Perfect Reason: Good Thing? Bad Thing? Who Knows?


Mystics say everything happens for a perfect reason and nothing is either good or bad but our thinking makes it so. One of our favourite narratives illustrates ancient wisdom to reserve judgement; to remain in the present moment; to mitigate undue stress and worry; to avoid panic; and to have the courage to be moved forward regardless.

Secret of Happiness?

Once upon a time, an old farmer lived in a valley with his son, a handsome and dutiful youth. They lived a peaceful life despite a lack of material possessions. They were very happy. So much so, that neighbours began to get envious and wanted to understand the secret of their happiness.

Savings and Loss?

One day, the old man used all his savings to buy a young and beautiful horse. The very same day he bought it, the horse jumped the fence and escaped into the hills. The neighbours came to express their concern, "Oh, that's too bad. How are you going to work the fields now?"

The farmer replied, "Good thing? Bad thing? Who knows?"

Double Fortune?

In a few days, his horse came back from the hills and brought eight fine horses with him. The neighbours again gathered around, "Oh, how lucky! Now you can do much more work than ever before!" they said.

The farmer replied, "Good thing? Bad thing? Who knows?"

Misfortune?

The next day, the farmer's son fell off one of the new horses and broke his leg. "Such misfortune," said the neighbours. The leg healed crookedly and left the son with a permanent limp and endless pain. The neighbours were concerned again, "Now that he is incapacitated, he can't help you around, that's too bad."

The farmer replied, "Good thing? Bad thing? Who knows?"

Tragedy?

Soon, the news came that war has broken out, and all the young men were required to join the army. The villagers were sad because they knew that many of the young men will not come back. The farmer's son could not be drafted because of his broken leg. His neighbours were envious: "How lucky! You get to keep your only son!"

The farmer replied, "Good thing? Bad thing? Who knows?"

And the narrative goes on...

Conclusion

Life will happen and continue evolving regardless. Things may seem bad, they may seem good. Only time can tell. What if we can alter our perception in the moment toward believing that there is a perfect reason for the way in which the universe is unfolding the way it is? 

In a nutshell, everything that seems on the surface to be bad may be good in disguise. And everything that seems good on the surface may not always be so. 

What would life be like without our ad hoc judgements and negative narratives? We may not be conscious that we are looking at everything from a narrow viewpoint in doing so, but from the higher perspective what appears tragic can be the most appropriate way forward. 

Do you also have examples from your life of events that seemed good or bad to begin with, and in hindsight you changed your perception?

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Insurance Riders: When to Say Yes to Extra Protection

Personal property: For expensive items like jewelry and artwork, you'll want a personal property rider. With a standard homeowners policy, where limits for jewelry can be $1,500, you may need much more in the case of theft or damage. You'll need to provide an appraisal of the items to show proof of value. The cost of the rider will depend on the amount insured, says Amy Danise, senior managing editor at Insure.com.

Sewage backup: Every other day, it seems like there's news of flooding somewhere in America. While flood insurance is typically covered under a separate policy, sewage backup is not. Such a rider would cover damage from a sewer backup or a sump pump that couldn't keep up with the water flow into a basement. It would also cover backups due to tree roots blocking a sewer line. The cost for such coverage: Just $40 to $50 a year, according Tully Lehman, communications specialist with the Insurance Information Network of California.

Building code upgrades: If your home is damaged or destroyed, it must be rebuilt to current codes. "You might have to pay more out-of-pocket if it's illegal to rebuild your house to the old code," says Lehrer. The added cost for that likely isn't covered under your policy, so you might want to consider "ordinance" or "law" riders. This will provide up to a specified amount of extra money to account for building code upgrades.

Replacement cost (contents): In the event of a loss, there's no depreciation taken into account for the personal property you must replace.

Guaranteed replacement cost : With this coverage, the insurance company will replace your home with another of like kind and quality, even if the replacement cost is above the value listed on your policy. "Some carriers still put a limit of 20% or 25% above the listed value," says Robert Ryan, president of Ryan & Ryan Insurance Brokers.

