly as you can.

Don’t think about the move, just do it. That’ll make your opponent think that you really know how to play. Plus perhaps you get lucky and make a really good move.

2. Pawns are useless.

They can only move forward 1 square at a time. Don’t pay much attention to them, they are not important pieces. Who cares if you lose a few.

3. Your Queen on the other hand…

That’s the piece you should be using! It’s your most powerful piece. Forget about the other pieces. You can win the game by only using your Queen.

4. Don’t castle. Ever.

Why do you want to move the king to a “safe place”, in a corner? He is “The Man”…the King! He needs to be in the middle of the action. It’s not like if you lose your King you lose the game…right?

5. Go for quick checkmate.

Remember, the purpose of the game is to kill the other King. So don’t waste any time. Send all your pieces after the King as soon as you start the game. Just move your pieces towards the King.

6. Don’t pay attention to the moves your opponent makes.

It’s not like he really knows what he is doing. Nobody can think more than 2 moves ahead anyway. Just focus on your moves, only one move ahead .

7. Eat everything.

If it looks like your opponent is giving away a piece a little to easily…don’t even think about it! Just eat it! Who cares if its a trap, gambit or whatever. It’s another piece you get to take away!

8. Openings are not important.

Whats the point of learning tried and proven openings that everyone knows and have been using for hundreds of years? Make up your own opening and surprise everyone…you might do better than Grand Masters!

9. Don’t waste money studying chess.

Books , Chess clubs, etc., are only for people with vey little natural talent. You on the other hand, apart from your natural instinct and intelligence, have the advantage of reading this article!
Coming soon our new “how not to play chess” book, that IS worth reading!

10. Control the side squares.

Every master says that the important squares to control are the center ones. We don’t think so. By controlling the side squares first, you can advance your pieces faster and eventually surround your opponent.

Bonus Tip:
11. Never accept a draw. If you are following our tips you cant lose anyway, so why settle for less.

Follow these rules and you will see very quickly the results in your matches.
If by any chance these tips don’t work, try doing the opposite.