Fancy Serial Numbers Turn Dollar Bills Into Pricey Collectors' Items

Take a dollar bill out of your wallet. How much is it worth?

Say "a dollar," and chances are, you're absolutely right. But it's also possible that the humble Washington in your hands is worth much more than the number at the four corners of the bill.

Check the serial number.

The Boston Globe took a look inside the world of rare-bill collectors who are all about "fancy" serial numbers. It turns out those eight-digit numbers can be attractive in all sorts of ways to collectors, who will pay top dollar -- no pun intended -- for bills that meet certain criteria.

So if you'd like to take advantage of this weird hobby by selling to collectors, which number combinations should you look for? The article lists a few, including:

• Low numbers: 00000001 is most prized, but 00000002 to 00000100 are considered valuable.
• "Ladders": A sequential serial number, like 12345678 or 32109876.
• Palindromes: Say, 45288254 or 02100120. Collectors call them "radars."
• Repeaters: Blocks of repeating digits, like 85858585, are nice. A perfect sequence like 33333333 is even better, and known as a "solid."

But those aren't the only varieties that interest serial number connoisseurs. Dave Undis, who runs the site CoolSerialNumbers.com and has an extensive collection himself, details the various types of numbers that his fellow hobbyists will pay big bucks for.

Note that the actual denomination of the bill doesn't much matter to the collectors, since it's not like they're going to spend it. As such, it seems you'll get the most value in trade if you find the weird serial number on a lower denomination -- getting $200 for a dollar bill is a lot more profitable than the same amount for a hundred dollar bill. And $200 is hardly out of the question: The article cites a 77777777 $20-bill that sold for $528 in 2009, and other bills that sold in the thousands. Undis' site has many bills for sale in that range -- a hundred with the "solid" 11111111 going for $4,000, for example.

Speaking of Benjamins, collectors will be especially keen to get fancy numbers of the long-delayed new hundred-dollar bill. So the first time you get your hands on one of the redesigned hundreds, take a quick look at the serial number before you stick it in your wallet. The little green digits might not matter to you, but they matter to someone -- and that could mean a pretty penny for you.

 Matt Brownell is the consumer and retail reporter for DailyFinance. You can reach him at Matt.Brownell@teamaol.com, and follow him on Twitter at @Brownellorama.

Why you may know writer's name soon '2 BROKE GIRLS'

 
What does it take to get to the top -- without losing your center? Our “Making It Work” series profiles successful, dynamic women who are standouts in their fields, peeling back the "hows" of their work and their life, taking away lessons we can all apply to our own.
At 29, Molly McAleer, co-founder of the website HelloGiggles and executive story editor on the CBS sitcom "2 Broke Girls," has paid more than a few dues in the entertainment industry. Born in Lexington, Mass., McAleer moved to Los Angeles in 2006 fresh out of Boston College. She went through "the Gawker machine," as she put it, blogging in 2007 and 2008 at Defamer, Gawker Media's celebrity gossip site. For nine months, she literally moonlighted as an assistant night editor at the Style Network. ("My hours were 4pm to 7am. When you go to sleep when the birds are chirping, that really f**ks with your mind.") She signed a contract with MTV to star in her own variety show to be called "The Molls Half Hour Party Hour"... only to see the project fall through.
Then her luck began to change. Her friend, producer Sophia Rossi, had the idea of starting a website "like 'Funny or Die' for women." Soon after, Zoey Deschanel joined the project. Realizing they didn't actually have the staff or resources to create a video site, they focused on writing instead. It was while she was building HelloGiggles that McAleer began writing the TV pilot sample that landed her a gig on "2 Broke Girls," which begins its third season this fall.
Now that she can reliably pay her rent, McAleer, who lives in West Hollywood with her 6-year-old chihuahua, Wagandstuff, and describes herself as "deeply single," is figuring out exactly what success means, professionally and personally.
Did you become a writer by accident or design?
Writing online was completely an accident. My grandfather [John McAleer] was a quote unquote famous writer, so I was around writing my whole life. It was revered in my family, probably to the point that I felt like I couldn't do it. I didn't even realize that that was my passion for a long time. I'd been setting up little blogs on Angelfire and Homestead since I was 11 -- [but] that was always just my thing that I did. I have a crazy interest in the Internet, but more than that I have a crazy interest in making people aware of all of my thoughts.
I was told when I started at Defamer that I needed to have a blogging presence individually, so I started keeping a personal blog. When it was linked under my name on the masthead, one of my bosses approached me and was like, "Are you sure this is the blog that you want people to see? You're writing about your ex-boyfriends. Are you sure you want to be this personal?" And I looked at him and said, "What else am I supposed to write about?"
The TV job was [by] design. I just wasn't making enough money. I was 27, and there was never going to be a freelance blogging gig that was going to make it happen for me.