A Freebie You'd Probably Rather Not Use

Some things in life -- and life insurance -- are premium free. The accelerated death benefit rider allows the policy owner to receive an advance on the death benefit if the insured has a terminal illness that is expected to result in death within 12 months. The proceeds may be used for any purpose. Though there is no additional premium for this rider, a fee is charged when it's exercised, says Raleigh Lang, a MassMutual adviser.

Riders You Don't Need

While there are some good policy items to add on, others you might politely pass on.

"Critical illness riders generally have lots of caveats and do not cover a full range of risks," points out Cora Klena, a spokesperson for USAA.

Another extra that some experts aren't too keen on is the business pursuits rider.

"I think it's a waste of money. The better way to protect a home business -- to protect both property and liability for business -- is to purchase a separate commercial insurance policy," says Dan Weedin of Toro Consulting. "The business pursuits rider is limited and may not cover what is needed because it might be too generic in nature or not tailored for unusual businesses. For instance, a consultant like me needs professional liability, and even a business pursuits rider will not protect me for that."

Lehrer is emphatic about return-of-premium riders on term insurance. "They are always bad deals," he says. If you -- the insured -- die within a certain time after purchasing the policy, the insurance company will pay an amount equal to the total premiums paid, in addition to the face amount of the policy. You'll pay extra to assume that you'll outlive the term of your policy and get all your money back. Would you be better shunning the rider and instead investing that money in another way? That's a question only you can answer. How worried are you about those pants?

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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/05/31/insurance-riders-when-to-say-yes-to-extra-protection/

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Apple Store Employees Use These 7 Apps Every Day (AAPL)


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I spent most of 2010 working as a specialist at Apple's famous Fifth Avenue store here in New York City.

On the easy days, I was playing games on my iPod. On the tough days, I was using apps to translate a conversation into English and help people make Genius Bar appointments.

My iPod was as useful a tool at work as it was in my personal life. Here are the apps that I (and nearly every other Apple employee) used on a daily basis.

iTranslate is helpful with international customers

Apple Stores tend to attract a lot of international visitors, and a store as big as Fifth Avenue is no exception. I used this all the time to decode conversations in any number of languages.

App Store link: iTranslate

Yelp helps you find local attractions

When people stop by the store they obviously want help with a computer, but they just as frequently want a suggestion on where to find a good lunch or dinner. Yelp helps you find something worthwhile based on price, location, or cuisine.

App Store link: Yelp

Mactracker contains all sorts of helpful info

Mactracker contains all the tech specifications for every Mac ever made. When a customer comes in and the most information he has is, "I bought my laptop two years ago and now it's broken," this can help you identify the computer and diagnose basic problems.

App Store link: Mactracker

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How to Get Your Debt Under Control

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Having a large amount of debt can be a very stressful experience. Eventually, it may feel like you've given up.

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Dire Report Predicts Doubling Of Food Prices, And Billions Living With A Shortage Of Water


Food prices

In Oxfam's new report, Growing A Better Future, the non-profit paints a dire picture of the world's impending food shortage.

With price increases up to 180 percent on staple items by 2030, the group predicts a "wholesale reversal in human development" throughout afflicted areas.

The report maintains that half the 180 percent increase in price will be the result of climate change.

Other factors will include depleting natural resources, a scarcity of land and water, the rush to turn food into biofuels, growing population, and an increase in severe poverty.

By 2050 more than four billion will live in areas short of water, and by 2030 demand for water is expected to increase by 30 percent.

The non-profit agrees that increasing production by 70 percent within 40 years, to meet food requirements, will be difficult, but possible. Small farm's, it says, will be the key to success.

The Oxfam report comes just weeks after the UN's warning that food prices are likely to hit new highs in the next month. Grain has increased more than 70 percent from last year and drought this year is expected to force prices higher still.

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