Here’s a hypothetical from fantasyland: the government of {your country} suddenly has a billion US dollars or local equivalent to spend, and it can only spend it on ONE giant program. Pretend it’s a bequest from a rich billionaire who just died. You can pretend the dead billionaire is Rupert Murdoch if you want to feel especially happy about it. Continue reading
Does being on the list of the 100 richest people in the world sound like failure to you? Is being in the top 10 richest people in the world the only thing that will truly bring you happiness? If so you’re going to need to evaluate your career path. Thankfully we have the top 5 careers that will get you into the super-ultra-elite-rich category. Continue reading
“It is my opinion that absent Rio Tinto’s mining activity on Bougainville or its insistence that the Panguna mine be re-opened, the government would not have engaged in hostilities or taken military action on the island.”
”Because of Rio Tinto’s financial influence in PNG, the company controlled the government.”
”The government of PNG followed Rio Tinto’s instructions and carried out its requests … BCL was directly involved in the military operations on Bougainville, and it played an active role. BCL supplied helicopters, which were used as gunships, the pilots, troop transportation, fuel and troop barracks.”
– Sir Michael Somare Continue reading
“Holy shitballs!” was how Bethenny Frankel described her feelings about being on the cover of the most recent Celebrity 100 edition of Forbes magazine. Holy shitballs is right. This year Bethenny made about $55 million dollars. It feels like just the other day she was the poor, downtrodden Real Housewife of New York City peddling her brand Bethenny Bakes at every function imaginable but now everything has changed. The reality shows that made her famous only “earned” her about $700,000 last year but she definitely owes alot of her success to them. She has multiple best-selling books and other business ventures including her brand SkinnyGirl Cocktails and its premier drink the SkinnyGirl Margarita. In fact, she recently inked a deal for her brand of drinks which netted her a reported $100-$120 million dollars. All of things considered, she is now probably the wealthiest of all the New York City Housewives and she isn’t even on the show anymore. Continue reading
“I don’t have enough money” is the most pathetic excuse I hear from people looking to dress better. You would think that folks have never heard of a clearance, don’t go to Gilt.com, or have never been to Loehmann’s/Filene’s Basement/Daffy’s/Marshall’s (if you’re NYC, sample sale heaven, I will slap you extra hard if you complain). For some of my fellow poors, these havens of barginitude may not be cheap enough and for you all, let me suggest shopping at thrift stores. Continue reading
MSNBC recently posted the results of a poll which asked: If you had to come up with $2,000 to take care of an emergency, could you?
The answers were sobering, to be honest. Here are some highlights of the findings: Continue reading
Have you checked the mail today? If so, there’s a decent enough chance that somebody somewhere wants to give you money. Banks are clamoring for you to transfer your balances to them for 0% APR (for the first 12 months or however long it takes you to read the terms and conditions, whichever is longer) or buy a car (as long as it’s new and you take out a 60 or 72 month loan) or refinance your house and pay less each month (conveniently leaving out loan costs you’ll incur by doing so). Continue reading
Some of the items we use everyday come in a staggering array of choices from the downright affordable to the laughably expensive. Let’s look at the most expensive and least expensive item in some common categories of items you might buy.
The lease expensive new car in the US is the Hyundai Accent GL. You can pick one up for $10,735 or less if you’re a master haggler. It comes with a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty and those old fashioned cranks that let you roll the windows up and down even when the car is off. It’s a 2 door hatchback that will zip you along with all 110 of its horses.
The Bugatti Veyron on the other hand will set you back $1.7M. That’s roughly 158 times the cost, but you do get ten times the horsepower. The Veyron does have power windows and a dual automated manual transmission that shifts faster than any person could ever hope to get the clutch down and the lever thrown.
When you’re looking for a place to park your Hyundai Accent there is no more fitting place than the lowest priced metropolitan statistical area to buy your dream home, Youngstown, OH. The median price of a plot of land with a roof over your head in 2010 was $67,200. Before all you fancy NYC people tell me about how you can’t buy a doormat for that much, this is for single family detached homes so condos, coops, townhouses and other attached structures don’t count. Real Americans have a yard to mow and live in the heartland.
