How to Be a Gangster
June 16th, 2011
Take it from someone who knows — being a gangster is nothing like you punk thugs think it is. Forget those overdone caricatures you see on those network cop shows. Forget those inane rap videos. Some of those entertainers like to beef up their street cred by publicizing their connection to a street personality; Hollywood, especially, will even give these guys titles. Creative consultant, co-producer. Think about this: Real gangsters operate in anonymity. If someone is talking to a movie producer or showing a rapper how to be a gangster, he’s a rat. And rats aren’t real gangsters.
Real gangsters, or organized criminals, organize out of financial and social necessity. Real gangsters cultivate a sense of honor, authority, and fair play out of that same necessity. These values are usually taught by schools, churches, YMCAs, and other institutions that gangsters were most likely shunned from as children because of financial or social exclusion. Most flamboyance shown by the gangsters you know comes from a need to belong more than opulence for its own sake, and is usually their downfall.
If you want to be a real gangster, you will need these things.
1. A sense of honor. Blood is thicker than water, and blood is green. If you ever see red, that means you made a mistake. A real gangster will never stop a friend from maintaining or advancing his livelihood. A real gangster does as little harm as possible to achieve his goals. That being said, insiders are insiders and outsiders are outsiders. Remember why you had to become a gangster in the first place.
2. A sense of hierarchy. All businesses have a CEO, who ideally obtains his position through repeated proof of leadership ability. Real gangsters do not reach beyond their grasp. Real gangsters are never insubordinate out of some misplaced ambition. Shut the hell up and do what your superiors say. They are there for a reason. Your turn will come, if your actions prove you worthy. If your actions are worthy, your friends will recognize your abilities and lift you up. You will not have to say a word.
3. A sense of fair play. A real gangster always remembers his roots come from the working man. All these shakedowns you see on TV of gangsters extracting protection bribes from lower middle class small businessmen is a bunch of schlock. The criminals who do that are lazy, and that is not in the least how to be a gangster.
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How Long Does It Take To Get A Passport?
June 15th, 2011
Passports have been necessary for international travel. With the new travel restrictions, passports are becoming more and more necessary. In addition, it provides you a valid form of photo identification in case you lose your license. There are several steps toward obtaining a passport. The process is not as easy as snapping your finger. How long does it take to get a passport? The short answer is that it depends.
In general, plan on at least a four to six week time frame for receiving your passport. If you are planning on an international trip, there is a chance you might need to present a passport a couple of months in advance. So you would need to make sure you apply for your passport a couple of months before that. The processing time for a passport begins when everything is submitted. You must have the application completed and the photograph done in order for processing to begin. If you are in need of a passport faster than that time frame, there are expedited services. Many companies offer this service. If you go this route, the costs will be higher. The government also offers faster services. This requires setting an appointment at a regional passport office.
There are other things to consider. If you are applying for your first passport, you must do so in person. The same goes if you have had a name change or if it has been fifteen years since your last passport was issued. Applying person takes more time than the renewal process in the mail. There are several places you can go to get passport documents. These include post offices, local court buildings, and some municipal buildings. You need to schedule a time to have your photograph taken, which could delay the time it takes to start processing. In order to make everything goes through without a hitch, make sure you have all of the information you need to start the process, including a copy of your birth certificate.
In addition to those things, the time of year you apply for the passport matters. If it is during busy travel times or the holiday season, you can expect processing to take longer. Your best bet is to apply for a passport as far in advance as possible. Even if you are not planning any international travel, it does not hurt to have it. Doing so will help you avoid any future hassles. In addition, travel restrictions continue to change. There is a good chance passports may become required for all travel.
If you are asking yourself ‘How long does it take to get a passport?’ then you are better off just getting it right away. If you don’t have travel coming in the next few months, you can use regular service. If you are worried about cutting it close, spend the extra money to get the expedited service. Most importantly, make sure you have all of the documentation you need to ensure processing goes smoothly.
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The European Poker Tour
June 14th, 2011If you enjoy watching poker players from around the globe battling for supremacy, you might want to give the European Poker Tour a try. This televised event started in 2004 thanks to the explosion in popularity of Texas Hold’em, and it has been held every year since.
The buy-ins for the event have increased each season, and current amounts mirror those in the World Series of Poker ($10,000). One of the biggest differences, however, it the amount of players at the final table: eight in the European Poker Tour versus six for the WSOP.
The United States holds the record for the most players at the final table, with 65 as of this writing. The United Kingdom is a close second with 61, while Sweden rounds out the top three with 47. When it comes to actual winners by nationality, the U.K. is tops with 13, while the U.S. has 12. Much like the number of final table participants, Sweden rounds out the top three with seven champions.
