Moms Making Money

To me, the premise of the show is to mentor amateur chefs as one emerges to be the MasterChef.

Is having a basic blueprint recipe for a dessert really different than the judges walking around, offering advice...in some cases, telling contestants they are doing things incorrectly? In the hamburger challenge, Chef Ramsey allowed the team that was losing to taste the burger of the team that was winning to give them a chance to change things up to cater to the customer (they declined, but were given the chance). In the wedding challenge, they stopped burned appetizers from going out to the guests...again, essentially giving the team that was "behind" to have a do-over and try again.

I have no problem if Whitney followed a basic blueprint of a recipe - for one, that doesn't guarantee results. For another, how do we know that Sharone did NOT look at the recipe?

The final four, by the way, is fine by me. I am not sure exactly why some of these contestants shouldn't be here, while others should be here. You screw up, you are out - let us not forget that Sharone's dish was panned by the food critics. It's not just the dessert that did him in.

I have no problem if Whitney followed a basic blueprint of a recipe - for one, that doesn't guarantee results. For another, how do we know that Sharone did NOT look at the recipe?

The final four, by the way, is fine by me. I am not sure exactly why some of these contestants shouldn't be here, while others should be here. You screw up, you are out - let us not forget that Sharone's dish was panned by the food critics. It's not just the dessert that did him in.

Life is busy. But if you don’t have time to go to the bank, would you trust a stranger to deposit a check for you? Users of TaskRabbit, a network of part-time personal assistants, do.

The site pairs assistants, called runners, with overtasked city dwellers. TaskRabbit has more than 300 runners, who have all undergone a background check, and they accept tasks online from thousands of users in Boston and San Francisco. Task requests include running to the bank, jump starting a car and building furniture inside a stranger’s home. My request for groceries last Thursday night resulted in two runner responses within 15 minutes, and orange juice was delivered to my neighborhood within an hour.

Founded in Boston, TaskRabbit raised $1 million from Baseline Ventures and Floodgate in 2009. The startup recently raised $850,000 more from First Round Capital and existing investors.

The site expanded to the San Francisco Bay Area this summer. San Francisco is already doing as much task volume as Boston, and the company plans to expand to more cities soon, according to TaskRabbit CMO Anne Moellering. Urban, sophisticated, wired cities top the short list of next stops for the company, she said, naming Chicago, Austin and Portland as potential destinations. Though the site is not yet profitable, TaskRabbit makes money by taking a 12 to 28 percent cut of each paid task, depending on the size. For a $19 dry cleaner pickup, TaskRabbit makes $4, while the runner gets to keep $15.

Runners range in age from 18-year-old students to 70-year-old retirees. The site is popular with enterprising moms looking to defray the cost of a trip to Target. One rabbit, a student on leave from school, said he had completed seven tasks in a week and was paid as much as $60 for one job, though the average task pays $20 to $25. Moellering said the company’s top rabbits, who she called “rabid rabbits,” could make more than $20,000 in a year.

Though dedicated rabbits can make substantial earnings, the company is careful to designate runners as independent laborers, rather than employees or contractors. Runners sign no contracts, and TaskRabbit only has to report their income if it exceeds $600 per year. Runners may still be eligible for unemployment benefits as they complete tasks, and it is a runner’s responsibility to verify eligibility.

Despite safety concerns (many users invite strangers to their homes), more than 80 percent of customers return for repeat tasks. Runners don’t get paid until a user says the job is complete, and users rate runners after each task.

Initially called RunMyErrand, the site focused primarily on errands. In part due to the evolution of jobs listed on the site, the company changed its name to TaskRabbit this year. It now covers anything on a to-do list. Virtual tasks, such as making PowerPoint slides or merging contact databases, are increasing in popularity. The startup may launch group buying in the next couple months, allowing users to team up with others requesting goods from the same store, and the company is also considering a “panic button,” which would charge users a premium flat rate for immediate needs.

TaskRabbit has raised a total of $2 million in seed funding to date.

Next Story: Talk of 99-cent iTunes TV rentals points to revamped Apple TV Previous Story: CollegeOnly just misses Scoop on college student social networks

eric seiger

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Making Money Scams

Are they truly that clueless about what the choices are?

