Ryan Clark - Victim of Virginia Tech massacre

One of the toughest stories to read is about the RA, Ryan Clark, who was shot during the first incident at West AJ. This young man had a 4.0 grade point average and was on his way to becoming a PhD. Additionally, he has a twin brother and a sister.

Friends, family recall lives of selfless students, teachers - CNN.com: "Ryan Clark, 22, was known as 'Stack' to his friends in the Marching Virginians college band. The Virginia Tech senior came from Martinez in Georgia and was a 'true example of 'The Spirit Of Tech',' according to a message posted on the band's Web site. He majored in biology and English, and carried a 4.0 grade-point average, according to the coroner in Columbia County, Georgia. Clark was a resident assistant at West Ambler Johnston Hall, the dormitory where he and another person were shot dead at 7:15 a.m. Monday. He had been planning to pursue a doctorate in psychology with a focus in cognitive neuroscience, according to the Marching Virginians Web site.

Arielle Perlmutter of Buford, Georgia, wrote:
'I worked with Ryan Clark at Camp Big Heart, where we both spent part of our summers counseling kids and adults with special needs. At camp, Ryan was one of my closest friends. We had many inside jokes and spent a lot of time being silly and laughing. Ryan never had a frown on his face, and even when something was bothering him, he was only upset for a short time and moved back to his good old happy self. Ryan ran the dance/music program at camp and was constantly moving, singing and entertaining both"

Cho Seung-Hui's play "Richard McBeef" and" "Mr. Brownstone"

AOL News has two plays that Cho Seung-Hui wrote. These were obtained by Seung's former classmate, Ian MacFarlane. The first play is called "Richard McBeef". It's pretty disturbing. It talks about his father molesting him and beating both his son and wife. This isn't written by a normal kid.

Richard McBeef
http://news.aol.com/virginia-tech-shootings/cho-seung-hui/_a/richard-mcbeef-cover-page/20070417134109990001

Seung's second play is titled "Mr. Brownstone". Once again, this is about his hatred of an older man.

Mr. Brownstone
http://news.aol.com/virginia-tech-shootings/cho-seung-hui/_a/mr-brownstone-title-page/20070417141309990001

It's obvious that he's had some issues with his own father in the past. These writings show it and he probable never got the support he needed from his family in times of need.

Virginia Tech Massacre Victims

Here's a good synopsis with pictures of the victims of the Va Tech massacre.

List Of Virginia Tech Shooting Victims - News Story - WRC | Washington

List Of Virginia Tech Shooting Victims - News Story - WRC | Washington: "Killed:

#
# Ross Abdallah Alameddine, 20, of Saugus, Mass., according to his mother, Lynnette Alameddine.
# Ryan Clark, 22, of Martinez, Ga., biology and English major, according to Columbia County Coroner Vernon Collins.
# Jocelyn Couture-Nowak, a French instructor, according to her husband, Jerzy Nowak, the head of the horticulture department at Virginia Tech.
# Daniel Perez Cueva, 21, killed in his French class, according to his mother, Betty Cueva, of Peru.
# Kevin Granata, age unknown, engineering science and mechanics professor, according to Puri.
# Caitlin Hammaren, 19, of Westtown, N.Y., a sophomore majoring in international studies and French, according to Minisink Valley, N.Y., school officials who spoke with Hammaren's family.
# Jeremy Herbstritt, 27, of Bellefonte, Pa., a Penn State University graduate who was attending grad school at Virginia Tech, according to Penn State's Office of Physical Plant, where his father works.
# Emily Jane Hilscher, a 19-year-old freshman from Woodville, according to Rappahannock County Administrator John McCarthy, a family friend.
# Jarrett L. Lane, 22, of Narrows, Va., according to Riffe's Funeral Service Inc. in Narrows, Va.
# Matthew J. La Porte, 20, a freshman from Dumont, N.J., according to Dumont Police C"

betapundit: Comcast tech fired for sleeping on the job

betapundit: Comcast tech fired for sleeping on the job: "Comcast tech fired for sleeping on the job
Last week I posted a video of a Comcast Tech who fell asleep at a customer's house. The post has generated close to 100,000 hits in just a few days. Today we have an update on the Technician and the customer courtesy of Forbes, who picked up on the story:

Comcast Corp. has fired an employee for sleeping on a customer's couch during a house call after video of the incident became a minor Internet sensation.

Philadelphia-based Comcast also said in a statement that it had apologized to customer Brian Finkelstein of Washington, D.C., for the 'unsatisfactory customer experience.'

