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Dolans Unscripted
Saving on Energy Bills; Interview with Mark Cuban; Cell Phone Taxes; Finding a Job After Graduation
Aired June 11, 2005 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning again. I'm Rob Marciano. DOLANS UNSCRIPTED is straight ahead. But first, these stories "Now in the News."
There's word of a confession in the Natalee Holloway case. A police source tells CNN a suspect has confessed to the killing of the American teen. She vanished in Aruba nearly two weeks ago.
And back here in the states, Tropical Storm Arlene could reach hurricane force by the time it makes landfall later today. Parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast are in Arlene's path. Sustained winds now at 70 miles an hour, 74 would make it a hurricane.
CNN's Susan Candiotti is live in Pensacola, Florida.
Hi, Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rob.
At this hour, we're just getting a light bit of rain here from the extreme outer bands of Arlene. And the waves look a lot meaner than what it feels like at this time.
The major concern here not so much from the wind, but from the rain and the storm surge. Let's take a look at the pier behind me. That gives you a better sense of what it looks like out in the Gulf right now.
They are expecting up to 10 inches of rain and a storm surge of up to five feet or so. The problem is, Arlene is supposed to hit at about the same time as high tide. People have been asked to evacuate from low-lying areas. But to this point, they're advising everyone to stay home.
If there's any good news to come of this, for officials, they're hopeful that the storm will continue to move quickly as it is now.
Back to you, Rob.
MARCIANO: Thank you. Susan Candiotti, live in Pensacola, Florida.
We'll watch for that flooding rain potential. Florida already soak from a month's worth of heavy rain.
I'm Rob Marciano. DOLANS UNSCRIPTED begins now. KEN DOLAN, CO-HOST, "DOLANS UNSCRIPTED": That is correct. We are here. Attention, class. Today on DOLANS UNSCRIPTED is the A, B, Cs.
DARIA DOLAN, CO-HOST, "DOLANS UNSCRIPTED": That's right, Aruba, Arlene, blogging, and Mark Cuban.
K. DOLAN: Yes.
ANNOUNCER: Live from the Time Warner Center in New York City with their take on the news, Ken and Daria Dolan.
K. DOLAN: Hey, good morning, everybody. How are you? We're so glad you joined us from whatever part of the country you're watching us. We invite you to pour another cup of coffee.
The big question on our DOLANS UNSCRIPTED today is, can we possibly get done everything we have to get done?
You look great.
D. DOLAN: Oh, well, thank you very much.
K. DOLAN: Yes.
D. DOLAN: But, you know, I'm really excited about today's show because we have a lot of good, helpful information for you, along with the news stories.
K. DOLAN: Yes, toward the end...
D. DOLAN: Maybe you'll get some help out of the news.
K. DOLAN: Yes. I'm going to tell you, there's one great thing about live TV. I tell you, I wouldn't do this show taped. I just love being able to do it.
And one last thing we're going to do. Instead of our little 30- second op-ed which we do at the end of every show, we're going to get something off our chest so you can at least hear about it.
The last couple minutes, we are the only parents we think in major media across America. We have a kid, and we just want to talk a little bit just off the cuff, no script, about what's going on in Aruba and how we can try to protect something like that happening again. Let's just talk a little bit.
Speaking of that, you can call, you can e-mail us. We've got a whole bunch of stuff going on.
D. DOLAN: I do want to correct you, though. There are a lot of people who have kids who work in this business.
K. DOLAN: Oh, I guess.
D. DOLAN: It's just we're married to one another with a child. K. DOLAN: Where you live in Florida, there's a lot going on down there. We'll talk about it this hour. We had four hurricanes last year.
Pensacola, the panhandle, is getting killed.
D. DOLAN: Yes. Well, it's a tropical storm right now.
K. DOLAN: Yes.
D. DOLAN: So let's keep our fingers crossed it stays that way.
But, let's get to the matter here. We've got a lot to cover.
K. DOLAN: Yes. All right. All right.
D. DOLAN: And, you know, for most of us, rising energy prices mean pain at the pump.
K. DOLAN: Oh, boy.
D. DOLAN: But for Bill Daugherty, an independent oil and gas producer in Kentucky, $50 barrels means commercial success and financial security. So take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
D. DOLAN (voice-over): As soon as Bill Daugherty launched his energy company in 1984, oil prices started to fall.
BILL DAUGHERTY, OIL & GAS EXECUTIVE: Little did I know that's probably the worst time in the history of oil and gas to start a company.
D. DOLAN: Bill put everything he had into the company, and, at first, got nothing in return.
DAUGHERTY: My wife was expecting. We hadn't had a paycheck in about six months. Zero inspiration and 100 percent desperation.
D. DOLAN: Desperate no more. Today, oil prices are above $50 a barrel, and Bill's one-man firm, NGAS Resources, is 66 employees strong. He's president and CEO, and he took the company public in 1993.
But it wasn't until oil prices began to rise in the late '90s that things really picked up. NGAS stock has jumped 1,500 percent since 1999. The company is searching for oil at a breakneck pace.
In '98, Bill drilled only five wells. Last year, 155. Recently, he bought two helicopters so now he can get from his offices in Lexington to the wells in eastern Kentucky in under an hour.
DAUGHERTY: I think the biggest thing is that, you know, I don't have to worry about money. It's given us an opportunity to grow the company. And that's an immense amount of fun. D. DOLAN: Married 32 years, Bill and his wife Zella remember the early days, when he worked from home with a part-time secretary and no salary.
Along with watching the company grow, Zella has seen her own life change, too.
ZELLA DAUGHERTY, BILL'S WIFE: It was a lot different than it is now. I think the greatest thing is we got to take a vacation this past year.
Cheers to our new home.
We both grew up on a farm. We always have worked really hard. And it's kind of fun to be able to have a few toys.
D. DOLAN: Bill and Zella's two sons are also riding the wave of rising oil prices.
B. DAUGHERTY: It's given them the ability to have more fun and go to the schools they want to go to. My 20-year-old son William is at Center College. And, you know, he was there when there just was no money.
D. DOLAN: Just like day one, Bill has everything he owns in the company. Ninety percent of his investments are in company stock, and his salary, which has risen considerably since '99, is tied to the stock and, consequently, to the price of oil.
So what if prices fall again?
B. DAUGHERTY: We just batten down the hatch and keep on producing, because I will guarantee you one thing, if oil drops to $10 a barrel, it will go back up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
D. DOLAN: Boy, there's a gutsy guy, huh? But, you know, the interesting thing is, for the near term, I think he's going to be still raking in the bucks, because with the summer driving season, even with record-high prices...
K. DOLAN: People are still driving.
D. DOLAN: People are driving more, which is going to create a supply problem, raise the prices, which is good for somebody like him.
K. DOLAN: Yes.
D. DOLAN: But the fact of the matter is, in this country, it has been so long since we built new refineries. What I worry about, and what a lot of experts worry about, is that we could start seeing some of these refineries switch over to home heating oil production because it is more lucrative than gasoline...
K. DOLAN: Yes. D. DOLAN: ... which would just make it even more expensive to drive.
K. DOLAN: Daria L. Dolan...
D. DOLAN: Yes?
K. DOLAN: ... what have we learned since 1973 energy policy- wise? Not a lot.
You know what? I've got another story. We'll go right on here.
I've got another story. When Daria and I just celebrated our anniversary this Monday -- when they were talking about having no money and no salary, I'll never forget, a hundred years ago, when we got married, we bought two $5 pillows for our apartment in Waltham, Massachusetts.
D. DOLAN: Yes.
K. DOLAN: And we sat there and we looked at these -- you can't believe it, Jay -- we looked at these two $5 pillow and said, "I'm telling you, we are rocking." It was funny when we had no money. And you never forget it.
D. DOLAN: But you can find pillows for $5.
K. DOLAN: Let's save some money.
D. DOLAN: We want to help some people here.
K. DOLAN: All right. Let's save some money.
D. DOLAN: So what can I do this summer to shave a few bucks off my energy bills? Well, surprisingly, making small changes can add up to big savings. So we have a few Dolans do's and don'ts on saving energy and money.
K. DOLAN: Can I do the do's?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
D. DOLAN (voice-over): Do buy standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Fluorescents use 75 percent less energy and can save you roughly $60 a year on electricity.
Do replace your old showerhead with a low flow model and faucet aerator. It prevents the energy used to heat water from going down the drain.
Do buy energy-efficient appliances. Products with the Energy Star label typically use 20 to 40 percent last energy. Some electric companies and even state governments offer consumer rebates on Energy Star-rated models.
Do shade your air conditioner. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10 percent less electricity.
K. DOLAN (voice-over): And here's what you shouldn't do.
Don't overheat or overcool rooms. In the summer, set your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher when a room is occupied and turn it off when no one is there. Ceiling or free-standing fans can also cool rooms effectively while using less energy than air conditioning.
Don't run dishwashers and washing machines unless you have a full load. And use the warm or cold water setting instead of hot. Washing clothes in cold water reduces energy by use 75 percent.
Don't leave seldom-used appliances and gadgets plugged in. Also, consider power strips to switch off televisions and stereos when not in use.
Standby consumption can be equivalent to that of a 75 or 100-watt light bulb running continuously. Keep in mind, as you save energy you also save money.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
K. DOLAN: Thank you very much, Ken. Those were excellent tips. We very much appreciate it, Ken.
If you want to energy-proof your house...
D. DOLAN: Oh, boy. It's going to be one of those days with you. You know...
K. DOLAN: May I...
D. DOLAN: ... I think I would hit you with this, but I'm afraid I would go to jail and have to share Russell Crowe's cell.
K. DOLAN: Easy -- easy with the jokes, will you, please?
If you want to energy-proof your home, call an energy rater. That's not raider -- rater, who can test your home for hidden leaks.
For more information, a couple of Web sites you can take a peak at. The Alliance to Save Energy at ASE.org.
What's that other one?
