James L. Paris's Blog, page 97

North Korea Declares There Will Be Nuclear War If U.S. or South Korea ���Fire Even a Single Bullet���

North Korea is clearly unhappy with the military exercises being conducted jointly by the United States and South Korea.

Really unhappy.

Like, threatening nuclear war unhappy.

According to a variety of new sources, including Inquisitr, the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People���s Republic of Korea has released a statement saying that if as much as a single stray bullet finds its way into North Korean territory, Pyongyang will not hesitate to launch all-out nuclear war.

Here is the actual statement from the Foreign Ministry:

���The Korean People���s Army will reduce the bases of aggression and provocation to ashes with its invincible Hwasong rockets tipped with nuclear warheads and reliably defend the security of the country and its people���s happiness in case the U.S. and the South Korean puppet forces fire even a single bullet at the territory of the DPRK.���

Well, they certainly seem nice.

Korea���s latest posture of hostility is likely a response to the recent comments made by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who, while visiting Japan last week, suggested support for a ���new approach��� in dealing with North Korea, vis-��-vis its nuclear program.

���The policy of strategic patience has ended,��� Tillerson said. ���We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security, economic measures. All options are on the table.���

While Tillerson went on to say that the U.S. wants to avoid a military confrontation with North Korea, if that nation found it necessary to ���elevate the threat of their weapons program to a level that we believe requires action, then that option���s on the table.���

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Is Amazon���s Success as an Apparel Retailer Helping to Kill Bricks-and-Mortar Retail Clothes Stores?

Do you buy your clothes at Amazon?

Maybe not���or, at least, not yet���but the online retail giant has managed to successfully tap into the millennial (who else?) market, and is aggressively seeking to make a much broader impact as a clothing retailer. According to an article appearing over at Fox Business, Amazon introduced several private label brands last year that run the gamut from casual wear to dress clothes. According to the same report, Amazon is looking to go even further in 2017, with plans to expand into both ladies undergarments and active wear.

So, what about trying garments on before buying them? Isn���t that basically a requirement of clothes shopping?

You would think so, but, evidently, the inability to try on clothes and otherwise take advantage of the store atmosphere is not stopping millennials from buying their threads online���and it may not prove to be much of an impediment for any other demographic much longer. The fact is, even older folks, as much as they like doing things the ���old-fashioned way,��� seem to have placed their own premium on time and convenience, and thus find themselves increasingly content to shop from the ease of their kitchen tables, even at the risk of having to process the occasional mail return.

As a matter of fact, per the Fox Business article, analysis done by Cowen & Company indicates that sales of clothing and accessories at Amazon will increase a whopping 30 percent to $28 billion, while over at bricks-and-mortar giant Macy���s, sale are expected to dip this year by four percent, dropping to $22 billion. Assuming that happens, it will make Amazon the largest clothing retailer in the country, according to Geekwire.

Does this mean an inevitable, permanent decline of storefront clothing retailers?

���Decline��� is the key word here. Amazon almost singlehandedly changed the landscape of traditional books and consumer electronics retailing, and it may do the same thing in the retail clothing industry. However, just as bookstores and electronics stores did not entirely evaporate, neither will clothing stores���and one big advantage clothing retailers have is that need, for some, to try clothes on before they buy.

But will a decline from which traditional clothing retailers never fully rebound ensue? From the looks of things, it already has.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

New Tool For Saving Money On Prescription Drugs

Just a handful of years ago I went into my local grocery store pharmacy and was confronted with an extremely strange proposition. The pharmacist asked me if I wanted to use my insurance or receive my prescription for free. Yes, if I used my insurance coverage it was going to cost me $30, but if I would allow them to process the order without my insurance, my blood pressure pills would be free. Of course I went with the free option, but what in the world? How could my medication be free without my insurance coverage? The idea of free medication has become much more common today than it was back then. In fact, I have been getting this medication for free for almost four years now. Apparently, large retail chains can negotiate such incredible discounts on pharmaceuticals, many times they can give them away as a loss leader to get you in their store.