Finkelstein posted video of the sleeping technician and told this story on YouTube.com, a site that lets users share videos.

His Comcast Internet connection had worked only intermittently since he moved to a new apartment June 1. A Comcast employee who came to Finkelstein's home June 14 to replace the modem called the company for help. Put on hold for more than an hour, he caught some shut-eye while he waited.

Finkelstein, a Georgetown University law student, picked up his video camera, added an Eels song with the lyrics 'I need some sleep,' and sent it to YouTube.

The 58-second video has been viewed more than 227,000 times since it was posted Tuesday.
I feel bad for anyone who has their livelihood taken away, but at the same time, this is a strong reminder not to fall asleep on the job. Let's not rule out the probability that this is as much as a top-level problem as it is a labor-level problem. I hope this sends a strong message to Comcast."

Asian Backstreet Boys - Funniest thing ever!!!!

If you've never seen this, this is the funniest 5 minutes ever.

Ronaldinho - Unbelievable

Don't mess with Col. Braddock

Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried. Ever.

Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.

Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked
names for his left and right legs.

The chief export of Chuck Norris is pain.

If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris, you
may be only seconds away from death.

Chuck Norris has counted to infinity. Twice.

Chuck Norris does not hunt because the word hunting implies
the probability of failure. Chuck Norris goes killing.

Chuck Norris' blood type is AK+. Ass-Kicking Positive. It is compatible only
with heavy construction equipment, tanks, and fighter jets.

Chuck Norris is 1/8th Cherokee. This has nothing to do with ancestry, the man
ate a fucking Indian.

In fine print on the last page of the Guinness Book of World Records it notes
that all world records are held by Chuck Norris, and those listed in the book
are simply the closest anyone else has ever gotten.
Chuck Norris once roundhouse kicked someone so hard that his foot broke the
speed of light, went back in time, and killed Amelia Earhart while she was
flying over the Pacific Ocean.

Crop circles are Chuck Norris' way of telling the world that sometimes corn
needs to lie the fuck down.

Chuck Norris is ten feet tall, weighs two-tons, breathes fire, and could eat a
hammer and take a shotgun blast standing.

The Great Wall of China was originally created to keep Chuck Norris out. It
failed miserably.

Contrary to popular belief, Chuck Norris, not the box jellyfish of northern
Australia, is the most venomous creature on earth. Within 3 minutes of being
bitten, a human being experiences the following symptoms: fever, blurred vision,
beard rash, tightness of the jeans, and the feeling of being repeatedly kicked
through a car windshield.

Most people have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Chuck Norris has 72... and they're all
poisonous.

If you ask Chuck Norris what time it is, he always says, "Two seconds 'til."
After you ask, "Two seconds 'til what?" he roundhouse kicks you in the face.

Chuck Norris drives an ice cream truck covered in human skulls.

When Chuck Norris sends in his taxes, he sends blank forms and includes only a
picture of himself, crouched and ready to attack. Chuck Norris has not had to
pay taxes, ever.

The quickest way to a man's heart is with Chuck Norris' fist.

Chuck Norris invented Kentucky Fried Chicken's famous secret recipe, with eleven
herbs and spices. But nobody ever mentions the twelfth ingredient: Fear.

CNN was originally created as the "Chuck Norris Network" to update Americans
with on-the-spot ass kicking in real-time.

Chuck Norris can win a game of Connect Four in only three moves.

There is no theory of evolution, just a list of creatures Chuck Norris allows to
live.

Chuck Norris once ate three 72 oz. steaks in one hour. He spent the first 45
minutes having sex with his waitress.

What was going through the minds of all of Chuck Norris' victims
before they died? His shoe.

Chuck Norris is the only man to ever defeat a brick wall in a game of tennis.

Police label anyone attacking Chuck Norris as a Code 45-11.... a suicide.

Chuck Norris doesn't churn butter. He roundhouse kicks the cows and the butter
comes straight out.

Chuck Norris doesn t wash his clothes, he disembowels them.

A Handicapped parking sign does not signify that this spot is for handicapped
people. It is actually in fact a warning, that the spot belongs to Chuck Norris
and that you will be handicapped if you park there.

Chuck Norris will attain statehood in 2009. His state flower will be the
Magnolia.

Someone once videotaped Chuck Norris getting pissed off. It was called Walker:
Texas Chain Saw Masacre.

If you spell Chuck Norris in Scrabble, you win. Forever.

