James L. Paris's Blog, page 62

September 7, 2017

Do Box Office Trends Indicate that Hollywood Is Done For?

Is Hollywood, as it has been known for so long, on its last legs?


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The big news of late from Tinseltown, as noted in an article over at Breitbart, is the abysmal box office numbers. An unfortunate record of performances was recently punctuated by the results from Labor Day, during which the four-day weekend saw box office revenue total about $95.5 million, the lowest number in almost two decades. 1998 was the last year when the four-day Labor Day weekend period failed to generate at least $100 million in revenue.


Beyond Labor Day, North American box office numbers are on a sharp decline ��� 6.3% behind 2016.


So, what���s going on?


In truth, it���s likely a variety of factors are converging to keep people away from the cinema.


One factor to consider is the ubiquitousness of streaming video. It wasn���t too many years ago that your TV and local cinema were the only places at which you could see video entertainment. Now you can enjoy it on demand through your devices, including your cell phone. It stands to reason that the impact of watching a movie at the theater has greatly diminished as a result, even if you aren���t consciously aware of it.


There are other reasons, as well, and they pertain to the debasement of the culture.


Take the theater-going experience. The increasing deterioration of the social fabric is particularly evident when you go to the movies today. And not only are people rude, but theater management and staff seemed less inclined than ever to step in and deal with discourteous patrons. Average movie-watchers are weary of having to think about how they will navigate the minefield of annoying fellow patrons at the cinema, particularly after they���ve just paid a not-so-small fortune for tickets, popcorn, candy, etc.


Then, of course, there���s the increasingly politicized nature of the people responsible for creating our entertainment. Actors, producers and directors are entirely unrestrained now when it comes to expressing their political beliefs. What���s more, said beliefs are almost always of the hard left variety, and, as such, frequently representative of ideals that go against the grain of traditional, patriotic Americans. The kneejerk reaction among more and more of the viewing public is that the millionaire actor they���re watching on screen hates them, and everything they believe in.


It���s actually rather unpleasant.


Most ominously, for Hollywood, it seems as though several of the factors hurting box office numbers are here to stay. On-demand streaming video isn���t going anywhere, and it���s unlikely that people will magically start treating one another more respectfully. As for the political outspokenness of Hollywood big-shots, the advent of social media, as well as a clear failure on their parts to realize the vast majority of regular Americans don���t care what they think about anything but keeping us entertained, ensures their big yaps will be with us, going forward.


Goodbye, Hollywood.


By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

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Published on September 07, 2017 12:04

What You Can Learn from a 26-Year-Old Who Socked Away $100,000 in 3 Years

A great article over at CNBC.com tells of a young professional who took the extraordinary step of saving half his income, and, as a result, went from having a net worth of basically zero, to having $100,000 in savings socked away in just three years.


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What makes the story worth noting, in part, is that the subject, Richard Meadows, wasn���t earning some genuinely significant sum such that saving half of it would be of little inconvenience; his salary of just over $60,000 per year, while not a pittance, is hardly what anyone would think as being sizable in America in 2017.


So how did he do it?


Meadows attributes his success to two, specific strategies.


As he sees it, the first, most important step he took was to begin tracking his net worth. Although a basic step, few people do it the way they should: diligently.


Meadows tells CNBC that ���if you're not measuring something, then you don't have that feedback loop. You don't know whether you're heading in the right direction.���


The other thing he did that worked so well was automating his finances.


Arranging to have money sent automatically each month from a checking account to creditors and investment accounts is a strategy frequently relied upon by the most successful savers.


���It stops you from sabotaging your own progress,��� says Meadows. ���If you run out of willpower and you blow all the money that you meant to save on a big night out or new shoes that you didn���t really need, then you���re never going to get anywhere.���


By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

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Published on September 07, 2017 11:55

September 6, 2017

What Is Bitcoin Cash?