D. DOLAN: The other is the American Council for Energy -- for an Energy Efficient Economy. And that Web site is ACEEE.org.
K. DOLAN: You're all aces, Daria. I love that.
D. DOLAN: All aces.
K. DOLAN: All right. What's coming up later this hour?
D. DOLAN: Coming up later this hour, we have the downside of the housing boom. There is one. It's higher property taxes. But we have some good news for you. We're going to teach you how to fight back.
K. DOLAN: Yes. Good point, Daria. We'll do a little fighting.
Also, fighting is over for college students. Now the war begins to get the pomp and circumstance. It's time for a job. We'll help first-timers fine tune their employment search.
Happy hunting.
D. DOLAN: But up next, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is a wildly successful businessman. And besides shooting hoops, what else is he up to these days? Blogging, for one thing. Stick around and learn more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: I'm Rob Marciano at the CNN center. Tropical Storm Arlene is heading for the Gulf Coast and getting stronger.
For the latest, let's go to the CNN weather center and our meteorologist, Bonnie Schneider.
What's the latest, Bonnie?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Rob, we're still tracking Arlene as she gets a little bit closer to the line here. We're watching for the storm system to work its way to the north. And as it does, we'll be looking at some very potentially heavy rainfall.
When this system is all said and done, we're likely to see it contain about five to eight inches of rain and actually grow to hurricane-force strength, hurricane-force strength before it makes landfall somewhere around the area of 2:00 p.m. tonight. So keep that in mind.
In the meantime, we're definitely watching not only for that, but strong wind as well. We've had wind damage and heavy downpours across much of areas in south Florida. So it looks like we're going to see this storm strengthen as it gets closer to 2:00, become a hurricane, and we'll keep a watch on it.
We're waiting for another advisory at 11:00. And we'll have that for you when we get it.
In the meantime, let's go back to DOLANS UNSCRIPTED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
K. DOLAN (voice-over): Mark Cuban is best known as the free- wheeling owner of the Dallas Mavericks. A fan favorite, he's racked up over a million dollars in fines for verbally abusing game officials, which led to the staging of this April fool's joke in 2003.
Cuban made his fortune in technology. In 1995, he co-founded Internet media site broadcast.com. Four years later, at the height of the Internet bubble, he sold it to Yahoo! for over $5 billion, ballooning his personal wealth to $1.3 billion. The profits allowed him to buy the Mavericks, as well as pursue other interests, including producing films like "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room"...
KEN LAY, ENRON: We began by attracting the kind of people that are more comfortable in an environment of change.
K. DOLAN: ... and starring in his own reality show called "The Benefactor."
MARK CUBAN, OWNER, DALLAS MAVERICKS: Welcome to "The Benefactor."
K. DOLAN: Most recently, he's tackling the wild west of the Internet, blogs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
K. DOLAN: Why should we be listening to you? And I have to listen, because you've been successful. What's this blog stuff? And why should we care?
CUBAN: You know, I don't know that you should be listening or reading my blog. But I've got to tell you, in the blogosphere, it's a unique opportunity for people to convey what's on their mind.
And, you know, for basketball fans or stock market or technology fans, I will go on my blog and really -- I'll be able to give you the straight scoop.
You know, so much gets distributed in the media, you really don't know what someone is thinking. It gets crunched down into little sound bites. Having my own blog, I can give you in-depth analysis, if you will, or reasons behind what someone is really saying about me or the Mavs or technology or HDNet, whatever it may be.
K. DOLAN: Sure, yes.
D. DOLAN: But Mark, for the average person, I mean, we've gone from a couple of years ago, 100,000 people blogging, to now 8.5 million. You can't all be doing -- you know, get an audience here. There's just too many places.
CUBAN: No.
D. DOLAN: What makes something stand out? And if somebody is looking to do it as a business, how can they make money?
CUBAN: Well, two issues. One is, if you are looking to do it as a business, unless you already have something that you're selling -- and this is just a complement -- then don't do it. This is not a way to make money.
You know, if you are just an individual and you're blogging, and you have things on your mind, it's really just a better way to communicate with your friends and family. You know, instead of having to send e-mails to everybody, you could write about your trip to Asia or, you know, what you did on your summer vacation. So most people are never going to make a living at it.
But if you are in corporate America, if you are a public figure, it's a way for you to communicate about what you're doing in your organization as if you're a columnist in a major, you know, media publication. I mean, it's not unusual for me to get 300,000 people on any given day and over the course of a month, you know, several million people reading my blog.
K. DOLAN: Yes. In fact, Mark, I was on the blog this morning before we did this, BlogMaverick.com. You know what I like about it? Not only do we like you personally because you are such a straight shooter, I like the idea of you starting a trend of CEOs actually getting on and cutting through all this crap in the annual reports and all this stuff that nobody understands either as a shareholder or potential shareholder, and you actually have something to say. And I would like to see other CEOs do it that way, as you said, instead of getting little clips here and a little clip there and say nothing.
CUBAN: Well, you're exactly right. One of the great things, and the key, really, I think, to a successful blog is that you have to be brutally honest. You can't do CEO speak, you can't do annual reports speak, because people in the blogosphere and your readers are just going to see right through it.
D. DOLAN: Yes.
CUBAN: And particularly if you have a blog that allows comments. Because if you allow comments, and you're just talking nonsense or just talking around a subject, you're just going to get ripped to pieces in the comments. And it will act as a magnet for people who aren't going to help your product or aren't going to help your cause at all. So you have to be very careful.
D. DOLAN: Why would you choose to blog, since there are so many blogs out there, when you can go to the mainstream media, like coming here on our show here on CNN and reach a whole lot more people in one fell swoop?
CUBAN: Well, it's a great point. You're right, I can reach more people on your show. But at the same time, we're limited by time. Or if I talk to a newspaper, we're limited in the number of words.
So, I mean, you've been in that similar situation where a two- hour conversation turns into 500 words or a 15-second or a one-minute second. With the blog, you can expound and go as in-depth as you like. And that really is a unique opportunity.
And I'll tell you one other thing that's really critical in a blog that I have really learned from in my blog, the user comments. If you -- when you come out and say something in a regular media, there's not really an interactive discussion about what you have just discussed or talked about. On a blog, if I write something, whether it's about business, whether it's about the Mavericks, whether it's about technology, one of the cool things is I know out of all of those hundreds of thousands of readers someone might disagree with me and really might have a better perspective on the topic than I do. K. DOLAN: You might learn yourself something.
CUBAN: And I might learn something.
K. DOLAN: Yes. I want to know...
CUBAN: Yes?
K. DOLAN: ... if you agree with me with the Spurs in seven over Detroit? I know you're sensitive -- I know you're sensitive because the Mavs aren't in there, but you had a good season.
CUBAN: You know, even though the Mavs should be there, I'm talking -- I'm taking the Spurs in seven. I just don't think they can stop Tim Duncan. And I think the Spurs can defend Rasheed Wallace and Rip Hamilton. So Spurs in seven.
K. DOLAN: What are you most excited about in your business life, Mark?
CUBAN: Well, I mean, HDNet, high definition television, is just rocking.
K. DOLAN: Yes.
CUBAN: And so our two channels are just growing with the industry. I love what we're doing with Landmark and HDNet together.
We own Landmark Theaters, the high-end art.
K. DOLAN: Yes.
CUBAN: And what we're able to do with those is, by combining the two, we're able to eliminate all the Hollywood windows and come out with day and date releases.
Our first movie, "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room," which is out in theaters now...
K. DOLAN: Yes.
CUBAN: ... we premiered day and date right on HDNet. And I just love messing with Hollywood, just kind of changing the rules and doing it the right way, the way consumers want to get it, rather than the way Hollywood says it should be.
K. DOLAN: Final comment, Daria.
D. DOLAN: And the final question, for those that are really into technology, Mark, from your vantage point because, because obviously that's what got you started with Micro Solutions, where do you think the next big hot technology sector is going to be?
CUBAN: You know, biotech is always going to be hot. But it's impossible to really know what's next and what will work. In the corporate and personal technology, I think the unique thing that's happening right now is we're all starting to carry digital devices with us. We have phones, we have MP3 players-iPods. We have PDAs. And I think the unique thing that's happening now is those three devices are going to be crushed into one.
Just like we saw with the PC, the desktop PC, where every time there was something new, it ended up being made part of the PC, you're going to see the same thing happen. So there's a war that's going to go on between iPod-like devices and phone -- and phones to see which one is the primary device that we carry.
And then the wireless to get to it. That could overtake satellite radio. Who knows.
K. DOLAN: That's right. Mark, you have a standing invitation to join us live here at CNN in New York at Time Warner. So the next time you come to New York, we can talk about a whole bunch of things.
CUBAN: I appreciate that. You guys are great. I really appreciate the time.
D. DOLAN: Thank you.
K. DOLAN: Thanks a lot, Mark.
D. DOLAN: Mark Cuban.
K. DOLAN: Talk to you again soon.
CUBAN: Thank you, Ken. Thanks, Daria.
K. DOLAN: Good guy.
D. DOLAN: Yes. That was...
K. DOLAN: Good guy.
D. DOLAN: Well, interestingly enough, today's "New York Times" has an article about his blog.
K. DOLAN: Yes. He's quite a guy. I hope he comes...
D. DOLAN: They're not terribly fond of it. To many -- but it is his plug.
K. DOLAN: We'll have him. We'll have him live on the show. He's a real visionary. A good, young guy.
Our first "Dolans On Demand" straight ahead. What do you think about blogging or the high price of energy? And have you done anything to cut your bills?
D. DOLAN: Give us a call at 800-304-3638, or you can send us an e-mail. The address is DOLANS@CNN.com.
We'll be back in a flash.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
K. DOLAN: All right. Here we go. It's time for "Dolans On Demand."
Before we do that, a very quick hi. Sanjay Gupta is a great friend of ours. His mom, Ronny (ph), watches us in Michigan. She's the first engineer hired by Ford ever. First female engineer.
Hi, Ronny (ph). We thank you for watching our show. And we love your kid.