Chuck Norris originally appeared in the "Street Fighter II" video game, but was
removed by Beta Testers because every button caused him to do a roundhouse kick.
When asked bout this "glitch," Norris replied, "That's no glitch."

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool Chuck Norris once and he will fuck you up.

The opening scene of the movie "Saving Private Ryan" is loosely based on games
of dodgeball Chuck Norris played in second grade.

Chuck Norris once shot down a German fighter plane with his finger, by yelling,
"Bang!"

Chuck Norris once bet NASA he could survive re-entry without a spacesuit. On
July 19th, 1999, a naked Chuck Norris re-entered the earth's atmosphere,
streaking over 14 states and reaching a temperature of 3000 degrees. An
embarrassed NASA publically claimed it was a meteor, and still owes him a beer.

Chuck Norris has two speeds: Walk and Kill.

Someone once tried to tell Chuck Norris that roundhouse kicks aren't the best
way to kick someone. This has been recorded by historians as the worst mistake
anyone has ever made.

Contrary to popular belief, America is not a democracy, it is a Chucktatorship.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is based on a true story: Chuck Norris once
swallowed a turtle whole, and when he crapped it out, the turtle was six feet
tall and had learned karate.

Chuck Norris is not hung like a horse... horses are hung like Chuck Norris.

Faster than a speeding bullet ... more powerful than a locomotive ... able to
leap tall buildings in a single bound... yes, these are some of Chuck Norris's
warm-up exercises.

Chuck Norris is the only human being to display the Heisenberg uncertainty
principle -- you can never know both exactly where and how quickly he will
roundhouse-kick you in the face.

In the Bible, Jesus turned water into wine. But then Chuck Norris turned that
wine into beer.

Chuck Norris can hit you so hard that he can actually alter your DNA. Decades
from now your descendants will occasionally clutch their heads and yell "What
The Fuck was That?"

Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris discovered a new theory of relativity involving multiple universes
in which Chuck Norris is even more badass than in this one. When it was
discovered by Albert Einstein and made public, Chuck Norris roundhouse-kicked
him in the face. We know Albert Einstein today as Stephen Hawking.

Chuck Norris doesn't shower, he only takes blood baths.

The Chuck Norris military unit was not used in the game Civilization 4, because
a single Chuck Norris could defeat the entire combined nations of the world in
one turn.

In an average living room there are 1,242 objects Chuck Norris could use to kill
you, including the room itself.

According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, the Native American "Trail of Tears"
has been redefined as anywhere that Chuck Norris walks.

The Dan Harrington Poker Tournament System

The Dan Harrington Poker Tournament System

Dan Harrington has written a book about poker in which he introduced a system for online poker tournaments. His book is called “Harrington on Hold'em, Volume II: The Endgame”. The system this book brings forward is called the Zone System and it basically splits up a tournament into various zones that depend on the stack of each player in comparison to the antes and the small and big blinds. You will enter a zone when you get the appropriate value to fit in it and you will play in each zone accordingly, applying different strategies for each and every one of them.

Harrington divided the players by a criteria based on comparing the amount of the money players have to the starting pot. So if you have $1500 and the blinds are $50/$100 and there are no antes required in this game then your money is equivalent to 10 times the starting pot. This value has been referred to by Harrington as the zone indicator and it has been abbreviated as “M”.

Zone 1 – Green Zone where M is 20 or more

Once you are in the green zone it means that you have sufficient money to play as you wish. This is mainly why it is called the green zone, because you can use any weapon, strategy or betting style you want. Here you must balance the way you play so that you will both protect and raise the amount of money you have in the stack. You can afford to play either tight or loose, whatever suits best your purposes.

Zone 2 – Yellow Zone where M is 11 – 19

Once you got here, it means you lost some money and you cannot play any more passively. You have to get aggressive with certain hands so you can get back on track. Risks are required because this is a tournament and you are directly competing with others in order to win real money. Also, you lose the ability to play some hand that cannot get you the implied odds necessary for a profit. You simply have to increase your stack again so you can play freely.

Zone 3 – Orange Zone where M is 6 – 10

If you are in this zone you are beginning to find yourself in serious trouble. You now can go and bet only when you are sure you can afford it. You will mostly check and call even if you have a winning hand because you might not have the stack to do more than that. You can even try to reserve all your chips for a move that you get you boosted, like an all-in move, but be careful and make this move only if you are sure of the positive outcome. Avoid all marginal calls and drawing hands that can get you in trouble and can make you lose gain because you really can’t take another loss.

