The cult of Cybele

A cult following that has some ancient Mediterranean flavour.  This cult spread to Rome all the way back in 203 BCE when the Senate adopted Cybele as a state goddess.  However, due to the nature of the cult there was a ban on Roman citizens becoming Galli (priests) until Claudius lifted it in the first century AD.

Cybele was a fertility goddess whose lover, Attis, committed suicide in a fit of rage.  Cybele had Attis resurrected; that is why Cybele is associated with the cycle of death and rebirth.

The bizarre factor comes in to play when the actions of the cult are examined.  The Galli were priests in the cult of Cybele.  These dedicated followers would participate in wild dances to work themselves up in to an orgiastic frenzy and then castrate themselves.  Once their male genitalia was removed they would dress and act like females.   Another strange ritual that the cult of Cybele practiced was the initiation ritual called the taurobolium.  During this a new candidate would stand inside a pit underneath a wooded grate while a bull was sacrificed above them. The blood would then baptize the new initiate to symbolize rebirth and purification.  HBO’s popular historical-drama Rome has a scene depicting this initiation ritual during one of their episodes for anyone interested in watching a reenactment of the taurobolium.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show Cult Following

In 1975 a film called The Rocky Horror Picture Show was released.   The rock-musical film is a creepy story about transsexual aliens. After a while the show began to sell out regularly; and it was noticed that many of the same people were returning.  One extreme fan, Sal Prio, wrote about the cult-film phenomenon and how he has seen it more than 1300 times.

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Over time the audience began to yell out slogans during specific scenes; these lines consisted of pop culture references, current events, vulgar jokes and clever puns.  This helped spread the film’s popularity and packed midnight showings began to pop up across the country.  The reason for this massive jump in popularity is not only due to the film, the ‘shadow cast’ was a draw as well.  A ‘shadow cast’ is a group of fans who act out the film in the theater by the screen; they can be witnessed at most showings.  Members of the audience would also show up wearing elaborate drag clothes to resemble characters in the movie.  Many of these fans would join in during popular scenes like the Time Warp dance; and bring various props like toast, water, toilet paper, hot dogs, and rice to throw at specific parts of the film.  Some theaters had to outlaw the throwing of items because the clean up was too difficult.

Presently this cult following is still in existence, but its popularity has waned slightly.  There are showings in most cities, especially on Halloween.  There are also numerous fan sites dedicated to the cult film.  So if you are feeling a bit on the ‘wild side’ one night and have some spare women clothing, look up The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Furries

This cult-following comprises of men and women who have a passion for all things related to furries.  Furries are fictional creatures where animal and sentient human forms are melded together.  They can range from cartoon animals to sentient animal creatures and even walking cat-people. Despite the name, furries do not have to be covered with fur, there are bird and lizard furries as well.  All furries do have certain human-like features with an animal face and other bestial parts like claws, tails, wings, etc.  Furries have various types of human personalities mixed with animal traits.

Furrydom is the furry scene/fan base. This includes fan mags and comic strips; Albedo is a very popular comic book which contains material from different artists and writers. There are furry films, which are films that have a leading furry character.  For example Disney’s Robin Hood is considered a furry film.  A major part of furrydom is the furry art.  There are many furry artists and amateur artists who submit their art to various online websites.  One of the biggest furry art/story web sites is VCL with over 3,000 artists and 20,000 pieces.  Furrydom also hosts conventions where furry fans gather to celebrate all things furry.  Most attendees claim that they go to these gatherings just to socialize with like-minded people.  Some fans take it to the extreme by creating expensive and elaborate full body costumes to wear at these conventions; but the majority of fans only wear partial costumes like tails or ears.  Furry fans can even take part in role playing games where Anthropomorphic characters, known as fursonas, are used.

Most of the controversy surrounding this strange following concerns the sexual nature that surrounds certain aspects of furrydom.   The term ‘yiff’ was created to indicate sexual activity or material (art, comics, etc).  This term also applies to sexual activity/interaction within the furry following (cybersex and traditional).  Many in furrydom believe that this sexual component makes the rest of them look bad.  This is why they use the derogatory term “furvert” to describe these perverted fans.

Trekkies

These fanatical fans of the Star Trek television franchise have been around since the sixties.  But it was not until the first television show was canceled in 1969 and the first convention or ‘con’ was held in 1972 that this cult-following became well known to the public.

