.For the Love of Money
For the Love of Money
By Sam Polk, Sunday Review (Opinion)
In my last year on Wall Street my bonus was $3.6 million — and I was angry because it wasn’t big enough. I was 30 years old, had no children to raise, no debts to pay, no philanthropic goal in mind. I wanted more money for exactly the same reason an alcoholic needs another drink: I was addicted.
That seemed like a fortune. Every January and February, I think about that time, because these are the months when bonuses are decided and distributed, when fortunes are made.
I’d learned about the importance of being rich from my dad. He was a modern-day Willy Loman, a salesman with huge dreams that never seemed to materialize. “Imagine what life will be like,” he’d say, “when I make a million dollars.”
While he dreamed of selling a screenplay, in reality he sold kitchen cabinets. And not that well. We sometimes lived paycheck to paycheck off my mom’s nurse-practitioner salary.
Dad believed money would solve all his problems. At 22, so did I. When I walked onto that trading floor for the first time and saw the glowing flat-screen TVs, high-tech computer monitors and phone turrets with enough dials, knobs and buttons to make it seem like the ****pit of a fighter plane, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
To continue reading, please go to the original article at
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/opinion/sunday/for-the-love-of-money.html?_r=2
TNT:
Mot: Christmas 1881
Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors.
It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.
It was Christmas Eve, 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas.
TNT:
Tishwash: The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve
A beautiful read during this magical season
The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn't been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. It was just another day to him. He didn't hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate.
He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through.
TNT:
Mot: One of the most famous Christmas scenes in movie history was filmed in secret
One of the most famous Christmas scenes in movie history was filmed in secret, right in front of thousands of New Yorkers who didn’t know what was going on.
When you watch Miracle on 34th Street, you’re not looking at a Hollywood set or paid extras. You’re seeing a real moment from 1946, captured as it happened.
Director George Seaton decided not to use a studio and instead put his cast in the real Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
TNT:
Mot: Christmas 1881
Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their
means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were
genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him
that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.
It was Christmas Eve, 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the
world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy
me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that
night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we
could read in the Bible.
.When Massachusetts Banned Christmas
Christopher Klein
Ebenezer Scrooge and the Grinch had nothing on the 17th-century Puritans, who actually banned the public celebration of Christmas in the Massachusetts Bay Colony for an entire generation.
The pious Puritans who sailed from England in 1630 to found the Massachusetts Bay Colony brought with them something that might seem surprising for a group of devout Christians—contempt for Christmas.
In a reversal of modern practices, the Puritans kept their shops and schools open and churches closed on Christmas, a holiday that some disparaged as “Foolstide.”
15 Ways to Safe Guard Sudden Wealth
In this Alux.com video we will be answering the following questions:
What to do with money?
What to do if you suddenly get money?
What to do if you inherit a large sum of money?
DJ: DID YOU KNOW?
There is a difference between desire and desperation. Wanting and wishing for something to happen doesn’t make it come true or change reality.
I take issue with Intel providers feeding off the desperation of those who have been put into a mindset of hope they have created.
Twenty years ago most would have been happy enjoying a moment of solitude watching a good movie laying in bed. But now its become torture because we want so much more.
Excessive want is a form of desperation. It’s like our conscious state has been reduced to this toxic blend of hope and uncertainty.
How Popeye’s Obsession With Spinach Was Created From Glaring Misprint
Mistake from scientist led to signature feature of iconic cartoon
Popeye reaches for a can of spinach in a still from an unidenitified Popeye film, c. 1945. (Image by Paramount Pictures/Courtesy of Getty Images) (Paramount Pictures, Getty Images)
One of the most iconic cartoons of all time is “Popeye the Sailor,” and believe it or not, there is a day that has been created to honor the fictional character.
That day is today, but before any fans of the cartoon delve into celebrating Popeye The Sailor Man Day, they might not know how spinach consumption became the source of Popeye’s strength and a signature staple of the cartoon.
America's Story Told by 1,500 Drones 🇺🇸 | America 250 Drone Show
Open Sky drone Light Shows: 7-4-2026
To celebrate America's 250th Anniversary, Open Sky Productions created a breathtaking drone light show that transforms the night sky into a living story of our nation's history, values, and spirit.
Using 1,500 synchronized drones, this one-of-a-kind production brings iconic American imagery to life, from the American Flag and Founding Fathers to the Statue of Liberty, the bald eagle, and other powerful symbols that have shaped our country for 250 years.