Zone 4 – Red Zone where M is 1 – 5

If you managed to drop till here then you have no chances beside the all-in move. Because if you try and bet, even minimum, you will be obliged to play the hand and other player will try to take you out even if they can’t beat the hand. When your m is less than 3 you must expect to get called by players when you go all in. So, act accordingly and play if possible only the winning hand, the hand that will get you the pot after that all-in bet because that is the only chance you stand right now if you want to play further in this tournament.

Zone 5 – Dead Zone where M is less than 1

Once in the dead zone, you are probably out of the tournament or will be in a couple of minutes. You need an extreme luck to get back on track and you also need to play on a table with players that will not pay attention at all to your stack chips and therefore won’t try to get you out of the game. Wait until you are first in and move in with any cards you have at that moment. And then, if you get lucky you can win something. If you don’t, you’ll lose knowing you tried your best.

Are you trying to be a stockbroker?

Crazy story about the NASD and the series 7 examination.  Imagine studying for this thing and relying on it to get a job with a brokerage company?  You finish your test, you think you aced it and then you hit the Submit button and it says you failed.  You don't get the job you always wanted because the brokerage firm now says you can't work with the Series 7.  You leave the company, start working at a Starbucks and then one day you get a letter saying that you actually passed the Series 7.  Now you go back to the brokerage firm asking for your job back and it's already been given to someone else. 

 

Here's the link and the story:

URL: http://www.thestreet.com/stocks/brokerages/10260570.html

 

 

NASD Flunks on Series 7
By TSC Staff
1/6/2006 12:53 PM EST

The NASD just flunked its own test.

The Washington-based securities industry self-regulator said 1,882 people wrongly got failing grades on the Series 7 broker qualification exam over a 15-month period.

NASD said a software error caused those test takers to get failing grades when they had actually passed. The regulator said the screwup affected only exams on the cusp of the pass/fail line. People who took the test between Oct. 1, 2004, and Dec. 20, 2005, were affected.

The error caused some test takers to score just below the minimum passing grade, the NASD said, adding that no one got a passing grade in error. NASD said 60,500 people took the exam during the period.

The NASD said more than 1,000 people who got the wrong score have already retaken the exam and passed. More than 600 have not as yet rescheduled an exam date, and just over 200 are scheduled to retake the exam.

"NASD will immediately notify the affected individuals and firms," said CEO Robert R. Glauber. "In addition, because the integrity of our testing program is fundamental, we have undertaken a full review of this issue and are putting in place enhanced quality control measures designed to prevent a future reoccurrence. As appropriate, we will communicate any corrective measures."

The NASD describes Series 7 as "an exam covering critical areas of securities markets, and the laws, regulations and responsibilities of registered representatives." Passing is a requirement for an individual to conduct securities business with the public.

$60 million winner take all poker tournament

This is crazy isn't it. A $10 million buy in. I'm sure Ivey and may be a few of the other folks are being staked by other "investors." I often hear other professional players calling Ivey the best tournament player around. It wouldn't be that bad I guess if you stake $1 million of the $10 million and get $6 million in return if he wins. Let's put it this way, Ivey's chances of winning is a lot better than yours or mine. These professional poker players are making so much these days, $1 million is like chump change to some of these guys.


LOS ANGELES (AP) - Six players will compete in a winner-take-all $60 million poker tournament next summer in what's believed to be the largest single-day payout in the history of sports on television.

Fox Sports Net and Mansionpoker.net reached agreement on a three-year deal, with the pots growing to $75 million in 2007 and $100 million in 2008 for the one-day competitions at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia.

The first tournament is scheduled July 12 and will last at least six hours and perhaps up to 10 hours, according to George Greenberg, the executive vice president of programming and production for FSN.

"This event will transcend poker in the United States and take on a global platform,'' Greenberg said Monday. ``It'll be the largest single payday in the history of sports and will turn the poker world on its ear."

Phil Ivey, who has a reputation as one of the world's best Texas Hold 'em players, will be one of the six taking part. Identity of the others will be announced later, Greenberg said, adding that the entry fee for each of the six is $10 million.

Poker has grown greatly in popularity since television became involved in recent years. FSN, ESPN, NBC-TV, the Travel Channel, GSN and Bravo have all presented TV series.