The cost to the Treasury of extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealth starts near $35 billion next year and explodes to nearly $700 billion over a decade. So the question for Democrats is simple: what do you want to happen to that $700 billion?

If you give it to the wealthiest Americans, who already have the vast majority of wealth in the US (and it’s getting worse), they won’t stick it in mattresses or some Cayman Islands bank account earning piddling interest, though they may try to hide it there and avoid even more taxes. No, they’ll send much of that $700 billion to Wall Street to gamble on making more money, asking their favorite bankster to place their bets on the latest expected bubble.

Or . . . you could let the tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans expire and use that money, or even a portion of it, to create jobs, reduce unemployment, rehire teachers/firemen/police, rebuild infrastructure and help those most in need, including the insecure elderly who lost much of their retirement savings when Wall Street and incompetent regulators destroyed $12-14 trillion in America’s housing and investment wealth.

The one thing almost all economists agree on — even the Republican advisers — is that reducing taxes on the rich has a very small stimulus effect on the economy, but using those same dollars on the poor and lower middle class has a much larger positive effect — about five times as large, or more. Clearly, that’s the best investment we could be making with that $700 billion, or any portion of it.

So here’s the test for Democratic candidates: You have $700 billion. You can give it away to the richest Americans and have them gamble that on the next Wall Street scams, or you can invest some or all of it with the people on Main Street.

Wall Street casinos or Main Street jobs. The choice is really that simple. And any Democratic candidate that can’t explain and sell the right choice to voters shouldn’t be running for office.

I don’t know how many times I’ve seen a status come across my news feed that says “Facebook has an dislike button, install now!” Chances are now from what we’re being told by Sophos that these folks fell for a scam that really doesn’t truly add a dislike button anyway.

What’s installed is a Firefox add-on by FaceMod, but nobody will see your dislikes unless they got the add-on installed as well. Sophos says that the company is not involved with the scam, but is rather being used as bait.

Whoever’s behind it has rigged the Facebook app (which doesn’t install the add-on anyway) to silently update your Facebook status which in turn spreads it to your friends. In order to even gain access to the add-on, the user needs to fill out an online survey.

The survey seems to be how the scammers are making money through this scheme. Sophos recommends that users download FaceMod’s dislike button directly if they really want it, and ignore those status messages.

eric seiger

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Dr. Seiger has helped to develop new techniques for the safe removal and treatment of veins. He has frequently been eric seiger published in medical journals and sought out by the media to provide expert advice and commentary.


As a leader in the field of cosmetic surgery and enhancements at The Skin and Vein Center, Dr. Eric Seiger has been designated a National Certified Physician Trainer by the makers of both Botox and Restylane. His national eric seiger reputation for the use of cutting-edge technology and science has led many of the country's best known medical equipment manufacturers to ask him to introduce new products and procedures in the State of Michigan

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In addition to his private practice, Dr. Eric S. Seiger continues an affiliation with the Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital's Dermatology Residency Program as a senior faculty member. He is also a Clinical Assistant Professor at Michigan State University. Dr. Eric S. Seiger is committed to providing services that enhance communities by opening up new opportunities for his clients. Dr. Eric S. Seiger established Freedom Ink, which provides free tattoo removal procedures for former gang members.


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foreclosure help

Concerted efforts designed to prevent unnecessary foreclosures have reduced the amount of mortgage redefaults, says a group of state attorneys general and banking regulators. But the group also expressed concern that foreclosures continue to outnumber loan modifications.



According to a report issued by the State Foreclosure Prevention Working Group, a multi-state coalition, recent loan modifications are in fact performing better. Loan modifications may include reduced interest rates and other changes that result in smaller payments -- and in some cases, lower outstanding balances.



"Some analysts have predicted redefault rates as high as 75%, but today's report paints a brighter picture of the future," Washington Attorney General and working group member Rob McKenna said in a statement. "The newer modifications are holding up better, with fewer borrowers redefaulting."



Despite the progress noted in the report, McKenna says he's concerned that 6 out of 10 seriously-delinquent borrowers are not getting any help.



