It is possible, ladies and gents! Take part in Rush Week, build How To pages, SEO them…

And the money really does come through!!!

@Philipy made about M$60 over the last two months with just ONE page.

Imagine building just six pages a year that make the same amount… You’ll make an extra M$2,000 a year! Joining the Mahalo How To Team is really and truly a legitimate way to supplement your income.

These users do it… You should, too!

Give it a try! Take part in Rush Week TODAY (How to Join the How To Team)! Get your friends to try out! If you refer a user who tries out for Rush Week, and goes on to build 10 How To pages, Mahalo will reward you M$100! (You must contact me directly and let me know you’ve referred people! @annek / anne@mahalo.com).

The Holiday season’s right around the corner… what better time to join the How To Team and start earning M$$ ????

And of course, like all passionate communities, the Answers users spend a lot of time thinking about themselves:

How long do you think it will take to get to purple belt?
What will be done to improve the answers on Mahalo?
Would you join or participate in a Mahalo Answers bulletin board?
Are you going to be on Mahalo Answers on Christmas day?

Purple Belts
The most hardcore Answers fanatics have already made it to the coveted “Purple Belt” level. (Hey, it only requires 2000 points!) This elite squad, which includes Mahalo CEO Jason Calacanis, have already earned between $40 and $150 Mahalo Dollars, and can be seen applying their expertise on a great variety of subjects, all over the site.

The reigning “Queen” of Answers, Darcy Logan, tends to participate in at least 20 questions each day. She’s our only user so far to have been awarded more than 100 “Best Answers,” an enormous number that surpasses the runner-up, Calacanis, by 20! Close at Darcy’s heels is Carriep, one of Mahalo’s remote guides, who has answered a staggering 278 questions thus far, receiving Best Answer for 70 of them. Since becoming a Purple Belt, she’s opined on the chances of finding true love on a reality show, the relative cruelty of putting booties on a cat, and podcasts that feature readings of short stories.

With 2135 points and $52 Mahalo Dollars received thus far, Bugsy is another Mahalo power user. He encourages other users to ask him personal questions for only $1, a steal for the attention of someone who has demonstrated expertise in film/entertainment, technology and mathematics, all in the past few days.

ConnectedGeek, a major Mahalo fan since the company’s early days, holds both a purple belt and the record for most questions asked on Mahalo Answers (182!). He’s curious about all sorts of things, from entrepreneurship, to astronomy, to, well, Mahalo Answers.

Undoubtedly, we’ll be seeing a lot more Purple Belts in the next few days. Several more power users are hovering at the 1800-2000 point mark already. It’s only a matter of time.

Controversial Discussions
As the Mahalo Answers community grows, we’ll have the opportunity to approach questions of considerable moral weight. In just the first two weeks of our existence, we’ve managed questions regarding with violence, controversial politics, drug use and abuse, and racism. Our goal is to treat all of our users with respect, but to manage any inappropriate discussion promptly.

Several questions concerning marijuana cropped up since mid-December, with users asking how to grow it or if it is safe to use marijuana while breastfeeding. Some users felt these questions should be immediately removed from the site as they refer to potentially illegal acts, while others saw no harm in encouraging the debate. As a community, we decided to keep questions intact that ask about how to grow marijuana as well as other topics discussing its possible health benefits. These questions do not refer to illegality and can be discussed in a clinical, respectful way. If a question was posted asking to buy or offering to distribute marijuana, however, this would constitute a violation of our Terms of Service, and would be removed. The most important thing to remember, however, is that posing a question on Mahalo Answers is not a substitute for seeking out professional medical advice through a licensed physician.

Our current Answers “Queen” Darcy Logan stirred up some controversy of her own when she asked what Mahalo should do in the event that someone suggests suicide through a Mahalo question. The community was immediately torn on this subject, with some users arguing that Mahalo is not the forum for such a discussion and that the question should immediately be removed. Others argued that removing the question could be potentially detrimental to the mental state of someone seeking help. Though we have been fortunate to avoid such dramatic circumstances, we are keenly aware that situations such as this may arise during the lifetime of our community. Our current strategy would be to remove the question and immediately contact the user with information referring him or her to a hotline or other service where they can get the help they need. Though we value the input of our knowledgeable community, we are simply not qualified to approach any physical or mental health issues.

Thanks to all of you who have been active users in the early weeks of Mahalo Answers. Our community will only be as strong as the dedicated members involved, so give yourselves a big pat on the back for making our launch and progress so successful. Keep those questions coming!

Though a CNN/Opinion Research poll shows Biden as the winner by a small margin, there were few fireworks during the debate and neither candidate landed a decisive blow. The poll also showed that Palin performed better than expected, especially in light of her recent fumbles in the press. Palin went as far as to say that Couric “annoyed” her with her quizzy questions.

Remains of adventurer Steve Fossett were finally found on October 2, 2008, amongst his plain’s wreckage in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. DNA tests are pending, but Fossett is thought to be dead. He first went missing in September 2007.

The House of Representatives approved (263-171) the $700 billion bailout bill today, after initially rejecting the bill on September 29. The bill gives the Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson free reign to purchase flailing financial institutions, in what is being dubbed the biggest act of governmental intervention on record. According to an article on SFGate.com, the bill was repackaged to include billions in earmarks and tax breaks for home-town interests in the Senate, two examples being: $2 million for wooden arrow manufacturers in Oregon, and the extension of a tax break worth $478 million for Hollywood filmmakers who shoot in the U.S.