Perhaps the most popular televised event has been the World Series of Poker. Joseph Hachem of Australia collected $7.5 million for winning the main event of the 36th World Series in Las Vegas last summer. A field of 5,619 entered the $10,000 buy-in Texas Hold 'em tournament. Each of the nine players who reached the final table won at least $1 million.

Two great magazine deals!

Two-year subscription to Maxim magazine for $2

 

netMagazines.com offers a two-year subscription to Maxim for $22.  Take $20 off via coupon code "DCMPS20D" - for a net price of $2 ($1 per year).  To get this deal, select the 24 issues choice.  (Don't add two of the 12 issues.)  It may take up to 12 weeks for your first issue to arrive.  This offer is also valid for subscription renewals.

 

 

MagsForLess.com's Men's Magazine Pack: FHM, Maxim, and Stuff for $6.99

 

MagsForLess.com offers its Men's Magazine Package, which includes one-year subscriptions to FHM, Maxim, and Stuff for $6.99 via coupon code "CMDF192". It's by far the lowest total price we've seen for this particular bundle. No expiration date is given.

 

Interesting excerpt from Secrets of the Millionaire Mind book

This book compares the rich to the poor with these assertions:

1. Rich people believe "I create my life." Poor people
believe, "Life happens to me."
2. Rich people play the money game to win. Poor people
play the money game to not lose.
3. Rich people are committed to being rich. Poor people
want to be rich.
4. Rich people think big. Poor people think small.
5. Rich people focus on opportunities. Poor people focus
on obstacles.
6. Rich people admire other rich and successful people.
Poor people resent rich and successful people.
7. Rich people associate with positive, successful
people. Poor people associate with negative or
unsuccessful people.
8. Rich people are willing to promote themselves and their
value. Poor people think negatively about selling and
promotion.
9. Rich people are bigger than their problems. Poor
people are smaller than their problems.
10. Rich people are excellent receivers. Poor people are
poor receivers.
11. Rich people choose to get paid based on results. Poor
people choose to get paid based on time.
12. Rich people think "both." Poor people
think "either/or."
13. Rich people focus on their net worth. Poor people
focus on their working income.
14. Rich people manage their money well. Poor people
mismanage their money well.
15. Rich people have their money work hard for them. Poor
people work hard for their money.
16. Rich people act in spite of fear. Poor people let fear
stop them.
17. Rich people constantly learn and grow. Poor people
think they already know.

How would you like a call from Santa Claus for $25?

What do you think about getting a call from Santa Claus?  This guy has created a site where you can have Santa call your kids or an adult.  You can schedule this call for before December 1st, between the 1st and the 23rd, on the 24th or on Christmas day.  He charges different prices for calls; the closer you are to Christmas the more expensive the call.  $9.99 for calls before December 1st and up to $24.99 for calls on Christmas day.  You're probably thinking the same thing I am... this guy can't be making any money.  But you know what, you gotta give this guy some props because these days, it's all about coming up with that idea that no one else has come up with.  Even if this site doesn't make money, at least its gotten him and his website some publicity.

 

Welcome to Santa Calls Me!!!

Christmas is a wonderful time of year: a time for family, a time for giving and a time for magic.. Nothing brings the Christmas spirit more than Santa Claus.. At Santa Calls Me, we create a vivid personal memory with a call directly from Santa.

With the information you provide, we are able to make a personal connection with your child and spread Christmas cheer right through the phone.

There are very few things a child will carry with them into adulthood. But the memories of Christmas and the magic of Santa Claus are some of those things.. At Santa Calls Me we strive to make this time of year as magical as possible for your boy or girl.

We have no automated services.. All calls are made live at the time you schedule. And there is a 100% guarantee.. If the call isn't everything you thought it would be, we will give you your money back.

Santa Calls Me also makes calls to adults.

$950 drink!!!

Here's a crazy article talking about a $950 alcoholic drink.  I mean, com'mon, who would pay that much for a damn drink.  Of course, this drink comes with a one carat grade A ruby.  Along with the ruby, you get a splash of Dom Perignon champagne and some Grey Goose vodka.  Apparently, several of people have already purchased this drink.  The drink recipe comes at the end of the story.

 

CHICAGO (AFP) - A jeweler turned drink designer has made a splash in the Chicago bar scene with a new cocktail that costs a whopping 950 dollars.

The Ruby Red is a tangy mix of vodka, champagne, cognac, pomegranate liqueur and orange juice.

And it comes complete with a one-carat, grade-A ruby.

"We kind of were playing with an idea that someone could come in and have something to celebrate and remember the night by," said Pete Gugni, a manager at the trendy Reserve club in downtown Chicago.

