Doors Floors and More

Cited: Reuters

McDonald’s was helped by a new summer drinks, Smoothies, in the United States and longer hours in Europe to beat Wall Street forecasts for July as well as lifting their shares higher than ever. According to McDonald’s, global sales at restaurants that had been open for 13 months rose 7% in July which is better than analysts expectations for an increase closer to 5%.

The strong sales show McDonald’s is succeeding in reinventing its menu and image, winning new diners in a weak economy that has hurt rivals, analysts said.

“Over the last several years, they’ve been very successful at improving the quality of their food,” said Stifel Nicolaus & Co analyst Steve West. “They’ve really invested in their brand.”

While U.S. high unemployment persists, the fast food company’s appeal to families and retirees has helped it steal market share from chains like Burger King (BKC.N) and KFC, which is owned by Yum Brands Inc (YUM.N).

“McDonald’s has more broad-based appeal. They’re not as exposed to single white males,” West said, noting that group has been particularly hard-hit by the economy. “McDonald’s is appealing to soccer moms. They’re appealing to high-end consumers.”

U.S. sales, which account for about 35% of the company’s business, benefited from the introduction of Real Fruit Smoothies and Frappes from its McCafe line of drinks.

A record-setting heat wave in parts of the country and an extra Saturday in July also fueled the 5.7% rise in U.S. same-restaurant sales, said Edward Jones analyst Jack Russo.

Shares of McDonald’s were up 1.5% at $72.85 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Earlier in the session, the shares reached $73.33, an all-time high since the chain went public in 1965 at $22.50 per share. Burger King rose 1.1% while Yum gained 1%.

Off-Topic Breach: Okay, you have a dedicated, in-house networking team with the bandwidth and experience to secure your corporate operations. If that’s the case, you’ll love this network access control solution, intrusion prevention or intrusion detection management system and vulnerability management products. Available as hardware appliances and as network security software, these products offer unparalleled protection against today’s dynamic threat environment and let you achieve and prove compliance with security policies and regulations.

EUROPE, ASIA ON THE RISE

In Europe, same-restaurant sales rose 5.3%, led by gains in France, Britain and Germany. McDonald’s has been renovating restaurants and extending hours in the region, which was the largest revenue contributor last year at 41%.

Same-store sales rose 10.1% in the Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa area. The company said Japan, Australia and China were standouts. Nearly 8,500 of McDonald’s 32,500 restaurants are located in that region, which contributed nearly 20% of its revenue in 2009.

McDonald’s plans to double its network in China to more than 2,000 outlets by 2013.

System wide sales rose to 6.8% or 8.3% on a constant currency basis.

McDonald’s said last month that the U.S. roll-out of espresso-based coffee and other high-margin drinks like Frappes had exceeded the company’s goal of adding $125,000 of sales per unit.

By expanding its business in the beverage area, McDonald’s was seen as attacking the core business of copy shop chain Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O). However, both companies appeal to different customers where beverages are concerned.

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My Take: The one thing I like about McDonald’s is it their community conscience. They hope local schools get kids desks and other school furniture they are in need of like whiteboards. They also help needy kids and kids who have terminal illnesses. The one thing I do not like about McDonald’s and that they used too much lettuce on their big Macs!

I have even seen some of the kids meals come with tooth brush and toothpaste to help encourage the kids to brush regularly. That way they don’t have to go to Virginia dentist and get cavities taken care. I do not know if this is true or not but I heard recently that McDonald’s help a kid who had a cleft palette by paying a South Riding VA cosmetic dentist to repair it.

So, McDonald’s has improved sales with new drink “Smoothies”. That is great because they spend some of those millions of dollars on people who really need it. And yes, I do you think macula once while with their delicious french fries.

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Polishing an Entire Boat

Although people who love their vehicles certainly polish their cars and trucks on a regular basis and have no issues finishing that process in a timely manner, many boat owners who have just as much enthusiasm for their machine can’t seem to use boat polisher all in one go and this is why sometimes a person can get behind on a regular polishing schedule which can lead to buildup and a gradual fading of the boat’s exterior which can make it look old and decrease its resale value. This is why some boat owners will employ an automated polishing system that includes a machine.

Cited: Reuters

On August 19, a federal official stated that more cases of the food-borne illness of salmonella that has sickened hundreds of people in three states and prompted a nationwide recall of suspected eggs is expected.

State officials in California, Colorado and Minnesota have linked more than 270 illnesses to eggs from Wright County Egg in northern Iowa. The company voluntarily recalled 380 million eggs that were distributed throughout the country.

“I would anticipate we will be seeing more illnesses reported and likely as a result of this outbreak,” Christopher Braden of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said during a telephone news conference. It often takes two or three weeks for an illness to be reported to CDC.

During the teleconference, Food and Drug Administration officials said the recall was among the largest egg recalls in recent years. Fifteen investigators were working on a probe that includes tests of laying hens at the Galt, Iowa, farm for salmonella infection. No results were available yet.

Nearly 2,000 cases of salmonella were reported from May to July, Braden said, a period during which 700 cases would be usual. Many were a common subtype of the bacteria.

“We can’t say all 2,000 are related to this outbreak,” he said.

CDC said later it was using advanced molecular tests to help identify cases from the outbreak. It said a trace back by state and federal officials found eggs from Wright County Egg factored in five cases in California, Colorado and Minnesota.

Salmonella can cause fever, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain and sometimes more serious illness or death.

Some 266 cases of salmonella in California have been linked to the eggs, according to Los Angeles County officials. Seven cases in Minnesota are linked to the Iowa eggs, say state health officials. The Colorado Department of Public Health says some of 28 salmonella cases during June and July “likely” are linked to eggs from Wright County Egg.

Salmonella investigations are underway in 13 states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas,.

The 380 million eggs in the recall are equal to nearly all the eggs consumed by Americans in two days, according to Agriculture Department figures. It says Americans will consume 247 eggs apiece this year.