I recently learned about a great new website called Blink Health from one of our regular radio show guests, Dr. Elaina George. Dr. George is a medical doctor and a great source of ways to save money on healthcare. She also has a radio show you can listen to live on Wednesdays and is the author of Big Medicine. 

What is Blink Health?

Blink Health is the new way for all Americans to save on their prescriptions. With our proprietary technology, everyone now has access to one, low negotiated price on over 15,000 medications. Simply pay online before you pick up at your pharmacy to save up to 95%.

When we say that you can save up to 95% on the purchase of drugs, we base that on the usual and customary price or ���U&C��� paid for drugs through over 57,000 pharmacies. We determine the average U&C price by examining patient claims data that we generate and claims data provided by our partner MedImpact Healthcare Systems Inc. We determine the average U&C price by identifying the arithmetic mode price from this data. (Source: Blink Health)

 

I try to wrap my brain around how healthcare works these days, but most often I am just happy to go with best deal and and have given up on figuring out the 'why' behind it. What appears to be getting more and more clear, however, is that insurance companies are a large part of the reason that healthcare costs so much. The genius of Blink Health is that it negotiates directly with the pharmaceutical companies and cuts out the insurance companies.

How does Blink offer these prices?

Blink Health is partnered with one of the largest group purchasing organizations (GPOs) in the country. Together, we are able to leverage their purchasing power to negotiate significantly lower prices for the most-prescribed medications in America. By bringing these prices online, we are able to give everyone equal access to the same fair prices that commercial payers and large insurers have. (Source: Blink Health)

Their system is also superior to the many prescription coupon sites online as well. Anyone that has attempted to use prescription coupons has invariably run into the problem of the coupon not being accepted after you go to the trouble of driving to the pharmacy. You then have to get on the phone and start making calls to find an alternate pharmacy that will honor the coupon. With Blink Health, you pay for the prescription online, and then show up at the designated pharmacy in your area and simply hand them the slip of paper showing you have paid. For those a little more tech savvy, they even have an app.

It should be noted that the significant discounts available through Blink Health are mostly on generic drugs. The reality is, however, that 90 percent of pharmaceuticals dispensed in the United States are generic. How much you can save will vary, but consider the fact that half the drugs on Blink Health cost less than $10 and 40 percent cost less than $5. How do you save money on your prescriptions? Use the comments section below to share your own ideas and strategies and we can start a conversation.

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

How To Save Thousands On Health Insurance And Medical Care

On this episode, Dr. Elaina George joins Jim Paris Live to discuss a wide variety of ways to save money on medical care and health insurance. Topics discussed - direct pay primary care, concierge medicine, medical sharing plans vs. traditional insurance, saving money on prescription drugs, cash only surgical centers, negotiating your medical bills, supplements like AFLAC, and more.

Dr. Elaina George is the host of the program Medicine On Call on American Web Radio.

 

Trump: Running Against Elizabeth Warren in 2020 Would Be ���a Dream Come True��� ����

Although his first term as president is barely underway, Donald Trump is already casting an eye to his reelection bid, and appears to have selected what he sees as his perfect adversary in 2020.

Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a favorite of party progressives and someone who, during the latter stages of last year���s campaign, appeared to have almost as much affinity for using Twitter to lob grenades as Trump himself, is the prospective opponent whose candidacy, the president insists, would represent ���a dream come true��� for him.

The subject came up during an interview that aired last Saturday on Fox News. Speaking with Fox���s Jesse Watters, Trump said about Warren that he believes ���she would lose badly��� in the matchup, and that the Bay State senator ���hurt Hillary Clinton very badly��� during last year���s race for the White House.  

Referencing the aforementioned closing stages of the campaign, Trump said, ���I watched that last couple weeks, where she was getting up with that craziness and anger. They are hard. I said, ���She is bad for Hillary.������

���Pocahontas would not be proud of her as her representative, believe me,��� he continued, shamelessly taking a swipe at Warren���s historical, heavily-disputed self-identification as a Native American. Warren has never been able to prove the veracity of the claim, and many believe she made it for the express purpose of capitalizing on minority status in order to advance her career as an academic.

