good luck deluxe

What do the following all have in common with each other?

jerry falwell ; halo 3 beta ; melinda doolittle ; kim kardashian ; preakness ; shrek the third ; taylor swift ; phoenix suns ; yolanda king ; presidentielle 2007 ; bayrou

According to Google Zeitgeist and Google Hot Trends, the above keywords and search phrases have made Google’s most popular list.

As of September 27, 2008, Google’s Hot Trends listed these as the most popular:

1. paul newman
2. take the plunge slogan
3. swinglifestyle
4. sonny landreth
5. joe esterhaus
6. national book festival
7. neptune festival
8. fha replacement loan
9. congresswoman mother courage
10. who won the debate
11. sophia nicole alsept
12. new cumberland apple festival
13. neptune festival virginia beach
14. who won the debate mccain obama
15. post debate polls
16. paul rust
17. 2008 presidential debate video
18. nikita lee weis
19. anne arundel county parks and recreation
20. last night s debate
21. paige green cheerleader
22. kim ng
23. stoddert soccer
24. pinnacle pctv hd card
25. lyrics on demand
26. debate results
27. indus river
28. feast of the hunters moon
29. jason williams
30. sportsbook.com
31. american royal parade
32. shawan downs
33. akron marathon 2008
34. friends@foxnews.com
35. citizens against government waste
36. emma forrest
37. pearl izumi
38. mclean youth soccer
39. hoover high school
40. hockessin soccer club
41. cape air crash
42. jack johnson boxer
43. happy birthday google
44. bbsl
45. joanne woodward
46. debate winner
47. duxbury beach triathlon
48. cbaa soccer
49. community reinvestment act
50. philadelphia home show
51. eastman credit union
52. who has gas in atlanta
53. durham fair
54. china space walk
55. palin debate
56. debate transcripts
57. curious george
58. waiting for godot
59. aopa
60. mcquaid invitational
61. lee anne devette
62. transitive verb
63. zwei
64. virginia state fair
65. pace university
66. homecoming hair ideas
67. janet elway
68. sls adult
69. john elway divorce
70. smithsonian museum day
71. pipes in the valley
72. ekranoplan
73. tanya memme
74. newman s own
75. mint hill madness
76. singapore
77. mann act
78. sonny pike
79. debate site youtube.com
80. swinger lifestyle
81. sya soccer
82. homecoming hairstyles
83. erwin gindi
84. existential
85. darlene rodriguez husband
86. debate ratings
87. 11 alive news
88. luv name .com
89. who won the presidential forum
90. gretchen carlson
91. newton girls soccer
92. duluth fall festival
93. lucy in the sky with diamonds lyrics
94. lexulous
95. sky taylor
96. weight loss tips
97. appleumpkin festival
98. cars movie
99. leave it to beaver
100. mike riley

Do some of those terms look like Chinese or Greek to you?

Folks, if you want to stay in the loop of what’s hot this very moment,
Google’s Hot Trends is your friend.

There is a river, OK - an OCEAN - of information floating about the Internet on how to increase your site’s traffic and make money blogging.

Most of those information sites, though, make me cross-eyed and weary.

I didn’t have much luck with increasing my site’s statistics and profitability until I took the sage advice of Paula Neal Mooney, the ultimate blogging guru.

If you’re a blogger or an aspiring blogger and you’ve been wondering:

1. How can I make money as a blogger?
2. How can I increase site traffic (increase blog traffic) and get more readers?
3. How can I attract loyal readers - repeat readers?
4. Is Google AdSense effective? Is Chitika eMiniMalls effective?
5. What is the best way for a blogger to earn money?
6. What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
7. What is the best way to optimize my site?
8. Where do I even begin with blog advertising?
9. How much money do bloggers earn?
10. Is there a detailed list of blogger salaries anywhere? (Yep, right on Paula’s blog!)
11. How can I get more site exposure in other media formats?
12. How can I improve my blog ranking?
13. What’s the best way to make use of bookmarking sites like Digg (how to get Dugg) and Technorati?
14. How can I make a free website?
15. I need advertisers. How can I attract advertisers?
16. What is AdBrite?
17. What are Google AdWords?
18. How can I sell my blog?
19. What is BlogHer?
20. What is cost-per-click (cpc)?
21. How can I get PayPal donations on my site?
22. What is ghost blogging?
23. What is Swag?
24. What is Squidoo?
25. What is Google AdSense?
26. What are other ways I can make money online or make money from home?
27. I want to watch TV online for free. Which free TV shows can I watch online? Is www.watchtv.de good? What about www.makemewatchtv.com , www.broadcast-live.com/television , or www.worldtvpc.com ?

