Win Money If You're Funny

Any gifted joke tellers out there? If so, you need to submit your joke to the "World's Funniest Joke" contest being held by Reader's Digest magazine. For all the rules and to enter, click here. Please pass the word along and tell your family and friends to enter, too. The top ten finalists get $500 (who couldn't use that in this economy?) and the grand prize winner gets an additional $1,000. So, think you're funny? Think you can hack it in Reader's Digest? If so, enter now.

The Traffic Conundrum

Ever wonder what causes traffic? I have to admit it's a pet peeve of mine and probably an undiscovered career path. I mean, there needs to be someone at the front of the traffic line, right? In a quest for knowledge, I set out to see what some of the reasons for traffic were. And the list includes:

1. Bottlenecks (when the road goes from three lanes to two and everybody wants in at the last absolute moment)

2. Traffic incidents (accidents, etc)

3. Rubbernecking (the folks who need to slow down and see the accident that isn't causing their side of the road traffic)

4. Construction (this one is okay, we need to go slow and be considerate of those who are working in very dangerous places)

5. Bad weather (also understandable, but if it's drizzling...c'mon people!)

6. Poor signaling time (or, in other words...those who can't really drive)

Those are the top ones according to a post on InfoPlease.com, but I have another one to add to the list:

7. A person balancing a watermelon on his head and juggling oranges.

Yes, it's true. This morning while I was happily moving along to work, I heard on 1010 WINS that the cause for traffic on the West Side Highway was a man who was balancing a watermelon on his head while juggling oranges. No accidents, no bad weather, just entertainment. Those who weren't already stuck in the jam were advised to take the Riverside Highway. The only thing I can say about that cause for traffic is: only in New York.

As an aside, however, has anyone else noticed the reduced congestion? Traffic really hasn't been very bad in my area lately and the only thing I can attribute this miracle to is the unfortunate fact that so many Americans are losing their jobs every day. If you don't have a job, there's no reason to take part in the morning and evening rush. I'm sure traffic stats will be impacted by the economy. As it stood not so long ago, fewer people were taking road trips and vacations, so what wouldn't traffic be impacted? Although I don't like traffic and wonder what on earth truly causes it, I'll happily wait an extra 15 minutes on my commute when the economy picks up and people are gainfully employed again.

Obama Art: Copyright Infrigement or Free Expression?

The election is over. Barack Obama is now the President of the United States. This makes me very proud as an American to think that we've been able to overcome barriers of race and elect a black man to the highest office in this country. Yet, it doesn't surprise me that there are still petty people out there trying to make a buck off him. News is breaking today that the copyright of a photograph taken by the Associated Press (AP) of Barack Obama is being infringed upon. The photo was taken in April 2006 by Manny Garcia, a freelancer working for the AP. When Obama was confirmed as the Democratic Party's candidate, a painting by Shepard Fairey started popping up all over the place. Fairey, an L.A. street artist, drew his inspiration from the AP photograph. Both the photo and the painting show the same stoic Obama, gazing forward into the future of America. At the bottom of the canvas, Fairey painted the word "HOPE" in big, bold letters. Hope, as many know, was a major theme throughout the Obama campaign. See the full article of the controversy here.

The AP argues that Fairey owes them money since he's struck gold with the painting--selling posters for anywhere between $100 and $500. Is this truly a case of copyright infringement? Sure, Fairey did use the AP photo as the model for his painting, but isn't his painting unique and individual? The laws of copyright have been debated and argued for many years. This is something, I predict, that won't end any time soon. Who truly owns an idea? Who truly owns a phrase? We've become a culture where everything needs to belong and be attributed to someone. What about the idea of a creative commons?

Whatever your belief--if you think Fairey is right...or wrong, consider this: His painting has become an iconic image of Obama. It's become a piece of history. To have this image torn apart by lawyers and court would damage the meaning of the painting for many Americans. The painting is a symbol of hope, a symbol that America can change, that America can elect a black president, ad shows yet again, a nation can be inspired to do great things.

Note: The image in this post is from breitbart.com. As per their website, credit goes to: AP Photo/Manny Garcia/ Shepard Fairey

The Shopaholic Series

I've recently started reading the novels of Sophie Kinsella, the author of Confessions of a Shopaholic. The book is now being turned into a major motion picture, slated to hit theaters in the very near future.

So far, I've read the first two novels in this series: Confessions of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic Takes Manhattan. Both novels proved to be very enjoyable and easy reads.

Let's start off with the series starter. The protagonist of the Shopaholic series is Becky Bloomwood, a journalist who is trying to make it in the financial realm, but she has a slight problem: she buys nearly everything in sight. Becky finds finances quite boring, including her own. She dodges her credit card bills like the plague and keeps away from her bank manager by giving roundabout excuses including broken bones and terminal illnesses. At one point, when she's desperate to borrow money, she tells a colleague her aunt is in the hospital and she wants to buy a gift. While her many excuses and poor control make her seem a little outlandish as a character, she is very endearing.

Kinsella is able to pull off a good balance of comedy and seriousness in the debut novel. Like many chick lit novels, Becky's luck starts to turn around as well as her attitude. She decides that she is going to pay back her credit cards. When cutting back doesn't suit her style, she takes her father's advice and tries to make more money. Her efforts land her on a local morning show where she is offered a position to give financial advice. It's ironic I know, but that's what makes the book good. Of course, there's a love interest and his name is Luke Brandon, a very rich gentleman who owns a very successful PR firm. In the end, everything works out for Becky and she's able to resolve all her debts.

My favorite part about this series is that it's a British series. The language and tone are refreshing and different to me as an American. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a good laugh and can relate to being in debt. Aren't we all?

