Articles written by Ralph Lawrence

What is Helium

About me - Ralph Lawrence

I live by the sea. The same siren who embraced my father, nurtured him and carried his legacy for half a century now beckons to me. Once, I chose a different mistress, one equally mysterious and daunting. She holds court at Broad & Wall Streets in the shadow

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Politics, News & Issues > Economic News Will rising gas prices in America cause an economic depression?: 1 of 29
FASHIONABLE FARCEThis April Fools day, appropriately, the Congress of the United States invited the management of the five largest oil companies to come to Capitol Hill to give testimony about the significant increase in the profitability to their bottom lines. Some rhetoric called these gains obscene. Inflamed oratory spoke ... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: September 11, 2001: 2 of 40
Ah, Jersey City, New Jersey, a diminutive twin of the world's financial center that shimmered so majestically across the river.The day broke glorious. A late summer sun-filled time deleted thoughts of autumn close. My train from Bergen County was jammed with its usual suspects destined for Hoboken. Executives, brokers,traders... More..
Personal Finance > Stock Market Should you invest in mutual funds or individual stocks?: 2 of 20
"Work makes(us)free." A hideous reminder of the misguided use of a noble principle which will be forever etched in the mind of mankind.The slogan, "Arbeit macht frei," was placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps, not as a mockery, not even literally as a false promise that those who worked to exhaustio... More..
Personal Finance > Mortgages & Home Loans Exposing the unscrupulous practices of the mortgage broker: 6 of 54
Fraudulent or unethical behavior occurs every day in the mortgage world. Time and again borrowers are faced with impossible decisions or insurmountable obstacles relating to their financing package.Every anecdote about unscrupulous practices by mortgage brokers requires the question "How does this happen?" The basic response ... More..
Food & Drink > Cooking Meats The perfect roast: 5 of 40
There is only one way to cook a perfect roast beef. It's called "Pittsburgh." The axiom refers to a steel mill's furnace, where iron ore is blackened and shows glowing red in the center. Now visualize a superior cut of beef, tenderly massaged with spices of choice and blasted in an unquenchable fire till its espresso crust an... More..
Food & Drink > Cooking Meats How to soften tough meat through cooking: 4 of 27
A BEEFEATER'S GUIDE TO ECONOMICSPaying Tribute to an Inexpensive Cut of Beef.In these days of economic turmoil, we need not dramatically adjust our culinary lifestyle. Proper menu planning and prudent shopping coupled with a commitment to uncompromised home preparation can transform an inexpensive bill of fare into a shining ... More..
Travel > Travel Diaries & Adventures (Other) Why do you like where you currently live?: 22 of 125
GRAINS OF SANDI live by the sea, or more precisely the Atlantic Ocean. Brigantine Beach New Jersey is a narrow barrier island. Long and leggy like a runway model at the famous haute couture houses of Paris and New York, she exhibits her beauty in a natural, windswept seascape. Dressed for each season, she captivates all who s... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Economic News Causes and implications of rising oil prices: 9 of 44
AT THE BREAST OF MOTHER OILDoes anyone remember the perceived Armageddon which the new millennium was destined to wreak? Prognosticators bemoaned the expected tumult with computers refusing to reset, banks and government frozen in time, trains, planes and automobiles sitting fallow because travel would be impossible or imprac... More..
Personal Finance > Mortgages & Home Loans What is a good faith estimate?: 2 of 8
GOOD FAITH ESTIMATEA Borrower's Primer to Financial DisclosureSince real estate is typically the largest financial investment a person can make, it is crucial to understand the components of every transaction thoroughly. A good way to educate oneself in the intricacies of the mortgage with its costs and obligations is to beco... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Economic News 2008 economic stimulus package: The hype and the truth: 5 of 18
Stimulus: "An agent, action, or condition that elicits or accelerates a physiological or psychological activity or response."Welcome to the 2008 Fiscal Stimulus package, fashioned and passed by the 110th Congress and endorsed by the 43rd President of these United States, George W. Bush and his advisers. One hundred and sixty-... More..