RIP WILD ANIMALS

In a heartbreaking story, Terry Thompson, the owner of an eastern Ohio farm, opened the cages of 56 wild animals including bears, lions, and tigers, and then committed suicide. Law enforcement who responded to a 911 call had the job of herding the freed animals back while keeping people out of harms way. How did they accomplish this? By shooting 48 of these animals at point blank range, including 18 tigers, 9 lions, 8 lionesses, 3 mountain lions, 6 black bears, 2 grizzly bears, and a baboon. Although Thompson's animal farm was investigated for animal cruelty, no one committed the cruelty close to what law enforcement did today.

I am an advocate of animal rights, and as most of you know, I adopted an endangered wild tiger in Africa, naming him Rory. Wild tigers are on the endangered species list, as are lions and some types of bears. Murdering 56 of these endangered animals is against the law- you can't hunt endangered animals- this should be NO exception!!! Why couldnt they hire zoo keepers and zoologists and veterinarians who know how to properly handle these types of animals and keep them out of harms way? Maybe because they didnt want to deal with going through the trouble and time to handle this the ethical way. This just shows who really cares about the treatment of animals. I am sure the World Wildlife Foundation will be speaking about this matter if they haven't already. I think we learned a lesson today: no life is more valuable than another, human or animal. Give your dog a hug or brush your cat tonight- because apparently you never know....

Happy Birthday, Matt Damon!

Dearest Matt Damon,

I know your birthday was October 8th, but I just wanted to write you the most sincere birthday message you ever received! Where do I begin? I feel like I've watched you grow up from the Good Will Hunting to one of my favorites as Private Ryan in Saving Private Ryan. I lived those experiences with you. I felt like it was me whose brothers had died in war, and my mom was begging for my arrival. You have always been able to play various types of roles with various types of personalities. You even took a backseat to Brad Pitt and George Clooney in the Oceans movies, sidestepping the spotlight while still playing a key role. You are a true team player Matt! My favorite set of movies which you have starred in is the Jason Bourne series. You are so intelligent, quick, combative, instinctive, and respectful- you just want to know who you are and how you got where you landed. It is admirable to see you escape banks, apartment buildings, houses, offices, etc. I'm thinking about being Jason Bourne for Halloween, and I have you to thank! I'm not going to lie Invictus was boring as rocks but you did your thing playing rugby.

And who can forget you winning People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive- you are the real deal dude. Plus your best friends with Ben Affleck who is also the MAN.

The most underrated movie you starred in is definitely The Informant! My dad and I love that movie and your so humorous without trying it really is entertaining to watch. "It's like its dump on Mark Whitaker day".- BEST LINE EVER.

Who can forget your cameo in Entourage where your begging Vince for money for your charity ,and your expletive laced rant after the credits. "VINCE- SEND THE CHECK NOW!!". My whole family adores you, even mom! If you're ever in the Jersey area stop by in Rutherford and she will whip you up a pasta meal for the ages.

So here we are Matt, wishing you a happy 41, goodluck with the family and most importantly GOD BLESS.

Love,
Stefano

Stefano's Personal Playlist

It's a Sunday night, everyone is probably doing the HW they put off all weekend. Here is a little playlist that Stefano listens to pretty much on a daily basis:

1) Imma Put it On Her- Day 26 (motivational selection)
2) She Got Her Own Remix- Ne-Yo feat Jaime Foxx & Fabolous (respecting all the ladies)
3) We Didn't Start the Fire- Bruce Springsteen (I swear we didn't)
4) Crazy Love- Michael Buble (gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling)
5) Heartache Tonight- Eagles (this one's for you dad!)
6) Smooth Criminal- Michael Jackson (annie are you ok?)
7) When You're Mad- Ne-Yo (always have this in the car if your significant other gets upset)
8) Eenie Meanie Minie Mo Lover- Justin Bieber feat Sean Kingston
9) As Long as You Love Me- Backstreet Boys (my shower song)
10) Comin' Up- Sam Adams (that white boy snapback song)

Feel free to share some of your playlists or critique mine!!! #BEGREAT

Note to NBA: Get Your Act Together

As another day passes, hope for an agreement to be reached between the NBA and its Players Union diminishes like the rust on an old bike. Embattled in nasty negotiations carried through by the media, the likelihood of the NBA locking out its players for the entire 2011-2012 season is beyond plausible. This same scenario almost took shape in the 1999 season but the two sides eventually came to an agreement in January and played a shortened season. That still very well could be the outcome of this season but NBA Commissioner David Stern sounds pessimistic about that happening. A Federal Mediator will now preside over the case as the sides reconvene on Tuesday, and sources say if significant progress is not made that games could be canceled through Christmas Day, a marquee event that brings in millions of viewers on Santa's Day. If there is a lockout, it not only hurts the players and fans, it hurts a lot more people than you think....