Andy in New York, welcome to "Dolans on Demand."
CALLER: Hi, guys. I miss you guys every day, but it's good to get you on Saturday.
K. DOLAN: Thank you, Andy.
D. DOLAN: Thanks, Andy. What's up?
CALLER: Our energy dependence is really based on our ignorance on reforming ourselves. We've had so many opportunities to change this mindset from the '70s.
K. DOLAN: I agree.
CALLER: We can go hydrogen, we can go coal. We can go a thousand ways. We keep giving ourselves the dependency on this foreign oil.
K. DOLAN: Andy, I just...
D. DOLAN: Yes, but Andy, I think we're aided and abetted because the government people are addicted to taxes that they get from all of this petroleum product. And I think that that is one of the reasons why we're not seeing anything more definitive out of D.C.
K. DOLAN: It costs me $50 to fill up my car, Andy. You're absolutely right.
Mississippi -- John, welcome.
CALLER: Hey, good morning.
K. DOLAN: Hey, John.
CALLER: I love your show.
D. DOLAN: Thanks, John.
K. DOLAN: Thank you, John, so much.
CALLER: About a year ago, during the presidential campaign in a college class I told the professor about the popularity of blogs. K. DOLAN: Yes?
CALLER: And he shot it down as a fad. Said, "It will go away."
D. DOLAN: Eight million people are doing it.
(LAUGHTER)
D. DOLAN: Up from 100,000 just two years ago.
CALLER: But thanks for having Mark Cuban on. He's one of my favorite people in the world. Love your comedy. It's absolutely wonderful. Thank you.
K. DOLAN: Thank you very much.
D. DOLAN: Thank you.
K. DOLAN: Thanks a lot, John. We appreciate that very much.
D. DOLAN: That's fabulous.
Well, coming up...
K. DOLAN: Yes, all right. Here we go.
D. DOLAN: ... did you know those annoying taxes on your cell phone bill vary on your area code?
K. DOLAN: Yikes.
D. DOLAN: In a mobile world, that just doesn't seem to make sense. We'll have the 411 when DOLANS UNSCRIPTED continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
D. DOLAN: Do think you're paying too much for your cell phone? Stick around. We'll show you how to save a few bucks in a moment. But first, let's send it back to Rob Marciano in Atlanta for the top news headlines. Hey, Rob.
MARCIANO: Hi Daria. CNN has learned there has been a confession in the Natalee Holloway case. That tops our news this hour. A police source says a suspect has confessed to killing the Alabama teen who vanished in Aruba nearly two weeks ago. The suspect is one of three young men last seen with Holloway at a nightclub.
And we're following another developing story this morning. Tropical storm Arlene is heading for the Gulf coast and getting stronger. For the latest now, let's go to CNN weather center and our newest member of the CNN weather team, meteorologist Bonnie Schneider. What's the latest Bonnie?
BONNINE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Rob, we're still watching Arlene and you're right, it is starting to strengthen a bit as it gets closer and closer to making landfall over the next couple hours. You can see the thunderstorms certainly firing on up. The latest coordinates have Arlene still to the south of Mobile, Alabama but working its way north, northwestern with maximum winds at 70 miles per hour, gusting up to 85 miles per hour.
What's interesting to note about Arlene is that as this storm makes its way to the north, northwest, not only will it move a little bit closer inland, but once it finally makes landfall, we're looking at hurricane status for Arlene. So this is going to be a serious storm. We'll be watching it closely over the next few hours. Ken, back to you.
K. DOLAN: Thank you very much. Thanks for the latest everybody in Atlanta. Not such great news, but let's move along.
Are you surprised at how high your cell phone bill is? You are not alone, cell phoners, all 180 million cell phoners of you. Americans are paying on an average almost 17 percent in taxes on their monthly cell bills, every single month, Daria.
D. DOLAN: But you know, even if you move from a high tax city like New York to a low tax city like Las Vegas, your high tax bill could follow you. A Federal law says you should be taxed based on where you use your phone the most. So be careful if you've moved and kept your old phone number because you could be getting ripped off. Odds are you are getting ripped off. For example...
K. DOLAN: Give me a for instance.
D. DOLAN: Well, for example --
K. DOLAN: I move out of New York to someplace or something.
D. DOLAN: New York is the highest taxed. Number one, government -- statement governments are addicted to these taxes. They figure if they slap a little extra on your cell phone, you're going to pay it because you...
K. DOLAN: You love your cell phone.
D. DOLAN: But if you are paying a rate of 16 percent in state and local taxes on your cell phone bill in New York and you legitimately move to Las Vegas, which is, like, about 1.1 percent in taxes, you want to change to that local number because technically your Verizon account, when they have the new address should be automatically taxing you at that rate but they don't ask. They don't ask and New York state certainly isn't going to tell.
K. DOLAN: This seems to be, this seems to be in conflict with this portability. You can take your phone number wherever you go. Yeah. But you better change your billing address because if you got a New York number and move to Las Vegas, they're going to charge you the tax in New York even though you're sitting in Las Vegas.
D. DOLAN: The bottom line is this. Your area code dictates your tax rate. So if you do move to a cheaper state like Idaho, make sure you get a local cell phone. Don't just take a bogus address someplace. We want you to do it honestly.
K. DOLAN: Everybody is after your bucks.
Parents of college students, let's talk to you about money. Get out your checkbooks. The Federal government wants you to pay more for tuition. The Department of Education determines financial aid based on a formula -- first of all, nobody understands. It looks at a family's ability to contribute towards a college education.
D. DOLAN: Now for the upcoming academic year, more of a parent's assets are going towards college expenses or they will go. The Department of Education sees a better economic climate in the next year. I don't know what tea leaves they're reading but they say that low inflation means that you as a family will need to save less money for retirement. Right. So you can contribute more to college costs. Let me tell you something.
K. DOLAN: The Department of Education is telling me how to invest my money and that things are going to be good and don't worry about it.
D. DOLAN: The government uses its own inflation gauge and they use the numbers to make sure that they can keep it as low as they possibly can because then they don't have to index for tax purposes. They get more tax dollars that way. And they don't have to pay as much to senior citizens on Social Security. Let me tell you this. If it's going to be a generational war where a parent has to decide do I educate my child in college or save for my retirement, I have come to the conclusion -- this is my bottom line -- leave Social Security completely the way it is, government, because we can't afford to have it changed if you're not going to give us the wherewithal to pay more towards our retirement.
K. DOLAN: What you're saying, if college is going to cost more, taking it out of my retirement savings, then there's more pressure on Social Security to stay where it is because I'm going to take money out of money out of one hand, robbing Peter to pay Paul.
D. DOLAN: Thank you.
K. DOLAN: You're welcome. Department of Education is calculating inflation and retirement return and my retirement portfolio. God help us. What's next? Cap and gown. You can throw it away. It's time to get serious.
D. DOLAN: Put it away. Don't throw it away. They're expensive. Put on the suit and tie. Dos and don'ts of moving into the real world. That's next on DOLANS UNSCRIPTED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
K. DOLAN: Here's our cartoon, our weekly cartoon by Mike Ciaccatello (ph). That's me in the Navy. I was in the Navy. I was enlisted before I was commissioned. That was my skinnier days. That was my first job out of college.
D. DOLAN: And my first job was for Pan American. Here we are. (INAUDIBLE) on what we should be doing.
K. DOLAN: What a pair. The same challenge facing a lot of young kids graduating - young people, young students graduating from college, finding that first job. Where is Lynne Brenner when you need her?
D. DOLAN: She's sitting right across from me.
K. DOLAN: Oh she is.
D. DOLAN: Lynne Brenner is here. She's the contributing editor of "Parade" magazine, did a great piece on that first job hunt. Lynne, nice to see you.
LYNNE BRENNER, PARADE MAGAZINE: Very nice to be here.
K. DOLAN: Lynne, quick point. Some people have made the point that this is one of the best job markets in the last three years. Yeah, OK, but it's not been a great three years.
BRENNER: No.
K. DOLAN: Be realistic. Don't say, I'm taking the summer off. Everything is fine.
BRENNER: No. You really can't afford to take the summer off. I'm not saying hit the pavement, start looking for a job the second you get out of college but you can't take the summer off. No. It is not a great market.
D. DOLAN: It's probably going to be difficult and take a while to find a job. Is there any estimate on how long it takes that first job hunter out of college to land one?
BRENNER: Not the first job hunter but there is a way to sort of gauge it. For an experienced job hunter now, it takes about three months. So if you figure you have experience, it takes three months. I think you really have to allow more than that for the first job. Maybe you should figure four or five months.
K. DOLAN: Lynne, rather than talking about the right way to do it and we'll do it in as much time as we have, give me the bad - give me some mistakes. Sometimes it is harder to fix a mistake than to do it right in the first place. Give me some mistakes.
BRENNER: OK. There are a lot of mistakes that kids make coming out of college because they're coming into -- the job market is a new culture for them.
K. DOLAN: Sure.
BRENNER: There are small things people don't think about. They're used to having an e-mail address. They're used to having a cell phone message. But when you send out your resume, you want a cell phone message and an e-mail address that an employer is going to find acceptable. So if your e-mail address is honeyybunnylover@hotmail.com, change it.
D. DOLAN: And you don't want your cell phone to say leave the digits dude and I'll call you back.
BRENNER: This is John Smith. I can't take your call right now. Please leave a message.
D. DOLAN: What's the single biggest mistake that graduate makes in the job hunt?
BRENNER: I think it's not doing enough research about the companies he's applying to. I think kids don't really understand in a job market that you are auditioning, basically, for an employer. You have to present yourself in a way that shows why you are the best person for that job. You have to know something about the company. Go online and Google the company.
K. DOLAN: I've interviewed a lot of people and I was always impressed with somebody who would say, I'm not an expert in your company. You know more than I do but I've done some homework on what you do. I know a little bit on where I might fit in and I even got a little bit of a game plan for my first five years there. Let me tell you a little bit about where I see myself in your company and then we'll go from there. It's, like, whoa, tremendous.