In addition to the poker action, viewers get a chance to see a number of exotic locations from around the world. Locations for the European Poker Tour have included Monte Carlo, the Caribbean, Sanremo, and Barcelona.
Reno Raines writes for a variety of sites, including Poker Bonus Code. He lives in Texas with his wife and two dogs.
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How to Get a Loan with Bad Credit
June 13th, 2011Financial mistakes in the past can limit your options when you need to apply for a loan. Lower credit scores lead to higher interest rates and smaller amounts of the initial loan. Luckily, there are still some ways to be approved for a loan with bad credit.
Once you have determined you will need to borrow a certain amount of money, it is important to have a clear picture of your financial standing before seeking avenues for loans. An experienced financial advisor can help with this step by carefully examining the information on your credit report. Depending on factors such as recent defaults, you may be able to qualify for limited lines of credit or unsecured loans.
Both unsecured loans and restricted credit have substantially higher interest rates. These rates result in much higher total monthly payments. Plan to pay more than the monthly minimum in order to avoid exceeding the initial credit limit or loan amount.
It is common for borrowers to take out loan amounts that they cannot afford to pay back based on their current income. If you already have poor credit, it is essential to budget all of your expenses to include repayments on the loan. Do not borrow more than you can pay back in a reasonable time frame.
Another common method of obtaining a loan with bad credit is to use a co-signer with better credit. This can be risky because failure to make timely payments can result in both parties becoming worse off financially. If you utilize a co-signer, both should keep copies of a detailed monthly payment plan.
When it is time to apply for a loan that you can afford, be prepared to show proof of income. More lenders are now requiring this documentation from borrowers with bad credit. Proof of income shows that you have a definite resource of funds to repay the loan.
Before signing the loan agreement, be sure to read all of the fine print. This will avoid unexpected fees or interest hikes at a later date. If the agreement from one lender does not match your expectations for being able to repay, shop around for another with better terms and conditions.
Learn more about personal finance here.
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1950′s Halloween Costumes
June 12th, 20111950s’ Halloween costumes are all pretty much the same–greaser, Poodle Skirt girl, rock and roll guy, and characters from Grease. If you want to break the mold at your next costume party, try any of these unusual 1950s costume ideas.
President Eisenhower
Considered one of our greatest President, Dwight D. Eisenhower was President for most of the 50s. He was balding, and if you combine a bald cap with a military uniform and a few Eisenhower quotes, your look should wow people who may be expecting the same old 50s leather look.
Sputnik
Launched by the USSR in 1957, Sputnik was the first artificial satellite put into Earth’s orbit. Look at different photographs and drawings of Sputnik and get creative.
Pop Art
The most important art movement of the 1950s, Pop Art would eventually influence Andy Warhol and a host of other artists. Pop Art used popular icons and advertising slogans to make an artistic statement. Dress up as a Campbell’s Soup can and blow away the costume competition.
If you want to dress up as something from the 50s, stay away from the old standards and try something exotic. Any of the above ideas is sure to be a winner at a 50s costume contest.
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80s Cartoon Character Halloween Costumes
June 11th, 2011I just learned that one of the Halloween parties I’m going to this fall is going to have the “80s Cartoon Character” theme. My first thought was, “That’s pretty niche.”
Then I started to brainstorm and the list seems endless. It also sounds like a lot of fun.
Here’s the list I came up with so far, along with random thoughts about selected gems. Anyone else that has Eighties Cartoon Character Halloween Costume ideas that I’m overlooking, please contact this site and let me know. I used to win one of the costume awards at this party for years (like 6 years straight), but I’ve had two shutout years in a row.
- Transformers Halloween Costumes – Not only is it retro, but it’s also a big hit these days. What awful movies.
- He-Man Costumes – Not many people could pull this one off, but I bet you’d be popular with the ladies.
- She-Ra Costumes – Fair is fair.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Costumes – I bet there are good party costumes to be found with this, but expensive. It’s a good home-craft idea, though.
- Strawberry Shortcake Costumes – I had an irrational hatred of Strawberry Shortcake growing up.
- Alvin and the Chipmunks Costume – I have to admit, I hated Alvin & The Chipmunks even worse.
- G.I. Joe Halloween Costumes – There’s got to be a hundred ideas right here.
- Thundercats Costumes – Just imagine that crazy hair. I also love props with my costumes, so the sword is a big plus. It’s always so dangerous, once I’ve had a few drinks.
- Smurfs Halloween Costumes – I’m betting there are at least three Smurfs who show up. I’m thinking of going as Gargamel, just so I can follow around any Smurfettes that show up.
