*Note: This is a sponsored post

With the economy in flux and gas prices at an all time high (I think a barrel of oil hit $129 today), it’s important to be frugal with money, and intelligent about how you’re spending what you have. Getting into debt, or getting further into debt, can cause many problems in the long run. It can have a negative impact on your credit score, which can prevent you from getting loans for a home or a car, it can suck up your cash resources, and it can become an overwhelming burden that is hard to escape.

That said, having credit cards such as visa credit cards can help increase your credit score if used wisely. What I mean by this is using the card to make purchases you can afford, and paying it off at the end of the month, before needing to pay the finance charges.

Keeping your balances low or at a zero balance can help increase your credit score. If you’re wisely using a credit card, paying it off every month, the credit bureaus will look at that as a sign of fiscal responsibility, and will likely increase your credit score. If you have a very low credit score, and are in need of a bad credit credit card, there are some available that you can get, however, keep in mind that the interest rate will be higher (because people with bad credit scores are tended to be looked at as being “higher risk”).

If you currently have a lot of credit card debt, it’s ok. Work to pay off one card at a time (the one with the highest interest rate), and pay minimum balances on the rest. Once you’ve paid one off, start on the next one, and work towards paying them all off. Credit cards can be a double-edged sword. They can provide a lot of benefits such as providing greater spending power and helping increase credit scores - and some even offer airline miles and more. If they’re not used wisely, however, they can cause a lot of problems, and are an easy way to get into a lot of debt.

Moral of the story: If you’re looking to get a credit card, be wise about how you use it. Pay it off every month, don’t spend more money than you have, and carefully consider what cards you choose to carry.

Note: Credit cards can provide a needed means of capital for small businesses. I believe the same rules of thumb applies with business credit cards, however, they can be extremely useful if you’re looking to purchase products for your business. Again, be wise in how you use credit, but they can be extremely beneficial in helping get your business up and running.

Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in Federal Prison for his role in the dogfighting business he had on his property. To me, this is such a sad story. He’s someone that is extremely talented, and has made something of himself. Now, he’s going to spend at least the next 20 months of his life (if he receives the maximum of 3 months off for good behavior) in prison, thinking about what he’s done.

To be honest, I hope that he is able to get his football career back on track. He’s talented, and he shouldn’t have to pay for the rest of his life, provided he has learned his lesson, and has done much good to right the many wrongs he’s done. Dogfighting is a serious and terribly disturbing crime. It’s not just the fights that are cruel - it’s what leads up to them and how the losers are treated that is sickening as well. Losing dogs are killed in terrible ways, and other smaller dogs are used as bait. The whole “sport” is barbaric, and it takes someone that is cold and has been hardened to be able to participate/enjoy such a bloody event.

I hope Michael Vick takes this lesson to heart, and I hope others involved with dogfighting will consider what they’re risking, and think about the cruelties they’re perpetuating. I hope Mr. Vick will donate money and time to caring for abused and neglected animals. He’ll be able to see how rewarding rescuing animals can be - how much more rewarding than winning money at the price of an animal’s life. I wish you all the best, Michael Vick. I hope that your apology is sincere, and that you will change for the better. Remember, you’re an example to so many. Be a man, do the right thing, and make up for your mistakes. You can do a lot of good - just do it.

With “green” being the new buzzword, everyone seems to be trying to figure out how they can be more environmentally friendly. Some people purchase hybrid cars, some people ride their bikes to work, some people use canvas totes for their groceries, and some people buy carbon credits.

I think it’s good to try to conserve and not waste - we need to take care of the earth. There are, however, some businesses that are trying to make making a lot of money by appearing to be earth friendly. Or perhaps they are earth friendly - their sole product is the soothing of consciences so people can feel less bad about not being as carbon neutral as our good friend, Al Gore. These companies sell carbon credits.

Basically, the idea is, if you feel like you’re not recycling as many soda cans as you think you should be, or you enjoy driving your H2 (which, personally, I don’t really have a problem with), you can buy carbon credits which offset the negative carbon particles you shoot off into the air. Or something like that. Basically, you give a company some money, and they’ll plant a tree or two for you, and you can feel guiltless about turning your heater up to 85 degrees in the winter.