In somewhat lighter news, a user with the handle “johntw” purported a hoax through CNN’S iReport system that Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple) had a heart attack. This caused Apple’s stock to temporarily plummet, falling below $100 per share. Apple’s stock has recovered, and Steve Jobs is fine.

Need some games to dig into over the weekend? Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the action-adventure title that lets you violently wield the force, has broken sales records and defied reviews (check out our full game guide). Or, if you would like to be terrified, Silent Hill: Homecoming, the fifth title in the chilling Silent Hill series, was released this past week (game guide is pending).

Although adventurer Steve Fossett was declared dead in February 2008, following a September 2007 Nevada desert plane crash, his body was never found, and rumors of his faking his own death continue to this day. Now the plot thickens–a hiker in California has allegedly found three IDs with Fossett’s name, as well as $1,000 cash. Police are investigating the documents’ validity.

The debate between vice-presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin is hotly anticipated for tomorrow, and Gwen Ifill won’t let her broken ankle keep her from moderating.

Could Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo be engaged? The two were reportedly seen ring-shopping in Dallas.

Attention Phish fans: reunion shows will be held on March 6, 7, and 8, 2009, and tickets are now available!

The U.S. Attorney firing scandal is back in the news after an internal Justice Department report was released and a special prosecutor, Nora Dannehy, was named to investigate the possibility of filing criminal charges.

The rocket Falcon 1, funded by SpaceX, reached orbit on September 28.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, starts today at sunset.

In celebrity news, Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds married in Vancouver, Canada, over the weekend, and Heather Locklear was arrested for drunk driving in Montecito, California.

Read more at Mahalo.com!

John McCain did decide to go on with tonight’s debate. However, the Wall Street Journal decided to go one step further: several hours before the debate, the publication’s online site displayed a McCain ad that stated “McCain Wins Debate!”

If the Wall Street Journal has a crystal ball, it would perhaps have been better served to check out where the U.S. economy was heading. Lawmakers were planning to work through the weekend to finalize the mortgage bailout plan.

Sadly, Ted Kennedy will not be in Washington. Kennedy was hospitalized after a “minor seizure” that resulted from a change in medication.

In lighter news, Sacha Baron Cohen, the comedian who channels Ali G and Borat, was arrested after his character Bruno interrupted a Milan fashion show for a scene for his upcoming film. Bruno isn’t yet in theaters, but this weekend you can see Nights in Rodanthe or Eagle Eye. Visit our movie reviews to see if either is worth the price of admission!

Though John McCain and Barack Obama have temporarily “suspended” their campaigns, the American public certainly hasn’t. Comedian Sarah Silverman is promoting The Great Schlep, encouraging young Jews across America to travel to Florida to convince their elderly relatives to vote for Obama.

With economic relief nowhere on the horizon, Americans can still indulge in television. Tonight sees the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy on ABC and the premiere of The Office on NBC.

Not laughing yet? Then you might need the 2009 Naked Clown Calendar, the proceeds of which go to benefit the Judy Finelli Fund, striving to discover a cure and treatments for multiple sclerosis.

If you missed it, check out Mahalo Daily’s coverage of the Eagle Eye premiere. Mahalo Daily co-host Lon Harris interviews Kristin Cavallari, Michelle Monaghan and Rosario Dawson.

In NFL news, the president of the Detroit Lions, Matt Millen, was fired after the Lions lost the first three games of the season. The New York Giants suspended Plaxico Burress for two weeks, allegedly for missing practice. Burress will miss one game, against the Seattle Seahawks. Finally, New York Giants radio broadcaster Dick Lynch has died at the age of 72.

Lindsay Lohan is back in the gossip news for her high profile romance with DJ Samantha Ronson. The young actress has confirmed that she is gay and in love with Ronson, who is ten years her senior. Rumors about the pair include their purchasing a New York penthouse together and an impending marriage.

With the presidential election only 41 days away, keep up to date with our pages on the Presidential Polls and the Electoral Vote Map. They are great to refer to right up to November 4th!

Check out Mahalo.com for more news, gossip, sports and politics!

In celebrity gossip news, American Idol finalist Clay Aiken has come out. The pop star discusses his decision to finally reveal all in the October 6 issue of People Magazine.

Both George W. Bush and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed the UN today. His address counters against the international pressure his country is under to disband its nuclear programs.

The tech-obsessed can rejoice: the Google Android Phone has finally been launched. The T-Mobile G1 is the first phone to utilize Google’s operating system and will cost $179 when it is released on October 22. T-Mobile G1 Reviews have been mostly positive, with one article expressing that the phone takes the best features from the BlackBerry and iPhone.

Sady, well-known writer Dominick Dunne was hospitalized today. Dunne was in Las Vegas covering O.J. Simpson’s trial for armed robbery and kidnapping; Dunne is known for his trenchant coverage of Simpson’s 1995 murder trial.

A photo of Jamie Lynn Spears breastfeeding her baby was reportedly stolen from Wal-Mart. In addition to the invasion of privacy and theft, the culprit could be prosecuted for disseminating child pornography, as Spears is underage.

And it’s the day after the Emmy Awards! This year’s big winners included 30 Rock, whose Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin scored leading actress and actor in a comedy, and HBO’s miniseries John Adams, which also had top acting honors going to Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti.