HoundsGood

My uncle used to day trade. He would buy in the morning and decide by his gut when the stock might rise just a little. Then he would immediately sell. He believed all investing was a gamble. He didn’t want the money to grow over time, but just wanted to take the money and run, even if it was $1 more. What thrilled him was not really the gamble, but the feeling that he had insider info and had an “angle” on everything, as he sniffed out every internet rumor and whisper in the grocery line to determine just what the hot stock might be.
He walked away after the fun wore off for him, but there are many people who are addicted to it. Another newer form of quickly buying and selling investments is binary trading. You basically gamble on a stock going up. It is called a binary trade because the investor gets the cash, or walks away with nothing. Unlike traditional stocks, you don’t retain the stocks, even if they are low, to hold on to for another day in hopes they will go up in the long term. For example, you can invest a certain amount per share speculating that a stock will touch a certain threshold, and if it does, you receive a payout, and if not, you lose your money.

If you are not careful, you can lose a lot of money and it is especially perilous for those with a gambling addiction pointing to it as an “investment.”

Binary investing originated in European markets and has caught on elsewhere. For those careful with their money, it should be a clue that many holding companies and brokerage are based in Cyprus. One, cedarfinance.com, is actually based in Germany, so its a bit easier to redeem one’s money.

If you have a loved one in recovery who is turning their life around by investing rather than gambling, pay close attention that the money is in savings, CD or 401K and they are not venturing into a potentially addictive practice that they are pointing towards as “investing.” To some it is, but to others, it is legitimized betting which bird flies off the wire first.

This post brought to you by Vipre. All opinions are 100% mine.

I haven't paid much attention to internet security for Windows lately, as I primarily use a Mac. However, on the road I use a Netbook and because I don't use it every single day, I haven't updated much, but even a small trojan can overload its small memory banks. I decided to download a free trial VIPRE Internet Security to see if it made a difference.

The program alerted me to other security software I had loaded and wanted me to delete it. Apparently, it works better to have one security monitoring software at a time.

I opted to keep what I had for now until I put VIPRE through its paces. I wasn't ready to let go of others just in case. It took a try or two to get things working properly, mostly for reasons that were not the fault of VIPRE. There were compatibility issues with my computer's updater and Windows, which I'll have to look into soon. Once the computer was restarted, VIPRE got to work, and ferretted out some relatively benign tracking cookies so far. (The HoundsGood hound would love to dispose of those. Whoops. wrong kind.)

The software pretty much worked in the background. Luckily, the software did not find any major threats so far.

When you download the software trial, an email comes offering $10 the full version when the trial expires in thirty days. Time will tell if I receive a high volume or reminders.

I'll report back soon to let you know if the software found anything else.

This post brought to you by Vipre. All opinions are 100% mine.

I haven't paid much attention to internet security for Windows lately, as I primarily use a Mac. However, on the road I use a Netbook and because I don't use it every single day, I haven't updated much, but even a small trojan can overload its small memory banks. I decided to download a free trial VIPRE Internet Security to see if it made a difference.

The program alerted me to other security software I had loaded and wanted me to delete it. Apparently, it works better to have one security monitoring software at a time.

I opted to keep what I had for now until I put VIPRE through its paces. I wasn't ready to let go of others just in case. It took a try or two to get things working properly, mostly for reasons that were not the fault of VIPRE. There were compatibility issues with my computer's updater and Windows, which I'll have to look into soon. Once the computer was restarted, VIPRE got to work, and ferretted out some relatively benign tracking cookies so far. (The HoundsGood hound would love to dispose of those. Whoops. wrong kind.)

The software pretty much worked in the background. Luckily, the software did not find any major threats so far.

When you download the software trial, an email comes offering $10 the full version when the trial expires in thirty days. Time will tell if I receive a high volume or reminders.

I'll report back soon to let you know if the software found anything else.

Wishing you and ALL of yours a blessed Easter from HoundsGood.com

(Above: Today the HoundsGood hound is a horse, “Carmel.”)