According to survey results revealed last month from a Morning Consult poll, Trump would, in fact, beat a candidate Warren relatively handily in a head-to-head matchup,  42 to 36 percent.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Hillary Clinton Says She���s Ready to ���Come Out of the Woods���

Come out, come out, wherever you are?

Hillary Clinton made headlines last Friday as a guest speaker at the Society of Irish Women���s 19th Annual St. Patrick���s Day dinner in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where she indicated that she���s ���ready to come out of the woods.���

While the wording is apparently an allusion to well-publicized photos of her taken while walking in the woods near her Chappaqua, New York residence, the statement seems a declaration that she is returning to the public landscape in some form.

As quoted by a variety of news outlets, including The Hill, Clinton said, ���I am ready to come out of the woods and to shine a light on what���s already happening around kitchen tables at dinners like this to help draw strength to enable everyone to keep going, that's the spirit of Scranton.���

Again, it is not clear in precisely what configuration Clinton is planning to resume public life. Buzz continues to surround the prospect of her running for New York City mayor this year. While Hillary has previously said that she would throw her hat in the ring for that slot only if present Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio decided not to run, sycophantic supporters of the idea of a Mayor Clinton might make the idea of running simply irresistible to her. 

As for a considered return to the political limelight, more generally, it is difficult to assess just how well-received Hillary would be by the Democratic faithful. There remains a deep divide within the party between the progressive wing that rallied behind Bernie Sanders in the race for president, and the establishment Democrats, of which Hillary is seen as perhaps the most prominent representative. That is, while she may continue to enjoy great favor in select pockets of the country, like New York City, many speculate she might now be somewhat persona non grata with much of the party base throughout a significant portion of the rest of the country.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

24 Hours Inside Scientology

On this episode, Jim previews his upcoming article about the 24 hours he spent inside Scientology headquarters in Clearwater, Florida. Is Tom Cruise moving to Clearwater to save Scientology?, the second season of Leah Remini's Scientology reality show, and more. Chelsea Clinton's new gig, the IRS fast tracks non-profit approval for After School Satan Clubs, Sean Hannity accused of pointing gun at Juan Williams, and the president of taxpayer funded NPR enjoys $632,000 salary.

 

Is Being an Entrepreneur ���in��� You? Here are Five Signs

Are you someone who is meant to be running your own show?

In a piece for Entrepreneur.com (what else?), Brian Evans, himself a successful entrepreneur by trade, identifies five tell-tale signs that reveal someone has the nature of a classic business self-starter woven into their DNA.

At the top of his list is the inclination to learn by doing. Evans points out that there���s a reason so many business successes are high school or college dropouts. Entrepreneurs, he says, are oftentimes poorly served by the school environment, because they are at their best when out in the world applying themselves.

Evans says, as well, that natural entrepreneurs are characterized by impatience. That is, their natural inclination tends to be to want to get going. If you know a successful entrepreneur (or happen to be one yourself), you���re likely very familiar with the characteristic.

Natural-born entrepreneurs are also terrible at taking ���no��� for an answer, says Evans. However, he points out, there is an important difference between those who don���t accept ���no��� but also don���t remain on the lookout for helpful feedback���and those who do look for information that will help a good-but-not-yet-great idea eventually succeed.

The other two features of born entrepreneurs, according to Evans, are an insistence on ���owning��� the work they do, as well as possessing a lust for freedom. He says a principal reason that entrepreneurial types don���t do well operating within typical corporate structures is ���because they feel as though they don���t ���own��� their work. It���s a combination of either not being given enough creative freedom, or having so many checks and balances in place that nothing actually gets done effectively.���

As for the matter of freedom, that���s everything, says Evans: ���True entrepreneurs seek freedom -- and the definition of freedom is subjective. It���s more about a lifestyle than a benefits package or an end-of-the-year bonus.���

So, do you notice any of these features in yourself? If not, being a success as an entrepreneur is not necessarily off the table ��� plenty of people succeed while working against type. That said, if you can readily identify most, or even all, of these features as belonging to you, and you���re still chained to a desk working for someone else, then you, probably more so than any of the others around you, are absolutely in the wrong place.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Comedian Amy Schumer Says Right-Wingers Conspired to Torpedo Ratings for Netflix Special

 

Somewhat-fashionable comedian Amy Schumer says that ���alt-right��� Internet trolls coordinated in an effort to ensure that her latest stand-up special for Netflix, Leather Special, would be poorly rated.

