Epic Fail

OMG, the 500 staff at Premier Foods in the UK were all given Christmas puddings as a festive bonus. Problem? They had all gone out of date 10 months prior. But not to despair, the bosses had added a little note to each of them explaining they were still safe to eat even if they did have a March 2, 2009 expiry date on the package. An opportune time for a regift, me thinks (oh and a career change).

Image via Wikipedia

Expired!

Tomorrow, December 17, over 700 merchants will ship your items for free with a guarantee to arrive by Christmas Eve. Check out the details and a list of retailers here. GO GO GO! Happy shopping!

So you attempted to sell your home by owner, or with an agent, it didn’t sell and now you’re feeling frustrated and discouraged and aren’t sure what to do next. Before you put your home back on the market, take a step back and review your situation. Usually when a house doesn’t sell it’s due to one of four things: PRICE, CONDITION, MARKETING, or THE AGENT YOU HIRE TO SELL YOUR HOME. 

1. Price (or is it price range?) rules all In most cases, the reason a property doesn’t sell is the price. The ‘Right Price’ depends on market conditions, competition and the condition of your home. If your home doesn’t compare favorably with others in the price range you’ve set, it will not sell.You’ll get the facts when you see the statistics! To help you establish a realistic selling price for your home, ask your Realtor to provide an up-to-date competitive market analysis to give you: a review of comparable homes recently sold as well as those currently available for sale. Sold homes represent what homes are currently selling for while active listings represent your competition.

Here is the simple truth about pricing a home:

1. You must price it based on the current market.

2. You must effectively market and expose the home.

3. If it is priced right, it will sell. If it is priced to high, it won’t.

All else is commentary. The simple fact is the market is always right! If you attempt to argue with the market, the market will always win! If a home has been on the market, and it has been effectively marketed but has not sold, it is overpriced.

Pricing Luxury Homes - In today’s luxury real estate market, you can be priced perfectly, but if you’re in the wrong price range your property won’t sell. In other words, your property can be in perfect condition and in perfect alignment with the comparable sales and it can still sit on the market for months. The reason? The credit crunch.

The first-time-buyer market has been flourishing, largely due to the first-time-buyer tax credit of $8,000. Homes that require financing over and above the “conforming loan limits,” however, are languishing on the market. A conforming loan meets the guidelines to be purchased and securitized by either the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. (Freddie Mac).

Conforming loan guidelines include a maximum loan amount determined by geographical region as well as the requirements to meet certain down payment, credit and debt-to-income requirements.

If your property is too expensive to fit into the conforming loan category and you have a considerable amount of equity in your home, some sellers have been able to sell by carrying some, or all of the buyer’s financing. In fact, 35 percent of the properties in the U.S. are free and clear.

In most areas, the maximum amount that you can obtain for a conforming loan is $417,000. In certain expensive areas, the maximum loan amount that a borrower can obtain is $729,750 (through the end of 2010, unless these upper limits are extended).

Thus, if your property is priced more than $450,000, the reason it may not be selling is that buyers are unable to obtain financing to buy it. A second reason is that if your home is a “move-up” property rather than a first-time-buyer property, your potential buyers may be unable to sell their existing properties in order to buy your property.

There can be a wide variety of reasons for this, the most notable of which is their properties are worth less than they paid for them. In many cases, their properties may fall into the “short sale” category where they owe more on the mortgage than the property is worth. When a substantial number of sellers in a given area have no equity in their current properties, the move-up market will be dead.

2. Condition Does your house show like a model? Is it someone else’s idea of a dream home? How does the house look from the street? Is the landscaping attractive? Is the exterior well maintained? When buyer’s enter are they inspired? Is the house cluttered with your personal belongings or have you cleared out as much as possible? You need to get into the mindset that it’s not your house anymore. Your goal is to help the buyer imagine that your house is their future home.

Visit our home enhancement guide for advice on preparing your home for sale.

3. Marketing Gone are the days when all an agent had to do was put a sign in the front yard, place the home on the multiple listing service, run a well worded sales ad and wait for the offers to come in. Today’s agent must have an aggressive marketing plan that makes effective use of new innovative, non-traditional marketing approaches.

Is your listing being marketed on at least 25 major listing portals?

Does your agent know which real estate websites are the most visited online?

In addition to the local multiple listing service is your property on Realtor.com (is it a featured listing), Yahoo Real Estate, Zillow, HomeGain, Craigslist, Cyberhomes, or Trulia to name a few?

