The Curse of The Lottery?

Whenever I walk into the deli, I usually come out with about five or six scratch offs. I like to play the $1000 a week for life game. I always tell myself "you never know" and that I have the same chance to win as everybody else. Plus scratching off the numbers kind of gets me addicted at times. I rarely play the mega millions game because I'll most likely forget to watch the drawing so what's the point.

I recently heard a story on the news about how the lottery curses its winners. Previousley I thought to myself, how can the lottery result in a downfall and actually hurt people? Winning the lottery for most people is a dream come true and a life changing event. However, I did some research and found out that there are quite a few people out there who have been affected by this curse.

I found out that one third of lottery winners go bankrupt after a couple short years. Many winners lost their close family members and friends over the prize. I could understand that it would be difficult for certain people to avoid sharing their wealth with people who really aren't friends. I also think it's possible some of the winners felt so overwhelmed with their money, that they didnt know how to use it. One story that cought my eye, was about a women from New Jersey who won the lottery twice and now lives in a trailer. It's hard enough to believe that somebody won the lottery twice, but its even harder to believe that person now lives in a trailer. Another wild story was about how one winner had a brother that hired a hitman to kill him. Personally, I dont understand how some people could be so careless. Even after reading about this curse, I'll still take my chances and play scratch offs.

RAYS WIN THE PENNANT!

I never thought the day would come when I would say that the Tampa Bay Rays are the AL champs. When you think about it, this has to be one of the biggest upsets in sports history. I actually think I would put this ahead of the New York Giants winning the superbowl this past year. The Rays were the worst team in the American League East last year winning only 66 games. This season they shocked everybody including me, by winning 97. I never thought that they would of been able to hold onto the division lead with teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays in the way. The Rays have been unable to be competitive because of their low payroll. The Rays could never afford to go out and sign big free agents like the Yankees and Red Sox could.Infact, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter saleries combined is greater than the entire Rays payroll. In the beginning of the season, I remember telling some of my friends they could improve this season and maybe win 75 to 80 games. Their very talented young players such as Longoria, Shields, Crawford, Upton, Kazmir, and last night Price all stepped up throughout the season and playoffs. I think this is a good story for baseball, and it shows that you dont always need the best players in order to win. I hope the Rays are able to close it out in the World Series, and not let up against the Phillies. Because I'm a Mets fan, I've grown up hating the Braves and Phillies. I could only hope that I dont have too see the Phillies raise the trophy, especially after the last two seasons the Mets had.

News: Final Presedential Debate Tonight

The 3rd and final presedential debate will take place tonight when Senator John McCain faces off against Senator Barack Obama. This will be the last opportunity for both candidates to persuade the votes of undecided voters. The location will be at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. This debate will be different from the previous because it will feature both senators facing towards one another at a table. This type of debate will most likely lead to more arguments and face to face discussions. I believe this style gives McCain an opportunity to verbally and strongly attack Obama. I have been watching the previous debates, and although McCain has attempted to attack Barack's past, the way he has gone about it does not appeal to most Americans. In my mind, Barack's forte is McCain's weakness. Obama accels in delivering his messages to the American people in a attractive way when McCain does not. I feel this is the difference between winning and losing for both candidates.

The expected issues to be discussed will include health care, the economy, and the futures of Social Security, medicare, and the war in Iraq. It has been rumored that McCain is likely to touch on Obama's links to William Ayers, a radical during the Vietnam War. Ayers was a member of a violent Underground group. He and Obama both worked at some of the same charity foundations in Chicago. Obama has built strong leads nationally due to his favored economic policy regarding the current state of the economy. Obama has used similarites in past voted bills between McCain and Bush for his arguments. The moderator will be Bob Schieffer, in the 2nd debate it was Tom Brokaw. The format for responses will be 2 minute answers followed by 5 minutes of discussion time.

My Significant Place

One place that is significant to me is my townhouse in upstate New York. It is a place where I have been going since I was younger and has provided me with many special memories. Every year at Christmas time, my entire family goes to the house and enjoys the Christmas holiday. This tradition is very special to me because I feel it is important for families to be together for the holidays. During the year its often diffucult to gather all the members of my family because of work and other obligations. The Christmas time however brings my family together, and we show our love for one another through gifts and presents.

I love the atmosphere my townhous provides. The smell of the air and environment is different and unique. It is a very quiet place where you can think about things and nobody bothers you. In Staten Island, I dont have this opportunity to relax and to reflect on things. When I am at my significant place, I usually ski and snowboard. Ever since I was a child, I have always had a passion for these sports and my townhouse allows me to experience them. I still have some many special memories in my mind from the townhouse. One memory I could recall is when my brother helped me make my 1st snowman who I named Gunther

America says Biden won the debate

Prior to thursday night, the vice presidential debate was a highly anticipated event as millions of Americans were eager to hear the views of both Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. In a recent story that I read, America feels that Joe Biden is more knowledgeable and although people really like Sarah Palin they question wheather she can lead this country.

If America had to vote immediately after watching the debate, 52 percent would for Obama/Biden. It seems as if Palin's performance in the debate did nothing to persuade the votes for millions of Americans. Palin is a very likeable candidate and I think she will be able to take some votes because of her personality and character. Biden is very straight forward and Palin is able to deliver her views in ways that appeal to voters. However, according to America it seems as if the Obama/Biden campaign is still favored to win the election.

While Obama has solid leads among blacks and the young, McCain attracts older voters. One aspect that differs for the candidates is the location of the voters. Urban voters are voting heavily for Obama while rural areas are voting heavily for McCain. Whatever happens in the next month, this election is shaping up to be a exciting one

O. J. Not So Lucky This Time

Thirteen years after O. J. Simpson was acquitted of murder, a Las Vegas jury convicted him of all 12 counts in a kidnapping and armed robbery case. This may be considered sweet redemption for the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Luck ran out for OJ this time around.

You might remember on Oct. 3, 1995, a Los Angeles jury acquitted Simpson of murdering his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman . He was later ordered to pay $33.5 million to the victim's families for wrongful-death. The majority of the $33.5 million remains unpayed and will remain unpayed now that Simpson will be behind bars.

The 61-year-old Hall of Fame football player was convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery and 10 other charges. Simpson gathered five men a year ago and invaded a hotel room to take Simpson's sports memorabilia. Simpson and the men were armed and threatned the lives of two collectors. Some of the memorabilia included game balls, plaques and photos from two collectors.

Wall Street Continues to Struggle

The recent collapse of Wall Street powerhouse Lehman Brothers, combined with the fall of Merrill Lynch sent stocks into a freefall. Brokers also potentially fear that the world's largest insurance company AIG, will go bankrupt. Wall Street has not encountered chaos like this since the Great Depression.

This financial crisis began due to billions of dollars in debt from rotten mortgage loans that have affected the balance sheets of one bank after another.

The Dow Jones industrial average plummeted 504 points by the time the market closed. It was a loss of nearly 4.5 percent to 10,917.51 points. It's the first time since July they have finished under 11,000, and is recorded as the sixth-largest drop in history. The worst since the terrorist attacks of 9/11. About $700 billion disappeared from retirement plans, government pension funds and other investments.

Bank of America became the largest bank in the country as it inherited Merrill Lynch. Merrill was sold to BOA for 50 billion dollars or $29 a share. The S&P 500 fell 59 points or 4.71 percent to 1,192 points. Investors continue to worry that AIG could be the next to fall. AIG shares plummeted 61 percent.