Whether you rescued a horse in a pinch from a neighbor, run a sanctuary, or are a lifelong horse owner, review your deworming regimen. Unlike the heartworm preventative protocol for dogs, worming frequency depends on living conditions and not just the environmental region. In the past, common wisdom dictated a worming schedule of every other month. Now, many vets and horse caregivers recommend the administration of horse wormers every six months, with a few exceptions. The reason for the change is larvae resistance to the dewormers, which poison them.

If a horse is kept alone with little contact with other horses, or is turned out in a shared corral where the manure is frequently picked up, the six month regimen usually suffices. However, if the horse is kept with many others or the corral is not cleaned, the vet may recommend worming every two to three months. Check with your vet for the individual needs of your horse, and to select the type. After that, it is easy to buy online.

To further prevent infestation, worm all horses at the same time, rather than staggering the administration over several months. Also, never keep weanlings or mares with their foals in the same pasture or stalls as other adult horses. The young ones are more susceptible to infestation that way.

If you can, limit the number of horses per grazing acre. Fence in a few more feet or open up another part of the pasture. With limited space, you might be limited on how many horses you can rescue, but they may stay in better health

There is a perception that the average kid spends more time interacting with a video game then they do practicing a physical sport. I recall a snippet of a Dr. Katz episode where one comedian explained the species of their children was “indoor children.” Not all kids are attracted to sports, but an organized sport does teach problem solving and team building as well as it teaches a physical skill. I have met a few people that argue that video games do not isolate children, but teach them skills. But can they teach someone to be better at baseball or soccer?

A 2010 study conducted by the Office of Naval Research concludes that cognitive ability and problem solve skills increase among video game players than non-players. But do the games really improve the skills or are the people attracted to them merely are naturally higher skilled in these areas? A similar University of Rochester study concurs that the speed of cognitive skills are also increased.

While hand/eye coordination improves, can you really play soccer ( maybe play with the looney tunes characters instead of other kids) and truly test your feet skills, or have fun with virtual ice games and know how to play hockey? When the action moves out of the hand, and into the extremities, does the body follow?

A game might teach you rules, but the skill doesn’t necessarily translate to one’s legs and hands when one sets a skate on the ice. In fact, I argue that online games may set a child up for disappointment when a very false sense of their abilities are fostered.

Video games do not replace court time for building skill or winning games, but they may teach a groundwork of the sport’s rules. Video games typically have a strict guidelines for penalties, fouls and other infractions, and a child may intellectually come to understand then and translate them to the physical game.  Also, at home, a sports game can give a child practice at taking turns with grace, since not all the other children on the team were taught the same.

But they don’t need 40 hours a week on the computer or Wii to learn them.

Do you encourage or discourage your child to play video games? Do you think some games go hand in hand with other learning, or do they erode learning?

Valentine’s Day morphed into Valentine’s weekend, as it fell on a Friday and a few people had the day off on President’s Day. Albeit a somewhat Hallmark holiday, more couples were out sipping sodas with two straws than throwing confetti at busts of George Washington. Some Favorite Oldies Love Songs were played all weekend on the radio. Eerily, some “oldies” were actually songs from the 80s.

A 1920s car is antique even if it is not 100 years old; a 1950s car is a “classic.” Cars from the 70s or 80s will never be “classics.” Rock and roll has only been around so long, so the concept of “oldies,” like the concept of a classic car, shouldn’t just keep creeping up, should it? It should be a finite era and that’s it. It’s all in the marketing, though. The more a nostalgic song remembered from the childhood of someone a little less…ahem…classic…thrown in here and there makes someone’s radio dial stay where its at. First cable, then digital radio and the internet has created a space and a following for extreme niches: Stations that only play 100% Beatles music, Eurodance of the 90s, “Chicago’s Choice for Greek Radio” or even a station described as “psychedelic stoner rock.”

The only thing missing is “Radio for dogs” (or cats). Selections include sounds of the refrigerator opening, bird chirps and the sounds from the dog park interrupted by occasional celebrity cover of “The Squeaky Deaky” song. It would be a hit…or crawl under your fingernails after the first hour or two.

