Things We Can Do To Save The Environment - Issue No. 16 - Pay Your Bills Online

I bet you didn't know that by paying your bills online you're helping the environment.  Think about it.  Every time you get a bill in the mail, your statement is printed on 1 to 6 sheets of paper.  Imagine all the trees you could save by accepting your bill electronically.

Ryan and I pay our bills online, but it wasn't until 2 or 3 months ago that we stopped all the paper nonsense.  Another thing to mark off our "Saving our Environment" list!!

Giving credit to TIME,  I'd like to thank them for showing us the many ways we can help save the environment.  Just one person can make a difference, and it starts with YOU!
 
                                                   ~ Peter aka Blade7184  

16. Pay Your Bills Online

Eliminating your paper trail by banking and paying bills online does more than save trees. It also helps reduce fuel consumption by the trucks and planes that transport paper checks. If every U.S. home viewed and paid its bills online, the switch would cut solid waste by 1.6 billion tons a year and curb greenhouse-gas emissions by 2.1 million tons a year, according to Javelin Strategy & Research. Worried about security? Don't be. Just ignore e-mails "phishing" for personal data, and monitor all (electronic) statements for any unauthorized debits. Report problems immediately, and your credit won't take the hit. To avoid unnecessary carbon dioxide-emitting car trips to the bank on payday, ask your employer to directly deposit your paycheck. You'll get your money faster that way too.
 

Make sure to follow Blade 7184 every Tuesday for a new issue of Things We Can Do To Save The Environment.  Each issue is thought-provoking, informative and may hold the key to saving your children and grandchildren's future.  Please feel free to click on my logo to read previous issues.

Crimes of the Century - No. 18 - The Collapse of Barings Bank, 1995

THE COLLAPSE OF BARINGS BANK, 1995

 

Barings was the oldest investment bank in Britain, listing among its clients the Queen herself. 

Indeed, the bank's pedigree was so distinguished that it did not have a logo, it had a crest. And yet, in order to survive in the late 20th century, Barings called on young, not necessarily upper-class go-getters who knew how to work the new instruments of global finance like derivatives. Among these hungry young climbers was Nick Leeson, the son of a council estates plasterer.

Starting in Barings' back office, he proved himself adept at understanding the derivatives market and soon found himself stationed in Singapore, betting on market shifts around the world. At one point, his speculations accounted for 10% of Barings profits. He was a star. But he also knew how to manipulate the internal system and created a secret Barings account whose losses the bank automatically covered. He started risking huge amounts of money on the Nikkei, betting that the Japanese stock market would go up. Instead it went crashing down with a gigantic earthquake in Kobe on Jan. 17, 1995. Leeson's losses mounted quickly until he realized they would swamp not only him but all of Barings. And indeed it did. They came to more than $1 billion, an amount the bank could not cover. It collapsed that March and was bought by the Dutch financial company ING for one British pound. Leeson fled but was extradited to Singapore where he served six and a half years for fraud. He is now the manager of a soccer team in Scotland.

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It's crazy to go back and read about something like this.  Especially knowing that none of the banks who had a part in our financial crisis a few years ago will ever be prosecuted.  The statute of limitations for fraud or federal offenses is only 5 years.  This means they'll be getting away from their money laundering, securities fraud and interest-rate rigging schemes.  To read more about Barings Bank, go here. Or to read more about our financial crisis, go here.  Sources: Time, NYT, Wikipedia

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TIME Magazine posted this article online several years ago, along with a list of 24 additional notorious crimes that I have been posting and will continue to post every Saturday on my blog.  Hope you enjoy.

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To read the previous 17 crimes - click my logo below.