Trekkies are comprised of many different Star Trek fan clubs from all of the different Star Trek shows.  The largest fan club is called STARFLEET and it was founded in 1974 as the USS Enterprise Fan Club.  This club states that it comprises of 3,875 members in 217 chapters located around the globe as of July 30, 2009.  These fans tend to wear sci-fi costumes to the trekky cons.  For those of you who do not know what a con is you might remember the SNL skit with William Shatner on trekkies where he told them to get a life. But despite popular belief most trekkies do not speak Klingon fluently and know only a few words; it is the language experts who tend to speak the fictitious language.

While searching for an example of how extreme these “nerds” can be I came across a community located in Alberta, Canada that is actually called Vulcan.  On the tourist website for Vulcan, Alberta there is a list of comparisons between the fictional planet and the Alberta community.  This list comprises of:

a)Both have grain farming and the passage of land down through generations.

b)Natives of both Vulcan County, Alberta and the planet Vulcan share similar humanoid characteristics; however, unlike the 14.9 billion Star Trek Vulcans, the 6,000 plus Vulcan County residents don’t have upswept brows and a greenish tinge due to copper-based blood.

c)Pointy ears seen around vulcan county especially when special occasions.

You can imagine why swarms of trekkies flock to Vulcan’s annual community wide star trek convention held June 12-14 called Galaxyfest.  During their stay trekkies can visit the Space Station shaped Tourist Information Center.  Or try out a virtual reality game called “TheVulcan Space Adventure”where players take part in a “Starflight Academy” with look alikes of the original Captains as your teachers.

So if you are ever driving in Alberta do not be surprised if you come across a large space ship monument; it is just the town entrance to Vulcan.

Jediism

This is another bizarre cult following that is attracted to science-fiction.   This group centers around the jedi who were created by George Lucas for the Star Wars films. This cult following took it a step further than their interstellar rivals, the trekkies, by forming a religion.  The use of online forums enabled them to accomplish this.  The followers claim to understand that the films are fiction, but they stress that certain aspects about the jedi had real spiritual significance.  George Lucas did research various religions while writing the story for the saga.  For example they believe that the ‘force’ (the energy flowing throughout the universe) is similar to the Holy Spirit or Qi.   Unlike these religions, the Force does not require prayer or worship; but many Jedi do practice meditation.  In Jediism, the most common explanation of the Light and Dark sides of the Force are reflected by the practitioner’s emotional state or character.  They believe that compassion and helping others are good traits while it is wrong to focus solely on self improvement and to be selfish.

Jediism has a code for jedi to use as a guideline in their lives; and a creed which was taken from one of the Star Wars novels:

Jedi are the guardians of peace in the Galaxy.

Jedi use their powers to defend and protect, never to attack others.

Jedi respect all life, in any form.

Jedi serve others rather than rule over them, for the good of the Galaxy.

Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training.

One interesting event involving jediism that I found occurred in November 2006 when two people wearing Star Wars robes and another wearing a Chewbacca costume demanded that the UN rename the “International Day of Tolerance” to “Interstellar Day of Tolerance”.  I guess that some people take their favourite films a little too serious.

While I did enjoy being a part f the boy scouts as a child I am not sure how “far out there” I am willing to go in order to find another group of people to hang out with. Hopefully this list of notable odd cult followings will inspire you to keep your weird hobbies hidden so that everyone will think that you are normal.

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They say necessity is the mother of invention.  So you can protest war all you want, but just remember that throughout history the necessities to succeed in battle have led to many inventions that society uses today, inventions that we ironically couldn’t survive without.

Logistics

This system for the supply and distribution of resources can be traced back to the Classical period. The Greek and Roman empires utilized it so that their soldiers could move from a military base to various service locations.

Postal Service

During 580-529 BCE the Persian emperor, Darius the Great, had the first known postal service created. This allowed for better communication between the emperor and his armies on the battlefield.

Ambulance

Spain in 1847 had an exceptionally well treated army for the times. One of the practices that the Spanish army created was ‘ambulancias’ (medical hospitals). However, at this time the soldiers were not collected until the combat had ceased.

Weather Forecast Technology

In 1835 the creation of the telegraph system led to accurate weather forecast predictions. The telegraph allowed for weather conditions to be gathered from a large area and reported quickly. Francis Beaufort and Robert FitzRoy are credited with this system; and the Royal Navy accepted the innovative technology.