D. DOLAN: I'm gathering that Ken just sort of listed the questions that that first first-time job hunter could expect to hear.
BRENNER: Yes. You have to expect people to ask you why you're interested in the company, what you see yourself doing, where you expect yourself to be in five years and a word of reassurance here is in order I think. Very few people at 22 really have a five-year plan. So you have to sound as if you know what you want. But don't worry too much if you're not really sure whether you're going to build an entire career in this job. People understand that at 22 you're still figuring out what you want to do perhaps but you should sound confident. Take a job that sounds interesting, where you might learn something, even if you're not sure.
K. DOLAN: I'm 32. I haven't figured it out yet.
D. DOLAN: You know what I want to do for our viewers? As much as this is aimed at graduates from college, there's some dos and don'ts that we want to show people that really could stand the test of time across the board. Talk about the dos. What should one do?
K. DOLAN: Voicemail we did. E-mail we did.
BRENNER: I think conservative dress is incredibly important. Kids today -- we're used to a culture where everybody wears blue jeans everywhere. Everybody wears flip flops. Everybody has their midriff showing. Not in a job interview.
D. DOLAN: And turn off the cell phone.
BRENNER: And turn off your cell phone. K. DOLAN: Excuse me just a second, would you please?
BRENNER: Absolutely,. Another thing that's terribly important, your cover letter. People spend a lot of time on a resume, but your cover letter should be specific to the job you're applying to. It's more personal than a resume.
D. DOLAN: And short.
BRENNER: Short. One page, one page, not long.
D. DOLAN: And that's the word of wisdom here, too. It's short. We have to say good-bye. Lynne, thanks so much joining us.
BRENNER: It's a pleasure to be here.
K. DOLAN: Great stuff, great stuff. (INAUDIBLE)
D. DOLAN: Coming up, how much is your home worth now? Hey, if your home's value has climbed over the past few years, you could be in for a real shock when your property tax bill arrives.
K. DOLAN: Wait a second. Some Dolans money-saving tips, but first, the latest on tropical storm Arlene. Let's go to the CNN newsroom in Atlanta. Rob.
MARCIANO: Hi, Ken, hi, Daria. We're watching Arlene. It's heading for the Gulf coast and Arlene is getting stronger. So for the latest now go up to the CNN weather center and our newest member of our team, meteorologist Bonnie Schneider. Hi, Bonnie.
SCHNEIDER: Hi, Rob. Actually, we are looking still at this tropical storm, not quite yet a hurricane. The latest advisory just came out and we can tell you, the maximum sustained winds are still at 70 miles per hour. So this is still not classified yet as a hurricane. And landfall is expected later today. Check out the waves in Pensacola. Earlier today, it has just been pounding the shore. We are looking at a high storm surge, right now near the beaches, we're looking at wave heights up to five to seven feet. Certainly further offshore they will be stronger than that.
And also, if we take a look at radar in the area, you'll see the heavy downpours continue across Pensacola, Biloxi as well. We're looking for the storm to work its way onshore around 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, 1:00 p.m. Central time. But incidentally, we're seeing quite a bit of this storm before it even gets here, a lot of wind, a lot of high waves and certainly a lot of water and the potential for flooding. We'll keep you up to date on tropical storm Arlene throughout the day with updates. In the meantime, let's go back to DOLANS UNSCRIPTED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
K. DOLAN: Soaring home values have been making homeowners pretty happy over the past few years, well, until they go to the mailbox, they get their property tax bills. With runaway tax prices, real estate value, property tax increases have eliminated any benefits from President Bush's tax cuts for many Americans.
D. DOLAN: But we have some Dolans three Ds if your property tax is too high. First step is to know the time frame in which you can challenge your property tax assessment. Get the worksheet the tax assessor used to make sure it is correct. Check for miscalculated land area, in other words, square footage, the wrong condition and the wrong zoning classification.
K. DOLAN: That's good information Daria. It's awfully important that you understand that because you absolutely can challenge it. Know what the tax valuation of other properties in your neighborhood are. Where can you find them? It's public record.
D. DOLAN: Then find out if there's dispensations for seniors or those on fixed incomes. If you think you need more help, look for a company that specializes in the assessment process.
Our second Dolans on demand coming right up. Hey, do you think you're paying too much in property taxes? How did you land your first job after college. Don't forget, give us a call. 800-304-3638 or send us an e-mail at dolans@cnn.com. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
D. DOLAN: Near summer, when you start seeing some pretty amazing outfits on people. And I have found the person in our studio this morning who wins the most amazing outfit award of the day. It is Shane Toohey (ph). There he is, Mr. Outback himself.
K. DOLAN: Wow. Hello, mate, hello mate.
D. DOLAN: It's particularly effective with the headsets over his hat.
K. DOLAN: Better than my face on a stick. Let's go to the phones. Who's there?
D. DOLAN: OK, let's go to California first. Cheryl, how are you?
CALLER: I'm fine. How are you?
D. DOLAN: Good, thanks.
CALLER: Good, enjoying your show.
K. DOLAN: Thank you Cheryl.
D. DOLAN: Thank you.
K. DOLAN: What's on your mind?
CALLER: I have a comment, basically. It's about finding a job after college. I think if a lot of people would look at taking the opportunity to do as many internships as they can while they're in school on a free basis, volunteer basis, consider, be open to that. And then also looking at working at an underserved area is also a good way to pick up.
D. DOLAN: Give us a quick example of underserved area.
CALLER: Like a homeless population.
D. DOLAN: OK.
K. DOLAN: I was just going to say, Cheryl, underserved and also doing a job, an internship that somebody else may not like to do. I'll do whatever has to be done. I'll do it even if nobody else wants to do it. Cheryl, very, very good words.
D. DOLAN: All right. Let's quickly go to Greg in Georgia next. Hey Greg.
CALLER: Hi. How are you doing?
K. DOLAN: Hi Greg.
D. DOLAN: Good. How are you?
CALLER: Fine, thank you. I love your show. It's wonderful.
D. DOLAN: Thank you.
CALLER: I wanted to make a comment real quick. I'm 55 now. I got my first job out of college in accounting. I just went in and I just -- I was enthusiastic and well spoken I hope, and, you know, I said I need a job, I wanted the job, I felt I was qualified for the job and everything.
K. DOLAN: Pretty simple.
CALLER: You know, it wasn't too tricky. I didn't even really know how to dress conservative in those days. I didn't have conservative clothes yet. I needed some money. And so I ended up with a cost accounting job for a big plant in Baltimore. It worked out great.
D. DOLAN: Excellent.
K. DOLAN: What you're saying, Greg is, don't complicate it. Look nice, figure a way in the company and say you want to work there and tell them why. I like that.
D. DOLAN: Parents should take into mind that maybe a good graduation gift for your son and your daughter would be one business type outfit for them to use.
K. DOLAN: A graduation gift. Instead of rock and roll tickets or a new stereo or something.
D. DOLAN: Yes.
K. DOLAN: I never thought of that. That's a great idea. What did you get for graduation?
D. DOLAN: I don't remember. I think a set of luggage to go to college and hurry up and pack. No. Just kidding.
K. DOLAN: All right. E-mail.
D. DOLAN: From Ralph. It is advisable for all youngsters to stay together and to do so in couples or groups. Any youngster going alone to nightclubs with people he or she doesn't know is asking for trouble. Ralph is obviously writing about the Aruba situation. And making some good tips for parents to share with their children, no matter where their kids are vacationing.
K. DOLAN: Sear Yates, our senior producer just made note of the fact quite significantly and thank you, Sean, that Ralph is e-mailing us from Aruba. How much time do we have, Sean? A couple minutes. Guys, we just want to talk with you for a couple minutes just from the heart and off the cuff. We're the parents of a daughter. We are as upset as you are about the situation with this young 16-year-old kid.
D. DOLAN: Eighteen.
K. DOLAN: Eighteen year old child, kid, young student, high school student in Aruba. We don't know if she's been murdered. We're not exactly sure. We're just waiting to hear.
D. DOLAN: Although they have a confession.
K. DOLAN: Apparently so. But I think the point is, Daria, exercise caution. Know where your kids are. Who is the chaperone? Why is the kid, any kid out at 2:00?
D. DOLAN: There were 140 odd students I believe on this trip to Aruba and I heard that there were seven chaperones. Parents, first and foremost, think about that. How could seven people realistically keep an eye on 20 young adults all at the same time? If there aren't enough chaperons, sometimes tough love. You have to say no or try and volunteer to go yourself so you can keep your eye on your own child and some other children.
K. DOLAN: Did Meredith ever go on one of these trips? I don't remember Meredith, certainly not leaving the country that I remember. We were pretty conservative parents and I suppose if it was a high trip going down the street or going to Busch Gardens or something, in fact maybe that was even the truth. But to leave the country - and here again, we're not criticizing the Aruba situation. We don't know the parents. We don't know the chaperones. All we're saying is if the numbers are correct, one adult could not watch 20 kids who are excited. They're graduated from high school. They're out of country for the first time, maybe out of their own state for the first time. So they've got emotions going. It is very very difficult. We're not lecturing to this situation. We're just saying just be very, very careful.
D. DOLAN: And I think sometimes there is a trend in any generation but as our children get older that you have to start treating them like adults. Well, you do. But you have to also understand that they are still your children and they are probably your most valuable asset. And it is so important to protect -- we protect jewelry; we protect wills. We protect all sorts of garbage in our lives very, very carefully, our wallets, our identities. We have to do the same with our children. If we don't protect our children, we have nothing.
K. DOLAN: And there's just so much, there's so much stuff going on in the United States and around the world. There's some really bad people out there. It's hard to know where they are and when they'll show up. Assume the worst and we'll probably all be a little better off. We're glad you joined us this week. What's up next?