How does one go about scoring a job on a highly rated sitcom?
A big part of my life [in my mid-20s] was socializing, making sure that I knew who people were and people knew who I was. I got that sample into the hands of Whitney Cummings [one of the show's executive producers] because I knew her socially through a bunch of different people, [and] she had done my podcast.
Whitney knew exactly how broke I was. I was moving at one point and selling my desk. Whitney came and bought it for like $200 and saw the bachelor apartment [where] I was living in Koreatown. I didn't have a bed because I had just had bed bugs. So she knew firsthand. I think that really kind of got me the interview.
Then I was able to go and meet with [executive producer] Michael [Patrick King] and Whitney and explain that I was starting my own business [HelloGiggles] with these business partners and that I had been writing for all these years, sacrificing a lot of things with the hope that it would all work out someday. I think that Michael was drawn to that. That's kind of how everything happened.
What would you do if you weren't doing this?
I've always been fascinated by radio and wanted to own my own radio network, like Sirius or something. I would love to be able to program an entire radio network. I've also just really wanted to have my voice on the air.
Who is your role model?
For me it's always a toss-up between David Sedaris and Dolly Parton. That's always been the cross-section of human that I'm interested in. I really like voices that are true to themselves. For different reasons, those people represent that to me.
Do you have a mentor?
I've had a lot of people who were very kind to me, but no one's ever taught me how to do anything. I had to figure all that stuff out on my own. I always find that shocking when someone young comes to me and asks me to help because I don't think there's anything that can be helped. You just have to work it out.
What's the biggest lesson you've learned from your 20s?
Now that I look back on it, everything happened exactly the way it was supposed to. Around [age 25] I was offered a variety show on MTV. I thought that I had finally figured it out, that everything was clicking. I was being acknowledged the way I was supposed to be acknowledged. Then it completely fell apart. At the time I thought, "That really sucks. I don't get to perform. I don't get to be the star of my own television show." Thank god that didn't happen! I am so thankful that I had to stick around and pay some more dues for a couple of years before something really big worked out for me.
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be right now. It all happened. I'm just so grateful for the job at "2 Broke Girls," every single day. If it had come any earlier, I don't know if I would have known to be so grateful for it. If it had come any later, I don't know if I would have been in L.A. anymore.

