LOL!...hmm..

No! I have it on authority, it's stuffing envelopes.

Stop trying to throw us of the scent.

I used to wonder why people thought he was so attractive, especially in his druggie musician days. In fact, he used to creep me out like no other. But since I saw Pirates of the Caribbean, I've been a fan, simply because he's a great actor. But would I give a second glance on the street? Not the way I see him dress on the red carpet - greasy, long hair, scraggly beard, terrible fashion...

it's not even his looks, Tina...it's his aura, his brilliance, and his creativity that does it for me.

and as far as I'm concerned, I love how he just doesn't really belong to the stereo-typical Hollywood mold.

the only other actor that surpasses him, imho, is Viggo Mortensen. He also is brilliant, highly creative ( I have a music cd of his!), and avant-garde, doesn't care about all the Hollywood hoopla.

anyway...to each their own

Hmm! You probably are not aware CD but Blue Star used to be a chain of service stations (Gas/Fuel/Petrol) here in the UK 30 plus years ago. I'm sure the Benadryl would have more benefit than benzene (rubbed or drunk).

Last year, he was putting together a new program, but the site went down and his Twitter account went dormant. Not sure what happened. I know he's not in jail, regardless of rumours.

The tiny one-bedroom apartment isn't an unreasonable hypothesis.

Whoa, whoa, easy buddy! I only responded because you insulted me first. And I was only sharing my experience with Don Lepre and I don't know why you would get offensive like that.

Hi CD,

It's got nothing (really) to do with intelligence...

It's just (a) Most 17-18 year olds don't really have much of a financial education, and (b) even if they had the opportunity for one, they don't see the need for it.

Many (obviously not all) students that make it into college do have some kind of financial backing either from family, scholarships, sponsorships, or the like. If they can't afford it (initially), they are given a loan with the (implied) promise that once they get an education, paying it back will be a piece of cake. Many students are also simply being used to ask their mom or dad for some cash -- and then the parents provide it because they want their kids to have an 'easy' life, or have it 'easier' than they did. The parents (many times) don't realize they are doing a dis-service to their children, because their children aren't learning how to fend for themselves, they are learning how to live off of someone else.

Generally speaking, the kids that 'had it rough' growing up are the ones that figure things out pretty quickly. If they are worried whether there will be food on the table, or whether they will have electricity this month -- or instead it will be saved for groceries -- they very quickly learn the value of a dollar.

Also, it's how people are marketed to...

If you think about it... If students were 'financially' aware and 'taught' that they should pay their CC bills on time... the credit card companies would be out of business. Why? They make their living (and a killing at it) from the interest.

Credit card companies have virtually no interest in making this financial knowledge and management easily accessible and available. Why should they, or why would they want to? It would hurt their bottom line if people actually followed the advice.

Cigarette commercials don't say "Hey! Smoke a pack of cigarettes so you can get bad breath, yellow teeth and maybe get health issues!". No. They say "Ooh! Imagine how COOOL you will be. Do you want to be COOOL? Or do you want to be the nerd in the corner?"

Beer commercials don't say "Hey! Drink this every day so you become a drunk, have bad breath and violent mood swings or just pass out. Oh yeah, and maybe have health issues too." No. They show a bunch of guys on a superbowl Sunday being "MEN" because they are drinking. They show a guy walking into a bar and being a "MAN" because of drop dead gorgeous women grabbing a guy, because of the beer he is drinking. They don't show him getting drunk, spitting on the girl as he's trying to ask her number, and say 'Hwey thar sweetee. Aye theenks s'p youse are like Hwots. i mean reallys HOTS. Do you want to do its NOW are LATERS s'thp?"

And for the 'AXE' (deoderant) commercials... They are almost like soft-core porn videos, except with (half) your clothes on. Do you think the company that markets axe deoderant would be nearly as successful if they ran a commercial that said: "Hi. We make deoderant. It's really good. So buy it."?

Bottomline...

It's marketing. It's selling the dream. It's selling the 'easy' life.

Many credit card companies market their cards as being 'just like' immediate cash that you 'don't' (initially) have to work for. They've got a lot of hot buttons. Easy. Instant. Convenient.

Then they use fear tactics as a double whammy. If you "don't" get a credit card -- what happens when you on a vacation and lose your CASH? Oh no! This guy had a credit card. This guy didn't. Who is enjoying their vacation now? (Well duh. Who carries around $2k in cash in their pocket as they get off a plane? Probably not many people. But the commercial 'forgets' to mention that).

So people get scared. And then the commercials show an easy solution -- get this credit card -- and ALL your problems magically disappear!

So that's how people can easily get hooked.

CD I think you are forgetting that education isn't a product of age but experience. If your world is closer to Leave it to Beaver than it is Everyone Hates Chris (apologies to Non US residents that might not get the TV metaphor) then there are lots of things you might not know about shysters.

Edit: Just realized someone might take that as racial. Not intended. Beaver being White and Chris African American is incidental.