Wright County Egg announced the voluntary nationwide recall of eggs produced since May 19 on Friday and expanded it on Wednesday to include eggs from two other sites. Wright County Egg is part of DeCoster Farms, a family-run agribusiness.

The eggs were sold under the brand names Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms, Kemps, James Farms, Glenview and Pacific Coast. Their cartons are stamped on the end with P-1720, P-1942 P-1026, P-1413 or P-1946 and followed by a number from 136 to 229.

An FDA egg-safety rule took effect on July 9 that requires large-scale producers to take steps such as refrigerating eggs, safeguarding feed and water supplies from contamination and testing in the poultry house for salmonella bacteria.

If the bacterium is found, producers must test eggs for it and if the eggs are contaminated, they must be treated to destroy the bacteria or divert them to non-food use.

“The risk of illness would have been reduced,” stated Associate FDA Commissioner Jeff Farrar as he spoke about the role that took effect earlier in July. Farrar also disagreed that if the rule was implemented earlier the outbreak could have been prevented or that the rule fell short in this case.

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My Take: I bet everybody who read this stop eating eggs. I am sure that the top pharmaceutical companies in the country are making money off of this incident as well as medical supply companies. The only ones not making any money are the egg farmers. If anything, they have lost a lot of money.

If you think you might have salmonella, go to your doctor and ask him or her. I believe they have got rapid test kits that might be able to tell if you do have salmonella. You just might have some kind of gastric problem and they will use one of the gastric pH test kits to determine what your problem is.

If you happen to live in New Jersey and you can’t leave your home, you might contact the visiting physicians to come to your home and check you. Yes, they will make a doctor house call and I am not joking. There are doctors who make house calls again! I wish they had that kind of service here in Arizona.

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Expansion of Coffee Locations

There are some amazing types of coffee machines out there today and people have tended to think that they can make the same sort of coffee house cup of coffee in their own home that stores and specialized coffee houses can do with their own, personal coffee supplies. This has led to some stiff competition as far as companies being able to get people to come into stores to purchase cups of coffee when they have advanced machinery at home to serve the same purpose. Modern coffee sellers have had to sweeten the deal with interesting new drinks.

Cited: Time

With cable channels, video games and the Internet competing for April’s attention, the audience of network television is eroding and it is no secret. Even big hits such as Dancing with the Stars, American Idol and CSI are all down in the ratings from 9.2% to 19% respectively, according to Nielsen data. ABC, Fox and CBS have seen these declines. What are people watching? Sports.

But amid this sagging performance, television appears to be experiencing a resurgence in a surprising place: sports programming. Of the 13 television programs that drew over 30 million viewers over past year, 11, or 85%, were sports-related, according to a new research report from Horizon Media, a media buying and planning agency. The only non-sports related shows were the Oscars and the first episode of the CBS reality show Undercover Boss — which debuted immediately following the network’s broadcast of the Super Bowl. Back in the 2004-2005 television year, 19 programs hit the 30 million mark, and only nine, or 47%, were sports shows.

Any conversation about a sports resurgence must begin with football. This year’s Super Bowl, between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts, became the most-watched television show in U.S. history, as it averaged 106.5 million viewers throughout the broadcast, up 8% over last year. The NFC championship game was up 51% year-over-year; the AFC game saw a 15% rise, and regular-season ratings jumped as well.

But the NFL, by far the most successful pro sports league, isn’t the only one enjoying astounding success. The 2010 Kentucky Derby was the most-watched race since 1989. The Stanley Cup turned in its strongest ratings performance in 13 years, and Game 6 between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers, a 4-3 Blackhawks overtime win that gave Chicago its first Stanley Cup victory since 1961, was the most-watched NHL game in 36 years. Compared with 2006, average World Cup soccer viewership was up 41% on ABC and ESPN.

In college basketball, the 23.9 million audience for the championship game between Duke and Butler was the highest since 1999, and a 36% leap over 2009. In college football, viewership for the BCS championship game between Alabama and Texas reached 30 million for only the second time in the 12-year history of the event. The NBA enjoyed its most-watched finals since 2001; baseball, its best World Series performance since 2004; the Winter Olympics, the second-most watched Games in its history. The Vancouver Games trail only the 1994 event in Lillehammer, home to the infamous Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan skating scandal, in total viewership. In fact, the Winter Olympics became the first program to beat American Idol head-to-head in six years.

Not all sports are rising. Baseball’s 2010 All-Star game turned in its lowest-rating ever. Perhaps viewers are finally fed up with the ridiculous rule that grants World Series home field advantage to the league that wins this exhibition. NASCAR is suffering a notable slide, tennis surely isn’t tearing it up, and while the Masters performed well because of the Tiger Woods comeback, golf is still too dependent on Tiger’s success, and his recent woes are hurting ratings.

Still, for the most part sports are surging, and the question is why. “I think part of it is HD TV,” says Brad Adgate, senior vice president of research at Horizon Media, and author of the new report. “It’s the killer app for sports.” According to the Consumer Electronics Association, 65% of U.S. homes now own at least one high-definition television set, an increase of 13 percentage points from last year. And sports ratings are 21% higher on HD TVs, according to Nielsen. While watching American Idol in HD is surely nice, getting a glimpse of Ryan Seacrest’s dimples isn’t quite as exhilarating as feeling you’re right on the football field. “With HD, you get to see the blades of grass, and the beads of sweat,” says Adgate. “It’s a much richer viewing experience.”

DVRs have cut down on appointment television; people are consuming their favorite shows whenever they want, wherever they want. Sports, however, still offer morning-after water cooler fodder. The drama lies in the live action; if you wait two days to watch, you’ll miss out. Give the web credit too. The Internet hasn’t cannibalized sports viewership, as many expected, it has complemented it. Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook have turned games into a communal experiences, and even casual fans are eager to join the conversation. Sports lend themselves to in-game analysis (and snark) in a way prime-time programs don’t. Fans can’t resist the opportunity to be their own color commentator.

