Intel shutdown RP operations, and "Conficker" or "Downadup"

I don't want to dwell on the bad news now given the powering and optimistic atmosphere yesterday - the OBAMA inauguration.It was, indeed, history in the making. For me, it is no longer far fetched to say that soon, in the future, a Pinoy American could be a US President.

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More pain is starting to come in: Intel has announced the shut down of its more than two-decade-old test-and-assembly facility in the Philippines. Intel's manufacturing facility has around 1,800 workers.

That's 1,800 people out of work. A few days ago, Nortel, then Accenture cutting hundreds of jobs.

I am sure many people working in the private sector are now worried.

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"Conficker" or "Downadup"

This one is another bad thing.

A nasty worm has wriggled into millions of computers and continues to spread, US software protection firm F-Secure says a computer worm known as "Conficker" or "Downadup" had infected more than nine million computers by Tuesday and was spreading at a rate of one million machines daily.

COBRA and health insurance options

It is OK so long as you are employed. Cost on employees in 2008 for COBRA (not the snake, but the health insurance coverage) was an average of 16% individual premium coverage and an average of 27% for family coverage. But once you get the pink slip, that is, if you get fired, and your employer drops their share, your payments could soar. Costs for an individual could reach $4,656 per year and the full cost for family coverage could be $12,823, or about $1,069 per month. I know this amount is staggering, and something must be done.

So what are your options? Should you start searching for insurance quote now? Well, you could:

1. If you get the pink slip, check if could be included in your spouse coverage. This option is likely the cheapest you could have.
2. Check if your kids can get under public health programs like Medicaid or SCHIP. If they can, you can opt for a COBRA just for you and your spouse, and probably get a cheaper premium.
3. Check for options; search the internet for cheaper coverage, if you can find one.
4. Search for health centers in your community that offer care on a sliding scale based on income. This could be an option if you cannot get any insurance anywhere.

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PS: You should sign up for COBRA ASAP because according to the Department of Labor the option to sign up for COBRA lasts only for 60 days from the time your employer notified you about it.

Do you use Bollinger Bands when trading stocks, options, or forex?

Bollinger Bands are wildly used among traders. Traders buy when price touches the lower Bollinger Band and exit when price touches the moving average in the center of the bands. Other traders buy when price breaks above the upper Bollinger Band or sell when price falls below the lower Bollinger Band. Moreover, the use of Bollinger Bands is not confined to stock traders; options traders, most notably implied volatility traders, often sell options when Bollinger Bands are historically far apart or buy options when the Bollinger Bands are historically close together, in both instances, expecting volatility to revert back towards the average historical volatility level for the stock.-technical analysis.

When the bands lie close together a period of low volatility in stock price is indicated. When they are far apart a period of high volatility in price is indicated.

Watch the video below on How to Trade Bollinger Bands - Stocks, Futures, Forex.

Obama refused of Blair House and dead billionaires

I could not help myself but agree with the assessment that it was a small-minded, mean spirited action to deny Barack Obama , President Elect, of the use of Blair House, a week early, so that his daughters Malia and Sasha could start school.

The request was primarily for the kids, and for the incoming President of the USA. But, the White House, was reportedly appalled of the request!

Fact or Fiction: no foreign dignitaries was booked into Blair House during that period of Obama's request.

Fact or Fiction: now the mystery guest that purportedly was the reason to deny the President-elect has been known. The White House offered the house to John Howard, the former Prime Minister of Australia.

Fact or Fiction: the White House turned down Obama’s request in December, when Howard was not even invited yet to stay at the Blair House.

Question: Why deny Obama? Why deny the first family? Its like denying America, lol.

Source: Think Progress

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On another news:

Rich people all over the world are either hiding or killing themselves.

German billionaire Adolf Merckle has been driven to suicide by financial fears.

Steven Good, the head of one of the largest US real estate auction houses, was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound in the United States.

Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet was found dead at his desk, both wrists slashed and a bottle of pills nearby.He lost $1.4 billion invested with Wall Street titan Bernard Madoff.

Who's next?

Reminders and Targets for 2009

Alright, this is my first post for the year 2009... it is fitting that I start with goals, or reminders, or targets for 2009. I avoid to call them resolutions because they are not.

Here they are:

1. I have currently 2 big loans. My target is to pay off one of them by first half of this year, that is, by June 2009. Pay the other one by December 2009. My monthly amortization for both of these loans in 2008 was such a burden that I promised to my self, I will only get loans when absolutely necessary. This includes, of course, paying my credit card debt by June 2009.

2. To be more organized and to stick to a budget. This is, I guess, more difficult than the first one. I extend small loans to people and forget to ask them to payback. Entertainment costs (beer and beer houses) was a big expense in 2008 - I must cut them to half at least.

3. Exercise more.

4. Travel more.

5. Get organized on my business ventures (real state - pay taxes, follow up papers; transport - get two more; financing - get letters out).

6. Say no - more often.