Paula Mooney’s exceedingly resourceful blog says in its header, “I help bloggers make money, get readers and increase blog ranking.”

I attest that this is true!

My own site’s traffic has greatly improved since employing some of the fabulous blogging optimization techniques that Paula has freely offered.

Ms. Mooney certainly has a knack for this blogging thing. She’s so GENEROUS with her valuable information, too.

Simply fantastic!

It may not be news to some of you that mogul Taysha Smith Valez (TSV), of
H. Couture Beauty entrepreneurship fame, sold a tube of the world’s most expensive diamond-encrusted mascara and lipstick for $14 million.

Well, it’s news to me!

Here’s what I thought was one of the shameless culprits. It’s actually a tube of TSV’s $589 Socialite mascara:

That’s just crazy. But good crazy! I mean, how many of us, if we had the smarts and resources to pull off such a deal, wouldn’t do the same thing?

Oh go ahead. Hem and haw about giving to the poor, shameful gluttony, and greed.
But do any of us know exactly what Ms. Valez did with her profits? Do we know for sure that she hasn’t and isn’t giving to the poor?

Most people immediately judge prosperous folks as being thoroughly self-serving. I don’t judge anyone of a high net worth. I’m not with them 24/7 monitoring what they do with their money, nor should I be. Is it really my business…or yours?

If I had the savvy to create and sell a tube of diamond-studded mascara for a ridiculous sum of cash, don’t think I wouldn’t.

For those who have a problem with other folks making bank, try minding your own business and maybe you’ll come up with a lucrative idea or two…and then we can talk about you.

Or better yet…

Instead of bumping your gums, make yourself useful and ask her PR rep if Taysha is still giving entrepreneurial seminars via The Learning Annex.

Folks, I’m off to figure out how to coat this blog in platinum and sell it to the highest bidder!

I’ve had the privilege of getting my hands on the list early, folks. I think I may even be the first to break the story over the weekend before it hits newsstands on Monday. What luck!

Below you will find a list of the top 50 wealthiest individuals in Los Angeles - 41 of whom live right here in Los Angeles! If money moves you, and you’re curious about who’s doing what, check out the list below!

L.A. is home to the rich and famous and not-so-famous, but $118.3 billion dollars are represented by 50 people here! The Los Angeles Business Journal will be naming
the definitive list of who’s who in L.A. with its 50 Wealthiest Angelenos annual issue (on newsstands Monday, May 28th).

With 41 billionaires, this list contains Hollywood hot shots such as David Geffen (#4), Steven Spielberg (#11), and Roy Disney (#33), but also some Angelenos famous in their own industries such as pharmaceutical’s Patrick Soon-Shiong (#7), supermarket’s
Ron Burkle (#9), real estate’s Ed Roski Jr. (#12 at 2.6 billion), Chief Executive of Majestic Realty Co., one of the nation’s oldest and largest privately held real estate companies and commercial developers in Southern California. Also, commercial real estate developer Rick Caruso debuts on the list at #37 this year.

Entertainment and real estate were the two most common sources of wealth among L.A.’s wealthiest, with some benefiting from both.

There is also a worldwide trend…Forbes recently calculated that there are 946 billionaires worldwide. 41 of them live here in L.A.! It is astonishing that the power and wealth has risen to such a level that you can’t even get to the top 40 without being a billionaire! Five more billionaires have been added since last year’s Los Angeles Business Journal list was released.

These are the true power brokers in Los Angeles.