D. DOLAN: Up next on THE TURNAROUND, true American dream. Two Irish immigrants struggled to make their boxing gym succeed. Hey, we'll see you next week, but first, top news headlines on the hour.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 11, 2005 - 10:00 ET
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ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning again. I'm Rob Marciano. DOLANS UNSCRIPTED is straight ahead. But first, these stories "Now in the News."
There's word of a confession in the Natalee Holloway case. A police source tells CNN a suspect has confessed to the killing of the American teen. She vanished in Aruba nearly two weeks ago.
And back here in the states, Tropical Storm Arlene could reach hurricane force by the time it makes landfall later today. Parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast are in Arlene's path. Sustained winds now at 70 miles an hour, 74 would make it a hurricane.
CNN's Susan Candiotti is live in Pensacola, Florida.
Hi, Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rob.
At this hour, we're just getting a light bit of rain here from the extreme outer bands of Arlene. And the waves look a lot meaner than what it feels like at this time.
The major concern here not so much from the wind, but from the rain and the storm surge. Let's take a look at the pier behind me. That gives you a better sense of what it looks like out in the Gulf right now.
They are expecting up to 10 inches of rain and a storm surge of up to five feet or so. The problem is, Arlene is supposed to hit at about the same time as high tide. People have been asked to evacuate from low-lying areas. But to this point, they're advising everyone to stay home.
If there's any good news to come of this, for officials, they're hopeful that the storm will continue to move quickly as it is now.
Back to you, Rob.
MARCIANO: Thank you. Susan Candiotti, live in Pensacola, Florida.
We'll watch for that flooding rain potential. Florida already soak from a month's worth of heavy rain.
I'm Rob Marciano. DOLANS UNSCRIPTED begins now. KEN DOLAN, CO-HOST, "DOLANS UNSCRIPTED": That is correct. We are here. Attention, class. Today on DOLANS UNSCRIPTED is the A, B, Cs.
DARIA DOLAN, CO-HOST, "DOLANS UNSCRIPTED": That's right, Aruba, Arlene, blogging, and Mark Cuban.
K. DOLAN: Yes.
ANNOUNCER: Live from the Time Warner Center in New York City with their take on the news, Ken and Daria Dolan.
K. DOLAN: Hey, good morning, everybody. How are you? We're so glad you joined us from whatever part of the country you're watching us. We invite you to pour another cup of coffee.
The big question on our DOLANS UNSCRIPTED today is, can we possibly get done everything we have to get done?
You look great.
D. DOLAN: Oh, well, thank you very much.
K. DOLAN: Yes.
D. DOLAN: But, you know, I'm really excited about today's show because we have a lot of good, helpful information for you, along with the news stories.
K. DOLAN: Yes, toward the end...
D. DOLAN: Maybe you'll get some help out of the news.
K. DOLAN: Yes. I'm going to tell you, there's one great thing about live TV. I tell you, I wouldn't do this show taped. I just love being able to do it.
And one last thing we're going to do. Instead of our little 30- second op-ed which we do at the end of every show, we're going to get something off our chest so you can at least hear about it.
The last couple minutes, we are the only parents we think in major media across America. We have a kid, and we just want to talk a little bit just off the cuff, no script, about what's going on in Aruba and how we can try to protect something like that happening again. Let's just talk a little bit.
Speaking of that, you can call, you can e-mail us. We've got a whole bunch of stuff going on.
D. DOLAN: I do want to correct you, though. There are a lot of people who have kids who work in this business.
K. DOLAN: Oh, I guess.
D. DOLAN: It's just we're married to one another with a child. K. DOLAN: Where you live in Florida, there's a lot going on down there. We'll talk about it this hour. We had four hurricanes last year.
Pensacola, the panhandle, is getting killed.
D. DOLAN: Yes. Well, it's a tropical storm right now.
K. DOLAN: Yes.
D. DOLAN: So let's keep our fingers crossed it stays that way.
But, let's get to the matter here. We've got a lot to cover.
K. DOLAN: Yes. All right. All right.
D. DOLAN: And, you know, for most of us, rising energy prices mean pain at the pump.
K. DOLAN: Oh, boy.
D. DOLAN: But for Bill Daugherty, an independent oil and gas producer in Kentucky, $50 barrels means commercial success and financial security. So take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
D. DOLAN (voice-over): As soon as Bill Daugherty launched his energy company in 1984, oil prices started to fall.
BILL DAUGHERTY, OIL & GAS EXECUTIVE: Little did I know that's probably the worst time in the history of oil and gas to start a company.
D. DOLAN: Bill put everything he had into the company, and, at first, got nothing in return.
DAUGHERTY: My wife was expecting. We hadn't had a paycheck in about six months. Zero inspiration and 100 percent desperation.
D. DOLAN: Desperate no more. Today, oil prices are above $50 a barrel, and Bill's one-man firm, NGAS Resources, is 66 employees strong. He's president and CEO, and he took the company public in 1993.
But it wasn't until oil prices began to rise in the late '90s that things really picked up. NGAS stock has jumped 1,500 percent since 1999. The company is searching for oil at a breakneck pace.
In '98, Bill drilled only five wells. Last year, 155. Recently, he bought two helicopters so now he can get from his offices in Lexington to the wells in eastern Kentucky in under an hour.
DAUGHERTY: I think the biggest thing is that, you know, I don't have to worry about money. It's given us an opportunity to grow the company. And that's an immense amount of fun. D. DOLAN: Married 32 years, Bill and his wife Zella remember the early days, when he worked from home with a part-time secretary and no salary.
Along with watching the company grow, Zella has seen her own life change, too.
ZELLA DAUGHERTY, BILL'S WIFE: It was a lot different than it is now. I think the greatest thing is we got to take a vacation this past year.
Cheers to our new home.
We both grew up on a farm. We always have worked really hard. And it's kind of fun to be able to have a few toys.
D. DOLAN: Bill and Zella's two sons are also riding the wave of rising oil prices.
B. DAUGHERTY: It's given them the ability to have more fun and go to the schools they want to go to. My 20-year-old son William is at Center College. And, you know, he was there when there just was no money.
D. DOLAN: Just like day one, Bill has everything he owns in the company. Ninety percent of his investments are in company stock, and his salary, which has risen considerably since '99, is tied to the stock and, consequently, to the price of oil.
So what if prices fall again?
B. DAUGHERTY: We just batten down the hatch and keep on producing, because I will guarantee you one thing, if oil drops to $10 a barrel, it will go back up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
D. DOLAN: Boy, there's a gutsy guy, huh? But, you know, the interesting thing is, for the near term, I think he's going to be still raking in the bucks, because with the summer driving season, even with record-high prices...
K. DOLAN: People are still driving.
D. DOLAN: People are driving more, which is going to create a supply problem, raise the prices, which is good for somebody like him.
K. DOLAN: Yes.
D. DOLAN: But the fact of the matter is, in this country, it has been so long since we built new refineries. What I worry about, and what a lot of experts worry about, is that we could start seeing some of these refineries switch over to home heating oil production because it is more lucrative than gasoline...
K. DOLAN: Yes. D. DOLAN: ... which would just make it even more expensive to drive.
K. DOLAN: Daria L. Dolan...
D. DOLAN: Yes?
K. DOLAN: ... what have we learned since 1973 energy policy- wise? Not a lot.
You know what? I've got another story. We'll go right on here.
I've got another story. When Daria and I just celebrated our anniversary this Monday -- when they were talking about having no money and no salary, I'll never forget, a hundred years ago, when we got married, we bought two $5 pillows for our apartment in Waltham, Massachusetts.
D. DOLAN: Yes.
K. DOLAN: And we sat there and we looked at these -- you can't believe it, Jay -- we looked at these two $5 pillow and said, "I'm telling you, we are rocking." It was funny when we had no money. And you never forget it.
D. DOLAN: But you can find pillows for $5.
K. DOLAN: Let's save some money.
D. DOLAN: We want to help some people here.
K. DOLAN: All right. Let's save some money.
D. DOLAN: So what can I do this summer to shave a few bucks off my energy bills? Well, surprisingly, making small changes can add up to big savings. So we have a few Dolans do's and don'ts on saving energy and money.
K. DOLAN: Can I do the do's?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
D. DOLAN (voice-over): Do buy standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Fluorescents use 75 percent less energy and can save you roughly $60 a year on electricity.
Do replace your old showerhead with a low flow model and faucet aerator. It prevents the energy used to heat water from going down the drain.
Do buy energy-efficient appliances. Products with the Energy Star label typically use 20 to 40 percent last energy. Some electric companies and even state governments offer consumer rebates on Energy Star-rated models.
Do shade your air conditioner. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10 percent less electricity.
K. DOLAN (voice-over): And here's what you shouldn't do.
Don't overheat or overcool rooms. In the summer, set your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher when a room is occupied and turn it off when no one is there. Ceiling or free-standing fans can also cool rooms effectively while using less energy than air conditioning.
Don't run dishwashers and washing machines unless you have a full load. And use the warm or cold water setting instead of hot. Washing clothes in cold water reduces energy by use 75 percent.
Don't leave seldom-used appliances and gadgets plugged in. Also, consider power strips to switch off televisions and stereos when not in use.
Standby consumption can be equivalent to that of a 75 or 100-watt light bulb running continuously. Keep in mind, as you save energy you also save money.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
K. DOLAN: Thank you very much, Ken. Those were excellent tips. We very much appreciate it, Ken.
If you want to energy-proof your house...
D. DOLAN: Oh, boy. It's going to be one of those days with you. You know...
K. DOLAN: May I...
D. DOLAN: ... I think I would hit you with this, but I'm afraid I would go to jail and have to share Russell Crowe's cell.
K. DOLAN: Easy -- easy with the jokes, will you, please?
If you want to energy-proof your home, call an energy rater. That's not raider -- rater, who can test your home for hidden leaks.
For more information, a couple of Web sites you can take a peak at. The Alliance to Save Energy at ASE.org.
What's that other one?
D. DOLAN: The other is the American Council for Energy -- for an Energy Efficient Economy. And that Web site is ACEEE.org.
