Who are the Lottery Winners?

Three lucky winners ended up sharing the record-breaking $656 million Mega Millions jackpot. The winnersare from Illinois, Kansas and Maryland – each of them should receive about $100 millions after taxes, which is still more than enough to live comfortably. Winners have the choice between cashing out this amount or receiving a yearly payment for the next twenty-six years.

The identity of the winners is still a secret: these people need time to figure out what to do with their money, go on a spending spree and open up a few bank accounts.

What is best between the cash out option and the yearly installments? A huge percentage of the money goes toward taxes in both cases, but paying taxes on the yearly installments is slightly more expensive on the long run. However, yearly installments make it easier for the winner to manage the money and maintain a comfortable lifestyle. But what happens when thepayments stop? Most winners will spend the totality of their yearly installments to make house and car payments and not invest the remaining money in anything. After twenty-six years, these people will have a lot of valuable possessions but no real plan for the rest of their lives.

Cashing out a huge sum of money is incredibly exciting and could lead to unbelievable spending sprees. If a winner had enough sense not to spend most of their money on useless things, they could actually create a solid portfolio of investments to support themselves for the rest of their lives. This sounds like a much better option if the winner knows how to manage money or finds a trustworthy financial adviser.

We are still waiting for the Winning Lottery Numbers

The Mega Millions jackpot is currently estimated at $640 million. It seems like every American went crazy after the jackpot was not won last Tuesday and bought a few lottery tickets. A multitude of articles on lottery and gambling habits are appearing on the internet. Experts are claiming that buying lotterytickets is a waste of money and that the odds of actually winning anything are ridiculously low – but the $640 million jackpot is too much of a draw for everyone. Millions of people will probably be very disappointed before the day is over, unless no one wins the jackpot.

This frenzy makes me wonder, how could no one win the jackpot a couple of weeks in a row? Are lottery numbers really picked at random, or is the system rigged? If the system is rigged, the company behind Mega Millions found an excellent way to make a couple of millions every hour: let the jackpot grow and sit back as everybody rushes to the nearest gas station or convenience store to buy tickets.

We are probably going to hear a lot of more about Mega Millions after tonight, especially if who would instantly become the luckiest person on Earth wins it. Apparently, plans have been made to keep the identity of the winner a secret, at least for a few days. I hope the winner will be properly advised on what to do with the money and how to protect themselves. Stay tuned for more updates on Mega Millions after the drawing, and good luck to you!

The Giver vs. The Hunger Games

Lois Lowry’s classic young adult novel The Giver makes its apparition on the theater stage and is compared to The Hunger Games. How dare you?

Set in a dystopian society, The Giver narrates the coming of age of Josh and his realization that individuals are happier when they are free to make their own decisions and assert their uniqueness. I believe this is an important message young people should be aware of. The Hunger Games also has a valuable message, but the Hollywood production somewhat endangers the original message of the book by instantaneously turning young people into stars and perhaps by being misinterpreted as a sort of Battle Royal in some cases.

Both books are interesting reads, but the Hunger Games movie cannot be compared to the Giver theatrical production. First of all, the budgets are worlds apart. And second of all, the audience and the goals are very different too. The Giver is probably not as entertaining as a major Hollywood production because the accent is put on the content, not on the form. The Hunger Games is all about action, adventure, excitement and sometimes comedy. This is the perfect formula to attract teenagers. This is a box office movie with a future in DVD, Blue Ray and on Netflix. Young people are writing about the movie on Facebook and are anticipating the sequel.

Who actually goes to the theater to see The Giver? Not teenagers. The audience will probably mostly be fans of the book or parents taking their children to see a play.

Is Zimmerman lying about being assaulted?

 A new controversy sparks in the Martin case as a video of Zimmerman in handcuffs is released. Zimmerman claimed to have shot Martin in self-defense after being brutally assaulted – yet the video apparently does not show enough damages to his face. A former co-worker of Zimmerman also spoke against him and denounced his violent behavior that eventually lead to Zimmerman losing his security guard job back in 2005. Is this element relevant to the case? Zimmerman had anger issues seven years ago – does this mean he should be denied the right to defend himself?

Zimmerman’s brother answered to these accusations by saying that Zimmerman’s nose is obviously broken and swollen on the video of his arrest. It would make sense that his own brother is trying to support Zimmerman as much as possible.