TOP 50 WEALTHIEST LOS ANGELENOS

1. Kirk Kerkorian $16.1 billion

2. Sumner Redstone $8.4 billion

3. Eli Broad $6.5 billion

4. David Geffen $4.5 billion

5. David Murdock $4.5 billion

6. Haim Saban $4.1 billion

7. Patrick Soon-Shiong $3.7 billion

8. Steven Ferencz Udvar-Hazy $3.6 billion

9. Ron Burkle $3.4 billion

10. A. Jerrold Perenchio $3.1 billion

11. Steven Spielberg $3.1 billion

12. Ed Roski Jr. $2.6 billion

13. Tom Gores $2.5 billion

14. John Tu $2.4 billion

15. John E. Anderson $2.32 billion

16. Bradley Wayne Hughes $2.3 billion

17. Alfred E. Mann $2.1 billion

18. Franklin Otis Booth Jr. $2 billion

19. Barbara Davis $2 billion

20. Charles T. Munger $2 billion

21. Anthony Pritzker $1.8 billion

22. David Hearst Jr. $1.7 billion

23. George Randolph Hearst Jr. $1.7 billion

24. Alan Casden $1.6 billion

25. Louis Gonda $1.6 billion

26. Merv Griffin $1.6 billion

27. Gary Michelson $1.52 billion

28. Leslie Gonda $1.4 billion

29. Alec Gores $1.4 billion

30. Michael Milken $1.4 billion

31. Donald Sterling $1.4 billion

32. Robert Addison Day Jr. $1.37 billion

33. Roy E. Disney $1.35 billion

34. George Joseph $1.3 billion

35. Stewart Resnick $1.3 billion

36. John Shea $1.3 billion

37. Rick Caruso $1.2 billion

38. William Barron Hilton $1.2 billion

39. Frank & Jamie McCourt $1.1 billion

40. Jeffrey Katzenberg $1 billion

41. Peter Lowy $1 billion

42. Stephen L. Bing $970 million

43. Lowell J. Milken $970 million

44. Frederick “Ted” Field $950 million

45. Neil Kadisha $900 million

46. Tom Werner $895 million

47. Aubrey Chernick $845 million

48. Guilford Glazer $820 million

49. Michael Eisner $790 million

50. Ming Hsieh $715 million

Now ladies, don’t e-mail me asking me which men are single -
because THAT, I DO NOT KNOW!!!

Remember that the detailed list with a bio of each person will be found on newsstands in MONDAY, MAY 28th’s edition of the Los Angeles Business Journal or online at: www.labusinessjournal.com.

With all the hoopla lately about the new $1 coin that was recently released by the U.S. Mint, I wonder how receptive U.S. citizens will be to this.

These new coins have former President George Washington’s face imprinted on them. Every three months, a new president’s face will be embossed on the coins.

Does anyone really care?

Maybe I sound a tad bitter about this news because I recently accidentally handed a cashier a $1 coin instead of a quarter, and realized it when I got home. Hey folks,
guess who was out of a dollar?

I get mad when someone hands me one of those dollar coins instead of a dollar bill. The undue stress those coins cause when envisioning spending them in a store and possibly having to prove that it’s valid currency is just too much! It’s like selling a used car. You feel so shady passing one of those coins to someone.

I used to gripe that the U.S. Mint should make the $1 coins 3x as big as a quarter, paint them red - something. Only then would I shout with glee. The U.S. Mint must have read my mind, because these new coins are now a golden color.

Here’s an official picture of the new coin.

What are your thoughts on this? Are you eager to use these coins, or do you prefer paper currency?

Let’s cut to the chase. Here is a link to CNN’s site which features
Fortune Magazine’s Best Jobs in 2007 list.

I reckon a few of you read my blog from work. Those of you who are reading Good Luck Deluxe from your job, a certain percentage of you hate your jobs.

Some of you may even be in toxic work conditions with maniac bosses who terrorize you, or work directly with psychic vampire co-workers.

Or maybe you work for a company that lets the higher-ups take all the credit for your work; and they don’t even have good coffee in the breakroom, let alone Krispy Kreme doughnuts on Fridays. Believe me, I understand.

It’s time for a new job.

The Fortune Magazine list is clear, concise, and organized. It clearly shows just why certain companies were chosen as being “the best.”

Google and Whole Foods made the list, and I wholeheartedly agree. I know people who work for both companies and they are very satisfied working for them. I mean, what’s not to love about Whole Foods? I live in that store!

Fortune’s list details the pay, benefits, bonuses, best jobs for women and (I despise this term) “minorities,” or people of color.

So quit yer whinin’ and get busy!

I recently learned about a couple of wonderful, socially-conscious endeavors that Manuela Testolini Nelson has pioneered in order to do her part in improving the world. It had me a little misty-eyed.

Gamillah, Inc., founded by Manuela Testolini Nelson, is a socially-aware, for-profit business with a social responsibility component. Gamillah seeks to essentially bring the best of all worlds together in the mission of positively impacting, supporting, and protecting the communities it serves.

Gamillah, Inc. is a sincere mesh of business and global values and is a concept that makes one wonder, why don’t more corporations do this? By its emphasis in incorporating beauty into this endeavor, it is an ideal social model and corporation.