- Thundarr the Barbarian Costumes – Pretty obscure, but Thundarr was a Jack Kirby creation.
- Care Bears Halloween Costumes – These would be fruity even for a woman to wear.
- Rainbow Brite Costumes – You know what? I just realized that not a lot of these Halloween costume ideas don’t have much sex appeal. Guys are going to look live pervs chasing women around at this party. And yes, I expect at least one “Maybe you aren’t into Rainbow Brite” comment from the peanut gallery.
- Fraggle Rock Halloween Costumes – Technically not animated, but it was a live-action puppet tv show. I bet somebody shows up as a Fraggle Rock character or as ALF, and somebody else has to be the snarky jackass who points out, “ALF wasn’t a cartoon. Why didn’t you just come as Mr. Belvedere?” Wait…I think there was a short-lived Fraggle Rock cartoon, now that I think about it. Maybe I’ll lean that direction and try to draw somebody offside.
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What Is DIY Network?
June 10th, 2011Do It Yourself TV
DiY is the “Do It Yourself Network“, with shows about handling home improvement, crafts, and other hobbies. “diy” has been around since 1999 and is a sister station to the Food Network, Cooking Channel, HGTV, Travel CHannel, and Great American Country.
The subjects which programs on Diy Network have featured include home repairs like painting, drywall repairs, and roof repair. Other shows have featured auto repairs, motorcycle upgrades, plumbing, deconstruction, gardening, boating, knitting, quilting, scrapbooking, woodworking, and even video production.
Some programs are reruns originally broadcast on other channels, including This Old House and the Carol Duvall Show. Original programming is also key. Below is a list of some of the current programs in production.
- Yard Crashers
- Desperate Landscapes
- Renovation Realities
- Bath Crashers
- I Hate My Kitchen
- Man Caves
- King of Dirt
- Run My Renovation
- Extra Yardage
- Finished in 48
Key hosts include Ahmad Hassan, Anitra Mecadon, Billy Derian, Chris Gundy, Dean Marisco, Deanne Bell, Derik Stearns, Gino Panaro, James Young, Jason Cameron, John DeSilvia, Josh Temple, Kayleen McCabe, Marc Bartolemeo, Matt Blashaw, Matt Muenster, Nicole Curtis, former NFL player Tony Siragusa, and the omnipresent Amy Matthews.
These are just some of the shows and personalities on DiY. The real draw of this programming is you learn how to fix up your home and property for free.
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Slot Machine Games for Fun
June 9th, 2011
Most people who talk about slot machine games for fun are talking about something very specific. Theoretically, all slot machine games are SUPPOSED to be for fun. But when someone on the Internet wants to play a slot machine game for fun, he means he doesn’t want to spend any money. In other words, he’s looking for free slot machine games, or, as they’re also called, play money slot machine games.
Luckily for people who are into that sort of thing, finding free slot machine games on the Internet is about as easy as finding water in a lake. Many of the free slots games that are available on the Internet don’t even require a download. You can just play the game for free in your Internet browser. Usually games like that require javascript or Flash, though.
Many of the sites offering online slot machines for fun are actually online casinos who make their money by encouraging people to play their casino games for real cash. They offer the free games for people to play so that they’ll get excited about the games and actually make a deposit so that they can play for real money. To learn more about online slots for real money, check out my friend’s site OnlineSlots.com. That site focuses exclusively on slot machines games you can play online, whether you’re playing for fun, for money, or for both. You can find more sites about slot machines here too.
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Are Online Casino Reviews for Real?
June 8th, 2011
If you’ve spent much time at all on the Internet reading about the online casino industry, you’ll have seen sites that are offering “online casino reviews.” And if you’re discerning, you’ve probably noticed that a lot of these so-called online casino reviews aren’t really reviews at all–they’re actually sales letters or ad copy, disguised as reviews. If you’re looking for real online casino reviews, what are you to do?
One of my first suggestions would be to look for specific reviews of specific casinos, and when you do so, include the following in your search string in Google: inurl:forum. That will make sure that all of the results that come back will have the word “forum” in the URL. You’re basically searching forums for your reviews from real people, instead of finding hundreds of hyper-optimized landing pages whose only purpose is to get you to sign up and deposit your money into the online casino.
That being said, there are some legitimate online casino reviews on the Internet. Look at Casinomeister, for example. He’s an opinionated Internet casino player advocate with actually opinions about the online casinos he lists on his site. He even has a blacklist of casinos to avoid, which is a good sign.
Another site to take a look at is CasinoCity. You won’t find a lot of opinions there, but you will find pretty cut and dried information about each casino, without the sales hype you’ll see on most casino guide sites.
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