Many golf course communities attract active retirees as well as working adults who either enjoy the pastime or appreciate the deed restrictions of the neighborhood. One might safely assume if you are plunking down funds in the high $100,000 to low $300,000 for a condo or a villa to own, that all pets are welcome. For properties as diverse as a PGA Port St Lucie, Florida, property to a homes dotting a more woodland setting, pets are usually welcome, but read the fine print. A higher ticket price does not always buy more freedom.

Communities that have units that are 600-1000 feet in dimension often restrict dogs to one…or maybe two. One could argue that four chihuahuas would be happy in that space, or three giant breed dogs that are slow moving so long as they get walks, but a large management company or condo association finds it taxing to rule on a case by case basis on hundreds of units and instead of having size restrictions, have found where the sweet spot for the average resident and the residents who do not have pets is. This could be based on the reasonable numbers of pets their green spaces and common spaces can support as well.

If you are looking to move into such a community with pets, read the restrictions first and choose the best place in the running that allows all of your pets. If you only have one pets and move somewhere where you think that the limit should be raised, do not move in with ten pets and expect to be accommodated. Rather, talk to other residents who feel the same and petition the board before you think about more pets. The change won’t be likely if only several residents agree, but it is a better option than setting out to violate the rules and then suffer when you are not accommodated.  If you live in a condo building or development that allows pets, and then changes its tune, usually your pets are grandfathered in if you purchased before the change.

I get hundreds of emails a month touting “work from home” opportunities. If given the choice, many folks would love to work from home to tend to a baby or pets while they are working. Of course, the time management factor can be much worse with so many more time stealers. Don’t answer ads asking you to stuff envelopes. Sure, you can make some money, but what you didn’t read is that you need to stuff 1,000 envelopes to make $2.00 and there isn’t an inserter machine in your living room.

Apart from a few scams, a few jobs exist where you can truly work from home or telecommute, but they are not easy money. Most of the careers involve opening your own business or contracting for someone else. There is no reality where a work from home job does not involve accountability to a customer or another entity. Most involve advanced training, but it comes with some independence.

1) Mortgage Broker. Not a true “work at home only” job, as sometimes you must meet with clients at a third party location for a personal touch, though it is not required. What is the best mortgage broker training? Make sure the course selected carries IRS approval.

2) Tax Preparer. Some large companies, such as Intuit, occasional contract independent tax preparers. Networking can bring personal clients, too.

3) Hobby-based businesses. Segue your hobby into a small business. Refinish furniture for neighbors or sew and design a clothing line. All work at home opps in this category require vision and dedication to become gainful, or do it just on occasion.

And…not so gainful…

4) Babysitter or dog sitter. If you are occupied with the care of a little one all day and only are able to carve a few hours out for concentrating on something else, caring for one other couple’s child or children or allowing another dog to hang out for the day may bring some extra cash. Some dogs need more than a daytime checkin due to medications taken or anxiety. Neither situation would bring a gainful income, unless you actually opened a daycare in your home or take on multiple dogs and supplement that with quick visits out to check on other pets and allowing overnight weekend guests.

Did you ever see some great solution for organizing your cleaning supplies, your coats, or even a dish or bedding pattern that you liked – only it was at a hotel or restaurant? Of course, there must be a secret place that all restaurant and hotel owners go to for their tidy metal carts and their fuss bedding – but that busing cart would really solve a problem. You envision a cart of blankets and toys to dole out to dogs at the rescue, or to cart your cleaning supplies around with. Truthfully, many just order Hotel Supplies Online and the big non-secret is ordinary folks like you and me can order them too.

A Hotel Amenities Supplier usually restricts the sale of some cooking appliances and friers to food related businesses due to liability concerns, but the only restriction outside of that is quantity. A home owner may not wish to buy a case of glasses, for example.

At left: Bussing cart, The “Clincher” mop and broom holder, both from PeachSuite Hotel Supply.