Gugni said the club wanted to come up with something more memorable than opening a bottle of champagne.

"That's where the stone comes in - at the end of the night they can take it home."

Gugni spent a few years as a jeweler after he graduated from art school, but switched to managing a bar because he got bored sitting behind a desk all day.

He used his old connections to buy the cocktail gems wholesale, and says they can easily be turned into a ring, pendant or earrings.

So far, he has sold three.

The first was to an out-of-town businessman who quietly ordered it for the woman sitting with him at a table.

The next was a Reserve regular who bought one for his girlfriend.

The third was an extravagant club promoter in his 20s who bought it to impress a first date. The man made a big show of handing it to the woman and warned her to watch out for a surprise at the bottom of her martini glass.

"She was loving it," Gugni said. "All her friends were looking at it trying to see the stone."

Coming up with a recipe for the drink took a lot of experimenting behind the bar with the club's servers acting as a test market.

"We wanted to use pomegranate because it's hitting a popular trend with the antioxidants, and orange is really good with that," Gugni explained.

Dom Perignon champagne added a certain 'je-ne-sais-quoi', while using the Grey Goose orange vodka brought a smooth and silky kick.

"It's not a really heavy or sweet drink. It's got more of a tart taste."

Nobody has ordered the drink without the ruby yet. Gugni figures he would charge around 120 or 130 dollars for a gem-less Ruby Red, to cover the cost of uncorking the champagne.

But even at that price, they won't get the whole bottle - they just get a splash.

To make a Red Ruby, stir together these ingredients (the gemstone is optional):

- 1.5 ounces Grey Goose L'Orange vodka

- 0.5 ounce Hpnotiq cognac

- 0.5 ounce orange juice

- 0.25 ounce Pama (pomegranate) liqueur

- a splash Dom Perignon champagne

Crazy Video of Free Climbing

This guy is crazy. I don't know if this is doctored video or not but it looks legit. This guy climbs a verticle mountain in a matter of minutes. How do you think this guy practices for this? You think he goes to the local Dick's sporting goods store and climbs that fake wall? Watch this and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Online poker winnings... taxable?

This is a very interesting topic. With the uprising of online poker and internet gambling, how many people do you think are really keeping track of their wins and losses? There must be millions and millions of online poker players these days. Ads for online poker rooms are popping up left and right. These ads are on radio, espn, magazines... it's everywhere. Poker is not a "new trend" that will go away. It will stay and only get bigger and better.



Topic 419 - Gambling Income and Expenses

Gambling winnings are fully taxable and must be reported on your tax return. You must file Form 1040 (PDF) and include all of your winnings on line 21.

Gambling income includes, but is not limited to, winnings from lotteries, raffles, horse races, and casinos. It includes cash winnings and also the fair market value of prizes such as cars and trips. For additional information, refer to Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income.

If you receive $600 or more in gambling winnings, the payer generally is required to issue you a Form W-2G (PDF). If you have won more than $5,000, the payer generally is required to withhold 25% of the proceeds for Federal Income Tax. If you did not provide your social security number the payer may have to withhold 28%. For more information on withholding, refer to Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax.

You can deduct gambling losses only if you itemize deductions. Claim your gambling losses as a miscellaneous deduction on Schedule A Form 1040, line 27.

However, the amount of losses you deduct cannot be more than the amount of gambling income you have reported on your return. It is important to keep an accurate diary or similar record of your gambling winnings and losses. To deduct your losses, you must be able to provide receipts, tickets, statements or other records that show the amount of both your winnings and losses. Refer to Publication 529, Miscellaneous Deductions, for more information.

Great quotes from a young millionaires

These are some great quotes from young millionaires. Babak is the founder of Multivision, millionaire at age 32 and Ryan is only 29 years old. I need to listen to the advice given here and go with it, especially Ryan's comment about just doing it. I've spoken to many people in the corporate world who always "dream" of starting their own business and making it big... including myself. Sometimes, i have to take my own advice and just do it. You gotta take the risk to get the big reward. Sometimes that means giving up what you have for something bigger. If it doesn't work out, then try again. I don't want to sound like a cliche but you have to fail to succeed.

Babak's comment is also well taken. Entrepreneurs need to let the workers operate the business and they need to grow the business. The business owners shouldn't be involved in the day to day operations because it takes away their focus on the bigger picture, which is the direction of the business itself. The vision of where the business is going is what's important in building a successful company.

