Media Interview and Canadian Thanksgiving

Canadian Business Magazine Interviews Ahmed Dawn

First Published: October 13, 2008 ADawnJournal.com

Canada is celebrating Thanksgiving today. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October. In Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving to give thanks for a successful harvest. Canada is located in the North and the harvest season comes earlier in Canada compared to the U.S.

In the U.S. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In America Thanksgiving is a tradition of settling in the New World and remembering Pilgrims. Also, it’s a way to express thanks and gratitude for all the things harvest has brought at the end of the harvest season.

I wish everyone a happy and pleasant Thanksgiving.

Media Interview

I am glad to let you know that I just had my first media interview. The interview lasted slightly more than half an hour. Before this interview, I had always thought that they gave you the questions beforehand. But that’s not the case. They give only a "Topic" and within that topic they can ask questions from a variety of angles. My topic was "personal finance for young professionals". I will be featured in a Canadian business magazine in the January 2009 issue.

India Gate Tour, New Delhi | Travel India

India Gate Tour

India Gate, also known as Delhi Memorial or All-India War Memorial, was built in 1931 (designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens) to commemorate the 70,000 Indian and British soldiers who gave their lives fighting for the British Army during World War I between 1914 and 1919.

The sandstone arch monument memorial in New Delhi is about 138 feet (42 metres) in height and bears the names of more than 13,500 British and Indian soldiers inscribed in smaller letters on the monument.

An eternal flame burns 24 hours under the arch to remind us of the soldiers who gave their lives for a better tomorrow.

Watch my India Gate Travel Video to experience this historic monument. Follow me on YouTube if you’d like to keep updated with all my travel videos around the globe.

Is Your Job The Problem?

A Job Can Negatively Affect You

Life can be frustrating, draining and annoying. For far too many of us, every day is a struggle. Getting out of bed can be as much of a struggle as any other part of the day, and this should not be the case. It isn’t how things should be, but for too many of us it is a reality that we have to come to terms with. How many of us wake up in the morning and think “I’m looking forward to this”? Far too few. And, while there is not always an instant solution to this problem, the truth of the matter is that we have choices in life – it is about finding a way to make these choices a reality. It’s not easy – nothing that is worth doing ever is, unfortunately – but the truth is that if you work at it, you can make the future a lot better than the present.

The overwhelming majority of the time, we have difficulty getting out of bed because we know that what is lying ahead is a job that has very little about it to look forward to. Some of us have great jobs, and cannot wait to go in every day. The rest of us look at them with a mix of envy, admiration and hatred. The truth is that through one thing and another we can end up working in a job for which we have no great love from school through to retirement. And it can have an effect on our health, both mentally and physically. In order to have the life we want, we need to consider a number of factors, and our job (for what it does to our minds and bodies) is certainly one of those.

There are many ways in which a job can negatively affect a person. There is the most simple of all, which is that it is boring and repetitive. Going in every day to a job which is unchanging and which offers little prospect of variety can seem like a life sentence. As melodramatic as that sounds, getting some enjoyment out of your job is the least we should expect. Simply in order to stay sane you need to be able to smile and laugh every so often. Then there are the jobs that morally compromise us. Certain sales jobs and cold-calling can really put someone in a difficult position mentally. If you know that your job is going to involve putting an unwelcome crimp in someone’s day, it can be hard to live with yourself. As much money as some of these jobs can pay, it is usually the ones getting paid least who have the most uncomfortable duties.

Changing your job is not simple. Saying goodbye to a steady living is not something many of us can afford to even consider in the current climate. If, however, you have the freedom to look for a better job while you are doing the one that is currently giving you so much heartache, it can be highly worthwhile. It is something that can even lift the drab days when you are working at the job from hell – look at it as a way out!

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Simplepersonaldevelopment.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Ahmed Dawn Dot Com site. This article originally published on the above website on May 13, 2009.

What Is a FICO® score?

What Is a FICO® score?