The report tracks loan modifications made by nine mortgage companies who were servicing 4.6 million loans as of March 2010. Banks -- which are regulated by federal agencies -- are not included in the report. Compared to loans modified in 2008, borrowers whose loans were modified in 2009 were 40% to 50% less likely to be seriously delinquent 6 months later.



The majority of loan modifications (89%) tracked by the working group for the first quarter of 2010 showed some reduction in payments, and nearly 78% lowered the monthly payment by more than 10%. Redefault rates were lower for loan modifications that reduced the principal balance by more than 10%.



However, only 1 in 5 modifications reduce the loan amount, and the vast majority increase the loan balance by adding servicing charges and late payments.



"When housing prices are low, the lender is going to take a loss if that home is foreclosed and surrounding home values will ultimately be impacted," McKenna said in a statement. "The underlying theory of a loan modification is to enable the lender to get the same value out of the home as if it had been foreclosed. The lender still takes a loss through the reduction of interest or principle. But the net result is better for the community and the borrower because, of course, a house is more than just an asset. It's a home."



The Office of Thrift Supervision and the Office of the Comptroller of Currency reported a similar reduction in redefault rates in its Mortgage Metrics Report for the first quarter of 2010. Of the 590,000 modifications made in 2009, nearly 52% were still current (i.e. homeowners were making payments on time) at the end of the first quarter of 2010, the agencies reported. By comparison, only 27% of loan modifications made during 2008 were still current.



McKenna and his office have trying to help homeowners by cracking down on unethical lenders and fraudsters, pushing for the modification of unaffordable mortgages, urging changes to bankruptcy rules, and seeking state-federal collaboration on bank regulation.



The Washington Attorney General's Office also granted $920,000 of its Countrywide/Bank of America settlement payment for local foreclosure prevention programs that provide counseling and pro bono legal services.



The State Foreclosure Prevention Working Group consists of 12 state attorneys general (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Washington), bank regulators for New York, North Carolina, and Maryland, and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. The group was founded in 2007 and has issued four previous reports.

Demand: fewer new households

Household creation depends on the state of the economy. The combination of high unemployment, weak wage and salary growth, and tight credit has led to a decline in household growth over the past few years. The two main surveys of household formation from the Census Bureau – the Housing Vacancy Survey and Current Population Survey – show that about 500,000 households were created annually over the past three years compared to an annual average of about 1.2 million during the first half of the decade (Figure 6). How can we explain such a notable drop in household formation?

Moving in with the folks

The obvious answer is to look at homeownership rates, which have tumbled to 66.9% from a peak of 69.2% in 4Q04. This translates to a loss of nearly 2.5 mn homeowners. Most of these homeowners became renters, which means they remain a household, but not all. As can be seen by the surge in the rental vacancy rate to 10.6%, it seems that there was not a perfect shift from homeowners to renters (Figure 7). This begs the question: what happened to these former households? There was doubling up among economically stressed households; in other words people moved in with friends or family. Many of these former homeowners were probably foreclosure victims (Figure 8).

As Figure 8 shows, household formation can also decline if there are fewer young households created to replace the aging homeowners. Given the nearly 10 point surge in the unemployment rate among 16 to 24 year olds from the trough to peak during this cycle, it seems like this was a considerable factor. A recent paper sponsored by the Research Institute for Housing America estimates that the probability of a young adult forming a household declines by 4% during a recession, and up to 10% if unemployed. In addition to the slowdown in “headship rates” domestically, there was a drop in household formation from immigration. According to the Office of Immigration Statistics at the Department of Homeland Security, the number of unauthorized immigrants decline by 1.0 million from 2007 to 2009 compared to a net gain of 1.3 million from 2005 to 2007.

Household growth to improve, but with a lag

Household formation will naturally pick up as the economy improves, but if our forecast for a sluggish recovery is realized, household growth will also be lackluster. The main factor influencing household growth will be the state of the labor market. The above-referenced paper finds that the unemployment rate must fall by 2pp from current levels to return to normal rates of household formation of about 1.2-1.4 million a year. We do not expect the unemployment rate to reach the mid-7% range until 2013, implying another two and a half years of sluggish household formation of about 800,000 a year. This is also when we expect the pace of foreclosures to slow notably, which means that fewer households will have to double-up.