I have been getting a lot of questions about Bitcoin Cash (BCC) and how it is different from Bitcoin. I won't pretend to be an expert on the underlying software behind Bitcoin, but I do know enough about what happened to give you an overview (and no, Bitcoin Cash it is not the same as Bitcoin). As I understand it, there was a disagreement within the Bitcoin community about some of the functionality of Bitcoin (we won't get into that minutia here), so the disagreement was settled between the factions by Bitcoin splitting into two different digital currencies (aka a 'hard fork' in the blockchain). The split took place at the end of July. As a result, whatever amount of Bitcoin you owned at the end of July, you are entitled to that same amount of Bitcoin Cash.


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To make matters simple, if you owned one Bitcoin when the split took place, you are entitled to one unit of Bitcoin Cash (I should also clarify that you did not need to own one entire Bitcoin to be eligible for Bitcoin Cash - any amount is eligible on a pro rata basis for the equivalent in Bitcoin Cash). A large percentage of digital currency enthusiasts discounted the potential value of this renegade spin-off of Bitcoin. As it turns out, however, it has been doing quite well (reaching $656 today). For those that owned Bitcoin at the end of July, this is tantamount to free money and a bonus on top of all they are already making from Bitcoin itself.


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Depending on what wallet that you use to hold your Bitcoin, there will be a different time frame as to when you will actually receive your Bitcoin Cash. For example, at the largest Bitcoin platform Coinbase, those eligible to receive Bitcoin Cash will receive it in January. Coinbase has also announced that at that time they will be fully including Bitcoin Cash on their trading platform. There is a lot of chatter (and disagreement) about where Bitcoin Cash goes from here. Some believe it could catch up with traditional Bitcoin prices and others expect it to crash. I will probably keep my Bitcoin Cash when I receive it in January and see what happens (of course, other options would be to sell and buy more traditional Bitcoin, another digital currency, or just pocket the money).


Bottom line; if you owned even a tiny amount of Bitcoin as of the end of July, you now have an equal amount of Bitcoin Cash coming your way soon. If you are interested in learning more about how to buy Bitcoin, check out my recent article on this - Click Here.


To learn more about Bitcoin Cash, go to BitcoinCash.Org.


Helping you make the most of God���s money!


James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio


 

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Published on September 06, 2017 15:44

Turns Out Wells Fargo Opened a LOT of Fake Accounts

We know that some of the folks over at Wells Fargo were a pretty rotten bunch.


Well, it seems they were even worse than we previously thought.


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According to CNN Money, as Wells continues its extensive research and analysis into just what happened there, the bank has learned of up to 1.4 million more fake accounts than it thought it had already uncovered.


The total number of fake accounts, before this latest discovery, stood at 2.1 million. Now, it looks like there were as many as 3.5 million fake bank and credit card accounts, in total, opened by Wells personnel.


To make matters worse, this latest inquiry turned up a brand new problem: The company���s investigation revealed that thousands of customers were enrolled in online bill pay without their authorization. Wells has learned of as many as 528,000 online bill pay enrollments that were initiated without customer permission.


Key personnel at Wells blamed unrealistic sales goals, along with the application of great pressure on staff to meet those goals, as the reason for all of the trouble. Wells has since moved entirely away from sales quotas as a part of its business model, replaced its management team, and is trying to make things up to wronged customers in the form of millions of dollars in refunds.


Wells had previously said it would pay out $3.3 million in refunds. That number is now up to $6.1 million. What���s more, it now says it will be paying $910,000 in refunds to the 528,000 customers who were enrolled in online bill pay without their authorization.


By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

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Published on September 06, 2017 05:52

Major British Retailer Removes ���Boys��� and ���Girls��� Labels from Children���s Clothing

Many developed nations are beginning to more fully embrace alternative perspectives on gender, so changes in the way gender differences are processed���or not���are becoming increasingly reflected in the mainstream.