Sports, it must be pointed out, have also benefited from pure luck. As the Horizon report notes, the three largest U.S. markets — New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago — have the current champion in pro baseball, basketball, and hockey, respectively. For the first time since 1993, the top seeds in both football conferences met in the Super Bowl, and New Orleans storyline — a hard-luck city, and franchise, chases its first title — made the game an even bigger draw. The USA-Canada gold medal hockey game and the USA-England opening round World Cup soccer game were dream match-ups.

However, if the World Series or hockey have bad showing things could change for prime time. Then again, as long as technology keeps advancing, sports fanatics will get more bullish about 3-D TV. Even Twitter will allow you to yell at the ref from your couch, which means that people will probably continue to watch sports.

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My Take: I am not into sports; however, I have noticed that there are more sports channels on cable. There are a lot of people that are into sports activities either in person or on TV. Sports enthusiasts watch the sports channels all the time like ESPN and its many sub channels. I watched a soccer game on one of the ESPN channels and it wasn’t much different than watching a regular channel. Only difference once you saw more sports nutrition supplements commercials than regular TV. I know sports supplement are very important to the health of an athlete, so it makes sense.

All the commercials are advertising for sports related advertising for pole pads or wall padding. There were even some advertising for bleacher enclosures. They even threw in a few advertisements for denim jeans. I don’t understand the difference between Levi and Mek jeans, jeans are jeans.

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New York City Broadway Shows and a History

With around forty large theaters lining the streets of New York City’s theater district, there are a host of Broadway shows to choose from should you decide to visit this historic area of Manhattan. As a part of the city since1750 when one of the first major theaters in the city was built, the theater district of Manhattan has enjoyed a near consistent success, halting shows only in times of war, like during the Revolutionary War. From the plays of William Shakespeare to the 19th century performances of P.T. Barnum’s circus entertainment, Broadway has had a colorful 300 year history.

Cleaning Services

These Arlington cleaning services are tailored to meet the needs of each and every client. This DC maid service uses household cleaning products that are designed to meet all of your specific requirements, including pets and allergy concerns, and never takes for granted the fact that you have a choice when it comes to who cleans your home or property and how.

Cited: ABC News

Internet radio services like Pandora and Slacker debuted on the web and have since attracted millions of listeners via smartphones

Pandora was an early app for the iPhone and Slacker formed a partnership with BlackBerry provider Research in Motion. Last December, Tech on Deck discussed dedicated Internet radio options for these services, but higher-end home audio systems can deliver them — and a lot more — to multiple rooms of a home.

Since its debut in 2007, Sonos has led the way in wirelessly delivering audio to multiple rooms at the same time using its own networking standard.

The company has produced compact white boxes called ZonePlayers intended to connect to speakers customers already had or purchased separately, but now has taken the next step in producing a compact all-in-one device that integrates the speakers called the ZonePlayer S5.

Logitech Squeezebox Uses Wireless Wi-Fi Network

The $399 ZonePlayer S5 comes in black or white, and would be at home in a Bose showroom. It produces the most brilliant sound and satisfying bass ever delivered in a natively networked unit with integrated speakers and proves remarkably resilient to distortion at high volumes.

Like other Sonos devices, it can be controlled with Sonos’ own controller or well-designed software that runs on an iPod touch or iPhone. In addition to playing music files on a PC or networked storage device, Sonos has created partnerships with a number of services, including Rhapsody, Sirius XM, Napster and Pandora.

Unlike the Sonos system, the $299 Logitech Squeezebox line uses a standard wireless Wi-Fi network. The Squeezebox Touch supports the Wi-Fi Protected Setup standard, which can make setup as easy as pushing a button on an appropriately equipped router.

Logitech had produced its own (albeit less fancy) screen-based remote a while ago in a product called the Squeezebox Duet. However, the company has now moved the color touch screen into the unit with the Squeezebox Touch. And while Logitech does not provide any free software for an iPod touch or iPhone with which to control Squeezebox playback, two third-party options are available from the iTunes app store for less than $10.

Devices Improve Convenience in Delivering High-Quality Audio

The Touch is a small, slim, lightweight unit that would fit well on most desktops. However, like most of the Squeezebox line save for the larger Squeezebox Boom and less expensive Squeezebox Radio, it lacks integrated speakers, so it must be connected to external speakers or an amplifier.

The Squeezebox user interface has always been solid and logical, if not as smooth as Sonos’. It is also a little slow, but not as much as the touch user interfaces on Sony’s recently released $199 Dash, which includes speakers. Also, like the Dash, the Squeezebox Touch supports playback of the Slacker Internet radio service, a curious omission from the Sonos lineup.

Sonos S5 lowers its entry price and improves convenience in delivering high-quality audio to multiple rooms using the Sonos system while the Squeezebox Touch enhances the user experience would have been primarily a product of getting music to one room at a time.

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My Take: I suppose if you have money, this is fantastic. I can barely afford to buy a cheap surround sound system for my home. But it would be great to be able to play of CD copy and listen to it everywhere in a home. It would definitely take the need of CD duplication out of the equation. You only need one CD to listen to and not one for each room.

That is almost like having answering service. Your phone is answered no matter what room you are in. Then again, you have to be able to afford a answering phone service as well. Maybe if I was a Bergen County CPA, I wouldn’t have to worry about money. Then I would be able to do Bergen County tax preparation and make even more money.

I bet New York tax planning accountants make a lot of money. I know that NY tax return preparation accountants make the big money because they work for the big corporations. Then again, I am off topic what we are talking about is found in every room in the house.

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Search Engine Placement

National Positions, Network Solutions, Findlaw and many other SEO companies have offered a first page guarantee. If you’re looking for a SEO service that offers first page guarantees, you’ll have to look elsewhere. The bottom line “fact” is that no one can control the search engines or the results displayed to searchers, nor does ANY SEO company. What this service can control is the techniques applied to your website in an effort to get you placed as high as humanly possible, and nothing more. The only thing you are guaranteed is the best SEO services available on the Internet.