Owners are complaining they are losing money just on operations and can't afford to pay player's salaries that have ballooned the past few years. They are calling for a 50/50 split of Basketball Related Income (BRI) while the Players refuse to budge off a 53/47 deal. This isn't even the main issue as owners are trying to create a hard cap that will limit teams such as the Knicks, Lakers, Celtics, and Mavs from spending over the salary cap and paying a dollar for dollar luxury tax. They want more competition and fairness spread across the league. While these are all understandable points, I think owners who invest their money into their team are the most successful. Why do you think Mark Cuban just won a championship? He is not afraid to shell out dollars to make his team better. Same goes for the Lakers ownership and the Celtics. Let's not forget it is the OWNERS who agree to the contracts with the players. No one is putting a gun to their head saying they have to sign Joe Johnson to a 6 year/$120 million extension. If you are going to overpay for an average player, its your own fault. Do not blame the system, blame yourself!

Many middle of the road NBA Players have already signed oversees with out clauses that if the NBA season does begin, they can leave whenever that date is set. That's why I think the players have leverage because they can go to Europe for a few months, collect a paycheck, while the owner's suffer and lose out on the money they could be making from tickets, concessions, and merchandise. The players have been saving for years knowing this day may come, and now that is has arrived, Union leader Billy Hunter has them prepared. I can not see them caving. Another group that stands to lose from a lockout are the employees of the 30 NBA teams. The security guards, valet attendants, the old guy selling beer. They will lose 100% of their gross income if there are no games. That money cannot be replaced! These people will be considered temporarily unemployed and will have to look elsewhere for work. And lastly, the fans. For crying out loud we want to see basketball back. A Knick fan myself, there is still a bitter taste in my mouth from the disappointing defeat the Celtics handed us in the playoffs (which would have been different had Billups and Amar'e not been hurt). The NBA is coming off the best season since Jordan's Bulls Dynasty. Viewers tuned in to watch the Dream Team Miami Heat falter while Dirk Nowitzki raised the banner. The NBA partially caught up to MLB and NFL in terms of hype and media coverage. If they lockout, who knows what will happen.

So I am urging the owners and players to put their differences aside, come to an agreement, and get back on the court to do what they do best-put on a show. I firmly believe there will be basketball in 2011-2012, I just don't know when.

#occupywallstreet

The media refused to cover this public outcry for justice the first 13 days of protest, but now, "Occupy Wall Street" is gaining momentum countrywide. It started a couple of weeks ago, and has grown to include thousands of average Americans pleading for a change in the system that has shown unemployment rise and pension funds falter. They call themselves the 99%. This number refers to the 99% of the population that does not have the wealth and power to control politics like corporations and bank executives have. 99% of this country is made with middle class, hard working people who have to earn respect and a paycheck in order to survive. They are calling out banks that hand out billions in bonuses, and corporations that influence politicians across the country. These protests have continued down to Washington DC and across the coast to San Francisco. "Occupy Wall Street" is using social media sites such as twitter and Youtube to broadcast their messages. Mayor Bloomberg believes riots will begin if they are not taken seriously.

Now for my own take on this new movement. I would have to agree that their is a crack in the current economic and political system that allows corporations to contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to politicians to act as their puppets in order to push laws and deregulation that favors them. There are too many old, white men that are politicians who say they represent "America" but instead they have their own agenda to maintain their status and power. Let's be real, they don't care about the average citizen. The demographics in politics are astounding. We need someone to represent the youth of this country, someone who has a grip on how the country feels. The worst economic times since the Great Depression and I do not see the urgency required to save the sinking ship. These protests are just the beginning. I can't see these protestors giving up any hope, at least while the weather is still bearable in the city. The police are getting restless, the executives are getting restless, and Wall Street is getting restless. But can we be honest here? Is a system that has been in place for hundreds of years really going to fold that easily? I can't see that happening in the foreseeable future. Its "Too Big to Fail" for lack of a better term. Sure we can tax the rich more but what is that really going to do? Take less money out of their pockets. Is that going to make the poor happy? We have to ask ourselves these questions. This is definitely real and alive as we speak. Americans see what countries in the Middle East have done to rectify years of suppression, and they are taking note. I only hope "Occupy Wall Street" actually knows what they stand for and who they are supporting.

I plan on checking this out for myself in the coming weeks, any of my followers are welcomed to join! #Begreat

A New Day

Since my 15 month hiatus, many of my avid followers have been requesting a blog comeback. I was not ready for the full time commitment of being a student, son, brother, and friend while still having the time and resources to put 110% into this blog. A special shout out must be made to Connor Ryan Laverty for making the final push to get me back into the writer's chair and deliver the news and opinions that once made all of your days!