How do you define success?
I know that for a lot of people the answer would be "having my name in a certain publication" or "having my book be a New York Times bestseller." My idea of success is that I can pay my rent and take care of my health. That means a lot to me.
What advice would you give your 25-year-old self?
Stay home and read more, and you should work on breathing. I didn't breathe really at all until I was like 27 -- just enough to stay alive. I was in a constant frenzy. It makes sense that I was panicked -- I was in Los Angeles alone building something, [and] I didn't know what, and I didn't know where it would go. But I think I also caused myself a lot of unnecessary pain just because I wasn't really being very conscious or aware of anything.
What's your stress level now?
Pretty high, probably like an 8? Most of it's self-inflicted.
I see an acupuncturist, a therapist and an energy healer every week. I work very hard at dealing with it because I don't find anxiety to be this attractive quality it's made out to be all the time by my peers. I feel like I'm always hearing people talk about how anxious they are -- I think a lot of people equate [it] with adulthood or busyness or success. It's a gigantic waste of time, it shaves years off your life, and it conditions you to value all of the wrong things.
How do you recharge?
I go through long creative periods where I kind of lose myself and I need to check back in, [so then I have] a hibernation period. I just sit inside and I watch Lifetime movies and read and listen to public radio and get back to the things that make me feel human.
I try to consciously take these rebuilding periods so that I don't completely lose myself in the process of trying to make my dreams come true.
Do you keep your phone next to your bed?
I have a disgusting relationship with my phone. I don't keep it next to my bed, I keep it next to my face, [and] I don't just sleep with a cell phone, I sleep with two laptops and an ipad. So basically there's no room for a man in my life because my bed is full of electronics. It's not healthy. I don't recommend it. Michael Jackson's mom went to someplace in Arizona where they took her cell phone [away], and I've thought about doing that.
Do you get enough sleep?
Yeah, actually. I bank sleep. That is my thing. I can do 10 to 11 hours a night, easy.
Where do you want to be in five years?
I will be happy to have a couple more things that I'm proud of behind me creatively. It would be great if I met a great guy, but I don't know if that's a goal. I also would like to be able to have another dog, [and] I would like to continue to provide myself with the kind of lifestyle that I'm comfortable with, a semi-nice one.
It's not that I don't have expectations or dreams, it's just ... if I won an Emmy or something, it would be great, but I don't know if that would make me happier or more successful. Really all I can hope for is to have a little more continual comfort in knowing that I'm doing everything I can.
Is there a glass ceiling? Have you hit it?
I don't think about life like that. I definitely haven't hit it. I'm an executive story editor on "2 Broke Girls."
My experience has not been made tougher by the fact that I'm a woman -- in fact I think that there's something fortunate about [it], especially at this time. The year that I got my job on the show, there were three shows with the world "girl" in the title that were picked up. As much as we see examples of people hating women or not thinking of women as their equals, I think my life has been very charmed by the fact that I get to wear dresses and I get to be the girl. I'm so happy I'm a woman. I really am.
Is there a woman you know of who is Making It Work? We’d love to include her in our series. Send your suggestions to women@huffingtonpost.com.

Can Online Communities Be Healing?

During the past 20 years, there has been a radical shift in our culture with the breakdown of the social networks and structures that used to provide us with a sense of connection and community. Because of this, the most pervasive epidemic in our culture is loneliness, isolation, and depression.
We all know that these factors affect the quality of our lives. However, research has shown that it affects the quantity of our lives -- our survival.
The need for connection and community is primal, as fundamental as the need for air, water, and food.
Study after study has shown that people who are lonely, depressed, and isolated -- the most pervasive epidemics in our country -- are three to 10 times more likely to get sick and die prematurely than those who have a strong sense of connection and community. I don't know any factor in medicine that has a more powerful influence on our health and well-being.
When I first began conducting research 36 years ago, I initially saw support groups as useful for helping people adhere to changes in diet, exercise, and stress management techniques. What I soon realized is that the support groups were one of the most powerful interventions on their own terms.
In our program, support groups are safe places in which people can connect at a deep level. We can only be intimate to the degree we can make ourselves emotionally vulnerable -- opening our hearts -- and we can only do that to the degree that we feel safe.
So, the overarching principle in our support groups is to engender trust by creating a safe environment in which people can express their feelings to each other in open and honest ways. It's the major reason why our studies are showing 85-90 percent adherence to our intensive lifestyle program after a year.
If it's meaningful, it's sustainable. Intimacy is healing.
Even the word "healing" comes from the root, "to make whole." The word "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit word meaning, "to yoke," to bring together, to connect. These are very old ideas that we're rediscovering.
Nicholas Christakis at Harvard conducted research published in The New England Journal of Medicine and described in his TED talk showing how powerful these connections are:
• If your friends are obese, your risk of obesity is 45 percent higher;
• If your friend's friends are obese, your risk of obesity is 25 percent higher;
• If your friend's friend's friends are obese, your risk of obesity is 10 percent higher -- even if you've never met them!
That's how interconnected we are.
This pattern is also seen with many other measures, including smoking, drinking, depression, happiness, altruism, even predicting epidemics.
Here's some good news: These researchers found that social distance is more important than geographical distance. We found the same thing.
In other words, what matters most is feeling loved and supported by people you care about. It's great to be with them in person, but even a text message, a phone call, or an online community can be healing.
And that's the opportunity.
While the digital age has done so much to improve our world, it has dramatically changed our social structure, often further isolating us from each other. (If you've ever seen teenagers at a party or meal texting each other rather than talking to each other, you know what I mean.) With everything that you can imagine at our fingertips, many of the social interactions that help tie people together in a community have faded away. Are communities traditionally built on relationships, trust and familiarity a thing of the past?
A few years ago, I met Matt Michelsen, an engaging energetic entrepreneur who at the time was bringing people together in a highly interactive manner through a website his company, Backplane, developed for Lady Gaga. He was so successful in developing her community (LittleMonsters.com) that she had more followers than anyone on the planet. He's a social networking genius.
We talked about community and his idea of taking offline community interactions and behavior and translating those into online connections. What Backplane had developed was a truly social form of social media in that website LittleMonsters.com was built to connect people around shared interests rather than shared connections.
I asked Matt to help me create an online community in support of our work, Feel the Love, a supportive community for people who are interested in leading a healthful lifestyle. The community connects around the challenges and triumphs of doing just that. They celebrate each other's success and provide support for those who are facing obstacles.
As Feel the Love continues to grow, I'm proud of the interaction and support that the members provide to each other. They're passionate about health and they share things inside the community walls that they might not share elsewhere. I find myself routinely inspired by the courage the members have in opening up to each other of their own journeys and I enjoy reading and conversing with the members directly on the site.
Dean Ornish, M.D.
Medical Editor, The Huffington Post
Founder and President, Preventive Medicine Research Institute
Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
www.ornish.com

