Remember when you were little and your parents encouraged you to study hard, so you could ‘make something of yourself’ by becoming a doctor, or a lawyer, or an engineer? Well, after reading this, some professionals – particularly those for whom money is everything – may start to wonder if all those years in college, not to mention those hefty tuition fees, were really worth it.

In terms of making a fast buck, one of the most lucrative jobs going around these days is as a doorman at a Las Vegas casino or night club. At several clubs, these professionals are clearing $8,000 to $10,000 a night before they share tips. So much cash is pouring in that some doormen are making $400,000 to $500,000 a year, according to club officials.

When making a quick run to the store, pumping your gas or paying the bills, even I must admit the carefree swipe of a Visa Check Card can make life a little easier. My friends at Visa, however, have recently launched an ad campaign that seems to lend more to a growing problem in the United States than a technological luxury.

Perhaps you’ve seen the ads (one link is the title, and if that’s not enough, here’s another.) that makes the conventions of paying by cash or check seem clunky, inconvenient and almost socially unacceptable. Not only are you slowing everyone down around you in these ads – thus annoying the unending conga line of consumer behind you to no end – you’re killing the flowers (as witnessed in ad #2) and making a general ass of yourself.

I have recently realized that I have absolutely no tolerance or sympathy for stupid people. I really, really do not. You know what I mean? Did you ever just see something on the news or in a documentary that just made you say "oh, how stupid!"..? I seem to see a lot of that these days.

If you are a starving writer like me trying to get consistent writing gigs I know your pain. You send out your articles and the editors of magazines don’t even reply. Then came, Adsense the Google franchise where you post your article or story flanked by some Google adverts. Those advertisements are supposed to mint you money as your article is read. And possibly turn you into an internet millionaire. But there is a twist to it, just follow me. It’s not as direct as it sounds.
The whole idea of making money through writing via Adsense sounds promising. It’s supposed to be, as the readers enjoy your creative edge, they also get attracted by the advertisements posted by your story and click them. That is how one makes money.

As a System Administrator by profession, I've been on the Internet on an almost daily basis since sometime in the mid-to-late 90's. Before (and after) that I was indirectly connected via a UUCP network. I was a webmaster when no one knew what that was. I independently thought of and implemented one of the first intranets. More recently, I've been writing for the second largest women's website - BellaOnline.com.