If you want to get your Veyron to the most expensive place to buy a home you’ll need to have it shipped by boat, unless you own an airplane that can accommodate a super-car. Honolulu, HI has a median home price of $607,000 which is down considerably from the peak of the housing bubble. You’ll get to live on Oahu, go surfing, complain about the people from the mainland and maybe become a private detective in your fancy sports car.
Everyone has a HDTV already right? If you’re one of the holdouts and you’re going shopping then be prepared for a confusing number of options. If you’re starting at the low end though and want to make sure every room in your mansion is stocked with a HDTV then you’ll want to head on down to budget street and pick up a Coby 15″ LCD TV for a very modest $84. Sure the colors are washed out, the screen is tiny and the remote only has 4 buttons, but it’s not like you’re going to be watching Blu-ray movies on this thing.
But nothing goes with your lifestyle quite like the PrestigeHD Supreme. This 55″ television is literally encrusted with diamonds and accented with alligator skin. It will set you back $2.2M. I’m sure The Donald is the target market for this gaudy beast. Now, if you want to find a TV that your local electronics retailer can sell you then the most expensive is the Pioneer 60″ Kuro class for $5,995.
In your leisure time you probably like to get out and feel the wind in your hair and the bugs in your teeth. For that you’re going to need a motorcycle. If you’re looking for something that gets great mileage and has a name you’ve never heard of then you can’t go wrong with the cheapest bike, the American Lifan LF 200 Sphinx. This Chinese made machine sells for $2,095. It has a top speed of 75 MPH and can only carry 330 pounds so check the scale and speed limit before you head out to look for a dealer.
You’re probably not the kind of person who likes to limit their potential so you may want to look at the Ecosse Titanium Series RR Limited Edition instead. As the name implies this motorcycle makes use of titanium everywhere it can. Titanium is a very strong yet light metal often used in aircraft. Other areas use carbon fiber to reduce weight. All of this gives the rider a great power to weight ratio for the bike’s 200 horsepower engine. If you have $275,000 laying around and a need to impress bike-geeks then meet your new ride. It should be noted that the Dodge Viper inspired V10 does cost more, but was never a production bike.
All this talk about titanium makes one wonder what element can you pick up on a budget and which one should you dream about hoarding. Sure you can go grab a hand full of dirt or breathe in some air, but what if you want your stuff pure? At $0.20 per gram, calcium is the most affordable and has the added benefit of not killing you on contact like some less friendly elements.
But the most expensive element is something you might find in a nuclear reactor. Californium-252 was forced into existence at the University of California, Berkeley in 1950. It’s thought to perhaps exist in nature but nobody is sure. If you want to buy some (you probably can’t buy it) it will cost you $1,000,000,000 per gram.
| $1,000,000,000 |
As the mainstream music industry feebly attempts to hang on to some semblance of its past glory days, many bands and artists are opting to cut out the middleman and go directly to their fans to provide financial backing for their future album releases. Using sites such as PledgeMusic or Kickstarter, musicians are able to make their case to fans and others who are interested in helping cover the costs associated with recording an album — booking studio time, distribution, promotional efforts, and so on. Beyond the financial, some bands are also reaching out to their fanbase to provide inspiration for songs in the form of words, artwork, or sound effects.
Helping an artist finance their next album usually comes with perks such as having advance access to music, bonus tracks, or having your name listed in the liner notes. Of course, there’s the simple personal gratification you’d feel in assisting a band get their music out to the masses.
Gregory Douglass:
I first learned of Gregory a few years back after seeing the video for his song, “Hang Around,” on TV one evening. I quickly downloaded the song from iTunes. Shortly thereafter, I returned to purchase the rest of his music. Back in 2009, I hosted a house concert where Gregory performed in my home for me and a group of my friends. His voice is simply amazing and I can’t help but cheer the guy on. Gregory has been holding weekly concerts streamed online and making appeals for fans to contribute to helping fund his next album, Lucid.
The Damnwells:
This is a band that needs to be heard by many more people. Their last album, One Last Century, was made available to the world for free. The band’s latest release, No One Listens to the Band Anymore, was just released on March 15, however, those who were financial backers via PledgeMusic, received early access to the album in addition to bonus songs and special access to a concert stream.