"I think what separates a business owner and somebody with true entrepreneurial spirit is a business owner makes the mistake of working for their business where they go in every day and do the tasks that the business requires. What I've done is I have enough people that are working in the business on a day-to-day business that it gives me the opportunity every single day to work on the business. I go in and try to figure out what the next thing is for the business, making improvements every day.

"One way I do that is once a week I get away from the office. If you have a management team, get them away from the office so they're not in that environment and then you can really say, let's work on the business. Nothing keeps the entrepreneurial spirit alive better than committing yourself to make an improvement to the company everyday."--Babak Farahi, 32, founder of Multivision Inc., an Oakland, California, company that records and broadcasts coverage for clients

I would definitely say, stealing the Nike thing, just do it. There are so many people I've met over the years who've really had a good business idea, something that was maybe a hobby of theirs [or] something they were passionate about, and they just never did it. And I think fear is a factor for a lot of people for not entering the business arena. But absolutely do it."--Ryan Duques, 29, co-founder of Shore Publishing, the publisher of 16 community newspapers in Connecticut and Rhode Island

Early Sit and Go Strategies by Phil Gordon

Great article by the poker pro, Phil Gordon on sit and go poker tournaments. I like playing sit and go's because they are quick compared to the full tournaments. It's also a good way to practice your online tournament strategy.

One of the best ways to practice this bedeviling game is to play "sit-and-go" single-table tournaments on the Internet. I play many of these things a week, at many different stakes, on Full Tilt Poker every week. Playing an S&G tournament will give you final table experience -- to win, you'll have to perform well in full table situations and constantly adjust your strategy and tactics as the play becomes increasingly shorthanded. In my mind, there is no better training tool available for the serious student of the game.

At Full Tilt Poker, the sit-and-go tournaments have a generous structure: nine-handed play, six-minute levels (about 15 hands per level). Three players are "paid" with about 50 percent of the prize money being awarded for first place, 30 percent for second place, and 20 percent for third place. All players start with 1,500 in tournament chips.

Early level thoughts and play:
15/30 Level: I play very, very tight during the first level while I'm getting a feel for the table. At the lower limits (100 buy-in and below) there are always a few players at the table that are maniacal. I try to stay out of the way of these guys unless I get a big hand. I'm not scared to put the chips in the pot with pocket aces, kings, queens or ace-king, but I'm not looking to commit a large part of my stack before the flop without one of these premium hands. I'm looking for betting patterns here that I can exploit at critical stages of the tournament -- I'm particularly looking for players that play a very loose, aggressive game from late position. I note these players and plan to take advantage of them later. It will not surprise me to see one player eliminated at this level, but one or two players eliminated early will not change my strategy of tight play.

20/40 Level: Again, I play very tight. It will be rare that I'll have to post more than three total sets of blinds by the end of this level -- if I fold every single hand in the 15/30 and 20/40 level, I'll still have, on average, about 1,350 in chips at the end of this level. In my experience, the average number of players remaining at the end of this level is about eight: tight is still right.

25/50 Level: I have a tight image now, and I'm ready to make my first move. If a loose player "limps" into the pot in middle or late position, I'm willing to raise and try to win the pot from superior position. I'm willing to try to steal the blinds from late position as well. Remember, I've been playing absurdly tight for the first two levels, so my raises will get some respect.

30/60 Level: This is a very, very small increase in blinds from the previous level. Much of the strategy from the 25/50 level still applies. I am very careful here to not raise the blinds of short-stacked opponents without a premium hand. Short stacks here will be about 350-500. If I raise a player with that stack and they move in, I'm 100 percent committed to calling them because I'll almost always be getting the correct odds to do so. However, having a sub-premium hand in this spot is a recipe for becoming a short stack. I'll take a shot at stealing the blinds if it presents itself.

40/80 Level: By this time, there are usually seven players left in the tournament. I'm going to loosen up my starting hand requirements just a bit, but I'm still going to be very selective preflop from early position. Remember, this is an extremely small increase in blinds from the previous level. I no longer consider limping a valid strategy preflop. If I'm ever going to play a hand and I'm the first to voluntarily commit chips to the pot, I'm raising.

