July 18, 2008 at 2:14 pm (Blogroll, Politics, housing, property management, real estate, society)
Tags: detroit, economy, gas prices, World War III
Good Night John Boy. Would the last one to leave Detroit please turn out the lights? Sound familiar? Maybe you remember some of these quips from 1974 when the first gas crisis struck on the heels of an earlier disagreement between the powers that be. The economy shuddered a little, there was a lot of debate that turned out to be mostly hot air, and the nation adapted and moved on. That’s what we do and do well once we get used to an idea or a situation that affects us nationally. It’s the economy and the war this time, but wasn’t it the economy and another war the last time as well? Perhaps the war didn’t have a name back then, but in retrospect, it was, and remains merely a continuation of the earlier World War. If you haven’t heard of World War III, then think about it like this: What we’re experiencing now is World War III - a world war being fought in the third world over dwindling resources and much more which I won’t go into here.
The impact, or pain at the pump, here at home is different from the first crisis in that the government seems to be clueless, powerless, impotent, or unwilling to tell the nation the truth. Whatever the reasons are, there remains a winter ahead, homes to heat, school buses to drive, trains, planes and automobiles to move, and the nation’s trucks to deliver our food and household needs to the nearby retailer.
Everyone has been touched by the surge in gas prices and we’re all singing the gas pump blues. Here’s an article the explores this topic a little more. Surge in Gas Prices
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July 3, 2008 at 8:30 pm (Blogroll, Politics, romance, society, weather)
Tags: dolly, edouard, fay, gustav, hanna, hurricane bertha, hurricane names, hurricane season, hurricanes, ike, josephine, kyle, laura, marco, nana, national hurricane center, omar
It’s a brave, new hurricane season and hurricane Bertha is gestating off the coast of Africa. Bertha is a great name for a hurricane, nothing remarkable about it and it’s not likely to be one of the recently memorable hurricanes like Katina, Rita, Andrew, or Camille. But what’s in a hurricane’s name?
Have you ever wondered about the naming rationale used by the folks at the National Hurricane Center? The only information that the National Hurricane Center provides is that the name should be short, distinctive, given (whatever that means) and not prone to communications error. So, let’s take a look at this years list.
The list begins with Arthur and Bertha. Next in line comes Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay and Gustav. Then we see Hanna, Ike, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco and Nana. Closing out the season we will see Omar, Paloma, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred. Nice folks, if you like.
Out of 21 names, I would guess that 15 are of European, mostly English, linguist origin. Four are Hispanic, and the rest seem to be middle eastern origin. So why should anyone look at this list and the meaning behind the names? Of course the list of names represents both male and female genders, although most names from other nationalities are male. Must be too much trouble to invoke the name of a female not of Euro descent.
Well, first of all, the word itself, “Hurricane” is of Native American, possible Carib or Mayan origin. So where are the distinctive Native American names? Maybe they just aren’t aware of any names beyond Tecumsch, Geronimo, Pocahontas, Sitting Bull, or Crazy Horse. Furthermore, where are the African-American or Muslim names, female or male?
The folks at the National Hurricane Center don’t like to change their list of hurricane names. In fact, they are prepared six years in advance and are rotated every so often. I wonder if they can be convinced to change their perspective and include the names of all nationalities and races. Or are they reserving the names of the most powerful storms on earth for themselves?
If you would like to learn more about the history of naming or how hurricanes are formed, jog on over to Hurricane or Hurricanes For interesting articles.
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March 15, 2008 at 5:14 pm (Blogroll, society)
Tags: carib, gulf coast, hurricane, Hurricane Katrina, hurricanes, maya, new orleans, oceans, storms
The ghost of Hurricane Katrina is going to be haunting our nation for years to come. The Gulf Coast and especially the Crescent City, New Orleans have much to be concerned about. Rebuilding these devastated areas is taking great effort and consuming valuable economic resources. Thousands of people and their families will never forget, nor should they, how the government failed to protect them and then assist them in recovery. Not to blame the government entirely, because there is a strong element of human pride, poverty, and the human condition that also contributed to the toll taken on the people of the Gulf. Regardless of the arguments over it however, hurricanes will return year after year, and with every hurricane season the good people of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans will pray that the coming storm will pass them by. The images and the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, Camille, Albert, and many others will serve to remind us that every year these storms are sure to return when the oceans begin to heat up under the blaze of the summer sun. The Maya and Carib people considered these storms Gods because of their destructive power.
Hurricanes are perhaps the most fearsome and devestating natural force we will ever encounter. Learn more about the formation and early encounters with hurricanes in these two articles. The article Hurricane explores the origin of the word for these monster storms, and the article Hurricanes explores how hurricanes are formed.
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March 14, 2008 at 5:28 pm (Blogroll, society)
Tags: cigarettes, inflation, saving money, smokers, smokes, tobacco
Let’s face it, saving money when buying smokes this days may be a lost cause. Inflation, fueled by the cost of gasoline and home heating oil, is eating away at everything including the price of a pack of cigarettes. There’s no end is sight and most people have apparently resigned themselves to paying more and more. Cigarettes are considered a luxury item, so smokers aren’t going to see any intervention by the Fed over this. Does this mean the end of tobacco? Not likely. There are some places where inexpensive cigarettes may still be purchased, although increasing demand is likely to begin driving prices upwards. You can save money when buying cigarettes, if you know where to look.