VA Maids and Carpet Care

While VA maids can offer a variety of cleaning services for any size residence, residential carpet cleaning is best handled when the proper steps are taken to ensure the freshest carpet possible. The best cleaning often results from special attention and care before, during and after the cleaning process is complete. Before cleaning commences, a proper inspection of the home can reveal any special problem areas that might need extra attention during cleaning. Carpet cleaning can also involve the movement of furniture which will facilitate the cleaning of hidden problem spots and will maximize the time spent cleaning when machines are in the home.

Cited: Divorce Mag

The next battle in California’s ongoing war over legalizing same-sex marriages will be decided in a California federal appeals court. Early in August a federal court ruling declared that the states “Proposition 8″ was unconstitutional. The proposition is a voter-led ban on same-sex marriages.

Since then, lawyers on both sides of the divisive issue have scrambled to get their arguments before the 9th Circuit appeals court, which is scheduled on August 18 to render a decision on whether to block or enforce Proposition 8.

However, even before the court has rendered their decision, both sides are aware that this is not the end. Proposition 8 lawyers have declared that if the same-sex ban is not re-enforced, they’ll take their appeal up to the US Supreme Court — guaranteeing months of legal battles to come before the smoke finally clears on this incredibly contentious issue.

As reported on August 16, earlier this month critics of California’s famous (or infamous) Proposition 8 celebrated a dramatic victory when a San Francisco judge declared the 2008 voter-led ban on gay marriage as unconstitutional. The ruling seemed to pave the way for the state to resume certifying gay marriage, barring an 11th hour effort by Proposition 8 prosecutors to the appeal the move — and, shockingly to some, the move has paid off; at least for now.

That’s because yesterday, the 3-judge panel on the 9th Circuit appeals court reversed the August 4th ruling. Instead, the panel will review briefs throughout the fall and resume hearing the appeal in the week of December 6th.

While this by no means put the matter to rest for either side in the debate — since the ruling still has to happen, eventually — it’s nevertheless being hailed as a major legal victory by those supporting Proposition 8.

“California voters spoke clearly on Prop. 8, and we’re glad to see their votes will remain valid while the legal challenges work their way up through the courts,” said Andy Pugno, general counsel for ProtectMarriage, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “Invalidating the people’s vote based on just one judge’s opinion would not have been appropriate and would have shaken the people’s confidence in our elections and the right to vote itself.”

“The concern is that rushing things to the Supreme Court could lead to an adverse result [for supporters of gay marriage.],” said Loyola law professor Rick Hasen. “If this case takes another year to get to the U.S. Supreme Court, there could be more states that adopt same-sex marriage and more judicial opinions that reach that conclusion.”

It appears that some experts suggest that celebrating a victory too soon, legally speaking, may be premature. In fact, in the long run, it could be there for supporters of gay marriage.

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My Take: I do not see the problem with allowing gay marriages, at least, not from a legal standpoint. This is one of those cases where religion and government are being mixed. Again, from a legal standpoint it is discrimination against same-sex couples. The guys say this because, we are saying by law they are not good enough to marry. That is simple discrimination.

From my point of view, an Austin TX divorce attorney or a Nashville TN divorce lawyer would be able to explain, on paper, a marriage is between two adults. For example, if you have two people named Jamie Jones and Jaime Jones, how can you tell which is female and which is male? I do not believe you can! Both first names can be pronounced in the same way. Besides, what goes on behind closed doors is nobody’s business. Of course, the only time this rule does not hold up is when a crime is being committed such as physical abuse or murder.

From a religious standpoint, people should not be trying to force their beliefs on other people. If people think that same-sex couples will influence their children, to keep them away from the couple. Here again, what happens between a couple behind closed doors is their business and between them and God, nobody else!

Like heterosexual couples, same-sex couples probably being eating either a collaborative lawyer, an Austin family law attorney or even Nashville bankruptcy attorneys sometime in the future. That seems to make them just like every other couple in America. This tells me that banning same-sex marriages is not only discrimination, is trying to force religious beliefs on other people. The latter is why this country was even created in the first place. To stop others from forcing religious beliefs on citizens!

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Wall Decals

A wall decals company has a lot of wall letters or words and decal designs to choose from. But if you have seen vinyl lettering or decals somewhere else and they don’t have something similar, email them with the link and we can custom design something just for you AND match or beat the price!

Cited: ABC News

Continued from “Serial Stabber Caught Fleeing Country Part 1“

Serial Killer Suspect Caught, Released, Caught, Released, Caught Again

Though he finally was charged, the airport arrest was not the first time police stopped Abuelazam during the stabbing spree. At least twice in recent weeks, police in Michigan and Virginia nabbed him, with police in Virginia even spotting possible murder weapons.

In both cases, the authorities let him go, apparently failing to peg him as a suspect in the stabbings.

In one incident, Abuelazam was charged with providing alcohol to a minor on the evening of July 29 in Genesee County, Mich., according to court records on file in the 67th District Court there.

The citation came the same day as an early morning attack in the area now considered part of the stabbing spree.

Abuelazam was supposed to appear in a Mount Morris, Mich., court room on the charge on Aug. 4, but he failed to show up. The 67th District Court still has Abuelazam’s Florida driver’s license, which he surrendered at the time of his citation in lieu of posting bond, according to the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office.

In another incident, last week, Abuelazam was picked up in Arlington, Va., for failing to stop at a stop sign, Genesee County prosecutor David Leyton said.

During a background check, police discovered he had an outstanding warrant for the misdemeanor assault of his brother-in-law. While he was booked and placed in a holding cell, police impounded his car. During a search, police found a knife in the driver’s side door and a hammer, two weapons victims of the attacks had described.