 

Crimes of the Century - No. 17 - The O.J. Simpson Case

THE O.J. SIMPSON CASE, 1994

 

So ingrained are the details of the saga in living memory that it is, perhaps, pointless to summarize them. The impression is of a hydra-headed debauch: it was a classic Hollywood celebrity legal melodrama; a race-relations story; a marriage-gone-acrid; a foray into detective work and into genetics; a primer on the jury system; proof of the overwhelming profits to be made from tabloid TV; a domestic tragedy with feuding families; a comedy of errors with irritating consequences. If the Crime of the Century has to be a congeries of issues and emotions, then this is the contemporary champion. Indeed, it was done twice because much of the public needed an alternative ending: the first jury acquitting; the second jury finding civil wrong. And the saga is relived again and again whenever Simpson decides it is time to get more attention (as he did at the end of 2006 with a proposed but unpublished book that speculated on what he might have done if he were indeed the murderer). The only tragic thing is that no one has seen prison for the horrendous murder of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman on the night of June 12, 1994.

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I remember watching everything unfold as I sat at home glued to my television set.  Like everyone else at the time, I wanted to know what would happen to the pro-football player, turned actor, turned sportscaster, who I assumed was the killer.  And still do.  Simpson eventually got arrested, but not for this; He got arrested for stealing items that once belonged to him.  Unfortunately for him, he went about it the wrong way - he did it Mafioso style. LOL.  For those who were not born at the time, or want to read about this dramatic story, go here.

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TIME Magazine posted this article online several years ago, along with a list of 24 additional notorious crimes that I have been posting and will continue to post every Saturday on my blog.  Hope you enjoy.

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To read the previous 16 crimes - click my logo below.

 

Daylight Saving Time Explained

It's that time of year again.  Time to move your clocks forward one hour.  Yep, you'll be losing an hour of sleep and an extra hour at the bar.  LOL.  How many of you actually know why we even have Daylight Saving Time?  

If you've ever been curious, this video does a great job of explaining it.  The questions is... should we even have this ridiculous time change every six months, year after year? 

From the same guy who brought you  "2012 & The End of The World," comes this excellent video on Daylight Saving Time, and quite frankly, I learned more about Daylight Saving Time than I ever thought I knew.  Hope you enjoy it.

If you live in the United States make sure to move your watches and clocks forward one hour, starting Sunday, March 10th, at 2AM. Unless you live in Arizona or Hawaii.

If you liked this video you will definitely want to check out CGPgrey's other fantastic videos I previously blogged about. In addition to the one I highlighted above the video.

Coffee: The Greatest Addiction Ever
Daylight Saving Time Explained
Pennies Should Be Abolished
8 animal Misconceptions Rundown.
Primary Elections Explained 
10 Misconceptions Rundown

Raining for Time

If there is any indication that rain and daylight saving time affects one schedule, today is the perfect example.  Geez, it's the afternoon in Texas, and I have yet to blog about one issue or topic of the day.  But it's a good thing;  Every now and then we need a little break - a little rest.  I will blog for the remainder of the week, but after Saturday, I will be taking a one or two week break, depending on how I feel.  

Ask any Blogger and they will tell you - it's time consuming, exhausting, and it takes most your day or evenings.  In my case, I have to blog the day or night before so that everything posts in a timely manner the next day.  There are times, like breaking news and such, where I'll immediately stop for the day to blog about the event, but that's far and in-between.  In either case. Hope you enjoy your Sunday.  And if you're in Houston, Texas - enjoy the rain... :-)

Daylight Saving Time Explained

It's that time of year again.  Time to turn back the clocks and go back to Standard Time.  How many of you actually know why we have Daylight Saving Time?  

If you've ever been curious, this video does a great job of explaining it.  But should we even have this ridiculous time change every six months, year after year?  That is the question.

From the same guy who brought you  "Coffee: The Greatest Addiction Ever," comes this excellent video on Daylight Saving Time, and I actually learned more about it than I thought I knew.  Hope you enjoy it.

If you live in the States, make sure to turn back your watches and clocks at 2 AM Sunday, November 6. Unless you live in Arizona or Hawaii