4. The Listing Agent Your listing agent is key to the sale of your home and will need to be able to completely and proficiently assist you in PRICING, ENHANCING and EXPOSING your home. You need an experienced and aggressive professional you can trust, and one whose expertise extends into cutting edge sales and marketing techniques.

If you’re having trouble selling you home carefully evaluate where you stand on each of these issues. If there’s an area that needs improvement, don’t wait… address these issues today and get your property sold tomorrow!

If you, or someone you know is considering Buying or Selling a Home in Columbus, Ohio please contact The Opland Group. We offer professional real estate advice and look forward to helping you achieve your real estate goals!

The Opland Group Specializes in Real Estate Sales, Luxury Home Sales, Short Salesin;  Bexley  Columbus  Delaware  Downtown  Dublin  Gahanna  Grandview Heights  Granville  Grove City  Groveport  Hilliard  Lewis Center  New Albany  Pickerington  Polaris  Powell   Upper Arlington  Westerville  Worthington

I guess every european country has had one – a meat scandal. My guess would be that one investigating tv show came up with the idea to check the quality of the meat in the supermarkets and then it spread to all other countries after that.

In Sweden it was the public service show “uppdrag granskning” who investigated a couple of supermarkets and found proof that a number of the supermarkets repacked meat. When the expire date was over they just repacked the meat. When it comes to minced meat they just grind (?) it again and repack it. In Germany I just saw a piece in the show extra in the channel rtl where they rapported about the fact that they discovered the meat scandal a couple of years ago by putting pieces of spaghetti in meat that would expire the next day and then they went to the supermarket the day after and checked the new packages of meat – with new expire dates – and found the spaghetti pieces in the meat again!

ergo: the meat has just been repacked or relabled.

No good. No good.

And everyone is very appalled and it’s called a scandal and yadayada.

Still – from what I’ve heard – no one has gotten sick from eating this meat.

So isn’t it all a tiny, tiny bit stupid?

I, for one feel a bit patronized when there are rules either set from the supermarket or from the eu or the health department, that they can’t even put the meat or milk or cheese with an expired date on the shelf – in Sweden it’s not called expired – it’s called best before. The meat is best before this date. But it’s not non edible. Why can’t they just lower the price, say, if we get rid of it then we’ll be happy, then at home you can decide on your own if it’s edible or not. The milk is not bad before it smells bad. Usually that is about four days after the date shown on the package – especially if it’s not opened yet. Meat you can still eat if the color is ok and it still smells fine. Still you don’t find any food in the supermarket where the best before date has passed.

So where do all these food go?

I think it’s just thrown away. I think it’s just adding to the food mountains in the west world. We throw away huge amounts of edible food every day.

So isn’t it all a tiny, tiny bit stupid?

When I was a kid it was still ok to sell food that was expired. My father came home every second day with old milk, old salami, old bread and told us, eat, it was cheap but it will only stay good as long as it haven’t turned bad. So I got an expert on determining what was good and what was bad. Newsflash! if you buy minced meat that has expired by a day but still looks and smells ok and you don’t want to eat it like the same day or the next day – freeze it and you can use it next week.

Now I’m a grown up and I think the regulations should treat me like one too. It’s important to say, perhaps the baking soda will loose some of it’s power after this date or perhaps the milk won’t taste just as fresh as the new new one after it’s “expiration date” but it isn’t bad yet, for a discount you can buy it, you just won’t be able to keep it at home as many days as otherwise and then when it smells bad you have to throw it away.

I don’t support the fact that the supermarkets fooled us buyers. I don’t think that anyone should trick anyone ever. But I can see flaws in the system and the regulations and see why it came to the tricking.

Since I had a perfectly ripe banana sitting on my desk today, I decided to make one of Katie’s Banana Hammocks. No not the gross Borat kind (don’t even want to post the picture, it’s too much!), just the delicious banana+peanut butter kind.

Although my picture isn’t half as enticing as Katie’s, let me tell you this was delicious! It is filled with Better ‘n PB and some dried cranberries that are stuck in there. As disturbing as the name may be, it was worth it

Then since today is my last day in the office, I decided to eat whatever I had left here. I put together this innocent looking lunch:

The apple was tiny, and not good. A little mealy, hope that doesn’t mean the rest from TJ’s are bad too! Then I drank about half of the smoothie before noticing one important fact.

It expired six days ago! I mean I’m sure it wasn’t bad or anything, but that was enough for me to throw out the rest. It had obviously been in the fridge at work for QUITE a while. Of course the larabar was good, but overall it was kind of a failure of a lunch. At least I have some leftover sweet potatoes and squash waiting for me at home!