Be the next to learn how can you save money when buying Cigarettes here.
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March 13, 2008 at 4:42 pm (Blogroll, Politics, housing, property management, real estate, society)
Tags: economic development, FEMA, housing, HUD, hurricane, Hurricane Katrina, hurricane season, landlords, trailers
The government’s worst landlord is FEMA. After placing thousands of Hurricane Katrina survivors, mostly poor and low income people, in cheap trailers that were supposed to be temporary housing, FEMA and HUD, with the cooperation of local and state politicians appear to have abandoned them in favor of an economic development scheme aimed at creating long term solutions to a short term disaster.
Look at it like this. If your car has a flat tire, you need to replace the tire with a new one, or at least a tire that will get your car on the road so you can get to work every day. What you don’t need is the government to build a tire production facility somewhere just to make more tires that someone will sell you sometime in the future. But that’s how the government thinks your problem should be solved. Don’t help the survivors of our national disaster survive by helping with the construction of low cost affordable housing today, instead just dump a few billion into port development in order to create jobs sometime down the road.
FEMA is not equipped to handle low-income housing, and HUD …… Well what can you say about a government agency with a long record of corruption and scandal? The survivors of Hurricane Katrina will need government help for years to come. How long can a human survive in a mold, insect, and vermin infected government trailer that is environmentally hazardous to begin with? Is this a new form of social engineering in our country? We should be paying attention to this, because another hurricane season is about to begin.
Here are ten simple Landlord Rules that the nation’s worst landlords, FEMA and HUD could learn a lesson from.
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March 12, 2008 at 5:52 pm (Blogroll, Politics, housing, property management, real estate, society)
Tags: consumer, consumer goods, consumers, cost fuel, energy, home heating oil, investing, rebate check, saving money
How do saving money and investing fit into the government’s economic stimulus plans/ That question is being bantered around these days, often with a hint of fear on the government’s behalf, that Americans won’t just spend the money according to their plans. As is usually the case made against centralized planning, it just doesn’t work. Human behavior is seldom bent or shaped to the whimsy of government bureaucrats. Whatever happens, however we choose to spend our money, is sure to be touted as a success for the government’s plans in any case.
How consumers choose to spend their rebate check is a personal choice, one governed by more often by want than need. That’s what the government is counting on, the buying of consumer goods. But with the skyrocketing cost of fuel for the necessities of life, namely the automobile and home heating oil, some consumers may be thinking twice about wasting money on consumer goods. With no end in sight to inflated energy costs, consumers are considering investing and saving instead of buying, much to the government’s chagrin.
Be the next one to learn how Investing for the Future will result in saving money for your future and stimulating the economy of the nation.
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March 11, 2008 at 4:18 pm (Blogroll, housing, property management, real estate)
Tags: housing, character reference letter, rental housing
The demand for rental housing is going up as housing sales are going down, many going into foreclosure. It seems logical that anyone looking for housing will suddenly find themselves having to compete in order to gain approval for their application. If you have a friend, family, or acquaintance hunting for a new apartment, they may need a character reference letter from you in support of their application. Character reference letters are not difficult to write; the most important aspect for landlords may be a clear focus on financial responsibility and history.
Here are a number of tips to help you write the best Character Reference letter that should help your friend get the housing they want in today’s competitive rental housing market.
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March 9, 2008 at 10:57 pm (Blogroll, property management)
Tags: Intellectual Property Rights, IPR, property rights
Intellectual Property Rights are a concept that arises when businesses and employees grapple over who owns something created while in the employ of another. For instance, if I work for ABC Company and design a widget while working there, who owns the right to profit from it in the future. That may be a very simple example, but its intent is to stimulate thinking about the concept. This is a complex issue which can be better understood by looking at contracts, employment agreements, and the history of related legal issues. If you are employed to create something on an intellectual basis, you may want to read more about this.
Who will be the next to read this article: Intellectual Property Rights?
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March 8, 2008 at 5:58 pm (Politics, Uncategorized)
Tags: constitution, democracy, election, former u.s. presidents, presidents, speaking out
Former U.S. Presidents are expected to go quietly into the night, not speaking out about any of the problems that the incumbent has created for our nation. This is an accepted condition, perhaps created out of respect or out of fear of upsetting the national apple cart. After all, the incumbent represents the political will of the majority that elected him (or her). It might seem right that the voice of the now minority ex-president should not be heard in the public debate, unless it’s an endorsement of something the ruling party considers favorable to their position.
The nation has a compelling history-changing decision to make during the coming election. One that may affect the Constitution and the very foundation of representative democracy. Of course, not all the votes have been counted and not all the voices have been heard, including those of our former Presidents. The speaker’s line up alone is cause for concern.
You can read more about The Right to Speak Out of former U.S. Presidents at this article.
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March 7, 2008 at 5:19 pm (Blogroll, property management, real estate)
Tags: landlords, property managers, internet marketing, rental property, rental, renters, save money
The question is whether or not landlords are able to find renters using the Internet and save money doing so. The most common way to market a rental property is through the newspapers or other print media. This approach reaches primarily into the local market, but does nothing to reach beyond. The Internet, on the other hand, is global and is the greatest information resource ever created. Landlords and property managers should seriously consider Internet marketing and the possibility of keeping the occupancy rate up by reaching out to find new renters through Internet.
Here’s an article where you can learn more about Internet Marketing for Landlords and how landlords may be able to save money doing so.
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