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New York, 2:26 AM
Mon Nov 30
13 posts in the last 24 hours
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08/25/09
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08/24/09
[www.pbs.org]
08/24/09
Forty-two residents of the struggling cotton-farming town of Roby band together to enter the lottery. They buy 430 tickets. Then—on the eve of Thanksgiving, no less—they hit the jackpot, winning $46 million. You might expect a happy ending. Not even close.
[www.cowboyjunkies.com]
08/24/09
THE ROBY STAR-RECORD RAN just one article about the $46 million windfall: a reprint from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which it placed below the fold, at the very bottom of its front page, beneath a story whose headline read "Letters to Santa Due on December 17th." In Roby, it was a delicate news story; the fact that so many citizens had been caught gambling—and had brought international attention to the town by playing the numbers, no less—carried a whiff of impropriety in a community where nearly everyone's church affiliation is either Baptist or Church of Christ. When it came to light that more than half the deacons at the Roby Church of Christ were lottery winners, three families left the church in protest and parishioners debated whether the gamblers in their midst should be required to tithe their winnings. "That was the only uproar we had," said church member Foy Mitchell. "Our preacher told us that Sunday that the Good Book says not to judge, and that's the last he spoke of it."
shall we say, lulz.
08/24/09
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08/24/09
Buying a home isn't "pissing away" money. Either she made a really, really bad investment or the home(s) she bought is/are still worth something.
08/24/09
There are certainly situations where buying a home (or land for a home) does net you money, but over time more money is put into a home than it will ever be worth in the long run.
08/24/09
Even if a home doesn't appreciate in value, it still has value and since she bought them with lottery winnings, nobody has an outstanding mortgage, so whatever their value, it's like money in the bank.
08/24/09
It's likely she mortgaged the homes to continue to spend. That's especially common in the US, where the mortgage interest tax credit is a strong motivator to maintain debt.
08/24/09
08/24/09
ba'bonk!
08/24/09
[www.ars.usda.gov]
I didn't know it, but apparently 8/22 was Honey Bee Awareness Day and to help with the cause, Haagen-Daz has released one of those stupid videos, you wish people wouldn't do.
[www.youtube.com]
08/24/09
Oh, and two boob jobs, so it's not all been wasted.
08/24/09
08/24/09
I feel bad for this girl, but she's still VERY young and can turn this thing around.
If she comes into any more money, she should pay her taxes immediately, get a financial advisor, pay her debts, and take 5% as Mad Money to spend upfront and get the money madness out of her system. The rest, secure longterm investments - with enough fluid assets for her to live comfortably forever.
This from a fellow 22-year-old.
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