But at that point, there had been no known attacks in Virginia and Abuelazam was released and the car was returned to him, Leyton said.

“The Arlington police certainly had no idea” about the prior attacks, Leyton said.

Abuelazam finally was caught for good as he was trying to board a Delta flight bound for Tel Aviv, Israel, federal officials said. He was waiting in the gate area to board when the Transportation Security Administration alerted Delta to hold the plane while authorities got in place.

Airport employees then paged Abuelazam over the intercom and, when he came to the desk, he was taken into custody without incident, an Atlanta Police Department report said.

Police believe Abuelazam may be behind 18 knife attacks beginning in May that spanned Michigan, Virginia and Ohio. Five of the victims died from their wounds — David Motley, 31, Emmanuel A. Muhammad, 59, Darwin Marshall, 43, and Arnold R. Minor, 49, all of Flint, and Frank Kellybrew, 60, of Flint Township, Mich., according to The Associated Press.

The serial stabber was blamed for as many as 20 attacks at one point, but police determined two of the reported assaults were not likely linked to the serial stabber.

Many of the Serial Stabbings Victimized Black Men

Most of the stabbing victims were black men, but Leyton declined to say the attacks were racially motivated.

“We don’t have a motive yet but, as you know, many times the motive doesn’t appear until later in the investigation,” Leyton said Thursday. “Jury instructions don’t require us necessarily to have a motive.”

Leyton added that a police hotline on the case received more than 500 tips, including the one that sent police looking for Abuelazam.

Abuelazam, who was born in Israel and is of Arab descent, was living in the U.S. legally and has been linked to cities across the country.

Police believe he came to Michigan in May, just days before the attacks began.

Prior to the attacks, Auelazam had several run-ins with the law including several traffic violations, a check fraud charge and unlawful possession of a weapon. In 2008, he was arrested and held for obstruction of justice. He spent at least one month in jail for a fraud conviction in California.

Abuelazam’s ex-wife, who lives in Texas, told The Detroit News she, too, was shocked by the arrest, but hadn’t spoken to her ex-husband for a while.

Though the attacks took place from late May through early August, Leyton said law enforcement acted quickly.

“The first two crimes were homicides. The first one was in May and then about a month later was the second one. For those first two, we had absolutely no statement, no suspect, no evidence, and no witness. So we had nothing right there,” he said. “When we began to see the pattern emerge in late July, that’s when everybody said ‘This is what we have.’”

Leyton said Abuelazam could face charges in other states in addition to those in Michigan.

Victims of Serial Stabber Describe Similarities

One of the victims, Richard Booker, 49, recently was released from a Flint hospital where he has been for the last three weeks after being stabbed. He told ABC News that he has 68 staples throughout his back and belly and has slash wounds on his arms because he tried to prevent the man from “cutting off his face.”

“I’ve never hurt so much in my life, never come so close to death,” Booker told ABCNews Wednesday. “I was about dead.”

Booker, who is white, dismisses the notion that the attacks are racially motivated.

“I’m obviously not black. The guy’s just a stone cold killer,” Booker said.

Booker was stabbed five times, including a roughly 12-inch-long vertical slash from below his belly button all the way up his chest. He lost eight pints of blood from his wounds.

Antwoine Marshall, who was attacked two weeks ago, described a similar experience and similar wounds. He told ABC News he was stabbed six times in his stomach and chest.

“It’s a very, very violent type of crime,” Leyton told “Good Morning America” Wednesday. “Maybe he’s enjoying watching them suffer; maybe he’s enjoying watching them wriggle around in pain. But we really don’t know what he’s thinking, and we won’t until we bring him in and talk to him.”

The link between the attacks, which began in May, was not apparent until recently.

“There are similarities in many things. The weapon used, the suspect, the area,” Kapp said Wednesday. “Those similarities cannot be ignored.”

Victims have told police the crimes occurred when they were alone, and the suspect approached them asking for directions or help with his car. Then, he stabbed them with an edged weapon, police say.

Booker’s story matched this one. He said the man asked him for help opening the hood of his SUV.

Capp said the authorities formed a task force made up of all the law enforcement agencies in Michigan’s Genesee County, including the Flint Police Department, the Michigan State Police and the FBI.

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My Take: It’s always nice ones that fool everybody! I hope he has a good Ottawa criminal lawyer on his side. At least he does not need Cornwall drinking and driving lawyer. Ha ha! I know it is not nice to make fun of people in bad situations. But from what is being said in the news, I would say he is guilty. One thing is for sure, he is going to be going through several walk through metal detectors before he finally did the court.

The article said he had retained several lawyers, I hope he has a good Redwood City criminal defense lawyer on his side as well. In his situation, you can’t have too many lawyers! I understand that Redwood City CA criminal attorneys are good at what they do.

It is just too bad the areas where he killed these people didn’t have any kind of metal detection. If they had, those people may have been warned that somebody was carrying a weapon. However, outside, you cannot have metal detection devices everywhere. It would be nice in gang ridden areas!

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Realtime Reporting

Los Angeles Court Reporter has been serving the legal community in Southern California for over a quarter century! Providing court reporting, litigation support, trial reporting, arbitration, audio/video and deposition services in LA, CA. With realtime reporting, all you have to do is hook up your laptop to the court reporter for instant display of the testimony. With Los Angeles court reporting in realtime, you will be able to view realtime proceedings live from anywhere in the world as well as chat privately via computer with others during the proceedings.

Cited: ABC News

The accused serial killer, Elias Abuelazam, is suspected of a number of attacks. Police in Virginia, on August 13, began investigating whether he also stabbed his former neighbor to death. In addition, police in Israel said the Israeli-Arab stabbed a friend in Israel about six months ago. No charges were filed against Abuelazam because the stabbing victim, who survived, declined to press charges, Israeli officials told the Associated Press.

The attacks would bring to 20 the total number of victims allegedly knifed by Abuelazam.

