Better Concerts and Music

It has been often said that step one to becoming the best trader is an easy one — turn off the Television.

Top financial channel — and its competitors — will only cause you to dumber and poorer.

This comes as a shock to a lot of people. In fact, financial channels offer a gentle stream of well-credentialed professionals, men and women with impressive titles from major companies. Most hold PhDs, years of experience, or manage huge sums of funds. They look good. They sound sharp. They’ve insightful ideas and reams of arcane investment data tripping off their tongues.

How can following to them possibly make you a poorer trader?

Since the unstated premise behind these programs — which exist, certainly, on the way to sell advertising — is that people could be in a near-constant state of response:

“The market is making a new high today. What must investors perform now?”

“The Fed has left interest rates unchanged. What must investors perform now?

“GNP was up an unexpectedly strong 3.8 percent last quarter. What must traders perform at present?”

They bring on an analyst with a bullish view and another with a bearish one — on stocks, bonds, currencies, commodities, rates of interest, or the economy — allow them to square off for after sometime, after that cut to commercials. After sometime later, they come back and do it some more. This goes on every day, week after week, every year.

Why do a lot of smart, talented, educated people spend many hours staring blankly at the tube?

The short answer, not surprisingly, is we enjoy it.

But do we, really? Is watching TV more fulfilling than what you would be doing if you were not?

If you get particular concerning it, you will feel somewhat ridiculous. For instance, perhaps you have told yourself something like:
Gee, I actually need to get further exercise, however Dancing With the Stars is on in ten minutes.
I promised my daughter I’d educate her how to play chess, but these Seinfeld re-runs are very funny. It is long past time I ended in to go to my getting old grandmother, but I am unable to miss the game!
I promised for myself I would figure out how to play the piano this time, but in the week will be the finals of American Idol.
I actually do like to plant that garden. However I can not miss my soaps.
If we’re challenged, obviously, we have a lot of rationalizations.

Let a Television critic tell you that many of the programming is mindless junk and you will point to the learning stuff on The History Channel, Discovery, or National Geographic, regardless of whether that’s only a fraction of what you watch.

If he replies that you are still being subjected to several hours of commercials each week, you tell him you tape the shows and fast-forward through them.

If he counters that taping just permits you to consume even more television, you may all the time play your trump card: “Mind your own business.”

After all, you’re an adult. It’s your life to survive. It is possible to spend it any manner you like.

But, between South Park and Grey’s Anatomy, would you ever reflect on the way you’re spending it?

Regardless how nice the programming is — and let’s face it, some of it is excellent — otherwise how rapidly you fast-forward through the commercials, the time you spend in front of the tube is time you have not used up pursuing your goals, living out your desires, or simply interacting with another human being. If you are aged and companionless — or housebound for some other cause — that is different. But that does not describe the majority of us.

Twenty-five years before, Neil Postman warned of our consuming love affair with television in Amusing Ourselves to Death. In book — a jeremiad about the danger of turning serious conversations about politics, business, religion, and science into entertainment packages — he argues that TV is creating not the dystopia of George Orwell’s 1984 but rather of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World:

“Spiritual devastation is more likely to arrive from an enemy with a smiling face than from one whose countenance exudes suspicion and hate. In Huxleyan prophecy, Big Brother will not look at us, by his choice. We tend to watch him, by ours. There is no require for wardens or gates or Ministries of Truth. When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined like a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public talk becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people become an audience and their public business a vaudeville act, then a nation finds itself at risk.”

He concludes that we’d all be improved off if TV got worse, not better.

As per A.C. Nielsen, 99 percent of American households have television set. Two-thirds have at least 3. These sets are on an around of six hours and 47 minutes per day.

49 percentage of Americans polled say they spend too much time before the Television. It isn’t hard to determine why. The common viewer watches above 4 hours of TV daily. That is 2 months of non-stop TV-watching per year. Within a 65-year life, one may have used 9 years glued towards the tube.

You by now understand how little you’ll gain by watching a lot TV. But have you as well considered what it can be costing you?

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No matter the tone of the event you’re planning – reserved and dignified or wild and crazy – it is probable that not all the invitees will know each other well, if at all.  One of the best ways to break the ice and have fun is by playing trivia games based on the bride and/or groom, since the couple is probably the one thing all your guests will have in common and will be interested in.Keep reading to find out everything you need to know to organize your trivia games, from structure to questions – even prizes.

What Do You Know About the Bride/Couple

Write a quiz – either multiple choice or short answer – to hand out to guests as they walk in the door.These questions can be only about the bride (What sport did Anne play?  What is Anne’s favorite movie?  How old was Anne when she got her first kiss?), or about your friend and her fiancée (Who introduced Anne to James?Did Anne and James kiss good-bye on their first date? ).One way to find the winner is by simply collecting the quizzes after everyone has finished, or (which is likely to be more fun), give everyone someone else’s quiz to “grade” and see who won.
How Well Do You Know Your Fiancée

You can also meet with the groom a few days before the party and have him answer questions that you think the bride might be able to answer, too.  During the party, have the bride sit in a chair in the middle of the room and ask her the same questions, announcing to everyone the answers that her fiancée provided.  This can result in some flattering surprises for the bride, and if a question is particularly interesting or controversial, gives her the chance to tell anecdotes.What is James’s biggest pet peeve?What did James first notice about you?

What Should the Questions Be About

Make sure you don’t lose sight of your guests and the type of gathering you’re planning.Bachelorette parties are usually more provocative than bridal showers.The relationship of the guests to the bride should be the deciding factor when you consider more risqué questions.To avoid subjecting your friend to unnecessary discomfort, only ask questions you would feel comfortable having your own mother-in-law know the answer to.The idea is to create an environment where everyone feels interested in the topics, but not uncomfortable with the amount of disclosure. Some other cool things for you shower might include free baby shower ideas, baby shower hostess gifts or baby shower invitations.

Think of some Good Prizes!

When you select prizes, make sure to think about the type of event you are having, and the tastes of your guests.All of the following options are quite inexpensive.If your event is not of the “naughty” variety, you can still choose prizes which are a tiny bit sexy, such as fragrant bubble bath or an assortment of chocolates.If your party is more on the wild side, you can get as explicit as you feel your guests will enjoy – scented condoms or flavored lubricant might be an option.
Playing trivia games is a guaranteed way to ensure that both the bride and her guests will have as much fun as possible – without you having to break the bank.