Ten Things You Need to Know Today

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
1. GUNFIRE ERUPTS AT CHICAGO PARK
A witness says dreadlocked men in a car open fire in a nighttime attack on people in a city park. At least 13 are wounded, including a 3-year-old child.
2. AL-QAIDA MILITANTS LAUNCH ATTACK IN YEMEN
At least 38 soldiers are killed and dozens wounded when extremist fighters surprise the troops in their barracks in coordinated attacks at dawn.
3. CLASH LOOMS OVER OBAMACARE
The GOP-led House is poised to ship a bill to the Senate aimed at crippling the president's signature health care law.
4. `GET DOWN!': WOMAN'S FRANTIC ESCAPE FROM THE NAVY YARD
A worker describes what it was like inside the building when a former serviceman went on a shooting rampage, killing 12.
5. HOUSE VOTES TO CUT FOOD STAMPS
The bill would slice nearly $4 billion a year – a 5 percent reduction – from the program used by about 1 in 7 Americans.
6. WHERE DOZENS ARE MISSING AFTER A LANDSLIDE
The hamlet of La Pintada in southern Mexico is devastated and grieving after a tidal wave of dirt leaves 68 people missing.
7. HOPE RISES FOR US-IRAN THAW
Obama and Rouhani have exchanged letters, and may meet briefly next week when the Iranian president attends the U.N. General Assembly.
8. WHY CLARENCE THOMAS IS OFTEN SEEN BUT NOT HEARD
The quietest of the Supreme Court's justices says his college nuns taught him the most important word he has ever learned: "Shhh!"
9. PRINCE OF A GUY WORKS AT DAIRY QUEEN
An employee sees a woman pick up $20 dropped by a visually impaired man and refuses to serve her until she gives it back. When she refuses, he gives the man $20 from his own pocket.
10. WHO PROVES YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN
Andy Reid makes a successful return to Philadelphia as his new team, the Kansas City Chiefs, downs his old one 26-16.

Chicago Park Shooting: 13 People Shot On Basketball Court

Thirteen people, including a 3-year-old boy, were shot on Thursday night in a park on Chicago's South Side, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The shootings reportedly occurred at a basketball court in Cornell Square Park in the city's Back of the Yards neighborhood.
Francis John, 70, was upstairs in her three-flat home near the park when she heard gunfire.
"It was a lot of boom, boom, boom,” John told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Ten adults and the 3-year-old were transported by Fire Department ambulances to area hospitals after the attack. A 12th victim was believed to have driven himself to the hospital, The Tribune reported.
Several hours after the shooting, police said a total of 13 people were shot: the boy, two teens and 10 adults. The boy, Deonta' Howard (pronounced Deontay), was most seriously wounded. He suffered a gunshot wound to the head, and was listed in critical condition.
Chicago police are releasing very little information about the attack, except to say that it appeared to be gang-related. No details have been released about a suspect.