Lately I’ve been getting weird error messages when trying to text to the shortcode of a local radio station.  Since my messages were trivial feedback or text requests, I wasn’t really all that concerned… and there other ways to get a hold of the DJ’s.  Out of curiosity, I forwarded the error message to my phone, and then emailed it to a local radio personality… and we discovered an oddity amongst ourselves.  I decided to pop it into an email or two or three to Sprint, as I have acquired many customer service email addresses over the years.

Thanks to Dave again for editing help on the email to Sprint.  I get excited with this stuff, and it’s damn-near impossible to proofread your own work with any sort of clarity or efficiency.

Reads how the story unfolds below, DJ’s identity protected by request.

From: Eric Carroll me@myemailaddre.ss
To: customer.servicenet@mail.sprint.com
Sent: Thu, December 3, 2009 8:35:30 AM
Subject: Error Msg 1051 & Shortcode [shortcode] – ???

Hello Old Friends at Sprint Customer Service,

I have had several interactions with Sprint customer service before, and they usually go like this or like this.  So, please pardon me if I sound confoundedly abrupt, direct, or belligerent.  I will try to be as direct & concise as possible in describing this error, which may have an effect on a great number of customers.

The following is an email exchange that I had with a local radio personality today after emailing him out of frustration that every time I text to the number pimped out over the air, I get some sort of error message.  Full contents of that message below…

---

From: Me me@myemailaddre.ss
Sent: Wed 12/2/2009
To: [DJ] DJ@station.com
Subject: [shortcode]?Every time I try to text you guys from my phone at [shortcode], I keep getting this message…

—– Forwarded Message —-
From: ##########@messaging.sprintpcs.com

To: me@myemailaddre.ss
Sent: Wed, December 2, 2009
Subject:Fwd:
From: 9230
Sent: Dec 2 1:24pm
Msg: The shortcode you are attempting to use has expired and is no longer a valid short code.
Msg 1051

By the way, I dug the Flyleaf!

-E.

---

From: [DJ] DJ@station.com
To: Me me@myemailaddre.ss
Sent: Wed, December 2, 2009
Subject: RE: [shortcode]?really????  that is weird, got about a hundred txts for the pick today…

[DJ]

[station]-fm Pittsburgh

http://www.station.com/pages/dj.html

---

From: Me me@myemailaddre.ss
Sent: Wed 12/2/2009
To: [DJ]
Subject: Re: [shortcode]?

Sprint is the devil incarnate, so it comes as no surprise, must be their issue.  Or I’m persistently fat-fingering the wrong number…  Ha ha ha.

-E.
.seitilibasid gninrael fo nuf ekam ot ynnuf ton yllaer s’tI

---

From: [DJ] DJ@station.com
To: Me me@myemailaddre.ss
Sent: Wed, December 2, 2009
Subject: RE: [shortcode]?of the last 50 txts or so, not one is from Sprint..

[DJ]

[station]-fm Pittsburgh

http://www.station.com/pages/dj.html

---

Please pardon the “devil incarnate” crack, but again, I refer you to this and this… and I only wish I had saved my correspondence about splitting my phone from another plan years & years ago that was mired with “network issues” and a lack of any real solutions until I elevated it to a level where it trickled down to a regional manager to handle.

As you can see, any and all text messages to [shortcode] for their text requests, feedback on “[show segment]“, or general harassment of the DJ’s, may not be going through on the Sprint network.  I checked my phone dialing skills, and my fingers are indeed functioning properly.  [DJ]’s comment “of the last 50 txts or so, not one is from Sprint” ought to concern you, or at least throw up the proverbial red flag if you will.  How [DJ] comes to this conclusion, I know not, but he is a seemingly intelligent person, and who am I to question his knowledge and authority on the subject?  Would you dare question him?

It seems odd to me that a shortcode would expire for one network, and not any others.  Again, I know nothing of cell phone and data networks and their mysterious inter-workings… I’m just making a guess based on the evidence presented to me.

If the issue is a network problem, I felt that you might like to be notified, so this is that.  If the problem is simply with my phone or plan, I’d like the issue resolved as soon as possible.

Thank you in advance for your time, I hope to hear from you soon… and I really hope it’s not an automated response.  I hate automated responses with the line “please do not reply to this email”.  Seriously.  Who wants to read that?  I would rather read…  “If you don’t have a response from us within X# business days, please contact blah-blah@bowdownto.sprint.gov” or something like that.  And please, please, please… do not ask me to call any automated numbers… or provide my phone number to “discuss the issue”.  I don’t want to discuss the issue.  This is why I took the time to construct a thoughtfully worded and calculated email.