Leesburg, Va., Police Chief Joseph Price said his officers are trying to determine whether the death of Jammie Lane is linked to Abuelazm. Lane, who was 44, lived across the street from Abuelazam at the time of his stabbing death in March 2009.

If convicted of murder in Virginia, Abuelazam could face the death penalty. Currently he is charged with one murder in Michigan, which does not have the death penalty.

He is a suspect in the stabbing of 18 men in Michigan, Virginia and Ohio. Five of those victims died.

Abuelazam, described as a “gentle giant” by a former co-worker, appeared in a Georgia court in shackles today and was a full head taller than the officers who escorted him into the court room for the extradition hearing. Judge Richard Hicks repeatedly explained what extradition was before Abuelazam decided to waive his right to fight it.

When first confronted with his options, Abuelazam asked the judge, “Is it possible to ask to think about it?”

The judge informed the suspect that he could put off going to Michigan to fight the criminal case for as long as three months.

“I will fight the case in Michigan,” Abuelazam finally decided. “Why should I wait 90 days, right? That’s the most common sense. It sounds more logical to me to go now than to wait three months.”

At the conclusion of the short hearing, as the suspect was escorted out of the court, Hicks wished him “good luck,” to which Abuelazam responded, “Thank you.”

Abuelazam, 33, was apprehended on the evening of August 11 at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport as he waited for his flight to leave the country, officials said. He was tracked to the airport after investigators followed a new lead that originated in Michigan.

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Complex Picture of Suspected Killer Elias Abuelazam as ‘Gentle Giant’

A complex picture of Abuelazam is emerging today as one former coworker called him a “gentle giant” even in violent situations but a former family member says he was abusive.

“There was a bit of abuse,” James Hirth, the father of Elias Abuelazam’s ex-wife, told ABC News. Hirth said Abuelazam was rough with his daughter before the couple divorced in 2007.

Abuelazam was also arrested in Virginia on Aug. 5 for an outstanding warrant for misdemeanor assault in which Michigan police said they believe he assaulted his former brother-in-law. At the time, Abuelazam was not identified as the serial killer suspect, so Virginia police released him.

But the cross country stabbings, not to mention the domestic abuse and assault allegations, do not at all fit with the image of Abuelazam that a coworker paints of the man.

Wendy Brooks told ABC News that she worked with Abuelazam at the Piedmont Behavioral Health Center in Leesburg, Va., for several years until 2002 when they both left the facility. She said it was a very stressful job where they frequently had to subdue mentally unstable and violent teenagers, and he was a “gentle giant” whose behavior was marked by patience and restraint.

“He seemed to always treat the kids nicely, followed the rules,” Brooks said. “From what I saw, he was never too aggressive. … I think he was smart. He wasn’t quick to react.”

At times, she would even seek out Abuelazam “to just kind of talk about a situation. He would sit there and take the time to do it.”

Brooks was particularly surprised to find that most of his alleged victims were black.

“It’s crazy. I never would’ve imagined anything like that. I’m a young black female,” she said, adding that she gave him a ride home once.

“He was a good guy. He was a friendly guy. He was a nice guy,” Abdullah Farah, Abuelazam’s boss at a Michigan party store, said Thursday, August 12. “He said he was leaving to see some relatives and he never came back.”

More charges are expected to follow in Michigan and possibly other states, Michigan’s Genesee County prosecutor David Leyton said Thursday, August 12.

Continued in “Serial Stabber Caught Fleeing Country Part 2“

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My Take: It’s always nice ones that fool everybody! I hope he has a good Ottawa criminal lawyer on his side. At least he does not need Cornwall drinking and driving lawyer. Ha ha! I know it is not nice to make fun of people in bad situations. But from what is being said in the news, I would say he is guilty. One thing is for sure, he is going to be going through several walk through metal detectors before he finally did the court.

The article said he had retained several lawyers, I hope he has a good Redwood City criminal defense lawyer on his side as well. In his situation, you can’t have too many lawyers! I understand that Redwood City CA criminal attorneys are good at what they do.

It is just too bad the areas where he killed these people didn’t have any kind of metal detection. If they had, those people may have been warned that somebody was carrying a weapon. However, outside, you cannot have metal detection devices everywhere. It would be nice in gang ridden areas!

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Realtime Reporting

Los Angeles Court Reporter has been serving the legal community in Southern California for over a quarter century! Providing court reporting, litigation support, trial reporting, arbitration, audio/video and deposition services in LA, CA. With realtime reporting, all you have to do is hook up your laptop to the court reporter for instant display of the testimony. With Los Angeles court reporting in realtime, you will be able to view realtime proceedings live from anywhere in the world as well as chat privately via computer with others during the proceedings.

Cited: MSNBC

Sales executive Ren Chirakos did not need his new MBA degree after he was blindsided by law job loss/brain to calculate the scary numbers because the math was extremely easy to calculate. A house payment + new COBRA bills + $0 income = budget problems. The Chirakos family was in a bad financial situation. The answer was simple, refinance their 30-year home loan to a shorter-term mortgage with a lower interest rate, which is the latest trend in mortgages.

“I needed to keep my house,” said Chirakos, who since has found work at a different company in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. His wife is a stay-home mom who cares for their two daughters. “It forces you to look at ‘OK, where is our money going?’ You start looking for ways to shave fixed expenses. It really gives you cause to think.”

Chirakos was paying 5.375% on a 30-year loan before he became a victim of downsizing at toolmaker Snap-on Inc. As rates sank and slipped over the summer, he watched and waited. Then he pounced, locking in a 20-year, fixed-rate loan at 4.3% and slashing $140 off the monthly bill for his $220,000 home. With excellent credit and little debt, the re-fi cost him $900, so will pay for itself in about six months. “Every little bit helps,” he said.

For many refinancing homeowners, going shorter is suddenly more appealing. Fixed mortgages of 15 and 20 years are quickly gaining fans among those who previously held 30-year loans, balloon mortgages and adjustable rates, according to a new report from mortgage giant Freddie Mac. The number of fixed-rate, 15-20-year loans, is at their highest level since 2004, the government-controlled company said.