Imogen Heap:
At shows during her last world tour, Imogen Heap raised money for local charities by creating and recording a song at each show and making it available for purchase on her website. Even better, the audience was part of creating the song. At the show I attended, someone yelled out C sharp for the key and another person provided the general melody. From there, Imogen created a song. Perhaps using that experience as inspiration, fans were able to contribute words, sounds and/or melodies that would be reviewed and used to create a new song — the first song created for her new album.
As Imogen culled through the submissions, fans were able to watch via Ustream as she reviewed them and built a song. The result is “Lifeline.” It’s also worth noting that the submissions used in the song will receive credit on her album as well as receive compensation.
Hello peasants! I thought you might be interested to know that ever since the earthquake hit Japan, the very rich have been getting very serious about looking into their options for survival should all this earth shaking signal the beginning of the end. 12/12/2012 is just around the corner, and a lot people seem to be betting that those crazy Mayans could be right.
Bunker-builders, of which there are far more than I imagined, have reported huge increases in sales of high-end shelters in the past few weeks. We’re not talking drab 50s fallout shelters with dull concrete walls and cans of tuna fish. We’re talking style. So that when the dust settles, those with enough money will emerge with gold ingots in hand, well-rested, well-fed and ready to repopulate the world.
If you’ve got the big bucks, a company by the name of Vivos has already started selling spaces for a group-style bunker in Nebraska that will provide relatively opulent autonomous living for 900 people for a full year. Below is a rendering of one of the common spaces, and you can check out their extremely creepy video here: Vivos 1012 Underground Shelter
If the apocalypse lasts longer than a year, of course everyone in there will be screwed, but for those first 365 days, “members” are assured access to such luxuries as a wine cellar, pet kennels, dental and medical facilities, private living spaces, even a bakery! The place is bigger than a Wal-Mart, but is free of those annoying seniors greeting you at the door.
And the Nebraska site is just one of a network planned around the United States.
The cost to secure your little piece of heaven buried deep under the earth will run up to $50,000 per person, depending on the location. All things considered, it’s not much if you really want to see what 2013 will look like.
But if you’re not into hunkering down with 899 strangers, a company called Hardened Structures offers underground condos that house up to 200 in a series of their “Genesis Pods,” also scattered around the states. If that’s not cozy enough, you can get something all your own: they recently completed a private 100-bed bunker in the Adirondacks for a mere $90 million.
What? Don’t have an extra $90 million lying around? Feeling left out? Not to worry, as even you can be saved. Those industrious folks at Popular Mechanics have researched an affordable low-cost alternative in an article titled “6 Safe, Strong – and Chic (!) – Bomb Shelters You Can Buy Now.” I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling totally reassured.
Here’s KI4U’s adorable “Mini Blast Shelter,” priced at a ridiculously low $3,200 (delivery and installation extra). I know most of you are already salivating, but if you’re hesitating for any reason, just picture your neighbors turning green with envy when they see this beauty being offloaded onto your front yard.
Although it’s nothing more than a modified section of road culvert, it arrives as the pic says, “ready to bury!” According to company owner Shane Connor, “it’s cramped and it’s uncomfortable. But when something nuclear happens, and it’s inevitable, it’s better than the alternative.” I’m not so sure about that. If you’ve ever shared a small, enclosed space with my partner, the gaseous Mr. Karma, you might think otherwise. However, beggars can’t be choosers.
If you live in an apartment you’re shit out of luck, but lots of people with backyards in places like East Bumfuck seem to think something like this is a great idea.
Looks like fun, no? Don’t forget, Popular Mechanics says it’s chic, and they should know. Besides, peasants, it’s only $3200 and let’s face it: the only “wine cellar” you’re going to need is a place to put those bottles of white zinfandel you’ve got chilling in the fridge.
Note from BadKarma: If I can muster the energy, this will be one in a series of articles discussing ways I’ll be spending the PowerBall Megamillions I plan on winning in the not too distant future, apocalypse notwithstanding.