Inquisitively,
-Eric

Heh.  I really wish I had that 1st set of Sprint correspondence somewhere.  It was highly entertaining.  At any rate, got a few responses today already.  I’m amazed at the degree of  difference.

From: “McDonald, Maria [CON]” maria.mcdonald@sprint.com
To: Eric me@myemailaddre.ss
Sent: Thu, December 3, 2009 8:40:38 AM
Subject: RE: Error Msg 1051 & Shortcode [shortcode] – ???

May be associated with this issue. We are currently working on this.

Thank you to all of you who helped our customers report this, and for those of you who sent these up to me.  This was posted yesterday, please let your customers know Sprint is engaged with our roaming partners to resolve this issue as soon as possible.  No ETR at current.

Thanks,

BB

Roaming SMS Text Messaging Issue
As of 11/24/09, Sprint CDMA customers nationwide are experiencing problems when sending and receiving SMS Text Messages on some roaming networks.

Details:

·         Customers may get an “error 3” message when SMS Text Messages are sent.

·         Voice and data roaming is not impacted.

·         Sprint is aware of the problem and working with their roaming partner to determine root cause.

·         No resolution time has been determined.

·         Updates will follow when available.

Actions:

If a customer contacts you about problems sending or receiving text messages while roaming:

·         Apologize for the inconvenience and let them know that Sprint is aware of the problem and working as quickly as possible to resolve it, however there is no resolution at this time.

Do not enter a trouble ticket

So, basically, “It’s a network issue that technically isn’t our fault, we have no idea what we’re doing and no resolution at this time even though you pay us a ridiculous amount of money each month for service, sorry.”

From: Eric me@myemailaddre.ss
To: “McDonald, Maria [CON]” maria.mcdonald@sprint.com
Sent: Thu, December 3, 2009 8:49:21 AM
Subject: Re: Error Msg 1051 & Shortcode [shortcode] – ???

Hello Maria,

While I don’t believe that I’m in roaming when I send these texts, as I’m at work, on top of a large hill, not far from the city, and in an area where my reception & service seem to be consistently good…  I can appreciate that this may be related to a larger-scale issue.  Why would a roaming issue give me an error message about an expired shortcode?

Thank you for your time & almost instantaneous reply!

Impressed,
-Eric

.seitilibasid gninrael fo nuf ekam ot ynnuf ton yllaer s’tI

Reasonable enough, no?  On to the secondary reply…

From: “McDonald, Maria [CON]” maria.mcdonald@sprint.com
To: Eric me@myemailaddre.ss
Sent: Thu, December 3, 2009 8:52:23 AM
Subject: RE: Error Msg 1051 & Shortcode [shortcode] – ???

You’re welcome! I was online reviewing emails when I got your message. I believe it has to do with roaming partner agreements etc. While your phone will not tell you that you are roaming (it usually only alerts you while a voice call is made) it code be your location and the proximity to a roaming partner (usually Verizon) tower.

Try setting your phone to “Sprint only” in your roaming settings and see if it helps. May not change the error though but the company is aware of an issue with sms texting.

It’s Verizon’s fault? Verizon is SMS-blocking me and a local radio station?  I can see by the icon on my phone that I’m not in roaming where I’m trying to text.  Odd.  This is a route we’re not getting anywhere with.  Luckily, I have other replies…

From: “Belback, Sarah A [CON]” Sarah.Feather@sprint.com
To: Eric Carroll me@myemailaddre.ss
Sent: Thu, December 3, 2009 9:07:22 AM
Subject: RE: Error Msg 1051 & Shortcode [shortcode] – ???

Eric,

Is your phone on roam when you are trying to text?

Sarah Belback
Store  Manager #985
114 Trinity Point Dr
Washington, PA 15301
724-250-1700 store
404-948-0699 fax
480-221-0101 wireless

A more subtle approach, I take it?  I’ll go with this then…

From: Eric me@myemailaddre.ss
Sent: Thursday, December 03, 2009 9:28 AM
To: Belback, Sarah A [CON]
Subject: Re: Error Msg 1051 & Shortcode [shortcode] – ???

Hello Sarah,

Thanks for the quick reply!  I don’t believe I’m in roaming… I am not too far from the city, on top of a large hill, and in an industrial park when trying to text.  I never have any reception rpoblems or roaming notificatons when I’m here at work… and the icon on my phone doesn’t indicate that I’m in roaming.