Looking ahead to 2013 and beyond, we use forecasts from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. They present two possible trajectories for household growth: 1) an average of 1.48 million annually through 2020 assuming net immigration returns to the 2000-05 pace and headship rates at 2008 levels; and 2) an average of 1.25 million annually through 2020 assuming the same 2008 headship rates but slower immigration. We believe the latter is more likely and use this as our baseline forecast (Figure 9).

Renters will take market share

Although we expect household formation to start to improve in 2013, the homeownership rate should still fall further, suggesting that most of the gain in households will be due to an increase in renters. This is because there is still a considerable number of homeowners with mortgages in some stage of delinquency that are likely to end in foreclosure. Based on data from the Mortgage Bankers Association, there are about 5.5 mn seriously delinquent mortgages currently outstanding.

A recent paper by economists at the NY Federal Reserve (Haughwout, Andrew, Richard Peach, Joseph Tracy. “The Homeownership Gap”, Federal Reserve Bank of New York Current Issues in Economics and Finance, Volume 16, Number 5, May 2010) attempts to quantify the effective lower bound for the homeownership rate. They make the assumption that underwater borrowers (negative equity), who currently account for about a quarter of mortgage holders, will transition to renters over time. Subtracting these underwater borrowers yields an “effective homeownership rate” of 61.6% (Figure 10). This would be a record low in the data which goes back to 1965. We do not expect such a precipitous drop because not all underwater homeowners will become renters. Indeed, a recent study by Trulia.com and RealtyTrac found that 59% of respondents would not go into foreclosure simply because of negative equity. We believe it is more likely that the homeownership rate will bottom at 65%, returning to mid-1990s levels.

It is plainly obvious why the demand-side is so often ignored in polite conversation: it is the consumer-driven aspect of the house price variable, over which neither the Fed, nor the Treasury, nor the FHA has any authority, and which is a function purely of expectations of the future. Alas, those right now are lously and getting worse. We expect that Demand-side housing economics will take on progressively more importance in the future, as it becomes obvious that no amount of Supply-side tinkering will prevent another 20% drop in prices.

And speaking of Supply, this is also a critical factor, if much more prevalent in the daily media. Alas, that in itself does not make the problem any easier to resolve.

eric seiger

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how to lose weight fast for children

Many people who want to lose weight will ask themselves the question do I need to exercise to lose weight? This is a common question and the answer to that is relatively simple. Losing weight requires a combination of factors and exercise is one of them. It is crucial

A Doctor from the South Beach area of Florida has designed, developed and successfully used a diet that the average person can use and have quick results. His name is Arthur Agatston, M.D.
The program is called the South Beach Diet and and millions of

First of you must know that you did gain all of those weight because of the foods you eat. Not only that but how and when you eat your food. The first thing that you need to do is overhaul your meal plans. Create a meal plan of your own if you don't have one. You must eliminate all of the unhealthy foods that you eat, especially foods that are rich on fats and oil. Include fruits and vegetables in your meals. These are very rich in vitamins and minerals that the body needs. It is also a great source of fiber. Most important of all that you don't ever skip a meal. When you miss a meal your body goes to what they call a "starvation mode". When the body experience hunger, it will make you rebound or eat more in your next meal then instead of using the food as energy it will store the food turning it into fats. Keep your stomach guessing on when is the next meal by eating more often during the day. That doesn't mean you have to eat more. What I'm trying to say is that you should have at least 2 or 3 small snacks besides your 3 regular meals.

Nothing works on How to Lose Weight Fast more than doing a regular exercise. Most people expect that you have to go to the gym when you do some exercise. There are many ways that you could do some exercise without spending money how to lose weight fast by going into a gym. If you have a treadmill at home you could use it and start running for at least 30minutes a day. If you don't have a treadmill then you could run on the park. It is more effective if you could have your exercise before eating your breakfast. Weight lifting could not only make your muscles work but is a great way to increase your metabolism rate.

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how to lose weight fast with acai

to lose weight. The explanation for this is if your body is struggling to locate fuel to function it will begin to burn calories from needed supplies for energy such as reducing your muscle mass. You want to accomplish getting your body to the stage where it has enough energy stores that it will burn calories from body fat vs. muscle mass.