MORE FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS:

CHICAGO — A 3-year-old boy who was among 13 people wounded in a late-night attack on a southwest Chicago park was alert when he arrived at the hospital and was apparently doing well, his family and friends said early Friday. The attack late Thursday in the city's Back of the Yard neighborhood left three victims, including the boy, in critical condition. The others were reportedly in serious or fair condition.
The child's uncle, Julian Harris, told the Chicago Sun-Times that dreadlocked men in a gray sedan shot at him Thursday night before turning toward nearby Cornell Square Park and opening fire. He said his nephew was shot in the cheek.
"They hit the light pole next to me, but I ducked down and ran into the house," Harris said. "They've been coming round here looking for people to shoot every night, just gang-banging stuff. It's what they do."
Police officials declined to discuss details of the investigation. Ron Gaines, a department spokesman, said no arrests had been made and that victims were being interviewed to try to determine the circumstances surrounding the attack, which happened shortly after 10 p.m.
Officer Amina Greer said at least 10 ambulances responded to the scene and took victims to several area hospitals. One victim transported himself to a hospital, police said.
Among the 13 victims were at least two other minors, ages 15 and 17.
The 3-year-old boy was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital. Hospital officials declined to disclose his condition, but fire officials said the boy's condition was critical.
The Rev. Corey Brooks, a pastor at New Beginnings Church, spoke with family members outside the hospital and said the boy was resting with his mother.
"He was talking when they first brought him in, but he's heavily sedated now," he said.
"They say he's good," said Semecha Nunn, the boy's grandmother. "They going to have to do a little plastic surgery on him, but he's OK."
Francis John, 70, said she was in her apartment when the shooting occurred. She said she went down to see what was going on and "a lot of youngsters were running scared." A 30-year resident, she said she was surprised by what had happened.
She told the Sun-Times there hasn't been much gun violence in the neighborhood in recent years, adding the neighborhood went from good to bad 10 years ago, to better recently.
The shooting comes nearly three weeks after Chicago saw an outburst of violence over the Labor Day weekend that ended with eight dead and 20 others injured.
Following a surge in homicides and shootings last year, the police department stepped up its crime-fighting efforts by, among other things, paying overtime to add patrols to some neighborhoods, including the Back of the Yards.

Flu Vaccine Update: The 2013 Flu Shot

Somewhere in between hot summer weather turning to autumn, bright red leaves falling from trees, and snowflakes starting to fall, the fifth season of the year sets in — flu season.
Flu season officially starts in the late fall and continues into the early spring. And breaking out your sweaters and hanging up your Halloween decorations means it's time for your annual flu shot. Flu vaccines are already available at local pharmacies and drug stores and will make its way into clinics across the country. Here’s what you need to know about this year’s flu vaccine.

The 2013 Flu Vaccine

For the 2013-2014 flu season, there will be two vaccines: a trivalent vaccine that is made from three inactivated viruses researchers believe will be prevalent during flu season, and a quadrivalent vaccine containing four inactivated viruses.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the trivalent vaccine consists of these three flu strains:

• an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;
• an A(H3N2) virus antigenically like the cell-propagated prototype virus A/Victoria/361/2011;
• a B/Massachusetts/2/2012-like virus.

For the quadrivalent vaccine, the CDC recommends it contain, “two influenza B viruses include the above three viruses and a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus.”
The quadrivalent vaccine will be in much shorter supply—vaccine manufacturers have projected they will make between 135 and 139 million doses of the flu shot for this season, and about 30 to 32 million of those will be the quadrivalent vaccine. Most of the the quadrivalent will be in the nasal spray form.
"The CDC has a very complicated way of mapping and tracking all these different viruses going around, and they try to predict which strains will be most rampant this year," says Kathryn Teng, MD, a physician in the department of internal medicine and director of clinical integration of personalized healthcare at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. They usually get it right, but not always.