There is no bad guy or good guy in this case – there is not use in making Martin appear as an innocent teen and in turning Zimmerman into a blood-thirsty racist murderer. Obviously, the two men fought and Zimmerman shot to end the fight. Martin threatened to kill Zimmerman according to a witness, and Zimmerman was following Martin in spite of the police force’s advice, according to the recording of his 911 call prior to the shooting. They both committed mistakes and displayed violent behavior.

Do you think this new material proves that Zimmerman is guilty? Should he be charged although there is no evidence against his self-defense claims? I think this case has gone way too far in term of racial interpretations and that the two protagonists are yet to be accurately portrayed in the media.

The Mega Millions frenzy continues...

No one won the Mega Millions jackpot last Tuesday and more people keep buying tickets before today’s draw. The jackpot has now reached $540 million, an absolute record. What would you do with that kind of money? I think most people are having a hard time realizing how much money this jackpot represents.

Yesterday, 1.3 million tickets were being sold per hour in New York. This jackpot has sparked a real frenzy over the game, but what are your chances of actually winning this jackpot? An American household spends about $500 every year on these games, which is a huge amount considering this is not a good investment. For about $500 dollars, most households could invest in a good insurance policy or even place their money in stocks or bonds. If a household decided to save up for a few years, larger investments would be possible.

Buying a lottery ticket is fun and the expense does not seem very important. But if you started saving the money you usually spend on these games and place in a jar, you could have a nice bundle by the end of the year. Do not think of putting this money aside as missing out on a possible jackpot; you could play ten lotteries every single day for the rest of your life and never win anything.  This is how bad the odds are. Do the smart thing and save up your money, even though I agree it is hard not to spend a couple of dollars and daydream about these $540 million.  

Bohemian Rhapsody and drunk driving

Robert Wilkinson became an internet sensation after posting a hilarious video of himself singing Queen’s classic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in the back of a Canadian police car. Wilkinson was arrested for drunk driving in Edson, Alberta and was shown the video documenting his intoxicated state when he questioned the charge. The video quickly became a sensation on the internet; it is hilarious but Wilkinson is actually doing a good job, both with the lyrics and the instrumental parts of the song.

Wilkinson uploaded other videos of himself on the internet, but none of them were as funny as his interpretation of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. Even though this incident is hilarious, it also raises concern about drunk driving; this man was intoxicated enough to sing in the back of a police vehicle and not remember it until he was shown the video.

The main problem with drunk driving is that everyone agrees it is stupid – and yet everyone thinks they are able to stay focused and drive even though they are drunk. Drinking slows down reflexes and impairs judgment: there is no way you should be driving after even a glass of alcohol, even if you feel like you still have all your reflexes. And if you are drunk enough to sing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, I hope your friends would be kind enough to take your car keys away from you.

The best way to avoid drunk driving is to make plans in advance. Find someone who can give you a ride or crash on your friend’s couch instead of planning on driving home.

Jennie Garth's divorce and the end of the nuclear family

Jennie Garth is apparently getting divorced from her husband Peter Facinelli. Who are these people? Jennie Garth starred in Beverly Hills 90210 and later appeared on Dancing with the Stars in a desperate attempt to come back under the limelight. Facinelli starred in the Twilight movies. This couple has been together for 11 years and has three children; their divorce is getting a lot of attention from the press right now.

And yet, these people are nobodies. Jenny Garth’s name was probably familiar to everyone when Beverly Hills 90210 was still running, but why is her divorce getting so much attention today? Perhaps seeing her on Dancing with the Stars recently made people realize how well she had aged and how happy she was in her relationship while Facinelli clapped and supported her throughout her performances. Was this only an illusion? And why do we care so much if this couple is getting a divorce?

I think seeing people consider happy and successful get divorces and fail at keeping their families together makes us feel better about our own families. No matter how hard we try, it is always hard to communicate with each other, forget about our arguments and find things we can all enjoy together. The number of single parents is increasing and most people get married more than once. Are traditional family values a thing of the past? We are having a hard time accepting that the nuclear family is no longer the norm and blame ourselves for failing to reproduce the models established by previous generations. Watching successful people fail too is only a small consolation.