I compare this to the old practice of purchasing Indulgences (yes, the same one Martin Luther protested with his 95 theses) because, really, it’s a very similar concept. Back then, if you sinned, you could pay the church some money, and your sin was wiped out, as if it never happened. (Of course, there are always consequences to sin, like if you rob or murder someone, that doesn’t take away the fact that the victim was still victimized. But the church needed money for a new bascilica, so they figured that if they could get people to pay in cash for their sins, they were still paying.) At any rate, the same goes with carbon credits. If you waste nature’s resources, you can pay someone else some money, and it’s as if the waste never happened, because they’ll plant a tree for you, and then you’re “carbon neutral.”

Personally, I think if you want to conserve, and that’s your thing, do it. I think it’s good to recycle and not waste - we need to take care of the earth. But don’t condemn me if I don’t use organic cotton (or hemp) recyclable bags to carry my groceries out to my car. I recycle cardboard and plastic and soda cans, but I’m going to enjoy driving my H3, and not worry about having someone plant a tree to offset the emmissions it released. I think the whole “green” movement is a bit of a fad, and there are a lot of companies cashing in on it. It will die down soon, but hopefully people will take lessons from it. Like it’s ok to drive an SUV, but you should recycle what you can.

I was reading on ksl.com about a member of the Utah National Guard, Major Craig Jenkins, who was trying to make his pictures of Iraq more interesting for his kids. He said no one was really interested with the pictures of himself riding in helicopters, etc., so he came up with the idea for Combat Bunny, a little pink stuffed bunny with a military uniform that goes everywhere, and has pictures taken in famous places, such as “The Green Zone,” the Cross Sword Monument, and many others.

The idea has gotten pretty popular, and it’s easy to see why. The cute little pink bunny gives a bit of comic relief to a tense situation. Humor always helps when kids are worried about their parents, and this was a great idea by Major Jenkins, to help make learning about Iraq a bit funnier, and more interesting for his kids.

Check out the photo album in the link…my favorite picture is the bunny strapped into the seatbelt with Major Jenkins.

So far, the women’s US National is looking good, and hopes to beat Brazil on Thursday in the semifinals to advance to the Finals in China on Sunday.

The United States’ women’s national team is currently ranked #1 in the world, and clinching the “World Cup Champions” title on Sunday will keep them in that place.

The United States has plenty of talent - Ali Wagner is phenomenal to watch (I played against her in Club and High School back in the 90s in San Jose - or I should say, I tried to play against her!)

Hopefully at some point, the US Men’s team can reach the World Cup Finals. In the meantime, we’ll continue to cheer for and support our women - Go USA!

Six years ago, and Oregon man stumbled upon a baby deer that had deformed feet. Instead of ignorning it, he did the humane thing, and took her to the vet and paid thousands of dollars to help get her better. She has become his pet, and he named her Snowball. She also gave birth to a baby, Bucky, and things seemed to be going along just fine until Oregon authorities stepped in.

They seized the animals and threatened to put them down, all because Jim Filipetti didn’t have one of 16 available wild animal rehabilitation licenses.

This story has outraged Oregon residents, as well it should. One man commented that people could get a license to kill deer, but heaven forbid if anyone tried to help one. Due to the pressure from citizens, the Fish & Wildlife division has decided not to euthenize the animals, and Filipetti could perhaps get Snowball back, however, it looks as if Bucky will be on his own - a decision as to his fate hasn’t been made yet.

I think this story is completely outrageous. Filipetti has done no harm in rescuing Snowball. Why punish someone for doing the right thing? Government needs to take a giant step back, admit to making a mistake with this, and give him Snowball and Bucky back. This is a pathetic case of government over-involvement. Why take animals away from the best home/care they’ll ever receive? Come on, Oregon. Do the right thing - let the deer go back to the only home they’ve ever known.

For more information, check out the story here.

I was reading this morning about the different candidates running for president, and I’m pretty open to hear what everyone has to say. For me, the most important thing is someone that is fiscally conservative - either Republican or Democrat. One thing that greatly concerns me is any implications that political decisions will have on my small business, and whether decisions made by politicians will make it difficult for us to keep it running.