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As reported by the Daily Mail, one of the more startling pieces of news on the topic of gender identity to come out recently is the decision by major British retailer John Lewis to altogether remove ���boys��� and ���girls��� labels from children���s clothes as a way to get away from ���reinforcing gender stereotypes.���


Caroline Bettis, head of childrenswear for John Lewis, describes the reasoning behind the company���s decision this way: ���We do not want to reinforce gender stereotypes within our John Lewis collections and instead want to provide greater choice and variety to our customers, so that the parent or child can choose what they would like to wear.���


Not everyone across the pond agrees the move by John Lewis is a good one. Chris McGovern, a retired school headmaster and chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, a non-profit that advocates for higher standards and more parental choice in the realm of state education, said, ���John Lewis is a reputable and admirable retailer and I have no doubt that getting rid of gender labels is well-intentioned. In isolation, one retailer introducing unisex clothing and labels would not be an issue.���


���But by following this fashion to go genderless, I fear they are supporting a wider movement which risks confusing children and foists adult worries on to young people.���


���There is a dangerous social phenomenon occurring of gender identity theft, which says there is no difference between boys and girls when of course there is,��� McGovern added.


Of course there is.


By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

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Published on September 06, 2017 05:47

September 5, 2017

Make $1,000 Or More Per Month, But You Must Love Dogs

Well, one thing you may or may not know about me is that I am a dog person. I love dogs, have always had a dog, and presently have two dogs. As my kids have grown up and moved out, our dogs have become like children to my wife and I. Yep, I always said I would never be 'that guy' that made his dogs his children, but here I am. This is a picture below of my wife and I with our two dogs on a recent walk we took them on at our beach.


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So back to the point of this article... Over the years our adult children have been gracious enough to take care of the dogs when we have gone on trips. Now that they have all moved out and have homes of their own, we don't have that option all the time. So, I started looking into boarding our dogs on some of our future trips. This is when I ran across Rover.com. The site is sort of like an Uber type service matching up dog owners with dog sitters. There are other options available as well, such as dog walking, doggy daycare, and even house sitting while taking care of your dog.


Each service provider is background-checked and has a profile with a picture and more details about the dog sitting services they provide. I found it a bit humorous how people were selling themselves in these listings. Some even promise to text you pictures of your pet and their activities while you are away. 


Rover-value-props


How Much Can You Make?


The site suggests on their Q and A page that you can earn $1,000 or more per month! Wow, that really got my attention. 


Some of the benefits of being a Rover provider include:



Set your own hours and rates
Automatic, secure payments and insurance for dogs in your care
Access to 24/7 support, including vet assistance
Resources and opportunities to help you build your business
You keep 80 percent of the fees charged for your services

In my area, dog sitters are advertising on the site for $25 to $40 per day. In a bigger city, like Chicago, providers are getting $50 and more per day. Just another great idea for anyone looking for some extra income, and if you love dogs you might really have a lot of fun too!


Helping you make the most of God���s money!


James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio 

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Published on September 05, 2017 13:57

Greek Life Retreat at University of Mississippi Canceled After ���Racist��� Banana Peel Found in Tree

Did you happen to read about this?


In the spirit of the time in which we live, where it seems everything���literally, everything���can be seen as having a racial orientation of one sort or another, no one should find the following to be unusual.


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About a week ago, a Greek life retreat was supposed to be in full effect at the University of Mississippi. That did not happen, however.


The reason it did not happen is that a banana peel was found lodged in a tree on campus, a tree close to where the retreat for Alpha Kappa Alpha, a historically black sorority, was getting underway.


If you���re looking for more to the story than that, you���re going to be disappointed. It pretty much ends there ��� Alpha Kappa Alpha did not proceed with their Greek life retreat because of the appearance of the banana peel in a nearby tree.


The sorority���s president, Makala McNeil, is the person who first spotted the banana peel hanging in the tree. Once she did, students apparently chose to leave the retreat, some in tears. As reported by the website Campus Reform, according to McNeil, the students, at that moment, ���didn���t feel welcome��� or ���safe��� on Mississippi���s campus.


If you���re still puzzled, it���s because you���re not seeing the banana peel the way these kids did; they interpreted it as an attempt on the part of the person who tossed it in the tree as a way to be racially insulting to black students.


���The overall tone was heavy. I mean, we were talking about race in Mississippi and in the Greek community so there���s a lot involved,��� said McNeil, who added that she and others in the group were ���all just sort of paranoid for a second��� after seeing the banana peel.


Oh, and the person who threw the peel in the tree? He���s a student, Ryan Swanson, who came forward to confess his ���crime��� after all the publicity. He said he couldn���t find a trash can and thoughtlessly tossed the peel in the tree.