Margarine

In 1869 French emperor, Napoleon III, found that keeping his army supplied with butter was a considerable expense. Therefore, he offered a prize to anyone who could develop a cheaper alternative. French chemist, Hippolyte Mège-Mouriés, won for his mixture of clarified beef fat, water and a bit of tributyrin.

Canned Food

More food difficulties concerning the military arose for emperor Napoleon. Concerned with keeping the large French army fed, Napoleon offered a prize for a method of food preservation. Nicholas Appert conceived the idea of preserving food in bottles. He discovered that if food is sufficiently heated and kept in an airtight container, it will not go bad.

Wrist Watches

When wrist watches initially hit the fashion scene gentlemen did not wear them because they were designed for females. However, soldiers found that pocket watches were awkward during battle and began to use leather straps to fasten them to their wrists. This convenient trend caught on and in the 1880s Girard-Perregaux equipped the German Imperial Navy with similar pieces.

Detergent

1916 was the year that changed the chemistry which is used for manufacturing soap. Fat was used in the traditional method for manufacturing soap, but there was a shortage in Germany during WWI. German scientists were forced to create a new synthetic method as a substitute.

Tissue Paper (Kleenex)

The material used to make tissue paper was originally known as “cellucotton”. Cellucotton was used in WWI gas mask filters as a substitute for cotton because cotton was needed to manufacture surgical dressings that medics required to bandage wounded soldiers.

Sonar (Sound, Navigation and Ranging)

Paul Langevin created echo location to detect submarines during WWI but this technology was released too late to use in the war; SONAR has been used by militaries everywhere ever since. Civilian uses for SONAR include locating shipwrecks, oceanography and marine biology studies, etc.

Trench Coat

This fashionable item of clothing was first designed for life inside a literal trench. Thomas Burberry invented gabardine intentionally for the British army to use. These coats went over so well with the soldiers that after WWI ended many chose to continue wearing them and a fashion trend was born.

Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging)

This invention is credited with saving Britain during WWII. The creation of radar required a team of scientific minds and years of work to complete; but Robert Watson-Watt, a Scottish physicist, designed the first one that was put into use in 1935. Since WWII radar use has been standard for all commercial flights.

Cavity Magnetron

While working on the radar project Sir John Turton Randall invented this high-powered vacuum tube. The cavity magnetron is still widely used in various radar applications, as a part of microwave ovens and to obtain medical X-rays.

Microwave Oven

Percy Spencer was another scientist involved in the radar project. The story goes that while working on a radar a candy bar inside of his pocket melted. This inspired him to develop a new method of cooking with radiation. His method involved microwaves, emitted by the magnetron, that penetrated and cooked food from the interior.

Rocket Technology

Wernher Von Braun was involved in the development of rocket technology in Nazi-Germany. He invented the V2 rocket which was used to bombard London during WWII. After the war was over he became head of the US rocket program where he worked with many of his former German colleagues to develop a rocket ship.

Jet Engine

Dr. Hans von Ohain (German air plane designer) and Sir Frank Whittle (RAF pilot) are both recognized as being co-inventors of the jet engine during the 1930’s. Both these men came up with their own prototypes while being unaware that the other was working on a similar project.

High-Octane (Jet) Fuel

With the invention of the jet engine came the need for proper jet fuel. High-octane gas was invented in the US to fuel their jet fighter-planes.

The Manhattan Project

This project resulted in the devastating “doomsday device” that was used to end the conflict in the Pacific Theater of Operations. However, there are positive benefits that emerged from this collaboration of great thinkers. For example this work proved some of the theory on quantum mechanics (that lead to further advancements in physics) and it provided an alternative form of power.

Biker Jackets

Sticking with the jet theme; the style of leather jackets worn by most bikers that was made famous in Marlon Brando’s “The Wild One” , was derived from pilot jackets. Many WWII veterans chose to wear old flight jackets while ridding their ‘iron horses’ and started this trend.

Synthetic Rubber

When the US entered WWII they found that there was a massive shortage of natural rubber. Since this is required for many pieces of military equipment an alternative was needed. This resulted in the creation of synthetic rubber as a solution to the problem. Now there are multiple types of synthetic rubber that is used by businesses like the automobile industry, footwear, etc.

Silly Putty

Scottish engineer, James Wright, worked on developing synthetic rubber during WWII. He attempted the combination of boric acid and silicone oil in a test tube. This substance “polymerized” and resulted in a gooey and bouncy putty. This was eventually marketed as a toy for children.

