DIRC - U.S. Money and Tax Matters Board

Sep. 8, 2010 by xelint: Is Canada the next housing bubble?

Wed, 8 Sep 2010 05:39:52 GMT

Aug. 31, 2010 by millsforester: Re: Working can kill you.

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:39:03 GMT

wonder how they calculate it...

I dont know of many loggers dieing anymore (heard of one in the last 8 years) but I know several log truck drivers have been due to collisions.

Surprised fire fighters aren't on the list...although I'm only familiar with forest fires it seems like we lose 1-2 people a season due to a mix of aircraft, bad luck, vehicles, and fire related causes.

Ah well...goal every day is for every person to make it home safe.

Hopefully the steam whistle doesn't honk again for any other injured worked.

Aug. 22, 2010 by dripit: Re: 5 Bizaare Policies

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:46:08 GMT

Bizarre Insurance? How about 'Post-Rapture Pet Insurance'. I heard this one on CBC radio this weekend.

[Website Address]

Aug. 21, 2010 by OperaBob: Re: 5 Bizaare Policies

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:32:21 GMT

Adding to the news of the weird:

War for least-healthy sandwich heats up
By QMI Agency

The war to create the least-healthy sandwich legally available in a restaurant is heating up, with Burger King launching the NY Pizza Burger in Times Square Thursday.

The burger, if it can be called that, comes on a 10-inch bun that contains four quarter-pound burger patties, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, Tuscan pesto sauce and marinara sauce. The burger is then cut into six slices, like a pizza, and served in a cardboard box not unlike a pizza box. It contains 2,520 calories and costs $12.99 US.

Burger King emphasized the NY Pizza Burger is meant to be shared, and not tackled alone.

The NY Pizza Burger is the latest in a string of new ultra-fatty fast-food meals.

Others include the KFC Double Down — two pieces of deep-fried chicken sandwiching cheese and bacon — and the Krispy Kreme Cheeseburger, a bacon cheeseburger that uses Krispy Kreme doughnuts as a bun.

OB

Aug. 21, 2010 by steamboy: Re: 5 Bizaare Policies

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 16:39:44 GMT

being abducted by aliens from your wedding to Mariah Carey and held for a ransom that could only be delivered by a celebrity judge.

Aug. 21, 2010 by kcourt: Re: 5 Bizaare Policies

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 16:34:06 GMT

What will it cover????

Kathy ; -)

Aug. 21, 2010 by steamboy: Re: 5 Bizaare Policies

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 16:22:41 GMT

I can sell you a policy for that!

Aug. 21, 2010 by dfish: Re: 5 Bizaare Policies

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 07:09:17 GMT

Hmmm...makes you wonder how much it'd cost to insure against being abducted by aliens from your wedding to Mariah Carey and held for a ransom that could only be delivered by a celebrity judge...;)

Aug. 21, 2010 by OperaBob: 5 Bizaare Policies

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 06:08:08 GMT

5 bizarre insurance policies

by Amy Bell, Investopedia.com

Wednesday, February 24, 2010provided byforbes

Ah, the magic of insurance. If you can dream up a risk, you can probably insure it.

Insurance is any type of coverage that you purchase for a relatively small amount that can protect you from a potentially massive financial loss. Of course, there are the run-of-the-mill things that people generally insure: cars, homes, health and lives. Many families who live near bodies of water are required to purchase flood insurance, and some homeowners near major fault lines purchase earthquake coverage.

Then, there are the not-so-typical items folks have chosen to insure, whether it's their beautiful legs, the threat of paranormal encounters or even their perfectly coiffed mustache. Here are five of the weirdest insurance policies, ranging from interesting to shocking to downright bizarre:

1. Alien Abduction Policies

Do you toss and turn at night worrying about how your family would survive if evil aliens took you away? Have no fear. You can always purchase an alien abduction insurance policy to cover this risk.

No joke: if you are abducted by Marvin the Martian and never return to Earth, your beneficiary will receive a sizable payout. Of course, your family will have to prove that an extraterrestrial actually snatched you … which is no easy task.

Believe it or not, London-based insurance company Goodfellow Rebecca Ingram Pearson (GRIP) offers this surprisingly popular alien abduction coverage. As a matter of fact, they have sold a total of 30,000 policies. The company even sold a US$1,000 group alien abduction policy to the Heaven's Gate cult shortly before their mass suicide. The company took a short break from selling these policies after the tragic event, but now the coverage is available again.

Let's say you're not so concerned about aliens, but the thought of other supernatural phenomena has you quaking in your boots. No worries. GRIP also offers insurance that will cover you if you are hit by an asteroid, injured by a ghost or even if you are transformed into a werewolf. They also offer Immaculate Conception coverage - just in case you discover the father of your child is actually the Heavenly Father.

2. Body Part Coverage

Rumor has it that certain celebrities purchase some hefty insurance policies on various high-value body parts: from Mary Hart's shapely gams to Tom Jones' lush chest hair to J Lo's bootylicious rump. Here are just a few more examples of these bizarre celebrity policies:

* Heidi Klum allegedly insured her legs for US$2.2 million. After all, she gets paid big bucks to strut those lovely stems down the catwalk.