50/100 Level: Usually, there are five or six players left in the tournament at this level. That puts the average chip stack at around 2,600 or so. Players are not feeling the "squeeze" unless they have about 1,000 in chips or fewer. But I still have to loosen up a bit because the blinds are coming around very quickly. "Sitting out" for the entire level will be catastrophic to the stack -- I'll lose at least three sets of blinds for a combined 450 loss should I get too tight here. I try to pick up at least one blind steal during this level. If there are still seven or eight players left in the tournament, realize that big conflicts are coming -- a raise and a reraise virtually force the players all-in.

Phil Gordon is a World Poker Tour champion, host of Bravo's "Celebrity Poker Showdown," and plays online exclusively at FullTiltPoker. Phil Gordon's educational poker DVD, "Final Table Poker", is available at ExpertInsight.net and his new "Little Green Book" is available now.

Interesting article from Reuters

This is an interesting article from Reuters that talks about how a man who lost $900 million by investing in a stock (WorldCom) that was recommended by a Citigroup analyst. This is interesting b/c it would make ALL stock analysts responsible for all their recommendations. Could you imagine if the investor won this case? Every person who has ever followed a stock by an analyst would be able to sue the analyst who recommended it.Citigroup wins $900 million case

NEW YORK (Reuters) - In a major legal victory for Citigroup Inc. , an arbitration panel last week ruled against a $900 million claim from an investor who said he lost money by relying on allegedly flawed research issued by the bank.

A Citigroup spokesman on Thursday said a National Association of Securities Dealers panel rejected the claim of Donald Sturm, a wealthy Colorado investor who argued he held on to nearly 21 million WorldCom Inc. shares because former Citigroup analyst Jack Grubman highly recommended the company.

Citigroup argued that Sturm was a knowledgeable investor and should take responsibility for his decision. Arbitration hearings are held in private and the panel didn't disclose reasons for its ruling.

"We are very pleased with the panel's decision, as well as with what has been quite a favorable success rate for these claims, in general," spokeswoman Shannon Bell said.

Grubman drew fire for touting WorldCom even as shares of the long-distance company, now MCI Inc. , collapsed. Grubman, who helped Citigroup land many millions of dollars in investment banking fees, resigned under pressure in August 2002.

In the Sturm case, one of the largest of its kind filed against a Wall Street firm, the investor tried to demonstrate a direct link to Grubman and to prove that the research was flawed, according to a Wall Street Journal report on the panel's decision on Thursday.

New York and federal regulators settled with Grubman in April 2003, fining him $15 million and barring him for life from the securities industry.

Citigroup also at that time agreed to pay $400 million as part of a $1.4 billion settlement among 10 banks accused of issuing tainted research to help their firms win banking business.

Retirement plan contribution limits

Traditional IRA

Year Maximum Regular IRA Contribution Catch-up Contribution ***

2002 $3,000 $500

2003 $3,000 $500

2004 $3,000 $500

2005 $4,000 $500

2006 $4,000 $1,000

2007 $4,000 $1,000

2008 $5,000 $1,000

Roth IRA

Year Maximum Roth IRA Contribution Catch-up Contribution ***

2002 $3,000 $500

2003 $3,000 $500

2004 $3,000 $500

2005 $4,000 $500

2006 $4,000 $1,000

2007 $4,000 $1,000

2008 $5,000 $1,000

Simple IRA

Year Maximum Simple IRA Contribution Catch-up Contribution ***

2002 $7,000 $500

2003 $8,000 $1,000

2004 $9,000 $1,500

2005 $10,000 $2,000

2006 $10,000 $2,500

2007 Indexed to Inflation Indexed to Inflation

401 K Plans

Year Annual 401K Contribution Limits Catch-up Contribution ***

2002 $11,000 $1,000

2003 $12,000 $2,000

2004 $13,000 $3,000

2005 $14,000 $4,000

2006 $15,000 $5,000

2007 Indexed to Inflation Indexed to Inflation

403 B Plans

Year Annual 403B Contribution Limits Catch-up Contribution ***

2002 $11,000 $1,000

2003 $12,000 $2,000

2004 $13,000 $3,000

2005 $14,000 $4,000

2006 $15,000 $5,000

2007 Indexed to Inflation Indexed to Inflation

Section 457 Plans

Year Annual 457 Contribution Limits Catch-up Contribution ***

2002 $11,000 $1,000

2003 $12,000 $2,000

2004 $13,000 $3,000

2005 $14,000 $4,000

2006 $15,000 $5,000

Simplified Employee Pension SEP Plans

Year SEP Contribution Limits MAX Considered Compensation

2002 $40,000 $200,000

2003 $40,000 $200,000

2004 $41,000 $205,000

2005 $42,000 $210,000