Who Needs a Flu Shot?

Just because you got a seasonal flu shot last year doesn't mean you're off the hook this season. "The flu vaccine is different from year to year," says Dr. Teng, so that means it's a different vaccine every year. "Plus, the vaccine only lasts for a few months at a time.”
It takes two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop against the flu viruses, so people should not put off getting the shot.
Generally, anyone with a compromised immune system should protect themselves every flu season with a flu shot. This generally includes:

• Pregnant women
• The elderly
• Anyone with a chronic condition like diabetes or asthma
• Anyone taking medications that suppress the immune system
• Anyone with HIV or AIDS

People who live or work around chronically ill people (such as in a nursing facility or hospital) should also get vaccinated to protect themselves. All children over the age of 6 months old, as well as teenagers, should get the flu vaccine each year.
There are four different types of flu vaccine available:

• The regular shot approved for those 6 months and older.
• A high-dose shot approved for those 65 years and older.
• An intradermal shot approved for those 18 to 64 years old, a vaccine where the needle only goes into the skin, not the muscle.
• A nasal-spray vaccine, made with a live, weakened virus given as a nasal spray, is approved for those 2 to 49 years old who are in good health. The CDC notes this vaccine does not cause the flu.

If I Get the Shot, Can I Get the Flu?

Even if you get your recommended flu vaccine, you may still get sick.
It's important to understand that the flu shot has its limits as to how well it can protect you, and that it may not be able to completely shield you from getting a strain of the flu. But that doesn't mean that it's not still important to your health for you to get a flu shot — especially if you're at a high risk for developing severe complications of the flu.
If you get a flu shot and still end up getting sick with the flu, there's a benefit. "It [the flu vaccine] makes it less severe," says Teng. So you'll have less debilitating symptoms and be back on your feet faster than you would if you hadn't gotten your flu shot.
Of course, frequent hand washing and avoiding contact with sick people are also important in warding off the flu. But this year's combined flu shot should make protecting yourself just a little less painful, with only one needlestick to go through.

Ten Things You Need to Know Today

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
1. STOCKS HIT RECORD AFTER FED KEEPS STIMULUS IN PLACE
Wall Street cheers the Federal Reserve's decision to maintain its $85 billion-a-month bond-buying program.
2. NAVY YARD GUNMAN GAVE NO CLEAR WARNING
During two hospital visits in the weeks before the rampage, Aaron Alexis complained of insomnia – but denied having any thoughts of harming himself or others, officials say.
3. FLASHPOINT IN ATTEMPT TO SCUTTLE OBAMACARE
A fight looms in Congress over conservatives' efforts to yank the funding from Obama's health care overhaul.
4. WHERE AN ISLAMIST STRONGHOLD IS UNDER SEIGE
Egyptian security forces encircle a town near Cairo that was the scene last month of an attack by suspected Morsi supporters that left 15 police officers dead.
5. ASSAD ARGUES HIS CASE
The Syrian dictator insists in a TV interview that terrorists, not his regime, were to blame for last month's deadly chemical weapons attack.
6. HOW HIGHER EDUCATION HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED IN AFGHANISTAN
Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, the number of college students in the country has soared 26-fold to almost 204,000 – as many as a fifth of them women.
7. MANUEL MUSCLES UP
The tropical storm that devastated Acapulco over the weekend strengthens into a hurricane and takes fresh aim at Mexico's northwestern coast.
8. WHY OBESE PEOPLE ARE LESS LIKELY TO SURVIVE CANCER
One reason may be that doctors often short them on chemotherapy by not basing the dose on size.
9. AND THE WINNER IS...
The AP's Lynn Elber predicts "House of Cards" will earn the Emmy on Sunday for best drama. Fellow AP critic Frazier Moore says it'll be "Breaking Bad."
10. EX-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP DIES AT 70
Ken Norton was best known for defeating Muhammad Ali, breaking Ali's jaw and sending him to the hospital in a bout in 1973.