* In 2006, Mariah Carey also insured her legs for a whopping US$1 billion. That's right: a billion dollars. She purchased the coverage shortly after agreeing to represent Gillette's "Legs of a Goddess" campaign. Her spokesperson said, "The sum reflects her popularity. She's about to start a U.S. tour and she'll have to be careful."

* Merv Hughes, a famous Australian cricket player, insured his impressively bushy mustache for US$370,000. That's one costly flavor saver!

* Word on the street is that America Ferrera, star of the hit TV series Ugly Betty, insured her smile for US$10 million.

* In 1957, food critic Egon Ronay insured his taste buds for US$400,000.

* In the 1980s, Bruce Springsteen bought an insurance policy for his signature gravelly singing voice to the tune of US$6 million.

And the list goes on and on. You get the point: If a celebrity thinks something on their body is valuable, beautiful or profitable, they can (and will) insure it.

3. Wedding Insurance

Weddings have always been expensive, but the price has skyrocketed to record levels in recent years. These days, the average cost of a U.S. wedding falls between US$21,000 and US$24,000 - and that doesn't include in the honeymoon.

After shelling out some major moolah for a wedding, many families are forced to cancel or postpone the celebration in the eleventh hour. Whether the couple comes down with some serious cold feet, the panicked groom makes a run for it or there's a sudden death in the family, there are a million and one reasons for a last-minute wedding cancellation.

And that's exactly why many insurance companies offer wedding insurance. Not only can couples purchase insurance to cover the wedding itself, but often these policies also cover damage to wedding photos, the bride's gown, stolen or broken wedding gifts and even property damage drunken revelers cause at the reception site.

4. Kidnapping Coverage

If your family is worth a pretty penny, you could be a prime target for kidnappers and extortionists. Fortunately, many insurance companies offer Kidnap and Ransom insurance (also known as K&R).

Not only are K&R policies popular with wealthy families, but many professionals and corporations purchase this coverage, as well - particularly those who operate in kidnapping hot-spots around the world, such as Russia, the Philippines, Mexico, Columbia and parts of Eastern Europe. While the insurance company doesn't actually shell out the ransom, they will reimburse the family or corporation after they pay off the kidnappers.

5. Judge Insurance

That's right - if you are taking part in a high-stakes trial, you can even insure your judge. In the 1980s, one of the parties in an expensive civil lawsuit purchased an insurance policy to cover the judge. Because both sides had spent millions of dollars on the suit, they did not want to run the risk of losing all the money they'd invested if something happened to the precious judge during the trial. After all, what if he was abducted by aliens, turned into a werewolf or was kidnapped by Russian extortionists?

OB

Aug. 21, 2010 by Wayneman: Re: Working can kill you.

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 03:36:53 GMT

Mickey & Minnie have to be well past retirement age by now!

They are both 82. Pretty old for mice but it may be less in Cartoon years.

Donald Duck is only 76. Recently a woman sued the Disney company claiming that while at Epcot she was molested by Donald Duck who touched her breast. She says she suffered "severe physical injury" and has been plagued with anxiety, headaches, nightmares, digestive problems and cold sweats.
Perhaps she has the wrong duck. It could have been Daffy.

Aug. 21, 2010 by OperaBob: Re: Working can kill you.

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 03:04:58 GMT

It seems that Disneyland has a lot of their employees who die on the job

Mickey & Minnie have to be well past retirement age by now!

OB

Aug. 20, 2010 by Ironworker: Re: Working can kill you.

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:53:53 GMT

Wow Ironworkers are # 5

I am glad I finally retired.

Dave

Aug. 20, 2010 by kcourt: Re: Working can kill you.

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:44:04 GMT

It seems that Disneyland has a lot of their employees who die on the job - some get caught in the machinery, some take big falls, etc.

The happiest place on earth isn't always!

Kathy ; -)

Aug. 20, 2010 by OperaBob: Another Reason Why I DRIP

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:31:04 GMT

[Website Address]

OB

Aug. 20, 2010 by Pharmguy: Re: Working can kill you.

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 05:38:37 GMT

I thought for sure "line person" on any Apple product in China would be on it.

Aug. 20, 2010 by abbiesdad: Re: Working can kill you.

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:51:30 GMT

I would have thought coal miners or just miners in general would have made the top 10.

I was surprised by them not being listed.

Ralph

Aug. 19, 2010 by Rascal: Re: Working can kill you.

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:25:53 GMT

You had number 2, not number 1, which is a fisherman, or is that a fisher?

Aug. 19, 2010 by OperaBob: Re: Working can kill you.

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:52:45 GMT

Hey, I got #1!

Then again, I logged in the Queen Charlotte Islands so I knew that.

OB

Aug. 19, 2010 by OperaBob: Re: Working can kill you.

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:49:27 GMT

logger
postal worker

OB

Aug. 19, 2010 by Penguin: Re: US Dollar Credit Card

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:57:09 GMT

I'm going to be going to Vegas in October for work and extending it into a bit of vacation. In previous years I would just go to a brick-and-mortar currency exchange and get a wad of CAD changed to USD, but this year I'll be transferring the money to my Harris account with XE, and then using my Harris Debit/Mastercard down there. Anything left over I can use for US OCPs.