K. DOLAN: You're all aces, Daria. I love that.
D. DOLAN: All aces.
K. DOLAN: All right. What's coming up later this hour?
D. DOLAN: Coming up later this hour, we have the downside of the housing boom. There is one. It's higher property taxes. But we have some good news for you. We're going to teach you how to fight back.
K. DOLAN: Yes. Good point, Daria. We'll do a little fighting.
Also, fighting is over for college students. Now the war begins to get the pomp and circumstance. It's time for a job. We'll help first-timers fine tune their employment search.
Happy hunting.
D. DOLAN: But up next, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is a wildly successful businessman. And besides shooting hoops, what else is he up to these days? Blogging, for one thing. Stick around and learn more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: I'm Rob Marciano at the CNN center. Tropical Storm Arlene is heading for the Gulf Coast and getting stronger.
For the latest, let's go to the CNN weather center and our meteorologist, Bonnie Schneider.
What's the latest, Bonnie?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Rob, we're still tracking Arlene as she gets a little bit closer to the line here. We're watching for the storm system to work its way to the north. And as it does, we'll be looking at some very potentially heavy rainfall.
When this system is all said and done, we're likely to see it contain about five to eight inches of rain and actually grow to hurricane-force strength, hurricane-force strength before it makes landfall somewhere around the area of 2:00 p.m. tonight. So keep that in mind.
In the meantime, we're definitely watching not only for that, but strong wind as well. We've had wind damage and heavy downpours across much of areas in south Florida. So it looks like we're going to see this storm strengthen as it gets closer to 2:00, become a hurricane, and we'll keep a watch on it.
We're waiting for another advisory at 11:00. And we'll have that for you when we get it.
In the meantime, let's go back to DOLANS UNSCRIPTED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
K. DOLAN (voice-over): Mark Cuban is best known as the free- wheeling owner of the Dallas Mavericks. A fan favorite, he's racked up over a million dollars in fines for verbally abusing game officials, which led to the staging of this April fool's joke in 2003.
Cuban made his fortune in technology. In 1995, he co-founded Internet media site broadcast.com. Four years later, at the height of the Internet bubble, he sold it to Yahoo! for over $5 billion, ballooning his personal wealth to $1.3 billion. The profits allowed him to buy the Mavericks, as well as pursue other interests, including producing films like "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room"...
KEN LAY, ENRON: We began by attracting the kind of people that are more comfortable in an environment of change.
K. DOLAN: ... and starring in his own reality show called "The Benefactor."
MARK CUBAN, OWNER, DALLAS MAVERICKS: Welcome to "The Benefactor."
K. DOLAN: Most recently, he's tackling the wild west of the Internet, blogs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
K. DOLAN: Why should we be listening to you? And I have to listen, because you've been successful. What's this blog stuff? And why should we care?
CUBAN: You know, I don't know that you should be listening or reading my blog. But I've got to tell you, in the blogosphere, it's a unique opportunity for people to convey what's on their mind.
And, you know, for basketball fans or stock market or technology fans, I will go on my blog and really -- I'll be able to give you the straight scoop.
You know, so much gets distributed in the media, you really don't know what someone is thinking. It gets crunched down into little sound bites. Having my own blog, I can give you in-depth analysis, if you will, or reasons behind what someone is really saying about me or the Mavs or technology or HDNet, whatever it may be.
K. DOLAN: Sure, yes.
D. DOLAN: But Mark, for the average person, I mean, we've gone from a couple of years ago, 100,000 people blogging, to now 8.5 million. You can't all be doing -- you know, get an audience here. There's just too many places.
CUBAN: No.
D. DOLAN: What makes something stand out? And if somebody is looking to do it as a business, how can they make money?
CUBAN: Well, two issues. One is, if you are looking to do it as a business, unless you already have something that you're selling -- and this is just a complement -- then don't do it. This is not a way to make money.
You know, if you are just an individual and you're blogging, and you have things on your mind, it's really just a better way to communicate with your friends and family. You know, instead of having to send e-mails to everybody, you could write about your trip to Asia or, you know, what you did on your summer vacation. So most people are never going to make a living at it.
But if you are in corporate America, if you are a public figure, it's a way for you to communicate about what you're doing in your organization as if you're a columnist in a major, you know, media publication. I mean, it's not unusual for me to get 300,000 people on any given day and over the course of a month, you know, several million people reading my blog.
K. DOLAN: Yes. In fact, Mark, I was on the blog this morning before we did this, BlogMaverick.com. You know what I like about it? Not only do we like you personally because you are such a straight shooter, I like the idea of you starting a trend of CEOs actually getting on and cutting through all this crap in the annual reports and all this stuff that nobody understands either as a shareholder or potential shareholder, and you actually have something to say. And I would like to see other CEOs do it that way, as you said, instead of getting little clips here and a little clip there and say nothing.
CUBAN: Well, you're exactly right. One of the great things, and the key, really, I think, to a successful blog is that you have to be brutally honest. You can't do CEO speak, you can't do annual reports speak, because people in the blogosphere and your readers are just going to see right through it.
D. DOLAN: Yes.
CUBAN: And particularly if you have a blog that allows comments. Because if you allow comments, and you're just talking nonsense or just talking around a subject, you're just going to get ripped to pieces in the comments. And it will act as a magnet for people who aren't going to help your product or aren't going to help your cause at all. So you have to be very careful.
D. DOLAN: Why would you choose to blog, since there are so many blogs out there, when you can go to the mainstream media, like coming here on our show here on CNN and reach a whole lot more people in one fell swoop?
CUBAN: Well, it's a great point. You're right, I can reach more people on your show. But at the same time, we're limited by time. Or if I talk to a newspaper, we're limited in the number of words.
So, I mean, you've been in that similar situation where a two- hour conversation turns into 500 words or a 15-second or a one-minute second. With the blog, you can expound and go as in-depth as you like. And that really is a unique opportunity.
And I'll tell you one other thing that's really critical in a blog that I have really learned from in my blog, the user comments. If you -- when you come out and say something in a regular media, there's not really an interactive discussion about what you have just discussed or talked about. On a blog, if I write something, whether it's about business, whether it's about the Mavericks, whether it's about technology, one of the cool things is I know out of all of those hundreds of thousands of readers someone might disagree with me and really might have a better perspective on the topic than I do. K. DOLAN: You might learn yourself something.
CUBAN: And I might learn something.
K. DOLAN: Yes. I want to know...
CUBAN: Yes?
K. DOLAN: ... if you agree with me with the Spurs in seven over Detroit? I know you're sensitive -- I know you're sensitive because the Mavs aren't in there, but you had a good season.
CUBAN: You know, even though the Mavs should be there, I'm talking -- I'm taking the Spurs in seven. I just don't think they can stop Tim Duncan. And I think the Spurs can defend Rasheed Wallace and Rip Hamilton. So Spurs in seven.
K. DOLAN: What are you most excited about in your business life, Mark?
CUBAN: Well, I mean, HDNet, high definition television, is just rocking.
K. DOLAN: Yes.
CUBAN: And so our two channels are just growing with the industry. I love what we're doing with Landmark and HDNet together.
We own Landmark Theaters, the high-end art.
K. DOLAN: Yes.
CUBAN: And what we're able to do with those is, by combining the two, we're able to eliminate all the Hollywood windows and come out with day and date releases.
Our first movie, "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room," which is out in theaters now...
K. DOLAN: Yes.
CUBAN: ... we premiered day and date right on HDNet. And I just love messing with Hollywood, just kind of changing the rules and doing it the right way, the way consumers want to get it, rather than the way Hollywood says it should be.
K. DOLAN: Final comment, Daria.
D. DOLAN: And the final question, for those that are really into technology, Mark, from your vantage point because, because obviously that's what got you started with Micro Solutions, where do you think the next big hot technology sector is going to be?
CUBAN: You know, biotech is always going to be hot. But it's impossible to really know what's next and what will work. In the corporate and personal technology, I think the unique thing that's happening right now is we're all starting to carry digital devices with us. We have phones, we have MP3 players-iPods. We have PDAs. And I think the unique thing that's happening now is those three devices are going to be crushed into one.
Just like we saw with the PC, the desktop PC, where every time there was something new, it ended up being made part of the PC, you're going to see the same thing happen. So there's a war that's going to go on between iPod-like devices and phone -- and phones to see which one is the primary device that we carry.
And then the wireless to get to it. That could overtake satellite radio. Who knows.
K. DOLAN: That's right. Mark, you have a standing invitation to join us live here at CNN in New York at Time Warner. So the next time you come to New York, we can talk about a whole bunch of things.
CUBAN: I appreciate that. You guys are great. I really appreciate the time.
D. DOLAN: Thank you.
K. DOLAN: Thanks a lot, Mark.
D. DOLAN: Mark Cuban.
K. DOLAN: Talk to you again soon.
CUBAN: Thank you, Ken. Thanks, Daria.
K. DOLAN: Good guy.
D. DOLAN: Yes. That was...
K. DOLAN: Good guy.
D. DOLAN: Well, interestingly enough, today's "New York Times" has an article about his blog.
K. DOLAN: Yes. He's quite a guy. I hope he comes...
D. DOLAN: They're not terribly fond of it. To many -- but it is his plug.
K. DOLAN: We'll have him. We'll have him live on the show. He's a real visionary. A good, young guy.
Our first "Dolans On Demand" straight ahead. What do you think about blogging or the high price of energy? And have you done anything to cut your bills?
D. DOLAN: Give us a call at 800-304-3638, or you can send us an e-mail. The address is DOLANS@CNN.com.
We'll be back in a flash.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
K. DOLAN: All right. Here we go. It's time for "Dolans On Demand."
Before we do that, a very quick hi. Sanjay Gupta is a great friend of ours. His mom, Ronny (ph), watches us in Michigan. She's the first engineer hired by Ford ever. First female engineer.
Hi, Ronny (ph). We thank you for watching our show. And we love your kid.
Andy in New York, welcome to "Dolans on Demand."