“The psychology of the recession” is simply altering how many Americans look at home ownership, said Jason Biro, author of “Saving Your American Dream: How to Secure a Safe Mortgage, Protect Your Home, and Improve Your Financial Future.”

During the real estate boom, thousands of consumers bought and sold homes every few years, cashing in their fast-built equity to upgrade in size or neighborhood. But since the housing bust, many of those owners have found themselves strapped with lower-valued houses and unaffordable mortgage payments. For generations before the boom, people had viewed their homes as stable, long-term investments — safe places for their money, and safe places to stay for a while.

“We’re seeing a return to that thinking — although it’s what I call a forced return,” said Biro, a 14-year veteran of the real estate and lending business. “With home values plummeting, you would think people would shy away from putting more money into their homes. But homeowners see they won’t be able to sell or move any time soon. The economy is shaky. In this respect, they’ve been forced to re-evaluate what owning a home is really about: the long term.”

Who should consider swapping their fixed, 30-year loan for a shorter variety?

Let’s start with who should not. This strategy is probably not best, Biro said, for homeowners in “financial distress” — those without stable jobs, good credit or cash in the bank. (Chirakos was an exception because he had no credit-card debt, no car payments and some home equity).

Homeowners with discretionary money — those who can afford to absorb a slightly higher monthly mortgage payment — are ideal candidates, several lending experts said. A minority of refinancers, like Chirakos, can assemble shorter-term mortgage deals that actually trim their monthly payments or leave them unchanged. Those outcomes are more apt to accompany 20-year loans. Typically, switching from a 30- to a 15-year mortgage brings at least a small bump in payments.

Even so, some owners are choosing to refinance to a shorter term even if it means paying a bit more. Blame the financial fright of hard times — and re-embracing old-school values. “There has been a shift in sentiment to pay down personal debt involving mortgages faster,” said Todd Huettner, president of Denver-based Huettner Capital, a real estate mortgage brokerage.

Readers, are you working more than one job?

Consider these side-by-side comparisons. For a $200,000 mortgage, a 30-year loan fixed at 4.5% carries a monthly principal and interest payment of $1,013 a month. Over the life of the loan the homeowner will pay $164,813 in interest. For the same mortgage, a 15-year loan at all .5% costs $1,530 a month ($517 more), but over the life of the loan the homeowner will pay $75,397 in interest, for a savings of $89,416.

And with rates dropping repeatedly in recent months, qualified owners might be able to refinance for 15 years at 4%, for a monthly payment of $1,479.

“Many people are much more motivated to gain the long-term savings even if they must pay more each month,” Huettner said.

“These homeowners see that money they could typically put into an interest-bearing savings account or a CD is not making a decent return,” Biro added. “And they’re wary of putting money into the stock market. … They are keeping their money close to home, literally. … By paying their home off sooner, many people feel they will be able to weather an impending storm.”

What’s more, the fees attached to shorter-term, fixed loans “are negligible” compared with those that come with 30-year mortgages, said Edward Mermelstein, a real estate attorney and co-founder of Rheem Bell & Mermelstein, a real estate law firm with offices in New York and Moscow.

“As long as the rates continue to stay as low as they are, it should continue to make sense to go after the 15-year term,” Mermelstein said. “It makes sense to pay down the loan at the highest price you can.”

Huettner warns, however, that if your budget is a bit squeezed by current bills, a 15-year mortgage may be too risky. “Don’t try to force yourself into a 15-year-loan,” he said.

Other brokers caution their clients to avoid shorter-term, fixed loans all together.

Owners who simply crave to pay off their mortgages sooner may be missing one vital wallet reality: “They lose all flexibility with their largest liability,” said Jon Prettyman, a senior broker at the Columbia, Md., branch of Waterstone Mortgage Corp. “Right now, all money is cheap. Fixed and ARM products are as low as 3%. The people that have the ability to pay the larger payment are doing so because it is cheap” from a long-term interest perspective.

But, Prettyman contends, “the consumer would be better off taking the 30-year and saving the difference in payment from the 15-year. … What happens when the kids need money for school? Many people are so worried about paying the bank back that they forget to give themselves the cash cushion they need to remain flexible in this strenuous market.”

Prettyman stated that short-term mortgages simply “help the banks get their money quicker. Granted, it is slightly cheaper. That money would be so much better in the family bank account. We, as taxpayers, have given these banks enough. Let’s line our pockets as consumers or a while and see if we can get the homeowner back in the black.”

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My Take: It seems to be a situation of whether your income can handle a 15-year mortgage or not. I do agree that most people would not be able to handle it because the economy right now. I would suppose that it would also depend on whether you are having a house built or if you were buying a house that is already built.

If you are having one built, you need to be careful because things can happen during construction that may cost you. If there is an accident on the worksite, you might need to contact Bronx construction accident lawyer to see if you’re liable or if the contractor is liable. If you are buying an already built house, you would need to be concerned about the construction problems.

You do need to consider your bills, besides the mortgage, they are the biggest expense you have. You have your utilities, credit cards (possibly), car payment and if you have children, childcare. Of course, were childcare is concerned, you may want to search for cheaper daycare centers. You can find child care on the Internet in your area fairly easily.

You also would need to make sure you have enough money to set aside for emergencies such as a car accident. You would need to pay for your car repairs or get a new car. It wasn’t your fault you would need to contact the New York City car accidents lawyer to recoup your losses. Or you could have something happen to the house, like a tree falling in on the roof. Your homeowners insurance may not cover all of it.

One expense that many people can’t afford is maid services MD. If you’re lucky enough to be able afford MD home cleaning, need to make sure that you set aside enough to cover it. There are probably a lot of other expenses that I can think of, but need to make sure you have a complete list of all of your expenses and a list of possible emergency expense before you decide to change mortgage. This will allow you to figure out if you can change your mortgage to a short term.