A lot has happened since we have last connected, and it would be impossible to give my insight and advice on everything that has transpired, but I will cover the 3 most important topics that have had me boiling for a while:

1) Unemployment- Still stagnant at 9.1% nationally, we as college students should be doing whatever is possible to secure that entry level position once we graduate. Jobs are still being cut across the board, and the outlook for the years ahead aren't as optimistic as once hoped. Getting that internship should be at the top of everyone's to do list if it already is not. Visit your school's career center and take advantage of career fairs on campus. Also, Websites like internships.com, vault.com, experience.com, indeed.com are all some that I use and endorse. I am willing to work with any of my readers on improving their resume and finding an internship that fits what they are looking for (more details on how to contact me later). Most of you guys do not realize but there are internships for almost every government entity and non profit organization, leave no stone unturned. We need to compete with the likes of India and China in the global marketplace and the only way to do so is by continuing to educate ourselves and making sure we attain the most knowledge on a broad spectrum of fields. This country doesn't work unless we work together.

2) Awareness- Everyone knows the five senses are feel, taste, sight, smell, and hearing, but most of us really don't use them as much as we should. I'm calling on my followers to pay more attention to their surroundings and what is going on not only in our country but our world. Look up to see the gas prices and follow a trend line to see why it goes down in the winter and up in the summer, throw on CNN or the world news every once in a while and hear who the latest politician is calling Obama out, etc. Bank of America is charging $5 a month to customers with checking accounts- most people don't realize that they may or may be charged because there are exemptions and exceptions. If you aren't happy with a certain charge from someone,contest it! Find out why you're being charged and for how much. We are entitled to these things. Awareness is everything.

3) Don't be afraid to be yourself- A lot of people must think that this blog is a joke or that I am a nerd or have no life for talking about these certain topics, but its the people like us that achieve great things. Steve Jobs was a great innovator, a modern day Thomas Edison according to Pat Kinzler. He challenged normalcy and used his brain to achieve greatness. I'm calling everyone here to #begreat. Don't be ashamed of who you are or what you're into. There are greater days ahead and I am a firm believer that the hard work pays off. My Aunt Angela says work hard now to play harder later. #Begreat

I could go on and on for hours, but I'll be back tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. I'm here for the long hall, and nothing can hold me back. If you ever need to contact me for any tips, suggestions, etc I am reachable at stefdur@yahoo.com. I am here to motivate you all!! God bless

Crossroads

It has been my pleasure to bring my readers information on personal finance, economics, and current events surrounding us globally. However, tonight, I am not reporting any current event. Nor am I providing any advice or tips on how to better your future. I am here to talk about my future, and what has been going on in my head the past few weeks as I have approached my decision. Let me take you back to my last semester at Seton Hall. I was locked in as an accounting major and career as a CPA. I was intrigued by the ability to earn a high salary while having the run of Wall Street. I landed a decent finance internship this summer as a freshman, a feit that few have accomplished. I thought I was at an all time academic high. But I still heard the persistent whispers about accounting. "You're doing accounting? Are you crazy that is so boring!". "You're going to hate your job trust me the days are so long". I had firmly believed that my six figure salary would squash any concerns or negativity about my job. I kept telling myself that I had to be an accountant, and I gave myself little room to venture. It was not until I started working at my internship that I realized how different the work environment actually is. 9-11 hour work days are not fun or humerous, they are draining and slow. I soon became to realize that if I was going to pour hours into my job, I would have to be doing something that I love and look foward to doing. I dreamt of my accounting future, and it did not look too happy. The stress of Wall Street and the lost time with my family were haunting me.

As many of you know, I am an avid sports fan. I religiously follow the New York Knicks, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Eagles, and Kansas Jayhawks. I can memorize sports statistics like it is my full time job, often quoting starting lineups, where they attended college, and the salaries that each player earned. Although I stopped playing organized sports at a young age, it was definately my passion and true love. As I have been following the LeBron James free agency sweepstakes, it brought me back to the days where my dream was to be a sports agent. I thought I could pull off the Scott Boras personality, or more interestingly, Ari Gold status. I had originally looked into becoming a sports agent, but the industry was hard to crack into. I pushed my dreams aside for a more promising future in accounting.

The only advice I am going to give tonight is to follow your dreams. I understand now why my mom became an Italian teacher. She loved teaching the language she had learned in her native country to Americans aspiring to become fluent. Teaching italian was her calling, just like becoming a sports agent is mine. I am here to declare that I will be forgoing my accounting career-effective immediately. I may still major in accounting because having a business background is a good start for a sports agent. However, I plan to enroll in law school upon my graduation, and fully commit myself to pursuing my dreams. You guys will be seeing me courtside, not as a Goldman Sachs employee, but as an agent representing the likes of Derrick Rose, John Wall, and whoever else may be a future star. Nothing is holding me back, because I will be chasing what I love most, sports. Go Knicks.