Was The Global Financial Crisis a Blessing in Disguise?

Global Financial Crisis Is A Demonstrable Wake-Up Call To The World

First Published: August 28, 2009 ADawnJournal.com

It may not be a universally popular opinion, but there are certainly more than a few people who will tell you with a straight face that the global financial crisis had to come when it did, and moreover that it was the best thing that could have happened at the time. Most of these people will generally whisper the suggestion quietly rather than say it loud enough for a recently-unemployed eavesdropper to hear, but is there any chance that they actually have a point? Could we come out of the crisis stronger as a world, as nations and as people?

What cannot be denied is that we who live in countries where the mass media have a tendency towards hyperbole probably took longer to accept that the crisis was a very real fact. As has also recently been evidenced by the swine flu pandemic, there is a tendency after a while for people to become fundamentally skeptical about anything that they have not seen for themselves. Even now in more than one nation, there are people saying that the pandemic was exaggerated because comparatively few people have died as compared to the Black Death or Spanish flu epidemics. That it was largely due to speedy reaction from governments that we didn’t see much worse seems to slip people’s minds.

As with the pandemic, so with the crisis. Except, in this case, the symptoms worldwide came before the panic, but were largely ignored by many. Global economies fell like a house of cards, but it was not until the trickle of bad news turned into a torrent that many people realised just how bad things had got. This wasn’t just a minor bump in trade, but a crisis that would render many unemployed or bankrupt – or worse. The effects have been awful but could it be said that, given the inevitability of something like this happening, it is best that it has happened now rather than getting even further out of control?

One thing that has come out of the global financial crisis is that people have begun to see money in a more enlightened way. Before the crisis, many people saw their credit card as an extension of their financial solvency, rather than something which could very easily ruin it. There was also incredible snobbery towards people who bought things second-hand or cheaply, as conspicuous consumption reached its zenith. Now, it is almost cool to be a thrifty shopper and an assiduous saver.

There have been knock-on benefits in other ways, too. We now seem to have a tendency to recycle more. Consumption and waste are becoming watchwords for us all, which may well be a lesson that bears fruit in years to come. And yet, the fact remains that this crisis has left millions without jobs, without homes and many without hope. It cannot be said with any real measure of truth that this crisis has been a good thing. What it has been – hopefully – is a demonstrable wake-up call to the world that when someone yells “crisis!” it might be worth paying attention.

The Waitomo Glowworm Caves | Waitomo, New Zealand

New Zealand Travel Blog: Part 8

From Te Puia to Waitomo is about a 1 hour-50 minute drive. I was watching the scenery pass by out the window from the tour bus and the natural beauty of New Zealand felt like I was watching something from a movie. Sometimes I felt like I was having a dream because everything can’t be so unimaginably beautiful.

The Waitomo Glowworm Caves are located in Waitomo District, Waikato Region, North Island. If you are visiting New Zealand, these caves should be one of the must-see spots.

These caves glow because of a kind of glow warm called Arachnocampa luminosa. These glowing worms are unique to New Zealand and their luminescent light is what makes the caves glow. These caves are underground and connected to the Waitomo River.

The Waitomo Glowworm Caves withstand the test of time. It took 30 million years of geological and volcanic activity to create these caves. The limestone formation started when the area was under water 30 million years ago.

The limestone is made of small marine organisms, seashells, fish and other sea animal skeletons, corals, and much more. Over millions of years, the fossilized rocks layered and compressed to create the Waitomo region.

Earth movement and sea level rise formed these caves. Air exposure and seabed movement caused cracks in the limestone, allowing water to flow through them and forming the caves slowly over time.

Also, water dripping from the ceiling and dripping over the wall caused limestone to form something like pillars and columns. These pillars can be straight, bent, twisted around each other and so many other peculiar shapes that it’s hard to believe they can all be created by earth and ocean elements without human intervention.

New Zealand Travel Blog: Part 1

New Zealand Travel Blog: Part 2

New Zealand Travel Blog: Part 3

New Zealand Travel Blog: Part 4

New Zealand Travel Blog: Part 5

New Zealand Travel Blog: Part 6

New Zealand Travel Blog: Part 7

Music and Personal Development

The Power of Music For Changing Your Life

The type of music you listen to says a lot about you, however to say that a person who listens to Metallica is angry, or a person who listens to Beethoven is sophisticated, is simply wrong. Yes, the music you listen to influences you, but anyone can listen to all forms of music and appreciate it all. However, discussing the point of music and what music is better is not what is being done here. No instead, we are going to look at how music can help to change your life and lead to personal development.

Music is very important to the human condition. Music was probably one of the first artistic things humans ever did beyond painting on cave walls. Today, there is so many choices with music that you can literally never get through it all.

In terms of personal development and music, music can be used to not only make you happy, but to motivate you as well. For example, if you listen to sad music, you will most likely feel down. However, if you listen to upbeat music, you can most likely become happy.

In professional sport leagues, teams will often play loud music that has a lot of energy to it so that they can get ready for the game and get pumped up for it. They are essentially using music to change their lives. They are using music to implement something and influence a part of themselves. In their case, they are influencing their energy and adrenaline so they can play better.