In a Perfect World (IAPW), Ms. Testolini Nelson’s children’s foundation, is a national, non-profit organization that is devoted to empowering children and equipping them with the tools to eventually become benevolent, socially responsible leaders. We could certainly use more of this in the world.

Manuela has covered all of the essential bases!

With an intriguing blend of cultures in her own blood, herself a woman of Egyptian-Italian heritage, Manuela knows the power and potential of uniting cultures through common denominators such as philanthropy, art, and social programs, as well as supporting several non-profit organizations. The epitome of beauty!

Gamillah, Inc. creates products (including aromatherapy candles); and offers a range of community-oriented resources and services. Way to go, Manuela!

My previous post on billionaires Oprah and Warren Buffett, and various ramblings on Jamaica have set an excellent backdrop for me to segue into writing about a clever quote that I find to be pretty profound.

I came across this powerful quote by Michael Lee-Chin, the billionaire Jamaican/Canadian CEO of AIC Limited (a Canadian mutual fund), and Chairman of the National Commercial Bank of Jamaica.

In his interview in the Jamaica Gleaner, Mr. Lee-Chin said:

“Yes, the centrepiece for my decision-making is that you invest in things you understand. I know the Caribbean and Jamaica. Also, to create wealth, you have to buy something inefficient and make it more efficient.”

How many times have people fallen for get-rich-quick schemes that they know nothing about, or have beaten themselves up for not having the “get up and go” to turn a random business endeavor into something solid?

What if they were to instead do what they truly understand? Hmm…

I have finally collected my thoughts on the news about Sprint’s enormous layoff after 300,000 subscribers (of which I was one) have left Sprint in the dust.

Truthfully, I’m not surprised. I had NOTHING but problems with that pseudo-company. I knew this day of reckoning was coming for them.

I even had strangers look at my little PCS phone and shake their heads in disgrace. Oh, the stories I could tell about my dark days with Sprint. What a nightmare! Actually, debacle is more like it.

Have you attempted to use their customer service? Notice that I said attempted. It was always my misfortune to end up with the gum-popping, halfway-literate ignoramus as my Sprint customer service “agent.” What a joke and a half.

My biggest frustration with the service industry in the U.S. are the piddly wages that these folks are paid. If you’re only making $6.00 an hour to deal with screaming, obnoxious customers all day, would you be chipper and friendly?

I mean, is Gary Forsee, the CEO of Sprint, aware that MONEY has everything to do with Sprint’s call center agents not giving customers their all? Did Mr. Forsee foresee this?

Perhaps employees would give better customer service if they had
THE MONETARY INCENTIVE to do so. Forget a pat on the back for “a job well done.” Show them the green!

At any rate (no pun intended), Sprint really needs to shake it up and wake up.

I usually strive to report on pleasant stuff, but there is just no silver lining in this disaster. Not a good luck scenario no matter how you slice it.

I’ve been pretty interested lately in exploring the origins of my non-extroverted sociability. It’s not that I’m shy or timid. Quite the contrary. I am what is called an expressive introvert.

I’m outgoing when need be, and I favor quality one-on-one interactions with people.
I have incredibly loyal friends who would break your teeth if you said something bad about me.

Anyone who knows me will say that I can talk to anyone, and chat up a storm. I’d like
to think I’m a good listener.

At parties, I’m never the quiet wallflower. If anything, I’m the one keeping everyone entertained with my zany, animated stories and engaging folks in lively conversation. Am I a bit self-important? Perhaps.

But I do savor my private, solitary time. A lot. A little too much, maybe.

I’ve just noticed how different I am, and have always been, from the social mainstream. I used to think it was an obstacle, but with age comes wisdom. Now I appreciate it and use it to my advantage!

I took the Myers-Briggs test last night for the umpteenth time, and I got the same result as always: INTJ - “The Mastermind.” Yep, that’s me. Ha! But imagine my surprise when über-investor, billionaire extraordinaire Warren Buffett was on the list of famous INTJ types. I mean, who woulda thunk?

Buffett was on the list of famous INTJ types. Some articles claim that Warren is an INTJ type, while others insist he’s a definite ISTJ. Whatever. Sharing three out of four dominant personality traits with an admirable genius is fine with me! Carl Jung is perhaps one of the most notorious INTJs.

So wait, let’s do the math…

Oprah and I are the same astrological sign + Mr. Buffett and I belong to the unconventional Introvert Tribe = …there’s hope for me yet.