On June 22nd, 2008, Ian Usher is going to do the unthinkable and will auction his entire life for sale… on ebay! After splitting from his wife, Ian found that many of the physical items that remained were a painful reminder of his past, so he’s turning to the Internet where he will sell everything in one shot. And when Ian says everything, he means everything including his lifestyle, house, car, motorbike, job, friends, and everything he owns, and all of the things he doesn’t own, but that are still an important parts of his life.
Ian says, “When I say everything is included in the sale I mean EVERYTHING is included! Upon completion and settlement I will walk out of my home for the last time in just the clothes I am wearing, and carrying only my wallet and passport. My current thoughts are to then head to the airport, and ask at the flight desk where the next flight with an available seat goes to, and to get on that and see where life takes me from there!”
Amazing!
A freak accident kills ABBA drummer Ola Brunkert.
A coworker of mine found a great blog for those of you who are in dire need of a quick break and a good laugh. Stuff White People Like has a list of, you guessed it, stuff that white people like!
Before you get on my case for the taste of this post check out the whole list, and if you still don’t agree with things like assists, tea, and expensive sandwiches… well then, I guess you just aren’t that funny.
Leave it to me to talk about diamonds!! Sotheby’s Hong Kong galleries will be auctioning a 72.22-carat diamond.
If you’re interested, the diamond is expected to fetch between $10 million and $13 million, and is a pear shaped, D-color, flawless gem with GIA-graded excellent polish and symmetry. For those of you who are diamond novices, D-color is actually colorless and considered the most highly valued.
(Picture from the Associated Press)
Within the last week I heard someone say “I wish I could get paid for every interview I’ve been on…”. Who knew they were on the right track? NotchUp is a site where potential employers actually pay you to interview with them. Fueled by the theory that employers will save money without having to pay recruiters a percentage of a hire’s salary, NotchUp has the potential to lure an otherwise happy employee away from a content working environment to help staff organizations with dire staffing needs. Prices range per interview, and can be calculated online with NotchUp’s interview price calculator.
Enjoy 
Last night I was exhausted, yet by the time I got home and finally shut my laptop down I found that I just couldn’t fall asleep! And to make matters worse, as I was counting lots of fuzzy white sheep I heard on the news that Americans are sleeping less and it’s all because of work! Duh, this is old news, right? But a new survey by the National Sleep Foundation shows that people are spending an average of 4.5 hours each week doing additional work from home, on top of a 9.5 hour average work day. After daily tasks such as commuting to and from work and dinner, who has time to live an actual life anymore?
Even worse yet, recent estimates suggest that the overtired workforce costs the economy between $50 and $130 billion each year due to lost job productivity, accidents, injuries and medical conditions.
Gift cards are so easy to buy, but how easy are they to spend? With the recent holiday season, it is probably safe to assume that you were one of many who either gave or received gift cards as presents - when you can’t, or don’t want to, think of what to buy… get a gift card for that special someone’s favorite store, right? Oh, but listen to this! The Sharper Image is “suspending the acceptance of Gift Cards, Reward Cards, Gift Certificates or Merchandise Certificates as a form of payment”. (Nope, I’m not kidding!) The company plans to continue on with business as usual even though The Sharper Image commenced a case under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Court for the District of Delaware on February 19, 2008.
If you, or a loved one, still have a wallet full of unused Sharper Image gift cards, continue to look for updates at www.sharperimage.com, call customer service at: 1:800-344-5555, and visit www.kccllc.net/sharperimage for all public filings related to the case.
Virgin Atlantic that is. Sir Richard Branson and team are showing the world how a 747 can fly on biofuel (a version that wouldn’t compete with food sources) in an attempt to reduce cabon emissions.
”This breakthrough will help Virgin Atlantic to fly its planes using clean fuel sooner than expected. The demonstration flight next month will give us crucial knowledge that we can use to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint. Virgin Group pledged to invest all its profits from its transportation companies towards developing clean energy and with this breakthrough we are well down the path to achieving our goals..” - Sir Richard Branson
I’ve heard a lot of people say that they don’t give a hoot about this year’s Oscars, which we can conveniently blame on the writer’s strike and lack of Golden Globes glamour. But I’ve actually planned my day so that I can be home in time to see the red carpet with its high fashion and sparkling jewels.
If you’re like me and can’t wait until this afternoon, check out some of the fasions from previous years where Oscar’s worst dressed and Oscar’s best dressed are idolized (for lack of a better word) forever.
If you’re like me, the odds are probably pretty high that you were keeping a watchful eye on the Mega Millions jackpot that had recently grown to a generous payout of $270 million last week. While the lucky winner hails from Georgia, seven ticket holders in New Jersey won $250,000 for having 5 matching numbers without the winning mega ball number.
Still interested in winning some big bucks? Try tonight’s powerball drawing (right across the river in PA) where the payout is up to $115 million.
