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World, Money, GlamourSeptember 18, 2009 2:31 pm

phantom mask The Most Expensive Things You’ll Never Actually Need

Why would you use your money to feed a starving country, when you can pay $1,500,000 for a Box of Chocolates, or buy a $1.3 Million Cell Phone. What you choose?

Pay $1,500,000 for a Box of Chocolates
Le Chocolat features a selection of Lake Forest Confections gourmet chocolates, selected by the confectioners master candy maker, as well as an arrangement of magnificent jewelry from Simon’s personal jewelry and gemstone vault. The price tag is $1,500,000. The jewelry that comes along with the box of chocolates includes a "priceless" collection of natural yellow and blue diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires from Simons Jewelers. (How priceless can it be with a price tag?)

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Art, MoneyJuly 16, 2009 11:23 am

phantom mask The most expensive photos


Arthur Sasse, $74.324
On Einstein’s 72nd birthday in 1951, photographer Arthur Sasse was trying to persuade him to smile for the camera, but having smiled for photographers many times that day, Einstein stuck out his tongue instead. This photo became one of the most popular photos ever taken of Einstein and it is well recognized in popular culture, often used in merchandise depicting Einstein in a lighthearted sense. On June 19, 2009, the photograph was sold at auction for $74,324, a record for an Einstein picture.

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World, People, MoneyMay 28, 2009 2:21 pm

phantom mask The 25 Most Bizarre Travel Insurance Claims Ever

What links a tourist who lost 84 kilograms of Bombay mix on holiday with another who had his camera stolen by a monkey? Both are among the more unusual claims received by travel insurance companies. Times Money has trawled through the files of some of the UK’s biggest insurers to bring you the 25 most bizarre travel insurance claims ever. So, here’s the list:

1. One thing you don’t expect when you go on holiday is to be harassed by a monkey. One British traveller in Gibraltar, however, was so besieged by the attentions of an over-friendly primate that he asked his insurer to refund the cost of his trip. The insurer refused but did pay out for his camera, which the monkey had run off with one evening.

2. Monkeys also blighted the romantic getaway of a couple in Malaysia, who foolishly left the window to their chalet open during the day. They returned to find their underwear, clothing and belongings strewn across the resort and neighbouring rainforest. Luckily for the clothes-less couple, their insurer paid the claim.

3. One unlucky pensioner managed to lose his false teeth after throwing up over the side of a cruise ship on the choppy seas of the Bay of Biscay. Thankfully for the squeamish septuagenarian, his misplaced dentures were covered in his travel insurance policy under lost baggage, so his claim was paid.

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Business, MoneyMay 25, 2009 1:28 pm

phantom mask 11 Ways to Get Your First Million Dollars

1. Only very smart people can earn a lot of money. Wrong! Being smarter might be an advantage, but there are several more important capabilities a person should have to reach this goal. If the awareness of the fact that you’re not a genius deterred you from believing that you could become a millionaire, it is time to forget this prejudice!

2. “Diligence” is the key word. You can be a genius, but if you’re lazy, there’s no chance of getting rich (well, maybe some little chances though). Laziness is the million dollars’ biggest enemy!

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People, MoneyMay 14, 2009 10:57 am

phantom mask 10 Fines That Will Blow Your Mind

ITV was fined a record £5.7 million for misleading viewers over the conduct of phone-ins on its flagship programmes this week. But it is not just big companies that have to stump up cash in fine-happy Britain.

With an army of pettifogging bureaucrats policing your every move, you better think twice before you eat, talk, drive and even relax… the list is almost endless. Here we list ten ridiculous but true stories where the authorities have demonstrated their limited grasp of common sense…

Sausage rolls
A picnic in the park turned into an expensive event for Mum Sarah Davies, from Hull. While feeding her four-year-old daughter a piece of sausage roll fell to the ground. The missed-mouth incident was spotted by council wardens and Ms Davies was fined £75, even though pigeons immediately ate the evidence.

What a load of rubbish
With photographic evidence and stab-proof vests, Cumbria council’s bin police confronted Gareth Corkhill with the terrible crime of … putting too much rubbish in his bin. The father of four was given a whopping £210 fine, plus a £15 victim surcharge and he now has a criminal record.

Oops…
Litter lout Christopher Murphy dropped a single crisp packet on Irish soil and ended up in court with a 600 Euro (£480) fine. While the term litterbug is no doubt a bona fide insult, this is an example of where the fine perhaps doesn’t match the crime.

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MoneyApril 8, 2009 11:38 am

phantom mask Famous checks

Here are some pictures of checks that were drawn or chashed by famous people or events. You can look at them with envy or as at an historical document. I hope the second one would prevail.

Check for Alaska for $7.200.000 which Russia got in 1867. It was signed by russian minister Eduard Stekly in august 1868.

One’s own check. In 1946 the only way to get cash was to draw and cash your own check. This check belongs to the Merchant’s & Farmer’s Bank and is for $50. 
 

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Thought out, MoneyApril 3, 2009 7:53 am

phantom mask Redesign

Have you noticed?

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People, MoneyMarch 17, 2009 11:55 am

phantom mask 30 Money Facts That Will Blow You Away

Do you think you know a lot about money? Maybe you do. Maybe you don’t. But let’s see if any of the following facts are in any way surprising to you:

1. More of our fantasies are about money… than sex.

2. If we could have any luxury in the world (and money didn’t matter) more of us would choose to spend money on a butler and a maid than anything else.

3. 90% of Americans who own pets buy them Christmas gifts.

4. Money is the leading cause of disagreements in marriages.

5. 65% of Americans would live on a deserted island all by themselves for an entire year for $1,000,000.

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Business, HealthMarch 9, 2009 1:25 pm

phantom mask Why Generic Equivalents Work Better than the Real McCoys: New Study Links Generic Drugs to Better Health

It isn’t tough to understand why generic drugs produce better health outcomes. No, they don’t have any secret ingredients in them that make them more powerful than name brand medications. The reason isn’t scientific. It’s economic.

 

They’re less expensive.

When times are tight and you have to make a call between a prescription and something to eat, you pass over the pharmacy in favor of the grocery store.

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Business, MoneyFebruary 26, 2009 12:33 pm

phantom mask 14 Big Businesses That Started in a Recession

Thought you couldn’t start a company during a recession? These enterprises made it big by doing just that.

It might seem counterintuitive to start a new business when the economy is in the dumps. But a recession can actually be the ideal time for launching a company. In fact, many well-known and successful organizations were born during an economic slump.
Why do these companies succeed? Usually it’s because the founders recognized a market need and filled it. Identifying that need — whether it’s related to entertainment, travel or even streamlining how businesses operate — is the key to any thriving enterprise, regardless of the economic climate in which it begins. The following major corporations made it big during recessions by doing just that.

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