World Cup Side-Effects, Seinfeld Cars, and #BestofFinancial

The World Cup, popularly known as the “beautiful game”, is causing a significant decrease in productivity across the globe. It’s unbelievable that there are no studies on the extent of this impact. In the UK, there is a well-documented “half-time kettle effect,” where electricity usage spikes during the half-time of football matches. Furthermore, an entire movie, “Flushed Away,” was based on the “half-time toilet effect.” However, it’s unacceptable that no research has been conducted on the number of lost work hours during the World Cup. A study on this topic must exist, and we must know its findings.

One of my son’s favourite movies, where else can you see Hugh Jackman play a rat, hear far too many bad jokes about frogs, and about folks peeing in the London sewer system? As for Flushed Away, I suppose that is how the Spanish Football fans feel? (too soon?)

Did I mention sewers? I test-drove a perfect car that I would have gladly bought, except it had a stench that made it impossible to purchase. Its previous owner was a heavy cigar smoker, but after being shampooed vigorously, it was left with its windows shut (unfortunately). The combination of smells almost caused my olfactory system to eject itself from my head. I can still smell that smell, and now I comprehend the Seinfeld episode, the Smelly Car.

The Washington Redskins have had their Trademark revoked, so it will be harder to protect their brand name (just the name, not their insignia). I was a fan of the Washington NFL Team, but I also think it’s time to think about a name change. The Washington Bullets (of the NBA) changed their name. Why can’t the Washington Football team?

My Writings for the Week Ending June 20th

It is almost St. Jean Baptiste day (in Quebec), which signifies the start of the summer pour Les Quebecois. Good times:

• I remembered an issue I had buying the first Big C8j Mansion and outlined it in Credit Checks Can Cause Issues. Remember every time someone looks at your Credit File, someone else notes that they did it!
• I also hated when I bought the current Big C8j Abode having to pay the Land Transfer Tax, and feel it is an important part of the planning for any new house.
• I had a picture of my cat sitting in a flower basket and I figured out a way to include it in a post, seriously, that is how some of these posts get written, Animals and Costs Revisited.
• Elections, Dad’s Day, World Cup, Friday the 13th and #BestofFinancial

This Week’s Finest

Who is left alive in Game of Thrones? Who cares? Who is left alive in the Ontario Provincial elections is a more interesting question:

• Mark at 2nd Career Search took his CFP exam and felt it was a Humbling Experience, but then again, he hasn’t taken an exam since they used HB pencils to fill in boxes and scanning of the results, no wait….
• In my attempts to make you much more paranoid about the Internet, I give you Tapped in: How your phone gives you up to companies and criminals. Please read and learn to be discrete online.
• Kerry atSquawkfox showed a picture of a Cyclist with no helmet carrying a chainsaw in Holland. I can’t top that.
• Preet has been enjoying Dutch Treats as well. You’d have seen a few if you followed his Twitter feed.
• I still have over 2000 Tweety followers, I guess my next goal is 2500 (or maybe to not drop back down to 1000)?
• The Blunt Bean Counter helps us all out with a bunch of Excellent Income Tax Resources, go there and add these resources to your RSS feeds and your Tweety feeds.
• Paul Krugman at the NY Times points out that You Can’t Have a Wage-Price Spiral Without Wages, which sounds obvious, but note prices are going up, but pay is not?!?
• Michael James is slowing down for the summer. However, he does give us an enjoyable Rant Which is the Best Credit Card, note the TD Visa card ad, at the end of this section.
• I have a subscription to Audible.com and this weekend I enjoyed possibly the funniest Audio Book ever, Go the F*ck to Sleep as read by Sam Jackson, I had to pull over I was laughing too hard.
• Chuck Noll former Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers passed away last weekend, while Vince Lombardi is lauded as the greatest NFL coach ever, I think Chuck Noll deserves to be mentioned in the same group as Lombardi.
• Mark from My Own Advisor is trying to save on monthly costs with Why I cut Rogers and went to Fongo Home Phone, sounds like something I might look into, or at least threaten Bell with.
• With the coronation of Queen Kathleen of Ontario, we must now figure out What is the Ontario Pension Plan, and luckily Barry from Money we have gives it a shot (and includes the Power Puff Girls, is cool too).

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A Real Football Video

How could Durex condoms make a funny ad for the World Cup? Enjoy, and it is very Safe For Work (unless you don't like football embellishments):

Bat Dad Rises

Yes, Bat Dad returns, this time showing that he is a vulnerable superhero as well:

Random Thoughts for 2014

Lots of these kinds of Best of articles in 2014. Here is a list of them.