But racism.


By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

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Published on September 05, 2017 11:25

Mattis Tells North Korea that Any Major Threat Will Be Met with a ���Massive Military Response���

If there was any doubt as to the U.S. posture when it comes to North Korea, Secretary of Defense James Mattis has certainly clarified things.


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As reported by The Hill, Mattis spoke on Sunday about what is considered by many to be a growing crisis, flatly saying, ���Any threats to the United States or its territories including Guam or our allies will be met with a massive military response ��� a response both effective and overwhelming.��� The secretary���s assertion came just after North Korea thumbed its nose once again at the U.S. and the United Nations by conducting its sixth nuclear test.


���Kim Jong-un should take heed the United Nations Security Council���s unified voice. All members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses, and they remain unanimous in their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, because we are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea,��� Mattis said.


Waiting for the ���but���? Do you think there was a ���but���?


You���re right, there was.


���But as I said,��� the secretary ominously noted, ���we have many options to do so.���


Mattis��� comments were the first made on-camera by an administration official since the most recent nuclear test was conducted. The secretary did not respond to questions after his appearance outside the West Wing.


Apparently, he felt that he had said all he needed to.


By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

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Published on September 05, 2017 11:19

September 4, 2017

What Will Happen On September 23rd?

ChristianMoney.Com Staff Writers


CMC has noticed a significant and growing buzz about September 23rd among Christians. Who knows what will happen? Quite a few Bible prophecy experts are speaking out on it and here are a couple of videos that have details on what this date could mean in the timeline of Bible prophecy. We welcome your comments below (agree or disagree). The first video is L.A. Marzulli on a recent Coast To Coast AM appearance, and below that is the presentation by Scotty Clarke (that Marzulli makes reference to). 



 


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Published on September 04, 2017 12:12

Christian Author And Gold Salesman Sentenced To 21 Years

ChristianMoney.com Staff Writers


Update September 5, 2017 - Larry Bates received a 21 year sentence today 


Larry Bates, a Christian author and former gold salesman, will be sentenced tomorrow to federal prison for his role in a multi-million dollar gold Ponzi scheme. For each count of the conviction, Bates is facing a potential sentence of 20 years in prison and a potential fine of $250,000.


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Press release from the U.S. Justice Department -


Memphis, TN ��� After a five-week trial, a federal jury found Larry Bates; his two sons, Chuck and Robert Bates; and Kinsey Bates, the wife of Robert Bates, guilty on all counts set forth in an indictment that charged mail and wire fraud and conspiracy. The charges rose out of the defendants running a decade-long Ponzi scheme in the buying and selling of gold and silver coins. The proof at trial showed that the defendants were able to accomplish the fraud through First American Monetary Consultants, a Colorado corporation, which had offices in Memphis, Tennessee and Boulder, Colorado. More than three hundred and sixty victims lost more than twenty-one million dollars due to the defendants��� illegal scheme, which lasted from as early as 2002 through October of 2013.


"Unfortunately, fraud, corruption and embezzlement can occur everywhere, including in the investment world," said Larry Laurenzi, Acting United States Attorney, who prosecuted the case along with Assistant U.S. Attorney David Pritchard. "People need to be mindful of this terrible fact and work hard to protect themselves and their families from those who prey on others, like the Bates family preyed on so many innocent victims. As this case shows, the United States Attorney���s Office and its law enforcement partners work diligently to expose people responsible for such fraudulent acts, to vigorously prosecute them, and to bring them to justice."


At trial, the proof showed that the defendants promoted their business through a variety of Christian television and radio programs, including the Jim Baker Show and Jewish Voice. Larry Bates, a self-proclaimed doctor in economics, held conferences across the United States, predicting an economic collapse and emphasizing the need to invest in precious metals. Between 2007 and 2013, customers gave more than eighty-seven million dollars to First American Monetary Consultants for the purpose of buying precious metals. During this same period, the proof showed the defendant diverted customers��� monies that were to be used to purchase precious metals to the defendants own use and benefit. Testimony at trial showed that by 2009, the company had more than twenty-six million dollars in unfilled customer orders. Read Full Press Release

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Published on September 04, 2017 11:14