How to lose weight fast with diet and exercise involves burning bodyfat. Exercises play a crucial role in getting your body to the point where it burns bodyfat. Performing exercises has a number of benefits to your fitness and overall development. Performing exercises will ultimately help improve your tone and

reintroducing some of the foods that were eliminated in phase one. You can have bread and pasta again, fruit and potatoes also.Some chocolate is you desire but in moderation.

First of you must know that you did gain all of those weight because of the foods you eat. Not only that but how and when you eat your food. The first thing that you need to do is overhaul your meal plans. Create a meal plan of your own if you don't have one. You must eliminate all of the unhealthy foods that you eat, especially foods that are rich on fats and oil. Include fruits and vegetables in your meals. These are very rich in vitamins and minerals that the body needs. It is also a great source of fiber. Most important of all that you don't ever skip a meal. When you miss a meal your body goes to what they call a "starvation mode". When the body experience hunger, it will make you rebound or eat more in your next meal then instead of using the food as energy it will store the food turning it into fats. Keep your stomach guessing on when is the next meal by eating more often during the day. That doesn't mean you have to eat more. What I'm trying to say is that you should have at least 2 or 3 small snacks besides your 3 regular meals.

Nothing works on How to Lose Weight Fast more than doing a regular exercise. Most people expect that you have to go to the gym when you do some exercise. There are many ways that you could do some exercise without spending money how to lose weight fast by going into a gym. If you have a treadmill at home you could use it and start running for at least 30minutes a day. If you don't have a treadmill then you could run on the park. It is more effective if you could have your exercise before eating your breakfast. Weight lifting could not only make your muscles work but is a great way to increase your metabolism rate.

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tips on how to lose weight fast

along with proper diet and nutrition. With no exercise your body cannot increase its calorie burning capability. If you are only incorporating part of an overall plan to achieve your weight loss goals then you are short changing yourself. You can achieve your weight loss goals easier when you include exercise into your plan. How to lose weight fast with diet and exercise is discussed here.
how to lose weight fast
Proper diet and nutrition is part of the overall system to lose weight. Your body needs fuel to function. You have to supply it with the appropriate nutrients throughout the day. This is how your body will get the enery it needs to get you through the days activities.Your body will require a certain number of calories simply to function normally. This is called your resting metabolic rate. Consuming an ample number of calories to reach your resting metabolic rate in the end will help you efficiently burn calories

have two or three snacks in between meals. There is no measuring portion sizes or counting calories with the plan.Your meals are normal size , enough to satisfy your hunger.
Phase one is the strictest part of the diet. After phase one you should notice a weight loss of some 8 to 12 pounds from where you started.
After initial two weeks on the program those cravings for the sugars and bad carbs will be gone and by just modifying what you eat you will continue to lose weight.
Upon entering phase two of the diet you can start

First of you must know that you did gain all of those weight because of the foods you eat. Not only that but how and when you eat your food. The first thing that you need to do is overhaul your meal plans. Create a meal plan of your own if you don't have one. You must eliminate all of the unhealthy foods that you eat, especially foods that are rich on fats and oil. Include fruits and vegetables in your meals. These are very rich in vitamins and minerals that the body needs. It is also a great source of fiber. Most important of all that you don't ever skip a meal. When you miss a meal your body goes to what they call a "starvation mode". When the body experience hunger, it will make you rebound or eat more in your next meal then instead of using the food as energy it will store the food turning it into fats. Keep your stomach guessing on when is the next meal by eating more often during the day. That doesn't mean you have to eat more. What I'm trying to say is that you should have at least 2 or 3 small snacks besides your 3 regular meals.

Nothing works on How to Lose Weight Fast more than doing a regular exercise. Most people expect that you have to go to the gym when you do some exercise. There are many ways that you could do some exercise without spending money how to lose weight fast by going into a gym. If you have a treadmill at home you could use it and start running for at least 30minutes a day. If you don't have a treadmill then you could run on the park. It is more effective if you could have your exercise before eating your breakfast. Weight lifting could not only make your muscles work but is a great way to increase your metabolism rate.

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