Thanks,
-Eric

.seitilibasid gninrael fo nuf ekam ot ynnuf ton yllaer s’tI

Regular Text

From: ” Belback, Sarah A [CON] ” Sarah.Feather@sprint.com
To: Eric me@myemailaddre.ss
Sent: Thu, December 3, 2009 9:32:31 AM
Subject: RE: Error Msg 1051 & Shortcode [shortcode] – ???

Ok. When did this start? What is the address where you are at? What is your wireless #?

Sarah Belback
Store  Manager #985
114 Trinity Point Dr
Washington, PA 15301
724-250-1700 store
404-948-0699 fax
480-221-0101 wireless

Well, for starters, my wireless number is in the original email if you’re paying attention.  It’s the 10 digits in front of the SMS email address.  Dave and Kristin (my editing friends) would have a field day with the sentence ended by “at”.  Oh, look!  I did it again.  Oh well, I needed to keep this one going…

From: Eric me@myemailaddre.ss
Sent: Thursday, December 03, 2009
To: Belback, Sarah A [CON]
Subject: Re: Error Msg 1051 & Shortcode [shortcode] – ???

Hello again Sarah,

Noticed the error last week ignored it the first few times until I conversed with [DJ] at [station].  I’m in ________________ , PA _____ … my wireless # is ###-###-####.

Thanks!

-Eric

.seitilibasid gninrael fo nuf ekam ot ynnuf ton yllaer s’tI

So, she tries to help again…

From: “Belback, Sarah A [CON]” Sarah.Feather@sprint.com

To: Eric me@myemailaddre.ss

Sent: Thu, December 3, 2009 10:48:17 AM

Subject: RE: Error Msg 1051 & Shortcode [shortcode] – ???

Ok. Thx!  Can you bring your phone to the store so we can test it. If need be we may have to call tech support as well and I know I will need the phone present when we call.

Sarah Belback
Store  Manager #985
114 Trinity Point Dr
Washington, PA 15301
724-250-1700 store
404-948-0699 fax
480-221-0101 wireless

Thx?  Thx! OMG. WTF? BBQ!

Well, I have no idea why I have this store’s contact info, as it isn’t near me, or where I got the phone.  So… I’m not about to go to that store for that reason.  The other reason being that I tried to send a text to a shortcode multiple times, and got the same result multiple time.  I described in details the problem I was having, and I even provided the exact text of the network error message, including a specific error code.  “Error Msg 1051″ is in the subject line of the email!  [DJ] says that he hasn’t received any text messages from Sprint in the last 50 or so that he had received.  It’s obviously not an error with just my phone.

At least Sarah accepts the fact that it may not be part of this larger blanket “Verizon text-blocking” issue.

I haven’t decided how to reply to this yet… as customer service at sprint seems to have time & time again locked me into an endless loop of email/call the #/come to the store/call the “special” #/go to the store/… Repeat ∞.

Which brings me to this gem…

From: “IDEN – Online@sprint.com” online@sprint.com
To: Eric me@myemailaddress.com
Sent: Thu, December 3, 2009 4:21:29 PM
Subject: Re: Error Msg 1051 & Shortcode [shortcode] – ??? (KMM65634876I15977L0KM)

Dear Eric,

Thank you for contacting Sprint regarding message to a short code.

I understand that you are unable to send messages to the short code
[shortcode].  I apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced. To
resolve this issue, please contact a Technical Support specialist by
calling (888) 211-4727 and follow the prompts for technical support
assistance.  In order to potentially test your Sprint handset, it is
important to call from another phone.

Further, to protect your Sprint account from unauthorized access and
changes, it is important that we confirm your information.

Please reply to this email and provide me with your:

1. First and last name
2. Email address
3. Wireless telephone number
4. Billing address

We value your business and appreciate the opportunity to address your
concerns. Please reply to this email or visit Sprint.com/mysprint if we
can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,
James P.
Sprint

Helpful Sprint Links:

Learn to pay & view your bill, check usage and more with our
“how to” videos: www.sprint.com/howto

Receive unprecedented value:
Analyze your plan: www.sprint.com/planfit
Try our individual, shared/family and push-to-talk plans:
www.sprint.com/simpleplans

Find a Sprint store, email a question or make an appointment:
www.sprintstorelocator.com

Preview cutting-edge devices that give you instant access to
what you want, fast:
Palm Pre & other Smartphones: www.sprint.com/smartphones
BlackBerry 8330i & other Push-to-Talk phones:
www.sprint.com/pushtotalk

Check out our network coverage: www.sprint.com/coverage

Live & breathe football with NFL Mobile Live: www.sprint.com/nfl

Original Message Follows:
————————

Wow, do I have several issues with this.  Just wow.  I think it warrants a bulleted list!