The second book of the series, Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, continues the life story of Becky Bloomwood. While there are many references to the first novel, one does not have to read the debut of the series to understand what's going on. As the title suggests, Becky heads for the Big Apple. Everything in life is going swimmingly with her regular financial advice slot on British television, a wonderful relationship with her boyfriend entrepreneur, Luke Brandon, and she has plenty of credit. Of course, she drives herself back into debt while in London and then gets asked to move to New York with Luke.

Being in one of the foremost shopping capitals of the world, Becky can't help but spend thousands of dollars in shopping expenses in New York. She is ready to live there and start a brand new career in American television when a newspaper back home exposes her shopping habits. Of course, her credibility as a financial expert is ruined. She loses all job offers in New York along with all the jobs she had back in London. Plus, her bad publicity puts her relationship at stake since Luke is trying to start up an American branch to his PR firm. It's all gone.

But Becky brings herself back. She decides she's going to start over. So she does what any woman would dread--in debt or not--sells all of her possessions--clothes, bags, shoes, accessories, computer, kitchenware--everything. She makes enough to pay off all her debts and decides to head back to America to try again. Her relationship with Luke is still on the rocks until he comes to sweep her off her feet at the airport. She, however, leaves him behind.

The novel closes with Becky working as a personal shopper at Barney's in New York--the perfect calling for a shopaholic. Plus, she gets her man. Luke returns to New York and wins Becky back. Another perfect ending for the hero, Becky Bloomwood.

The next installment of the series is Shopaholic Ties the Knot. I am very much looking forward to reading this one. I have found both novels very enjoyable. My only criticism is that sometimes Becky's actions seem very outlandish and hard to believe.

If you'd like to read the Shopaholic series, but don't want to dole out the dough to buy the book. Check out Book Mooch. This is a site that allows you to trade books with others for FREE. Got any books that are collecting dust? Books you know you'll never read again? Then, sign up for Book Mooch. For every 10 books you post in your inventory you get a point. This point entitles you to get a book from any other Book Mooch member. If someone mooches off you, all you have to do is pay to ship them your book (first class mail is just fine and cheap). I've gotten all my most recent reads from Book Mooch and love that I dont have to spend $15 for a soft cover book at Barnes and Noble. However, a word of warning: don't put up books that you want back. Chances are you won't get your copy back. So, only put up books that you can stand parting with. Otherwise, happy mooching!

A Real Winter!

I sit down to write this blog from home since that's where I'm working today due to the inclement weather. It's rather nice to be able to log into work remotely and feel as if you're in the office without actually having to be in the office.

All the snow this winter hasn't bothered me at all, I've rather enjoyed having some white stuff on the ground regularly. The past few winters have not really been winters at all. It's nice to see that global warming hasn't completely taken over yet. The last real winter that I can remember takes me back to the winter of 1996 and the great blizzard. I was in sixth grade. School was closed for an entire week. I can remember this snow storm so clearly, because it was so much fun. Foot upon foot of snow covered the front lawn of my house. There was so much snow, that my brother and I were able to build tunnels throughout the front yard.


I went skiing this past weekend and enjoyed the slopes immensely. I can only imagine that the ski resorts around the Catskills are quite happy this year with the increased amount of natural snowfall. Artificial snow underneath skis just isn't the same. My brief aside is done for the day, I'm going to head back to doing my real job now, check back again soon for some more posts about my general thoughts and interests. And feel free to comment on my posts anytime.

Reader's Digest Humor Issue

Every September, Reader's Digest publishes an annual humor issue. This year, in addition to the magazine, several short films were made. I starred in one of them. Check it out.

My video - The Crazy Assistant on ReadersDigest.com
Also, you can find it on YouTube. Click here.

And see all of the videos here.

Lower the Drinking Age?

As I was driving to work this morning, 1010 WINS reported there is a new initiative being started by the presidents of many prestigious colleges and universities centering on the debate of the national drinking age.

The initiative being referred to is known as the Amethyst Initiative. The drinking age currently stands at 21 years of age. And to many who have passed that landmark in their lives, it was a right of passage. Of course, many people drink before they are "legal." And this is the issue that the presidents of Duke University, Ohio State, Tufts, Manhattan College, and many others are taking up. They want to encourage a conversation to seriously think about lowering the drinking age to 18 years of age. And for many reasons the presidents of these colleges, have a point:

- Students will most likely engage in drinking prior to turning 21, especially when they are living away at college

- Studies have shown that 40% of college students report at least one symptom of alcohol abuse or dependence, 500,000 students suffer injuries due to drinking while 1,700 die in such accidents. And finally between 1999-2005, 157 college students literally drank themselves to death.

- By the time one is able to legally drink, they are also legally allowed to smoke, vote, wed, and enlist in the armed forces, so why can't they drink at the age of 18?

All of the above reasons are justified in their own way, but there are people who feel that even considering lowering the drinking age is a bad idea. These people are proponents of the fact that the law is the law and should not be changed just because drinking has put colleges into tight spots before. Another big opposer to the initiative, Mothers Against Drunk Driving believes only more alcohol related incidents and accidents would occur.

In many ways, drinking in the United States carries an ugly stigma from very early on in our history from the time of temperance and boot-legging. Drinking has always been put under scrutiny in the United States. I personally wonder why our country continues to struggle with drinking when many other countries around the globe have drinking ages lower than 21. In many cases, drinking is a cultural behavior. The glamor associated with drinking before you are "legal" in the United States wears off. Even the punishments for drunk drivers and rinking related incidents in other countries are handled much differently. Could it just be case that Americans are rebellious because it is inherent in their nature?

There is no simple answer or solution to this questions, but I ask you, what do you think? To learn more about the Amethyst Initiative, click here.