Penicillin

While its existence was known before WWII it was during the heavy casualties of war that the worth of penicillin was brought into the spotlight. This resulted in studies on how to mass produce the treatment for the front lines.

Anti-Biotics

The success of penicillin as a life-saving treatment led to further research on the subject. During the late 1940’s and in to the early 1950’s the discovery of streptomycin, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline resulted in the basis for anti-biotics.

Anti-Malaria

Malaria research received new life and military funding during the world wars when large amounts of soldiers serving in tropical areas were falling ill. A medical breakthrough emerged with the discovery of Chloroquine in 1934 by the German chemist Hans Andersag. However, the drug would not be released until 1946 because of the war.

Chemical Pesticides

Prior to the outbreak of WWII Swiss chemist named Paul Müller discovered that DDT killed insects. The US and other governments took this discovery and had DDT powder distributed to their soldiers in order to ward off disease carrying insects. WWII became the first war where there were fewer casualties from diseases like malaria and typhus than from bullets and bombs. The end of WWII saw the beginning of the chemical age in pesticides due of this success.

Aerosol Spray

Origins for bug repellent go further back in time, but Americans Lyle Goodhue and William Sullivan are given credit for inventing of the modern spray can. In 1943 they patented their design for a refillable spray can (nicknamed the ‘bug bomb’) for soldiers to use against disease carrying insects.

Jerry Can

The jerry can was invented as a part of Hitler’s secret preparations for WWII. The name is derived from the term ‘Jerry” which was a wartime label for Germans. There are still similar designs used today for water and fuel containers.

Slinky

During WWII a sailor working on a torsion spring dropped it on the floor and noticed the interesting manner in which it flip-flopped before him. This sailor returned home and created a long steel ribbon tightly coiled into a spiral which was used to amuse children for years to come.

Jeep

The jeep hit the scene in 1941, when the US Army asked for bids on a quarter-ton, four-wheel-drive vehicle that would be used for recon purposes. This generated responses from Ford, Bantam and Willys who would all eventually manufactured these vehicles for the Army.

Night Vision

The original night vision technology was created by the US army and used in WWII. Since then there has been advancements made in the field of night vision; one need only watch a scandalous “sex tape” on the net to see how far this has come along.

GPS (Global Positioning System)

For everyone who has their directions being dictated to them while they drive a “thank you” is owed to the US Department of Defense (DOD) and Ivan Getting who developed this navigation technology for the military.

Hummer

“The world’s most serious 4×4″ originated in 1979 when AM General started work on the M998 Series High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, commonly called “Humvee”) for the US military. Production of versions of the Humvee for civilian use (called the HUMMER ) commenced in 1992. Remember who to blame the next time you get cut off by the over-sized vehicle.

Chemical Laser

The idea for a chemical laser emerged from the carbon dioxide laser program in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This was picked up by Navy researchers and their contractors, such as Pratt & Whitney Aircraft and General Electric, etc. This technology evolved into the continuous wave laser which is used for industrial cutting.

Internet

Thanks is owed to the military for your finding this article on the world wide web. In 1969, the DOD was researching new ways to send and receive digital information and the internet emerged out of this work. So began the age of the “information super-highway”.

Prosthetic Limbs

The development of prosthetic limb technology has a strong correlation with the waging of war. In fact there are current developments (involving robotics) taking place to meet the needs brought on by the second Iraq war.

Infrared

Another current example involves the defense contractor Flir Systems. They are taking the thermal imaging work done for the military and creating ways to market it for civilian use. For example, BMW is incorporating a thermal imaging camera in to their M5 series; and technicians will be able to sue this type of camera is to measure moisture in walls and find gas leaks .

Hopefully the future great minds of mankind will be able to dream up useful inventions and create further technological advancements without the threat of war for motivation.

Update: for all of the things on this list that you’re likely to want or need, check out CentrSource for local deals near you. They’ll help you find savings on all kinds of items, like gadgets, watches, trench coats, and even cars — such as Jeeps and Hummers. And you can choose to either order the stuff online (maybe not the cars), or find a local retailer and pick it up in person.

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STATS

DOB: Dec. 18, 1974
Hometown: California, USA
Height: 5’ 5”
Weight: not disclosed, good guess would be 115-130lbs
Bra Size: 34B
Measurements: 34-26-35
Highest level of Education Obtained: Bachelor of Arts from San Francisco State University in 1998 for her studies in Film and Sculpture
Awards and Titles: Graduated Magna Cum Laude (translates as “with honour”) from University; she is often referred to as the world’s sexiest science geek.
This is interesting: Kari once helped resuscitate a dying duck during an accident that took place while filming an episode of MythBusters.