• “Thank you for contacting Sprint regarding message to a short code.”/“I understand that you are unable to send messages to the short code [shortcode].” – So, you did read my emai?  Cool!  Finally!
• “To resolve this issue, please contact a Technical Support specialist by calling (888) 211-4727 and follow the prompts for technical support assistance.” – So, you didn’t read my email?  (Especially at the bottom where I said “And please, please, please… do not ask me to call any automated numbers… or provide my phone number to ‘discuss the issue’.  I don’t want to discuss the issue.  This is why I took the time to construct a thoughtfully worded and calculated email.”)  Well, boo to you, my friends.
• “Further, to protect your Sprint account from unauthorized access and changes, it is important that we confirm your information.” – You goofy sons of… items 1 through 3 are all mentioned in the 1st email.  It’s an email, so you have my address and first and last name… and again, the phone number was listed.  So, I need to email you my billing address and call the 888 number that’s been programmed into my phone for the past 2 phones…?  For what?  To start the endless cycle noted above?
• “Please reply to this email or visit Sprint.com/mysprint if we can be of further assistance.” – I sent you this email for assistace in the first place.  I don’t need further assistance… I need an actual occurance of assistance before I can request further assistance.  In fact, I don’t even think I need assistance. I think you need the assistance with your network, and I think Verizon needs assistance in text-blocking you.

Wow.  I’m not sure where to go form here… but you can see how this is a downward spiral of nonsensical steps in order to (I think) exhaust me to the point where I no longer care about the problem.

And, was that advertisement for themselves at the bottom of the tech support email?  Really?

Maybe I should ask Verizon why they’re text-blocking me?

“You’d have thought we moved to Mars,” says Gibbs. “He still wants to go home despite having made tons of friends.”

Moving is one of the most stressful events in life—even more so for kids. But you can help ease the transition. Here are some tips:

Involve children in planning. Help them find local Web sites so they can learn about schools, sports and events in their new city. The goal is to increase familiarity and build excitement for the new area.

Communicate. Take time to speak with children about the move–and particularly about their fears or concerns.

If possible, allow children to pick their own bedrooms. This makes it fun and exciting. Let them help decorate as well.

Keep a few prized possessions out of the boxes. Familiar items, such as a blanket or stuffed animal, bring comfort to skittish kids.

Encourage children to make new friends. Introduce them to children in the neighborhood. Invite a classmate over for a play date. Or throw a kiddie housewarming party!

Seek help from professionals. A knowledgeable real estate agent can help you learn the area, give you leads on local children’s activities and make the whole move go more smoothly.

On Nov. 6, President Obama signed legislation that extends and expands the homebuyer tax credit. Now, for the first time, the credit is available to current homeowners as well as people purchasing for the first time.The first-time homebuyer tax credit has been instrumental in helping the real estate market recover. The credit has brought new families into the housing market, and they in turn helped reduce the inventory of unsold homes.

The expanded credit is expected to encourage more investment in residential housing. Here are the details*:

•The $8,000 first-time homebuyer credit is extended through April 30, 2010, giving buyers who have signed a purchase contract by that date until June 30 to close on their home. The actual credit is equal to 10% of a home’s purchase price, up to a maximum of $8,000.

•A new credit of up to $6,500 is available for repeat homebuyers who purchase a principal residence if they have been living in their current home for five consecutive years out of the past eight years preceding the purchase.

•Income limits have been increased. Now, single buyers with incomes up to $125,000 or married couples earning up to $225,000 may be eligible. Partial credits may be available to homebuyers who earn more.

•The credit is extended until April 30, 2011 for certain qualified military buyers.

•The credit applies only to homes priced at $800,000 or less.

If you’re planning to buy, act quickly. Experts say there will be no further extensions of the tax credit, so this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to save money while buying a new home.

For more information about the tax credits, or to learn about available properties in your area, call our CENTURY 21 Office today.

*This is not meant to be tax or legal advice. Consult a tax professional for details.

you were SO good in Speed 2...

R

Samantha Morton, Jason Patric, Teri Garr

Jay: Alright, I’ve got a lot of stuff I need to do before work tomorrow.
Claire: Oh…
Jay: Is that allowed??
Claire: No, it’s fine…um…it’s been great.  I wasn’t expecting anything anyway.
Jay: Well, good.  Just keep it that way, we’ll get along just fine.