Schumer, who also happens to be a second cousin of U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, became known during the recent political season for her outspoken opposition to anything conservative. It is because of her strong and vocal liberal stances, she believes, that conservatives came together to see to it that reviews for her special were as plentiful as they were bad.

As reported by several media outlets, including Fox News, Schumer took to Instagram to lodge a post addressing what she sees as the issue, including, it seems, the inclination of news organs to report on the alleged activity itself:

���I am embarrassed for the ���journalists��� who report on trolls activities as if it���s news. It's indicative of administration right now. Anyone who reported that ���viewers aren't happy��� with my special, it would have been cool if you did a moment of research before posting. The alt right organized trolls attack everything I do.���

Later, Schumer wrote:

���I thank you trolls so much. It fills me with hope and power to see you all furiously posting so as always accuse me of whatever lies you want. Call me a whale. Call me a thief and I will continue to rise and fight and lead. I know who I am. I am strong and beautiful and will use my voice my whole time on this earth. Journalists do better it's embarrassing. Trolls see you on the next one!���

All of that said, Daniel Nussbaum, in a piece for Breitbart, suggests that even if Schumer is the victim of a concerted effort by some on the right, she has only herself to blame:

���Comedians, actors, singers and other celebrities can say whatever they want, whenever they want. God Bless America. No one is stopping them. But to then act surprised or become angry or accusatory when some of the things they���ve said insult or offend the values of the millions of people who make up their ticket-buying audience isn���t just disingenuous; it���s downright pathetic.

���If Amy Schumer wants to call everyone who voted for Trump ���weak,��� ���misinformed��� Ku Klux Klan members, she shouldn���t be surprised that a few of those disgruntled Trump voters would flip her the bird in the form of a one-star review on her Netflix special.���

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

The App That Saves Money For You Automatically

Years ago we had what I called a 'family bank' at our house. It took many forms, but most often it was some kind of a mason jar that I dumped my spare change into at the end of each day. The money would build up into a surprisingly hefty sum after only two to three months. My children used to watch the jar filling up, and when the time seemed right they would say, 'Hey, Dad can we cash in the family bank?' When that day came, we would dump out all of the coins into a plastic bag and take them up to our grocery store and cash them in using the coin counting machine. Wow, sometimes there was as much as $70 to $80.  This represented 'fun money' that we could then use to go play mini golf and go out for ice cream (or whatever other fun plans the kids would make). 

My kids are  all grown, and these days I rarely carry cash (paying for most things using a credit or debit card). As a result, there is no spare change to throw into the family bank anymore. I still love the idea of the family savings jar, and found a new way to implement it using an app. It is an ingenious system that creates 'spare change' from credit card transactions by rounding them up to the next dollar. The 'spare change' from each transaction is not thrown into a mason jar, but put to work in an investment account. The program is called Acorns, and the average user saves $100 per month using the app!

How Is The Money Invested And what Are The Costs?

Acorns offers three investment options - conservative, moderate, and aggressive. The cost is just $1 per month to use the app. You can link an unlimited number of credit cards to your account, and withdraw your money at any time. There is also a special free option for college students. Once an account reaches $5,000 in value, the fee is one quarter of one percent per year. 

I really love this idea! I am going to implement it right away and plan to use this as my extra 'holiday' money each year. Use the comments section below and share your own thoughts and plans on using Acorns. There is even a referral program that pays you $5 for referring a friend. Use my referral link here and we both get an extra $5 in our accounts!

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