Inaguration Day

Today we welcome the first half-black man into the white house. Yes, I said half-black. I feel if we can call him black, we have just as much right to call him white. Nevertheless, I feel Barack Obama will make a fine choice as the new leader of the free world. He has a far better head than the last guy.

As it is well known, the economy is not doing well. January has had far more layoffs than we needed, with businesses like Circuit City going bankrupt. It is a tough time we are in, and as previously stated, it is my hope that this man helps to put things where they belong. I do not doubt that we will have some tough times ahead, but I feel in the end things will get better.

The inauguration is an hour away. I plan on watching it.

Halfway Through Winter

As I am Miami based, we have been enjoying the wonderful weather we have received throughout this month. With the exception of a few days, it has mostly been in the 80s, bright & sunny. I actually have enjoyed a few dinners out on the patio this week.

Unfortunately, due to the economy, thoughts of moving have been on a lot of my friends’ minds. The problem is most areas hiring are areas that are cold. I do not envy them if they move. Of course Miami could be underwater in 10 years, so they may be on to something.

Powerball in Florida

As of 2009, Florida is now a Powerball state. This means Florida’s overflowing population can now spend more money on a new set of lotto tickets that they won’t win.

There is already talk of a pool going through the office. I may throw in $5, but nothing more. I have looked at the odds, and it seems like most lotteries – amazing if you win, another loss if you don’t. But here is hoping.

Unemployment Rates

At this point in time almost everyone knows at least one person unemployed. Whether it is because they just graduated from college, their business is suffering, or other reasons, it is tough to find a job.

Sites like Careerbuilder and Monster are there, but many still need help.

Also, the old style of doing business is far outdated. I have friends constantly trying to call up places they sent a resume, only to get rejected out right because the company specifically says “Do not call”. Just make sure you email a company but don’t pester them.

New Years Means New Everything

2008 has come and gone, and as far as I’m concerned – Good Riddance.

2008 saw a financial debacle the likes of which that hasn’t been seen in over half a century. Real estate failed; banks failed; investments failed; I was going to say the American auto industry failed, but they have been failing for years. War continues and we may be drawn into another.

However there are some lights at the end of the tunnel. We have a new president, who hopefully will continue the trend of Democratic presidents fixing the mistakes of Republican presidents. Because everyone is worried about the economy and no one is buying anything it means all the stores are having fantastic sales. I have even heard rumor the PS3, a system my sun is pushing us to get, will be on sale in a few months.

My hope is that we begin to see a turn around this year. I feel that Greed has run rampant in the Bush era, and that 2009 will start to see Americans turn away from greed and focus more on unity and assistance. But who am I kidding? We’ll still see foreclosures, corruption scandals, violence and natural disaster. I just hope Obama is a bit more calm and intelligent than the last guy, and will at least point us into a better direction.

-Jason Orkin, Optimist

Franchise Options

In this not so wonderful economic period, we have seen that being in real estate has been a failure and significant loss to many. As has the stock market. Even auto sales are disturbingly down as we enter in 2009. The unemployment rate is increasing every day and one business closing is rippling through the world.

It is understandable to be cautious in regards to picking up something new. However if you have enough money to invest in something, a franchise is one of the safest bets at this period in time.

Interestingly enough, DirectBuy Franchising is not in any harm. As DirectBuy is designed to safe people money, more and more are turning to it in this recession.

Killing Rats

Just an excerpt from an article sent to me:

“Effective rat disposal means resorting to killing rats in the multitudes without having to deal with stinking bodies hidden in the nooks and crannies of your house.

The best way to take care of any infestation problem is to trap the rats, then dispose of them, but not only is that slow and tedious, but the possibility that the rats will fall for your trap is a bit small. The use of rodenticides is frowned upon in some communities, especially if used in places where food is prepared, and could also possibly be the cause of the spread of rat-related sicknesses, such as the bubonic plague – fleas and mites from rats carrying the diseases will transfer from the dead bodies to other organisms.

So that, again, leaves you with the traps. Available traps include glue traps, snap traps, and the tin can traps. Each of these traps work under the premise that the rat will starve itself to death.

Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case: some of these traps are rather easy to escape from, making the intent to kill ineffective at best. But that’s isn’t all there is: the toughest part about removing and killing them with traps is that rats initially tend to be very suspicious of new things, going out of their way to avoid so much as a rock on their usual path, so such things as glue traps and mousetraps will dutifully be avoided by the rats.

A slow process of elimination – but effective if it can be pulled off well enough – is to shoot the rats with guns (doesn’t matter if you use air guns, or real guns, although the latter would require licenses). It also makes getting rid of the body an easier task.

Some people prefer to use the combination of slow-acting rat poison and traps. You feed the rats with killing food, and wait for them to get caught in the traps. The poison makes them too weak to break free from even something as light as a glue trap, and in a couple of days – sometimes, in a couple of hours – you’ll have yourself a dead rat.”

Thumbplay Lawsuit and How It Affects Me

As an acquaintance of William Haselden, Assistant Attorney General of the the so-so state I live in, Florida, I was pointed out about the website Thumbplay. I won’t lie, I have also used the site to purchase some ringtones for my children; I use the standard ringtones since I don’t even know who JayZ or Katy Perry is, nor do I care to.

Anyways, it turns out Thumbplay has a frivolous lawsuit against them. I’ll be keeping my tabs on this, as I just love things like this in my profession.

Jason Orkin, Musically Disinclined

In Home Exercise

Lately its been pouring as I have arived home, so my much awaited summer jogs and swims have had to be canceled.  I do not enjoy this.  I wait all summer long to be able to hop into the pool, swim a few laps, work on my tan, and work out.  I also enjoy running through the neighborhood, with or without my dog.  Because of the weather, these have had to been canceled.

I don’t believe in buying exercise equipment.  I have seen far too many cases of them ending up in a garage, covered in dust, used less than 5 times.  I refuse to waste money like that.  The same goes with a gym membership.  Paying to use equipment that I’ll probably be too lazy to get out to is not something I would do.  So, I enjoy free exercise around my home.  Now I’m stuck doing it in my home.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy sit ups and cruches as much as the next person, but to be honest, I like to follow those up with a jog or swim.  Not staring at the pouring rain outside my window.  Today has been bright, hopefully it continues until I get home.

Jason Orkin, Exerciser

A tribute to a medium man

George Carlin expired the other day. Yes, I use that term, because that was his preferred term for the dead. As a pre-dead, I can only hope that his afterlife is that of what he wanted.

I’ve been a fan of Carlin for years. I have his spoken word albums, his books, and a number of movies in which he stared. The man was funny because he didn’t hold anything back, and attacked that which he saw as flawed in this world. I concur with a lot of his views, and disagree with some, but that is what made the man great – the ability to create dialogue and to embrace the views of others.

I do have a complaint, however. It seems for every great comedian we lose, 20 shitty ones take his place. And yes, I said his place for a reason. Now there are some very funny female comedians. I myself am partial to Margaret Cho. But for the most part female comedians are obnoxious lesbians who can only make jokes about being a lesbian. Seeing as how I’m not one, I don’t find these stories to be humorous. And not I’m not nickpicking ladies, male comedians who talk only about sex suck as well. Its just most male comedians can occassionally change it up a notch. The good ones can, at least. We have far too many male comedians who just run on about stuff that isn’t even funny. Why can’t they die, while greats like Bill Hicks had to go before their time.

Of course I could also go on about how similar this is in the music industry, but that is a post for another time.

Jason Orkin, Mourner