Two parking enforcement officers, Claire (Morton) and Jay (Patric), meet and develop an awkward attraction to each other.  Claire is meek and reserved, while Jay can be insulting and tends to have angry outbursts at the citizens who complain about him giving them a ticket.  The two struggle as Claire won’t stand up to Jay’s verbal abuse, and Jay can’t deal with his growing attraction to Claire.

Yeah, not a lot going on here.  Not that there has to be a lot of plotting, but maybe some character growth wouldn’t hurt the movie.  It’s basically an hour and a half of Jason Patric being a jerk and Samantha Morton just taking it in stride.  Morton is likable in just about everything I’ve seen her in, and she’s almost too likable here.  But I guess it would take someone this impossibly nice and meek to put up with a jerk like Jay.

While I did laugh, at times, at Jay’s unbelievably insulting comments, I had to imagine that if I saw a relationship like this in real life, it would make me sick.  Perhaps that’s the point, and that’s the joke, but…it wasn’t funny enough.  It just ends up not being very enjoyable to watch.  It reminded me a bit of the movie Eagle vs. Shark, with one character constantly putting down a much nicer character.  That movie had more interesting stuff in it, though.  This movie was watchable, but just sort of…blah.

It’s not a bad movie, but it’s not pleasant or interesting enough to really recommend.  Unless you really love Samantha Morton.  Or maybe if you hate her as well because you get to watch her being insulted for most of the movie.

Parking tickets are not about enforcing the law or public safety.  They’re about making money.

10 – 3 for the general unpleasantness of the relationship – 1 for little to no character growth – .5 for seeming overlong = 5.5

Here’s some good news if you’re planning a home improvement or remodeling project. Contractors are finding it slow going these days due to the housing slump and shaky economy. Many are taking on smaller jobs that they wouldn’t have considered before-and they’re willing to deal on pricing just to get new work.

Unfortunately, however, a softer economy also brings out unscrupulous types, warns the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, such as unlicensed individuals posing as remodelers.

Here’s how to protect yourself if you’re planning a project:

• Be sure to hire an experienced local contractor and not a fly-by-nighter. Contact state or local licensing agencies to ensure a contractor meets all requirements.
• Check with the local Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed against the contractor. Check references from past customers as well.
• Get three written estimates from licensed contractors.
• Ask for proof of insurance.
• Draw up a contract before work starts. It should detail the type of work and materials and contain starting and finishing dates. The contract should also contain a warranty covering materials and workmanship for a minimum of one year.
• Be wary of contractors soliciting business door to door.
• Never give a big deposit upfront. Consider putting down no more than 10 percent of the total job cost
• Make sure you understand the financial terms of the contract and that the total price, payment schedule and any cancellation penalty are clear.

For more tips on hiring a reputable contractor, or for referrals in your area, call our CENTURY 21 Office today.

Lower Your Heating Costs This Winter by Weatherizing Your Home Winter is right around the corner. So there’s no better time to prepare for the season by making energy-efficient upgrades. Typical energy improvements include air sealing, insulation, ventilation systems or the installation of green appliances approved by Energy Star. Many upgrades are encouraged by state or federal programs that provide tax credits or rebates. “These programs raise consumer awareness of the types of upgrades that are needed to make homes more energy-efficient,” says Neil Parsons, a vice president at Mark of Excellence Remodeling in West Long Branch, N.J. “Weatherization” is a term that describes various improvements made to buildings and homes to optimize energy efficiency. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, on average, weatherization reduces heating bills by 32% and overall energy bills by about $350 per year at current prices. Even though each state has different programs and incentives, all provide benefits to homeowners. “Homeowners notice their return on investment in their utility bills instantly after making energy upgrades,” says Parsons. “The other benefits are the rebates, the increase in home value from making the improvements, increased performance and durability and helping out the planet by conserving energy for future generations.” To learn more about your state weatherization programs, visit www.dsireusa.org.