In your case, you can use music that will get you pumped up, but you can also use music that will make you happy. Look at your collection of music and choose songs that inspire you and make you smile. Picture yourself walking down a nice beach on a sunny day and think of the music you would like to hear. What music relaxes you in that case and makes you smile. You want to think about that because by choosing the music that relaxes you and makes you smile, you can then create the same feelings as that beach by just listening to the songs. It has been proven that music can relieve stress and brighten your mood, so why wouldn’t you use it when you are trying to change who you are. You cannot change who you are and better yourself if you are not optimistic about who you are going to be. You need to be in the right frame of mind and the best way to do that is to listen to music that makes you happy. You can think about happy things, but music just works better for stirring the emotions that influence you to better yourself.

So, go and download the mp3 of your favourite song that makes you happy. Sit back, and listen to it and imagine yourself changing your life. Think of how happy you will be and think of how it will change who you are. Before you know it, you will be happy and ready to begin a journey of personal development.

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. This article originally published on the above website on Feb 13, 2011

Scotia Momentum VISA® Card Offers 2% Cash Back – But Is It Worth It?

Scotia Launches New Scotia Momentum VISA® Card

First Published Date : August 31, 2009 ADawnJournal.com

Scotia Bank recently introduces a new VISA® card called Scotia Momentum VISA® card. Scotia Momentum card holders will be able to get cash back on purchases – whenever an eligible transaction is made.

Scotia Momentum VISA® card offers 2% cash back on eligible purchases. These eligible merchants are classified as groceries, gas stations, supermarkets, pharmacies, recurring bill payments, and so on by VISA®. Only the first $25,000 spent annually will attract 2% cash back. In addition, Scotia Momentum VISA® card offers 1% cash back once you exceed your $25,000 limit and on other eligible purchases. Cash back is not given for transactions such as cash advances, annual card fees, interest charges, etc.

Scotia is offering a special bonus for all purchases on first three statements. Purchases normally attracting 1% cash back will earn 2% during this promotion. This offer expires on October 31, 2009. All these incentives do not sound bad, after all, who does not want free money? However, if you do some calculations, you will be able to see the full picture.

Visit Scotibank’s website to find out more about eligible purchases and special bonus program

Let’s Dissect Scotia Momentum VISA® Card

You need to spend at least $1,950 to get back the annual fee ($39) you will pay
And then, you can pocket the 2% you will be making on eligible purchases (after spending your first $1,950)
Now, let’s say, you spend $3,600 annually on eligible purchases each year (that’s $300 a month)
So, the money you will be making each year = $3,600 – $1,950 = $1,650 X 2% = $33

Not bad, huh? Wait, not so fast. If you use one of the credit cards I mentioned in this post –
ADJ Picks Canada’s Best Credit Cards, you will be able to beat Momentum VISA® card by getting 1% cash back on your full $3,600 – and that works out to be $36 cash back.
However, if you spend more than approximately $300 per month on eligible transactions, Scotia Momentum VISA® card is a good bet. Here are the calculations assuming you spend $5000 annually (roughly $400 a month) on eligible transactions:

The money you will be making each year = $5,000 – $1,950 = $3,050 X 2% = $61
However, with a no annual fee 1% cash back card, you will be making = $5,000 X 1% = $50

My Take

My take is that the threshold for this card is about $300 per month. If you spend less than $300 each month, you can pick one of those I mentioned in the article above. If you spend more than $300, Scotia Momentum VISA® is an option you should look at; however, always do your own homework before making any financial decisions.

Exercising Is Good For Personal Development

Personal Development and Exercise

Personal development is not just about changing your physical self. In fact, it is mostly about changing who you are in the inside, rather than on the outside, but that does not mean exercise does not have some sort of impact on your personal development. Yes, it will help you lose weight and that can make you feel better about yourself, which raises your self-esteem and confidence, but it goes beyond that.

When you exercise, you reduce stress and stress is one of the biggest causes of diseases. Prolonged stress can lead to heart problems, weight gain and low-self esteem. However, when you get out exercising, you are releasing endorphins into your body. The release of these endorphins will make you feel happy and when you feel happy, you will be more motivated to better yourself.

If you are sad or depressed, or stressed for that matter, it is nearly impossible for you to want to go out and better yourself. The motivation is just not there and no motivation means there is any desire to embark on personal development. Of course, that being said being sad and depressed can make it hard to exercise as well. However, exercise can be something as simple as going for a walk and a walk in a park will brighten your day, while giving you exercise.

When those endorphins begin releasing, your mood will increase and you will become addicted to feeling better about yourself and exercise. That addition will lead you to going out and exercising more, which then releases more endorphins into your body.

As time goes on, you will begin to lose weight, you will find you are happier and you will continue to better yourself. When you look in the mirror, you will be happy at whom you are seeing in the reflection and you will be more apt to continue with the exercise that is making you feel so good.

In order to make sure you actually get out and start exercising to help make yourself feel better and venture on the road of self-improvement, you need to make the first step. It can be hard when you are down or sad to actually get out and go for the walk but trust us when we say that when you do start exercising, you will begin to feel good about yourself. Once you take that first step, you will know that you have made the right choice, and you will begin to believe that you are actually going to better yourself. Personal development is not a science, it is about making the effort to choose to better who you are and exercise is a big part of that.

So, today, stand up and begin walking. You do not have to walk anywhere particular or specific; you just need to go for a walk. When you are walking and exercising, don’t think about it as exercise, but as a chance to get out and enjoy the world around you.

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 This article originally published on the above website on Jan 8, 2011