ShaunCarter.com

I have been working this summer at one of the world’s largest amusement parks and for that reason, posts here have been non-existent. I’ll try to get some written during my time off, but that doesn’t come very often. Have a great summer!

Eminem’s new album, Relapse, is due out May 19 and I am looking forward to it! Check out the first single and video “We Made You”

I spent yesterday evening driving to Detroit, Michigan to buy tickets for the upcoming Art Alexakis solo show on Wednesday and decided to hop the border into Canada and check out the Caesars Windsor. I have not been to this casino before and was excited to check it out for the first time.

Crossing the border into Canada was somewhat nerve-wracking as the border agent interrogated me about why I wanted to go to a casino in Canada rather than just stay in Michigan and why I haven’t been through the country in 10 years. After a stressful conversation in which I had to convince the agent that I was not traveling to Canada to visit anyone or carrying anything illegal I drove around a bit before finding the self-parking garage at the casino.

The decor is fancy by any other midwest casino’s standards. There were statues and ornate ceiling decorations throughout the casino. I wandered the floor for a little while before exchanging my currency for Candian dollars. The exchange rate was $1 US to $1.20 CAN.

The action at the craps tables was steady and I chose a $15 minimum table and enjoyed the fellow players company. Everyone I played with in Canada was a lot of fun to talk to, something that is hit or miss at the Michigan casinos I frequent. I had a couple of good rolls and after an hour cashed out with a nice profit.

By the time I finished playing it was 9:30 so I stopped at the buffet for a quick dinner before they closed up at 10. The food selection was quite large, but because it wasn’t very busy I  could tell it had been sitting around for a while. I was only comped $5 for the meal. Considering my level of play, had I been at a Michigan casino I would have earned closer to $20.  The casino host I spoke with said that the level of comping at Caesars is quite low and that I’m better off winning to pay for meals than to rely on comps. This had to be the only drawback to Caesars. I like being able to play at Soaring Eagle and eat free on every visit just because of my comp level.

The best feature of this casino is the fact that it is non-smoking. The biggest drawback to casinos in Michigan is that I come home smelling like smoke, it’s just not something I care for. I look forward to going back to Caesars Windsor sometime soon.

Technorati Tags: caesars, windsor, ontario, canada, shaun carter, casino, gambling, craps

The mess created by the government getting involved in propping up banks has made every US taxpayer a “shareholder” in these banks and highly critical of every little thing that goes on behind the scenes. I strongly oppose Congress’ proposal to slap a 90% tax on the bonuses being given to some AIG employees. These people have contracts and have been expecting these “retention bonuses” as part of their pay package. How would you feel if suddenly public opinion turned against the industry you are employed in and the government took away your contractually guaranteed bonus? It’s not right.

I also disagree with Congress’ attempt to demand a list of names of those AIG employees who received bonuses and did not return the money to the company. That is none of Congress’ business and those employees identities should be protected as all employees personal information should. But some grandstanding politicians will do anything to get re-elected and many of their constituents are on a witch hunt right now for these banking executives.

Technorati Tags: congress, aig, bailout, bonus, bonus tax, shaun carter

I received an e-mail last week that ShaunCarter.com was selected and featured as a top 100 best blog for young entrepreneurs by onlinecollegedegree.org. The site itself appears to be a landing page for generating online college leads through an affiliate program.

I am happy to receive the link, even though they got my name spelled wrong.

My spring break trip to California was absolutely wonderful. On my final day I was able to spend some time with a successful Internet Entrepreneur and have a few new web projects in the works as a result of the trip! I am excited to get them started and am beginning to see the true earning potential of the Internet, and its ability to weather a recessionary economic environment.

As part of Jeremy Schoemaker’s free shirt Friday shout-outs, he featured a company called Go Girl. The offer a product that lets women pee standing up, or as the company’s official statement says “It’s a female urination device (sometimes called a FUD) that allows you to urinate while standing up. It’s neat. It’s discreet. It’s hygienic.”

Upon reading more about the product, I have to say it is a very clever and obvious idea that is being marketed in a smart way. This is the first I have heard of the product and it appears to be in the early stage of growth as their corporate website does not list any news or PR prior to 2009. Go Girl is a great idea, with a great brand image and I think it could be going places in the very near future.

I am currently on Spring Break and have traveled to California for the week. The weather is sunny and a little on the cool side, but it sure beats the cold and rainy weather back in Michigan. In light of the current state budget crisis in California, I feel like I am doing my part in helping out and spending my money here. I was originally planning a trip to Cancun, Mexico, but decided I would rather keep my dollars here in the US where they are surely needed.

I am taking many pictures and will be posting about my trip here over the coming weeks. In the first two days of my trip I have been to Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach and Hollywood. I’m looking forward to four more days of fun in the sun!

With all the hype in the press recently about banks who receive government bailout money spending too lavishly on corporate retreats and jets I am left puzzled. Aren’t these parties and purchases a way to stimulate the economy? The money is being spent domestically and has been done so for many years without question. How many hundreds of millions of dollars are we keeping out of the American economy?

The reason a recession can become more dire is because of people’s fear of spending money… savings rates go up and in this case even corporations who have curtailed spending are being even more criticized for their payroll and bonus allocations. If we want to get out of this, money has to be spent! So, let’s keep it here in the U.S!

While driving around tonight, my local Best Buy store was suffering from an unfortunate light bulb outage that changed its name to BS Buy.  I don’t shop at Best Buy because I think their products are extremely overpriced so I find their new moniker to be quite appropriate!

Technorati Tags: bs buy, best buy, shaun carter

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009! I celebrated the new year with very little fanfare. But I’m glad to say that 2008 is history and I can start a new year.

Happy New Year Everyone!