The FICO® score is a number (a credit score) between 300-850®. FICO® score is the most widely used credit scoring system in the world. Most of the financial institutions in North America use FICO® score to determine an applicant’s credit risk. Fair Isaac Corporation – the pioneer in credit scoring, developed the FICO® score. Engineer Bill Fair and mathematician Earl founded this corporation in 1965.

A high FICO® score is considered a good score for consumer. Most consumers score in the 600 score and 700 score. Above 700 score mean you are in good financial position and lenders will most likely approve your credit request. Below 600 score indicate you are a high-risk client and lenders will most likely decline your credit request or will approve with much higher interest rates. Lenders buy your FICO® score from credit reporting agencies such as Equifax, TransUnion.

Five Parts

FICO® score is based on the five general categories:

·   Payment History = 35% – Paying bills on time helps. Avoid late  payments.

·   Amounts Owed = 30% – If you owe a lot of money, it lowers your score.

·   Length of Credit history = 15% – A longer history increases your score.

·   New credit = 10% – Too many credit inquiries will lower your score. Lenders consider you a high-risk client when you actively seek credit.

·   Type of Credit = 10% – If you use a combination of different types of credits such as credit cards, mortgage, car loans etc, and have good paying history – it may increase your score.

How To Obtain FICO® score

A regular credit bureau report does not provide FICO® score. For example, regular Equifax Credit Report costs $15.50; however, it will not show your FICO® score. To see you FICO® score, you can purchase Score Power Credit Report – it costs about $24. Or there are free providers such as Mogo, Borrowell, Credit Karma who provide FICO® score for free. Your banks may provide this for free as well. Check your online banking portal.

The Pyramids of Egypt

You Might Have To See Pyramids More Than Once

Of the many reasons to travel, sight-seeing is one which has held strong for longer than any of us have been alive. These days, there are so many different niches in the tourism industry that it would possibly be quicker to list the things that do not have a travel industry attached to them. However, among the major ones we have sports, cuisine and music. Above all of these, though, tourism still retains its love for seeing the sights of a new place. And when it comes to sight-seeing, historical locations have a big advantage over everywhere else. Simply put, people love to see the places that have been written about and photographed, and captured by so many travelogues that one couldn’t fail to know about them.

So we accept that tourism is in love with sight seeing, and sight seeing is inextricably linked with history. If we can go further, it would be fair to say that when it comes to history, a country which is home to the last standing remnant of the legendary seven wonders of the world would be an excellent destination. This is, of course a reference to Egypt, and specifically to the great Pyramids. More specifically still, the Great Pyramid of Giza. It is impossible to overstate the historical significance of this site. At the time when the Wonders of the World were designated, the major civilisations of the time were in Rome, Greece and in Egypt. In ancient Egyptian culture, craftsmanship was an issue of major importance, especially when it came to death.

Death in ancient Egypt was an issue that immediately made people think of tombs. The ancient Pharaohs of Egypt took their tombs very seriously, and more to the point were seen as almost god-like entities by the people they led. A visit to Giza, and to the wider Egypt in general, allows you to see the classic mausoleums and sarcophagi of the people who made Egypt what it was. In addition you will have the chance to see the Sphinx, built at the time as a guardian to the Pyramids and the center of some important and fascinating mythology. Giza is well situated, as it is just outside the modern capital city of Egypt, Cairo.

If traveling to Egypt, Cairo should be your landing place. In itself a fascinating city, it is a gateway too to the rest of the wonderful locations within Egypt. For example there is Luxor, considered by many to be the world’s most important open museum, such is the depth and the quality of the ancient architecture there. It is even home to the world’s greatest collection of mummification memorabilia. By traveling further out you can also pay a visit to the seaside paradise which is Sharm el-Sheikh – in many people’s view one of the most beautiful holiday destinations in the world. Speak to your travel agent about package tours to Egypt. There is so much to see that you might have to go back – but the chances are that you won’t be complaining.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Travelnowsimply.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Ahmed Dawn Dot Com site. This article originally published on the above website on Aug 14, 2009.