• World Cup Side-Effects, Seinfeld Cars, and #BestofFinancial What happens around the World at half time of the World Cup Final? Is it like Flushed away? Is there a sudden tsunami? Who knows?
• Cuba, Rubles, Christmas and #BestThisWeek - getting close to Christmas but Ian McKellen can teach us about impulse control.
• Snow, Christmas, Enhanced and #BestThisWeek talk of more festive ideas, like how to save money at Christmas.
• A Gentleman, Day of Disability, Christmas, Rugby and #BestThisWeek noted the passing of Jean Beliveau and John Oliver's views on Lotteries.
• Black Friday is Here, Advent, and #BestThisWeek speaks of the blessed Black Friday and associated sales but also includes a Fanfare for the Common Man.
• Lake Effect Snow, Web Cameras, Travel Insurance and #BestThisWeek November brings snow in Toronto, as we see, and other financial ideas.
• Asteroids, Tax Cuts, Lemurs and #BestThisWeek how many times has the Earth almost been hit by an asteroid? Too often to remember.
• Lame Ducks, Financial Literacy, Working for Free and #BestThisWeek lame duck leaders never really get that much done, no matter how they negotiate.
• Happy Halloween, Income Splitting and #BestThisWeek a wonderful financial time of the year is Halloween? Maybe income splitting is a better subject.
• Ottawa We Shall Remember, Bank of Canada and #BestThisWeek after a bad week in Ottawa, with senseless violence.
• Crashing Markets, Ebola, Low Loonie, Cheap Gas and #BestThisWeek even in 2014 the markets were a little volatile.
• Hockey, Turkey, Leaves, Carry On Bags and #theBestFin4TheWeek is it right that the hockey season starts before Thanksgiving?
• October, Hello Ebola, Give Blood and #theBestFin4TheWeek October arrived unexpectedly this week, almost unnoticed. As we have entered the final (calendar) quarter of the year 2014, it may be time to start considering a year-end review of your financial plans.
• Autumn , United Kingdom, Beer Money, and #theBestFin4TheWeek the colours in Ottawa during Autumn are truly spectacular.
• Pins, Alibaba , Apple Pay , Lecosse , and #theBestFin4TheWeek remember when Alibaba the IPO happened, those were heady days.
• Home Despot, iPhones, and #theBestFin4TheWeek
• Back to School, Tim Burger King, Knee Defenders and #theBestFin4TheWeek will the dutchie ever come back? I can only hope.
• Broken Humerus, Ebola, Anniversaries, Blood and #theBestFin4TheWeek remember when we thought Ebola was going to wipe us out?
• It is Done, Ice Bucket Challenge, Media Perceptions and #theBestFin4TheWeek
• WW1 Centenery, More Hacked Passwords and #theBestFin4TheWeek
• The Long Weekend with no Name, Defaults, and #BestFinancialForTheWeek
• Unmasking Super Heroes, Dogs of Summer and #BestOfFinancialForThisWeek
• All Stars, Al Stars and the #BestOfFinancialForWeek the world cup was a big thing in 2014 as was Bastille day too.
• Brazilian Defeats, Tour De Chunnel, and #BestOfFinancialForWeek you mean Brazil can lose at the world cup?
• Tennis, Racing, Inflation and #BestofFinancial Canada Day is the start of the summer for most Canadians, and financial stories too.
• The Stand, Football Biting, Naughty Banks and #BestofFinancial even in 2014 the banks were misbehaving with shenanigans.
• Elections, Dad's Day, World Cup, Friday the 13th and #BestofFinancial somehow the Liberals won the 2014 Ontario Provincial Election
• No Rate Hike, Better Performance, Montreal Grand Prix and #Bestof-Financial back in 2014 we were worried about rates, but they were already pretty low.
• Elections, Farewell Knowlton, May Done, and #Bestof-Financial Knowlton Nash was the voice of news for Canada for a while.
• Internet Memory, Grand Prix of Monaco and #FreeFormFridays the Internet has memory?
• Time Off, Elections, Victoria Day and #FreeFormFridays Victoria Day is always a fun weekend.
• Frosts, Elections, Farley Mowat and #FreeFormFridays it does get cold in May!
• Rain, Budgets, Bloggers Meeting, May Day and #FreeFormFridays When financial bloggers meet what happens?
• Beware the Financial Jabberwock, Netflix Expansion, Model Trains, Backups and #FreeFormFridays a thematically odd article.
• Easter is Here and a Saturday #BestOf for the Weekend a time of renewal, new beginnings in life and financially as well.
• RIP Flaherty, Heartbleed, Tax Time, Quebec Elections and #FreeFormFridays the former finance minister did a lot of good for the economy.
• #Selfies, Quebec Election, Big Joe, Awareness, and #FreeFormFridays would Big Joe Mufferaw have been a good fit for the Redblacks? We'll never know.
• Don Quixote, Tax Time, Cheap Mortgages and #FreeFormFridays gotta hate tax time.
• Spring Has Sprung, March Madness, Celebrity Blogger and #FreeFormFridays talking about Spring in March in Ottawa can be a bit early.
• Pi Day, March Break, Two Ferns, Snow and #FreeFormFridays given pi is infinite, how much pie can we expect?
• Quebec Elections, Eating Sugar, Suing Parents, Big Rocks and #FreeFormFridays those elections in Quebec are never dull.
• Saint David’s Day, Big Posts, RRSP Time, the Dating Game and #FreeFormFridays always a good time to put a Welsh Choir Clip in an article.
• Hockey Day, Tax & RRSP Time and #FreeFormFridays Hockey day in Canada? Well it does happen, right around RRSP time too.
• More Olympics, Budgets, Love Day and #FreeFormFridays Valentine’s Day: Celebrating Love and Dealing with Financial Whining.
• Olympics, Not Super Bowls, Creationism and #FreeFormFridays 2014 Olympics Opening Ceremonies and Soshi Stadium’s Doppleganger: The Super Bowl.
• Senators, Weak Loonie, Superb Owls and #FreeFormFridays Rugby is a Hooligan’s game played by a Gentleman.
• Polar Vorteces, Olympics, Mayors and #FreeFormFridays The Polar Vortex brings Winter in Canada. But don’t worry – -30C highs in Ottawa in January are normal.
• Giveaways, Oil tanks, Eagles and #FreeFormFriday Have you checked your oil tank if you heat with Oil? What will your insurance do if the tank ruptures?
• Truly Canadian Issues, Ultra HD TV, Car Loans and #FreeFormFriday Get your lock de-icer and unlock your Super Mailbox cubicle like I did – Canadian Tire to the rescue!
• Some #RandomThoughts from 2014 Some of the best of, best of posts on my random thoughts weekly post.
• CPP Reform, Snow, Christmas, Boxing day and #FreeFormFriday Did the CPP reform of 2013 fix much? Kind of, but Christmas was coming too.