CALLER: Hi, guys. I miss you guys every day, but it's good to get you on Saturday.
K. DOLAN: Thank you, Andy.
D. DOLAN: Thanks, Andy. What's up?
CALLER: Our energy dependence is really based on our ignorance on reforming ourselves. We've had so many opportunities to change this mindset from the '70s.
K. DOLAN: I agree.
CALLER: We can go hydrogen, we can go coal. We can go a thousand ways. We keep giving ourselves the dependency on this foreign oil.
K. DOLAN: Andy, I just...
D. DOLAN: Yes, but Andy, I think we're aided and abetted because the government people are addicted to taxes that they get from all of this petroleum product. And I think that that is one of the reasons why we're not seeing anything more definitive out of D.C.
K. DOLAN: It costs me $50 to fill up my car, Andy. You're absolutely right.
Mississippi -- John, welcome.
CALLER: Hey, good morning.
K. DOLAN: Hey, John.
CALLER: I love your show.
D. DOLAN: Thanks, John.
K. DOLAN: Thank you, John, so much.
CALLER: About a year ago, during the presidential campaign in a college class I told the professor about the popularity of blogs. K. DOLAN: Yes?
CALLER: And he shot it down as a fad. Said, "It will go away."
D. DOLAN: Eight million people are doing it.
(LAUGHTER)
D. DOLAN: Up from 100,000 just two years ago.
CALLER: But thanks for having Mark Cuban on. He's one of my favorite people in the world. Love your comedy. It's absolutely wonderful. Thank you.
K. DOLAN: Thank you very much.
D. DOLAN: Thank you.
K. DOLAN: Thanks a lot, John. We appreciate that very much.
D. DOLAN: That's fabulous.
Well, coming up...
K. DOLAN: Yes, all right. Here we go.
D. DOLAN: ... did you know those annoying taxes on your cell phone bill vary on your area code?
K. DOLAN: Yikes.
D. DOLAN: In a mobile world, that just doesn't seem to make sense. We'll have the 411 when DOLANS UNSCRIPTED continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
D. DOLAN: Do think you're paying too much for your cell phone? Stick around. We'll show you how to save a few bucks in a moment. But first, let's send it back to Rob Marciano in Atlanta for the top news headlines. Hey, Rob.
MARCIANO: Hi Daria. CNN has learned there has been a confession in the Natalee Holloway case. That tops our news this hour. A police source says a suspect has confessed to killing the Alabama teen who vanished in Aruba nearly two weeks ago. The suspect is one of three young men last seen with Holloway at a nightclub.
And we're following another developing story this morning. Tropical storm Arlene is heading for the Gulf coast and getting stronger. For the latest now, let's go to CNN weather center and our newest member of the CNN weather team, meteorologist Bonnie Schneider. What's the latest Bonnie?
BONNINE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Rob, we're still watching Arlene and you're right, it is starting to strengthen a bit as it gets closer and closer to making landfall over the next couple hours. You can see the thunderstorms certainly firing on up. The latest coordinates have Arlene still to the south of Mobile, Alabama but working its way north, northwestern with maximum winds at 70 miles per hour, gusting up to 85 miles per hour.
What's interesting to note about Arlene is that as this storm makes its way to the north, northwest, not only will it move a little bit closer inland, but once it finally makes landfall, we're looking at hurricane status for Arlene. So this is going to be a serious storm. We'll be watching it closely over the next few hours. Ken, back to you.
K. DOLAN: Thank you very much. Thanks for the latest everybody in Atlanta. Not such great news, but let's move along.
Are you surprised at how high your cell phone bill is? You are not alone, cell phoners, all 180 million cell phoners of you. Americans are paying on an average almost 17 percent in taxes on their monthly cell bills, every single month, Daria.
D. DOLAN: But you know, even if you move from a high tax city like New York to a low tax city like Las Vegas, your high tax bill could follow you. A Federal law says you should be taxed based on where you use your phone the most. So be careful if you've moved and kept your old phone number because you could be getting ripped off. Odds are you are getting ripped off. For example...
K. DOLAN: Give me a for instance.
D. DOLAN: Well, for example --
K. DOLAN: I move out of New York to someplace or something.
D. DOLAN: New York is the highest taxed. Number one, government -- statement governments are addicted to these taxes. They figure if they slap a little extra on your cell phone, you're going to pay it because you...
K. DOLAN: You love your cell phone.
D. DOLAN: But if you are paying a rate of 16 percent in state and local taxes on your cell phone bill in New York and you legitimately move to Las Vegas, which is, like, about 1.1 percent in taxes, you want to change to that local number because technically your Verizon account, when they have the new address should be automatically taxing you at that rate but they don't ask. They don't ask and New York state certainly isn't going to tell.
K. DOLAN: This seems to be, this seems to be in conflict with this portability. You can take your phone number wherever you go. Yeah. But you better change your billing address because if you got a New York number and move to Las Vegas, they're going to charge you the tax in New York even though you're sitting in Las Vegas.
D. DOLAN: The bottom line is this. Your area code dictates your tax rate. So if you do move to a cheaper state like Idaho, make sure you get a local cell phone. Don't just take a bogus address someplace. We want you to do it honestly.
K. DOLAN: Everybody is after your bucks.
Parents of college students, let's talk to you about money. Get out your checkbooks. The Federal government wants you to pay more for tuition. The Department of Education determines financial aid based on a formula -- first of all, nobody understands. It looks at a family's ability to contribute towards a college education.
D. DOLAN: Now for the upcoming academic year, more of a parent's assets are going towards college expenses or they will go. The Department of Education sees a better economic climate in the next year. I don't know what tea leaves they're reading but they say that low inflation means that you as a family will need to save less money for retirement. Right. So you can contribute more to college costs. Let me tell you something.
K. DOLAN: The Department of Education is telling me how to invest my money and that things are going to be good and don't worry about it.
D. DOLAN: The government uses its own inflation gauge and they use the numbers to make sure that they can keep it as low as they possibly can because then they don't have to index for tax purposes. They get more tax dollars that way. And they don't have to pay as much to senior citizens on Social Security. Let me tell you this. If it's going to be a generational war where a parent has to decide do I educate my child in college or save for my retirement, I have come to the conclusion -- this is my bottom line -- leave Social Security completely the way it is, government, because we can't afford to have it changed if you're not going to give us the wherewithal to pay more towards our retirement.
K. DOLAN: What you're saying, if college is going to cost more, taking it out of my retirement savings, then there's more pressure on Social Security to stay where it is because I'm going to take money out of money out of one hand, robbing Peter to pay Paul.
D. DOLAN: Thank you.
K. DOLAN: You're welcome. Department of Education is calculating inflation and retirement return and my retirement portfolio. God help us. What's next? Cap and gown. You can throw it away. It's time to get serious.
D. DOLAN: Put it away. Don't throw it away. They're expensive. Put on the suit and tie. Dos and don'ts of moving into the real world. That's next on DOLANS UNSCRIPTED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
K. DOLAN: Here's our cartoon, our weekly cartoon by Mike Ciaccatello (ph). That's me in the Navy. I was in the Navy. I was enlisted before I was commissioned. That was my skinnier days. That was my first job out of college.
D. DOLAN: And my first job was for Pan American. Here we are. (INAUDIBLE) on what we should be doing.
K. DOLAN: What a pair. The same challenge facing a lot of young kids graduating - young people, young students graduating from college, finding that first job. Where is Lynne Brenner when you need her?
D. DOLAN: She's sitting right across from me.
K. DOLAN: Oh she is.
D. DOLAN: Lynne Brenner is here. She's the contributing editor of "Parade" magazine, did a great piece on that first job hunt. Lynne, nice to see you.
LYNNE BRENNER, PARADE MAGAZINE: Very nice to be here.
K. DOLAN: Lynne, quick point. Some people have made the point that this is one of the best job markets in the last three years. Yeah, OK, but it's not been a great three years.
BRENNER: No.
K. DOLAN: Be realistic. Don't say, I'm taking the summer off. Everything is fine.
BRENNER: No. You really can't afford to take the summer off. I'm not saying hit the pavement, start looking for a job the second you get out of college but you can't take the summer off. No. It is not a great market.
D. DOLAN: It's probably going to be difficult and take a while to find a job. Is there any estimate on how long it takes that first job hunter out of college to land one?
BRENNER: Not the first job hunter but there is a way to sort of gauge it. For an experienced job hunter now, it takes about three months. So if you figure you have experience, it takes three months. I think you really have to allow more than that for the first job. Maybe you should figure four or five months.
K. DOLAN: Lynne, rather than talking about the right way to do it and we'll do it in as much time as we have, give me the bad - give me some mistakes. Sometimes it is harder to fix a mistake than to do it right in the first place. Give me some mistakes.
BRENNER: OK. There are a lot of mistakes that kids make coming out of college because they're coming into -- the job market is a new culture for them.
K. DOLAN: Sure.
BRENNER: There are small things people don't think about. They're used to having an e-mail address. They're used to having a cell phone message. But when you send out your resume, you want a cell phone message and an e-mail address that an employer is going to find acceptable. So if your e-mail address is honeyybunnylover@hotmail.com, change it.
D. DOLAN: And you don't want your cell phone to say leave the digits dude and I'll call you back.
BRENNER: This is John Smith. I can't take your call right now. Please leave a message.
D. DOLAN: What's the single biggest mistake that graduate makes in the job hunt?
BRENNER: I think it's not doing enough research about the companies he's applying to. I think kids don't really understand in a job market that you are auditioning, basically, for an employer. You have to present yourself in a way that shows why you are the best person for that job. You have to know something about the company. Go online and Google the company.
K. DOLAN: I've interviewed a lot of people and I was always impressed with somebody who would say, I'm not an expert in your company. You know more than I do but I've done some homework on what you do. I know a little bit on where I might fit in and I even got a little bit of a game plan for my first five years there. Let me tell you a little bit about where I see myself in your company and then we'll go from there. It's, like, whoa, tremendous.