Bio:

Kari Byron is one of those stunningly gorgeous women whom you would never attempt to classify as being “just a pretty face”. Kari is not only the hottest science babe that you have ever seen; she is also a talented artist and world traveler. After graduating with honours from Film and Sculpture at San Francisco State University, Kari took a ‘gap year’ to see the world. Her travels mainly focused on South Asia where she had the chance to view the Himalayas. During her travels Kari took advantage of the different cultures, landscapes and experiences to expand her artistic talents. Upon her return to the USA Kari commenced her career as an artist. She has held successful exhibitions at some of San Francisco’s leading art galleries where her sculptures and paintings were showcased.

Her talent in sculpture landed her a job with Jamie Hyneman at M5 Industries. This job involved creating models and toy-prototypes. Her work at M5 introduced her to the MythBusters team where she was hired on and has become a major contributor to the show. Kari still continues to practice art, however, she no longer displays her work in public exhibits. The reason for this is that by exposing her inner self through art exhibits this might conflict with the popularity of MythBusters. Fans may choose to ask her about the television show rather than her artwork. If you would like to see her work some of it can be viewed on her personal website and photography from her public exhibit debut Stray Doll (September 2004) can be purchased at Anno Domini.

Kari currently lives in California with her husband Paul Urich and their one year old baby girl, Stella Ruby. You can see Kari in the upcoming season for MythBusters and as a host on the new Science Channel show Head Rush.

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Stats:

* Date of Birth: May 3, 1975.
* Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee.
* Height: 5’8”.
* Weight: She has never stated her weight; it is estimated to be about 150LBS.
* Bra Size: Approximately 38-DDD.
* Waist and Hip Measurements: 30-39 size, she supposedly wears a size 14.
* Highest Level of Education Obtained: Fairfax High School in Virginia.
* Titles and Awards: Won an Emmy in 2010 for her role as Joan Holloway in Mad Men in the category Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and; was voted the Sexiest Woman Alive by the female readers of Esquire Magazine.
* This is Interesting: Christina is a natural blond; she began dying her hair when she was ten years old. Supposedly she was influenced by Anne of Green Gables.

Short Bio:

Christina was born in Tennessee but raised in Twin Hills, Idaho. This was a religious community but her family was not religious; therefore it was a little different for the newly arrived family. In order to make new friends Christina’s mother enrolled Christina and her brother in the JUMP Theater Group. These community plays provided the spark that started set off a fierce passion for acting within the young Hendricks.

In 1989 her family relocated to Fairfax, Virginia where Christina continued to act in her high school theater group. The rest of her experience at the local high school was not as pleasant. Christina has claimed that she was treated poorly by some of the ‘preppy’ students because her and her artistic friends were viewed as ‘goths’.
Goth or not Christina’s beauty led to a modeling career that includes appearances in notable publications such as Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and People. Christina has been described as a role model by Britain’s Equities Minister because she inspires young girls to have body confidence. Her work as a model and talents as an actor paved the way to a steady role on the television show Beggars & Choosers. Christina has taken part in many television projects but the most popular one is her current role as Joan Holloway on Mad Men, a role for which she received an Emmy in the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama category during 2010.

Christina is currently living in Los Angeles with her husband Geoffrey Arend, whom she married in 2009. Some of her upcoming projects are an ad campaign for London Fog’s fall outwear line and; her continued work on Mad Men.

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Tomas Plekanec Goal against Jose Theodore

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Tomas Kopecky Goal against Pekka Rinne

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Pascal Dupuis Goal against Pascal Leclaire

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Miroslav Satan Goal against Ryan Miller

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Nicklas Backstrom Goal against Jaroslav Halak

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Pavel Datsyuk Goal against Ilya Bryzgalov

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Evengi Malkin Goal against Brian Elliott

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Drew Doughty Goal against Roberto Luongo

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Alexander Ovechkin Goal against Carey Price

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Kris Letang Goal against Brian Elliott

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Tensions between the US and North Korea can be traced back to the Korean War when the US helped South Korea fight the communist forces. The fighting ended in 1953 with a truce; but a formal peace treaty has never been signed. In more recent times this tension has increased considerably after it was discovered that North Korea was developing a nuclear program that would enable it to produce nuclear weapons. Media reports indicate that they have reached the final phase in reprocessing spent fuel rods. When uranium is enriched to a high degree it becomes weapons-grade material. This resulted in international outrage and sanctions against North Korea. In May, 2009 North Korea announced that it had successfully conducted a second nuclear test in three years. The situation was taking a turn for the worse.