Neil Krug recreates vintage photography in the present with the use of expired polaroids. Armed with his polaroid land camera automatic 100, this Kansas based photographer shoots a variety of subjects including models, hippies, landscapes, and other personal works. Neil is a full time promo director who also had his hand on LadyTron’s “Tomorrow” video.

http://www.flickr.com/people/neilkrug/

I have so many coupons around here since we’ve began couponing this past April that I feel a little lost among all of them. So I came online to find a solution…a way to sort through the old ones to make room for the current ones…

Well, I have a saved link to expired coupons from Slickdeals but I never made it over there. I subscribed to Proverbs Wife some months ago. She had out together a list of inserts in which we can toss…

5/3- SS/RP
5/10- SS/RP
5/17- SS/RP
5/31- RP
6/7- SS/RP
6/14- SS/RP
6/21- SS/RP
6/28- SS/RP
7/5- PG
7/12- SS/RP
7/26- RP
8/2- SS

More times than not the coupons within the P&G inserts can be thrown away each month. There are a few outliers every now and then, so be sure to do a quick check through.

She also has a list of Publix’s booklet that can be discarded as well. Visit her HERE to take a look at it.

Reaping In Abundance,
Kay

Diego Perez, vocalist for Las Vegas progressive hardcore band Eyes Like Diamonds, winds up in jail:
“Expired plates ended up turning into Diego getting locked up. Hawthorne nevada sheriffs are completely in the wrong and we have footage to prove it! we will have this up as soon as we get home. We need anyone and everyones help to put together bail out money. We will post a paypal button accepting donations even its only 2 dollars. we’re extremely bummed and will do everything in our power to make it to oregon. updates soon.”
I’m sure this isn’t going to help with funding their recordings in Oregon, but I’m sure they’ll figure out something!

Follow VisiONtheNet on Twitter!

Photographed by cactusmelba

hungry as usual, and playing to the camera in the vague hope of cuteness causing an early feed…

– License

Sorry my Halloween picks got sidelined by the dreaded swine flu there, but rest assured I’ll be back stronger than ever, and maybe I’ll even stay away from horror movies for the time being. Now on to this week’s new releases…

Angels & Demons

Tom Hanks sheds his proto-mullett, and gets down to the business of freaky religious art in this sequel to The Da Vinci Code. Lil’ Ronny Howard directs again.

Gomorrah

The hit Italian film makes its way to stores immediately receiving the Criterion Collection treatment – Even though Pearl Harbor was initially released by Criterion, it still merits a lot of attention.

Humpday

Mumblecore comedy about two dudes contemplating gay porn participation for money.

Thirst

Vampire film from Korean director, Park Chan-Wook (director of Oldboy and The Vengeance trilogy).

The Goods

Jeremy Piven, and a cast including Ed Helms, David Koechner and Ving Rhames, try to sell you cars, and a whole lot of jokes!

Expired

Samantha Morton and Jason Patric play traffic cops who oddly fall for each other in this dark comedy.

Downhill Racer

Another Criterion release. Michael Ritchie film about an overly ambitious skier competing for Olympic gold. Stars Robert Redford and Gene Hackman.

The Golden Age of Television

Criterion pulls off a trifecta of great releases with this being the cherry on top. Legendary teleplays originally produced in the mid 50’s. Rod Serling’s Requiem for a Heavyweight, and Patterns are included as well as the original production Paddy Chayefsky’s Marty. Really amazing stuff spread out over three discs with a whole gaggle of extras. I’m going to write about this further…

www.findinglosttime.co.uk for details of forthcoming shows and to buy all 12 photos from the Missing Persons series in an individually handmade wallet (sound required, Internet Explorer preferred).

A thousand thanks to Kate for the packaging. Just perfect.

There is a Flickr group based around the themes of this set. Feel free to browse, contribute, criticise, anything.

about a month ago i’ve been at a photo convention and i’ve found a box full of old expired film. i decided to try one of them and i choose a kodak panatomic-x expired in 1985.
panatomic-x was a slow b/w film (iso 32) made by kodak and actually out of production.
here are some shots and the box. enjoy.
taken with a canon a-1 with a canon 50mm f 1.8 lens.

here is benedetta and her fixed bike! if you have one and you are from piacenza neighborhood, you totally have to go to her shop and become a part of 2:1 fixed bunch! you can find more infos by clicking here.

taken with a canon eos 50, canon 50mm 1.8 lens and fuji pro 160 expired film.

Eight years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and despite repeated mandates from Congress, the United States still has no reliable system for verifying that foreign visitors have left the country.
New concern was focused on that security loophole last week, when Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, a 19-year-old Jordanian who had overstayed his tourist visa, was accused in court of plotting to blow up a Dallas skyscraper.
Last year alone, 2.9 million foreign visitors on temporary visas like Mr. Smadi’s checked in to the country but never officially checked out, immigration officials said. While officials say they have no way to confirm it, they suspect that several hundred thousand of them overstayed their visas.