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Bad News For The Boys

Hey boys, stop watching the hockey game: I have got news for you. In fact I have got a good news and a bad news. The good news is that you are still classified as the family breadwinners. The bad news is that you dont get to eat any bread no more. And there is a really, really bad news boys but I am going to tell you last, because I am packing up

A recent study conducted by Canada Housing Mortgage Corporation indicates that women across Canada have now more purchasing power than ever. Canadian women, although not paid quite at par as their male counterparts, nevertheless make more money than ever before and are closing the income-gender gap very fast. They also show more remarked entrepreneurial skills and are more likely than men to sign an offer to purchase, especially one involving residential real estate. They also make more responsible property owners and are three times less likely to be foreclosed upon than men. Overall, Canadian women represent an increasingly powerful key market group and are a major force in the Canadian housing market.

More specifically, Canada Housing Mortgage Corporation details the following trait characteristics of ladies buyers:

[ ] Single women are now twice as likely to buy a home as men and they have an expensive taste too. Women are the largest condo buyers by dollar volume in downtown sections of large metropolitan centers, typically Toronto and Vancouver. They love luxury condominiums and, in any event, women will stretch their purchasing capacity to the limit. They believe that, when it comes to real estate, more expensive is a better investment in the long run.

[ ] Women are buying at a faster rate than the general population and are more likely to hold on their capital assets than men. Moreover, Canada Housing Mortgage Corporation reports that young ladies, whether married or not, believe in long term investments, thus proving outmoded the previous finding that the typical Canadian household changes home every seven years.

[ ] In total, all women (single, married, divorced and widowed) control a whopping eighty-five percent of all residential purchase decisions. This includes not only decision making as it relates to cosmetics such as the style of a home, colors and location, but it involves such factors as important financial decisions the likes of type and length of financing, amounts of down-payment and terms of contract of purchase and sale previously the almost exclusive domain of men.

[ ] Canadian women are twice as likely as men to have a credit rating from good to excellent and will go the extra length to keep it that way. For this reason, women are beginning to replace men as the preferred customers of bankers and mortgage brokers alike.

And there is also a fifth trait characteristic of ladies purchasers, a real bad news, boys but I am going to tell you last because I am packing up

At the roots of this substantial change in the real estate landscape is the fact that in the period from 1994 to 2004 the number of males earning more than CAD $75,000 gross per year has increased twenty-five percent, but the number of women earning more than CAD $75,000 has increased sixty-two percent over the same period. This is the main reason why, according to the report, women want to get the best possible investment. They want to build up equity rather than paying rent and a landlords mortgage a concept that men seem to begin to underestimate.

But wait to hear the real bad news, boys I will tell you in a second, because I am pretty much finished packing up

Furthermore, men are increasingly losing score in a field that has been their own exclusive domain for ages. As Home Depot (Canada) knows very well, fully fifty percent of purchases made there are from women. Canadian women appear to be more and more skilled at such typical manly tasks as sheet-rocking, plastering, fixing plumbing and electrical and even window-framing. Overall, they are no longer intimidated by repairs and maintenance.

There it is. I am finished packing, now. Before I go to the airport to catch my flight, here is the fifth news, boys:

[ ] There are 32,764 single women in Canada who own more than two properties, thirty-eight percent of which are lawyers.

Thats it. Im moving to South America. Hasta la vista, baby

Luigi Frascati

posted by uzqqkdq @ 5:06 PM 0 comments

Gain Confidence and Boost Self Esteem in 5 Simple Steps

We all want to become more confident and feel good about ourselves so we can live our very best life. Here are some ways to gain confidence and raise self-esteem:

1. Do something that requires a decision and a follow-through.

Have you been putting off writing that letter to aunt Martha? Is there a friend youve been meaning to call? Wash the car, tidy the garden or clean the house. Youll gain confidence by setting goals (even small ones) and following through on them.

2. Enjoy something you do well.

Do you have any hobbies or sports that you enjoy playing? Some things like going swimming, painting or writing can hold your attention and get you into a state of flow. While you are in the flow you forget about everything else.

Afterwards, youll feel competent and capable. Its a great way to boost your self-esteem. If you dont have any particular hobbies or pastimes that you enjoy make an effort to try something youve always wanted to try.

Picture yourself doing it, and then give it a try! It doesnt have to be something big - it can be as simple as joining a walking club.

Youll find that you are more centered and happier if you do something that puts you in that flow at least once a week.

3. Shift the focus.

Its been shown that low self-esteem develops hand-in-hand with individuals who put too much focus on themselves. You can gain confidence by doing something that focuses on someone else or even something else.

Youll find that when you are in a situation where you are meeting new people, you immediately become less nervous when you focus on the person you are meeting.

At the end of the day, youve interacted with others and will notice that you feel much lighter.

4. Relax, already!

Learning to become more relaxed is a great life enhancer. People who are more relaxed have fewer problems with their memories and are more likely to take the bumps in the road of life in stride.

The practice of meditation has gained popularity for this reason. You might want to look into Tai Chi, which involves physical relaxation techniques.

Whatever method you decide on, take relaxation seriously. The benefits are just too great to ignore. If youve never considered relaxation important, think of it this way: if you can attend to something that results in feeling good, how can you not gain confidence in your personal abilities?

5. Make a list of everything youve ever accomplished.

Think small. An accomplishment is an accomplishment! Some things you could put on your list: passed my drivers test and got my license, scored a goal when I played hockey, managed to save enough money to go on a trip and so on.

These are just a few ideas you can use to gain confidence and boost your self-esteem. Use these ideas as a base point and add these things permanently in your life.

Keep in mind, people are not born with good self-esteem, most of us have to work at it. It develops from your thinking and the things you do daily to make yourself feel good.

posted by uzqqkdq @ 2:46 PM 0 comments

Las Vegas "Whales"

What Las Vegas jargon names "whales" is in fact the creme of the high rollers species. They are a handful of people that in some opinions don't exceed 500 individuals in the world. Las Vegas hoteliers are nuts about them; some claim four or five of those whales bet much more than the rest of the thousands customers they receive daily. No wonder they are suspected of going as far as selling their first born child to get one of those whales into their gaming area.Five tips to recognise a whale

* the size of the bet: $50,000 is the low end; Australian tycoon Kerry Packer likes to play seven blackjack hands at one time; his top bet was $375,000;

* the line of credit: 4 to 5 million dollars for one weekend; a fortune for us ordinary earthlings, pocket money for a "whale";

* the treat: whales get all the freebies from the hotel they play: fine dining, luxury accommodations, private jet transportation, expensive gifts... often the US visa for the Asian high rollers;

* the escort: it usually includes bodyguards, beautiful gals and close friends; Las Vegas history saved for the record a legendary tale in which the Saudi Prince Adnan Khashoggi dropped for a bet at Stardust with an entourage of a dozen people;

* the generosity: whether they win or loose, everybody's happy as long as they play; "whales" don't spare tips & gifts.

While the "whales" number just a few hundreds in the world, the amounts they can afford to lose are purely impressive; that is why hoteliers pay specially trained staff for "whales hunting". The Asians form a big part of this exclusivist market, about 80 %. The bottom line is to keep them coming in, at the same rate, after nine eleven.

Unfortunately, Las Vegas seems to be experiencing a decrease in whale strands these days. One reason, that all hoteliers agree about, is they don't get as much privacy in Las Vegas casinos as they would normally get in other gaming destinations of the world. While hotel owners in Las Vegas await their VIP saloons approved, the "whales" gamble in Macau, Monaco or Australia.

posted by uzqqkdq @ 9:36 AM 0 comments