I was reading today about Hillary Clinton’s Universal Health Care plan, and I became pretty concerned. She wants to require all businesses (small ones included) to offer health insurance to all employees. I think that it is a noble plan to try to get everyone health insurance (believe me, I’ve been in the boat of having a hard time getting insurance), however, by forcing small businesses to offer this, all this will do is force small businesses to lay off people because they can’t afford to insure all of their employees. I say this from the perspective of a small business owner. Granted, there may be some tax cuts offered, however, any additional expenses will really push some companies over the edge, and either force them to close, or lay off employees.

Requiring all businesses to offer insurance to all employees is not the way to go. Hopefully there will be someone that comes along that has a feasable idea of how to handle this problem. Mitt Romney did a good job in Massachusetts - I’d like to hear what other candidates propose.

Today, September 11, 2007, marks the sixth anniversary of the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. To me, it’s a day of remembrance - one that we as United States citizens should never forget.

It saddens me that while driving to work and listing to the radio this morning, I really didn’t hear any talk about it. I hope that people aren’t starting to forget what happened. We need to remember it and keep the victim’s memories alive. We can’t become complacent about it.

Every year I think about where I was. I remember so much about that day, from what I was wearing (a red and black striped shirt with black slacks) to where I was when I heard about it (my apartment on Riverside Ave. in Provo). I’m sure few people will ever forget that day - it’s a day that changed America. I remember being so sad for so long - tears would stream down my face as I watched those planes crash over and over again on the news. The pain seemed overwhelming - it was so hard to believe that something like that could happen here. In America. I can still feel that sadness as I think back to what happened.

I hope that as people go throughout their day today that they will remember what happened, and honor the victims’ memories. I like to remember how unified our country became on that day - political lines blurred, and neighbors supported one another. I hope that we can think back to that, and try to reincorporate some of those ideals. I know that there are many divisive issues going on today, however, I will try to become more compassionate and understanding towards those that have differing views from mine. I hope others can try to do the same. That is one good thing we can take from such a horrible event.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims, and also the rescue workers that are now facing health problems as a result of their heroic actions. My God bless them. And may we as a country never forget what happened on September 11, 2001.

I’ve put off writing about this topic because for me, it’s pretty difficult to talk about. The whole dogfighting industry is disturbing, disgusting, and completely outrageous. It sickens me to think about the cruelty that was perpetrated on Michael Vick’s property, and now that he has pled guilty, obviously under his direction.

I don’t think Michael Vick is an evil person - but I do think he is someone that is disturbed and severly misguided. The thoughts of what happened on his property over the past few years have caused an outrage throughout the country, and probably the world. Even the NFL stepped up, indefinitely suspending him without pay. The Falcons are looking to recoup $22 million in bonus money, which seems to be why they haven’t cut him from the team.

Vick offered an apology today, apologizing to his young fans, and calling himself “immature.” I’m glad that he apologized - a nation was hurt and disappointed by his actions. I’m saddened that he didn’t express more apologies for perpetuating animal cruelty, however, I’m glad he apologized. Animal cruelty is a terrible thing, and unfortunately, Vick had to learn the hard way.

I remember watching Michael Vick play when we was at Virginia Tech - he’s an extremely talented person, and I do hope to see him play football again, after he has paid the price for his actions. I don’t think he should be condemned forever. He made some terrible, horrible mistakes, and he will pay a very high price for them. He needs to be given the chance, however, to redeem himself, and make up for it. I hope that he becomes involved with animal shelters, perhaps donating time and money to help fight animal cruelty. I think that despite this horrible thing, something good should come of it. Vick needs to work to do everything he can to help put an end to all animal cruelty, dogfighting included. Then, I think, the United States and his fans will be willing to embrace him again.

The Humane Society has put together a video contenst to help combat dogfighting. There are three finalists, and you can vote on the one that you feel has the most impact. Warning - some are graphic, and they will make you cry.

Humane Society Knock Out Animal Cruelty Video

Since the movie was (mercifully) short, so will my review be.

The movie started out as funny, got really gross (cartoon nudity!), and then got boring. Throughout the movie was woven a theme of preachy environmentalism. I would rate it a half star out of four (because the beginning was funny). My recommendation: don’t see it. And it is definitely not a kids movie.

Basically, that’s about it. The best thing about the movie coming out was the changing of 7-11s to Kwik-E-Marts. And the pink “Homer” doughnuts. And those weren’t even very good.