D. DOLAN: I'm gathering that Ken just sort of listed the questions that that first first-time job hunter could expect to hear.
BRENNER: Yes. You have to expect people to ask you why you're interested in the company, what you see yourself doing, where you expect yourself to be in five years and a word of reassurance here is in order I think. Very few people at 22 really have a five-year plan. So you have to sound as if you know what you want. But don't worry too much if you're not really sure whether you're going to build an entire career in this job. People understand that at 22 you're still figuring out what you want to do perhaps but you should sound confident. Take a job that sounds interesting, where you might learn something, even if you're not sure.
K. DOLAN: I'm 32. I haven't figured it out yet.
D. DOLAN: You know what I want to do for our viewers? As much as this is aimed at graduates from college, there's some dos and don'ts that we want to show people that really could stand the test of time across the board. Talk about the dos. What should one do?
K. DOLAN: Voicemail we did. E-mail we did.
BRENNER: I think conservative dress is incredibly important. Kids today -- we're used to a culture where everybody wears blue jeans everywhere. Everybody wears flip flops. Everybody has their midriff showing. Not in a job interview.
D. DOLAN: And turn off the cell phone.
BRENNER: And turn off your cell phone. K. DOLAN: Excuse me just a second, would you please?
BRENNER: Absolutely,. Another thing that's terribly important, your cover letter. People spend a lot of time on a resume, but your cover letter should be specific to the job you're applying to. It's more personal than a resume.
D. DOLAN: And short.
BRENNER: Short. One page, one page, not long.
D. DOLAN: And that's the word of wisdom here, too. It's short. We have to say good-bye. Lynne, thanks so much joining us.
BRENNER: It's a pleasure to be here.
K. DOLAN: Great stuff, great stuff. (INAUDIBLE)
D. DOLAN: Coming up, how much is your home worth now? Hey, if your home's value has climbed over the past few years, you could be in for a real shock when your property tax bill arrives.
K. DOLAN: Wait a second. Some Dolans money-saving tips, but first, the latest on tropical storm Arlene. Let's go to the CNN newsroom in Atlanta. Rob.
MARCIANO: Hi, Ken, hi, Daria. We're watching Arlene. It's heading for the Gulf coast and Arlene is getting stronger. So for the latest now go up to the CNN weather center and our newest member of our team, meteorologist Bonnie Schneider. Hi, Bonnie.
SCHNEIDER: Hi, Rob. Actually, we are looking still at this tropical storm, not quite yet a hurricane. The latest advisory just came out and we can tell you, the maximum sustained winds are still at 70 miles per hour. So this is still not classified yet as a hurricane. And landfall is expected later today. Check out the waves in Pensacola. Earlier today, it has just been pounding the shore. We are looking at a high storm surge, right now near the beaches, we're looking at wave heights up to five to seven feet. Certainly further offshore they will be stronger than that.
And also, if we take a look at radar in the area, you'll see the heavy downpours continue across Pensacola, Biloxi as well. We're looking for the storm to work its way onshore around 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, 1:00 p.m. Central time. But incidentally, we're seeing quite a bit of this storm before it even gets here, a lot of wind, a lot of high waves and certainly a lot of water and the potential for flooding. We'll keep you up to date on tropical storm Arlene throughout the day with updates. In the meantime, let's go back to DOLANS UNSCRIPTED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
K. DOLAN: Soaring home values have been making homeowners pretty happy over the past few years, well, until they go to the mailbox, they get their property tax bills. With runaway tax prices, real estate value, property tax increases have eliminated any benefits from President Bush's tax cuts for many Americans.
D. DOLAN: But we have some Dolans three Ds if your property tax is too high. First step is to know the time frame in which you can challenge your property tax assessment. Get the worksheet the tax assessor used to make sure it is correct. Check for miscalculated land area, in other words, square footage, the wrong condition and the wrong zoning classification.
K. DOLAN: That's good information Daria. It's awfully important that you understand that because you absolutely can challenge it. Know what the tax valuation of other properties in your neighborhood are. Where can you find them? It's public record.
D. DOLAN: Then find out if there's dispensations for seniors or those on fixed incomes. If you think you need more help, look for a company that specializes in the assessment process.
Our second Dolans on demand coming right up. Hey, do you think you're paying too much in property taxes? How did you land your first job after college. Don't forget, give us a call. 800-304-3638 or send us an e-mail at dolans@cnn.com. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
D. DOLAN: Near summer, when you start seeing some pretty amazing outfits on people. And I have found the person in our studio this morning who wins the most amazing outfit award of the day. It is Shane Toohey (ph). There he is, Mr. Outback himself.
K. DOLAN: Wow. Hello, mate, hello mate.
D. DOLAN: It's particularly effective with the headsets over his hat.
K. DOLAN: Better than my face on a stick. Let's go to the phones. Who's there?
D. DOLAN: OK, let's go to California first. Cheryl, how are you?
CALLER: I'm fine. How are you?
D. DOLAN: Good, thanks.
CALLER: Good, enjoying your show.
K. DOLAN: Thank you Cheryl.
D. DOLAN: Thank you.
K. DOLAN: What's on your mind?
CALLER: I have a comment, basically. It's about finding a job after college. I think if a lot of people would look at taking the opportunity to do as many internships as they can while they're in school on a free basis, volunteer basis, consider, be open to that. And then also looking at working at an underserved area is also a good way to pick up.
D. DOLAN: Give us a quick example of underserved area.
CALLER: Like a homeless population.
D. DOLAN: OK.
K. DOLAN: I was just going to say, Cheryl, underserved and also doing a job, an internship that somebody else may not like to do. I'll do whatever has to be done. I'll do it even if nobody else wants to do it. Cheryl, very, very good words.
D. DOLAN: All right. Let's quickly go to Greg in Georgia next. Hey Greg.
CALLER: Hi. How are you doing?
K. DOLAN: Hi Greg.
D. DOLAN: Good. How are you?
CALLER: Fine, thank you. I love your show. It's wonderful.
D. DOLAN: Thank you.
CALLER: I wanted to make a comment real quick. I'm 55 now. I got my first job out of college in accounting. I just went in and I just -- I was enthusiastic and well spoken I hope, and, you know, I said I need a job, I wanted the job, I felt I was qualified for the job and everything.
K. DOLAN: Pretty simple.
CALLER: You know, it wasn't too tricky. I didn't even really know how to dress conservative in those days. I didn't have conservative clothes yet. I needed some money. And so I ended up with a cost accounting job for a big plant in Baltimore. It worked out great.
D. DOLAN: Excellent.
K. DOLAN: What you're saying, Greg is, don't complicate it. Look nice, figure a way in the company and say you want to work there and tell them why. I like that.
D. DOLAN: Parents should take into mind that maybe a good graduation gift for your son and your daughter would be one business type outfit for them to use.
K. DOLAN: A graduation gift. Instead of rock and roll tickets or a new stereo or something.
D. DOLAN: Yes.
K. DOLAN: I never thought of that. That's a great idea. What did you get for graduation?
D. DOLAN: I don't remember. I think a set of luggage to go to college and hurry up and pack. No. Just kidding.
K. DOLAN: All right. E-mail.
D. DOLAN: From Ralph. It is advisable for all youngsters to stay together and to do so in couples or groups. Any youngster going alone to nightclubs with people he or she doesn't know is asking for trouble. Ralph is obviously writing about the Aruba situation. And making some good tips for parents to share with their children, no matter where their kids are vacationing.
K. DOLAN: Sear Yates, our senior producer just made note of the fact quite significantly and thank you, Sean, that Ralph is e-mailing us from Aruba. How much time do we have, Sean? A couple minutes. Guys, we just want to talk with you for a couple minutes just from the heart and off the cuff. We're the parents of a daughter. We are as upset as you are about the situation with this young 16-year-old kid.
D. DOLAN: Eighteen.
K. DOLAN: Eighteen year old child, kid, young student, high school student in Aruba. We don't know if she's been murdered. We're not exactly sure. We're just waiting to hear.
D. DOLAN: Although they have a confession.
K. DOLAN: Apparently so. But I think the point is, Daria, exercise caution. Know where your kids are. Who is the chaperone? Why is the kid, any kid out at 2:00?
D. DOLAN: There were 140 odd students I believe on this trip to Aruba and I heard that there were seven chaperones. Parents, first and foremost, think about that. How could seven people realistically keep an eye on 20 young adults all at the same time? If there aren't enough chaperons, sometimes tough love. You have to say no or try and volunteer to go yourself so you can keep your eye on your own child and some other children.
K. DOLAN: Did Meredith ever go on one of these trips? I don't remember Meredith, certainly not leaving the country that I remember. We were pretty conservative parents and I suppose if it was a high trip going down the street or going to Busch Gardens or something, in fact maybe that was even the truth. But to leave the country - and here again, we're not criticizing the Aruba situation. We don't know the parents. We don't know the chaperones. All we're saying is if the numbers are correct, one adult could not watch 20 kids who are excited. They're graduated from high school. They're out of country for the first time, maybe out of their own state for the first time. So they've got emotions going. It is very very difficult. We're not lecturing to this situation. We're just saying just be very, very careful.
D. DOLAN: And I think sometimes there is a trend in any generation but as our children get older that you have to start treating them like adults. Well, you do. But you have to also understand that they are still your children and they are probably your most valuable asset. And it is so important to protect -- we protect jewelry; we protect wills. We protect all sorts of garbage in our lives very, very carefully, our wallets, our identities. We have to do the same with our children. If we don't protect our children, we have nothing.
K. DOLAN: And there's just so much, there's so much stuff going on in the United States and around the world. There's some really bad people out there. It's hard to know where they are and when they'll show up. Assume the worst and we'll probably all be a little better off. We're glad you joined us this week. What's up next?
D. DOLAN: Up next on THE TURNAROUND, true American dream. Two Irish immigrants struggled to make their boxing gym succeed. Hey, we'll see you next week, but first, top news headlines on the hour.
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