To add fuel to this already raging fire, North Korea has been conducting tests on their missile systems. In fact they have been testing long and medium-range missiles since 2006. Then in February 2009 North Korea made the announcement that they intended to launch a communications satellite into space. Due to their activity with nuclear weapons the US and South Korea did not believe the explanation given by North Korean that they were developing a space program. Months later in July, after they had conducted a nuclear test; North Korea successfully launched seven short-range missiles towards the Sea of Japan. This succeeded in again escalating the situation. All of this took place in the face of the UN’s ultimatum that North Korea stop work on the development of nuclear weapons.

The situation shows signs of improving at the moment. During September of 2009 US president Obama announced that he was willing to engage in direct talks with North Korea. Obama hopes to persuade North Korea to return to the six-nation party talks that they previously walked out of in protest. These negotiations were started to bring the disagreement to a peaceful conclusion.

Hopefully calmer minds prevail at these discussions so that a rational conclusion can be reached. The alternative to a peaceful settlement in this case is one that can only lead to massive losses on all sides.

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Once you make the decision to invest you must understand that there is no such thing as a ‘sure thing’. It is best to form an outline of your goals and how much money you are willing to invest. Then start researching the various options that are available to you. There are professional financial advisers who offer their services for a fee or you could even look into job cost accounting software if you are thinking of becoming a full time investor and want to keep track of your expenses and total costs.

It is definitely recommended to research different financial advisers to make sure that you choose the best one for your requirements. Either way, some research and time will be needed before a firm investment plan can be executed.

Even though there are no set rules in investing there are safer and riskier forms of investing. Long term investments are assets that are purchased with a plan to hold on to them for over a year. This will not make you rich quick but it is a solid form of investment.  Little tricks along the way can certainly help put some extra cash in your pocket.  If you have a website for example you can install pay per click software and suddenly the traffic you get will start to pay off without you even having to lift a finger.  Developing a residual income is one of the most sold forms of investment.

Real estate is a popular type of long term investment. A home is more than likely the most expensive purchase that you will ever make. This is a great investment because everyone needs a place to live, so why not buy property which will end up making you money down the line? Of course it is always wise to look around and consult professionals to ensure you make the best decision.

Bonds are another long term investment. Everyone needs money, even large companies; and bonds are a way for companies to raise capital. Bonds pay out interest on a fixed schedule, so you will make money off of this loan; and your investment will be returned to you on the date specified. One great feature is that in case of bankruptcy a bond holder will get paid before a shareholder. There is less risk than with stocks but you will not make as much money.

A retirement savings plan is always a wise investment to make for the future. By putting away money each year in preparation for your ‘golden years’ you will not only be creating a comfortable retirement; in some cases you will also be saving on your taxes. Certain plans can be used as a deductible to lessen the blow of your income taxes. Imagine what you could do with the money saved on your taxes.

Mutual funds are a good option for those who would like to make an investment but are not eager to spend too much time researching or managing their investments. With mutual funds there are fund managers who work for the investment management company; will take care of this work for you. These managers will analyze the bond and stock market in order to build a solid spread for you. With mutual funds the investor also gets the opportunity to choose plans based on their degree of risk. For example a low risk plan (such as an equity fund) would invest more in T-Bills; while a high risk plan would look towards the stock market.

Stocks are something that you have more than likely heard of if you are thinking about making an investment. Some stocks are considered lower risk and can be used as a form of long term investment. However, it is the higher risk stocks in the emerging markets that make wise investors the ‘big bucks’. To make money in stocks you need to know a little about the market before jumping in. Start by checking the stock value, if the price is low find out the reason why and if it looks like it might go up. Find out the company’s return on net worth to see if it is growing steadily.

Remember that it is not wise to “put all of your eggs in one basket”. Try to spread out your investment in order to cover yourself; do not solely purchase high risk stocks, try to mix in some lower risk ones for security. Overall you must understand that the market is constantly fluctuating; do not panic at slight dips or get too excited about all rises. Try to read the market as best you can to determine when the best times to buy and sell are; or seek out some stock tips and/or professional help.

It is always smart to save some of your earnings and plan for your future and the future of your family. Making educated investments is a great way to do this.

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