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The Natural Look

Whether you make your home in a lakeside cabin by the mountains, an elegant modern home or you find shelter in a cozy seaside cottage, one company has quality pieces that will reflect your casually sophisticated style and love for the nature around you. From the farm tables to the elegant European chairs, you are bound to find that special piece you have been looking for. This company starts with only the best reclaimed, hand crafted furniture industry. They will help you create the look that best suits your lifestyle whether that is Victorian or rustic furniture.

Protecting Books from the Sun

Just because a bookshelf and a bunch of books are inside a residence doesn’t mean that they might not be hit by the rays of the sun at some point during the day. To reduce the chance that valuable books might be faded by the sun it’s important to look into window film Colorado to make sure that if the sun happens to peek through a window during the afternoon that the rays that are let into the home aren’t so intense that books and even furniture fades due to the intensity. This is important for residents at just about any elevation.

Designing an Entry Way

There’s more to the door of a home than just the object that hangs on a pair of hinges at the front of the facade. Creating a stylish entrance to a home is easily accomplished these days with the available designer and iron doors that are popular in the marketplace today but a great way to tie everything around the door together is to match the hardware on the door with that of any light switches and lamps or sconces around the entrance. A door and the items around it should all match in color scheme and theme.

Components of a Standard Roof

A roof is composed of many layers and isn’t simply a wooden plank attached to the top of your house. There’s a reason it takes some education to build, maintain, and repair the roof of a building. A standard roof will often start with a roof truss which is the skeleton of the roof made of beams that support the finished roof. Things like rafters are part of the roof truss. The dark, heavy tar paper that you might notice covering an unfinished roof is called sheathing and is there so shingles can be attached when the roof is first built or in the event of Virginia roof repair.

Security Systems

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The Expert Painters

These Long Island painting services specialize in wallpaper and painting. As former union wallpaper hangers there is no type of wall coverings that are too difficult to work with. They use paper backed products, silk, grass and vinyl, fabrics, among others. You may simply want to accent a painted room with a paper border. How about a chair rail for a real statement? Okay, they can do a good job but what about reliability. After doing thousands of jobs over the past 15 years they can assure you that you will be satisfied with both their professionalism and quality for Long Island exterior painting.

Uses for Window Blinds

Employing window blinds strictly as a tool for privacy is certainly acceptable when creating a living space, but with the many colors and textures available on the market today, creating your own, personally designed space can be fun and rewarding. As window blinds are often used to keep things like the sun at bay on hot, sunny days, window treatments are a great place to see the perfect combination of function and design. Window blinds can exist as pieces of art for your window as well as serve as a barrier of privacy between a room and the outside world.

Cited: Reuters

Last week saw the unexpected rise of unemployment benefits to the highest level since April, highlighting a fragile economic recovery as well as unemployment.

Weekly claims data are volatile and the figures released on Thursday, August 5, by the Labor Department have little bearing on the governments closely watched monthly employment report, due on Friday, August 6, as they fall outside the survey period.

Still, they are indicative of a slow expansion in the labor market which is putting a strain on the economy’s recovery from its longest and deepest downturn since the Great Depression.

“While these numbers are volatile, we haven’t really made progress in the labor market and that’s kind of troubling when you think about the broader economic recovery,” said Andrew Gledhill, an economist at Moody’s Economy.com in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

“For the recovery to turn into a self-sustaining expansion we need people to have wage income coming in and until that happens, we are still in a tenuous position.”

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 19,000 to a seasonally adjusted 479,000, the Labor Department said. That compared to market expectations for a drop to 455,000.

Stocks on Wall Street ended marginally lower amid investor disappointment with the claims data and below forecast sales from U.S. retail stores. Yields on U.S. government debt fell, while the U.S. dollar fell against the Japanese yen.

According to a Reuter’s poll, the U.S. Labor Department is expected to report on Friday August 6, that nonfarm payrolls fell 65,000 last month after declining 125,000 in June, as temporary workers hired to conduct the decennial census were let go.

Private-sector payrolls are seen rising a modest 90,000 and the unemployment rate is expected to climb to 9.6% from 9.5% in June.

THE ECONOMY IS A CAMPAIGN ISSUE

This will be unwelcome news for President Barack Obama, whose popularity has tumbled amid growing unhappiness over the health of the economy, which is the top campaign issue for the November mid-term Congressional elections. Obama, on Thursday, August 5, defended his policies and said the economy still needed more time to heal.

“We’ve gone through a very, very difficult time. Our economy is not yet where it needs to be,” Obama told workers at a Ford assembly plant in Chicago. “It’s going to take more time to heal from all the damage that was done. We are headed in the right direction.”

The sluggish pace of economic growth threatens to keep unemployment high for months, posing trouble for Democrats hoping to retain their Congressional majorities.

Economic growth slowed to a 2.4% annual rate in the second quarter after expanding at a 3.7% pace in the first three months of this year.

After falling rapidly in 2009, jobless claims have stalled this year and have leveled out in the 400,000 to 450,000 range that analysts say is normally associated with jobs growth.

“The rise in initial claims is a disturbing sign that hiring remains depressed,” wrote economists at Goldman Sachs.

The four-week average of new jobless claims, considered a better measure of underlying labor market trends, rose 5,250 to 458,500.

Stubbornly high unemployment is causing households to become more frugal, forcing retailers to slash prices in a bid to attract shoppers.

Of U.S. retailers tracked by Thomson Reuters, 28 reported a 2.9% rise in July sales at stores open at least one year, missing Wall Street forecasts of 3.1%. Of those, 17 reported lower-than-expected sales, while nine beat estimates.

While the number of people still receiving unemployment benefits after an initial week of aid fell 34,000 to 4.54 million in the week ended July 24, it was likely a reflection of people dropping off benefits rolls rather than finding jobs.

The number of people on emergency benefits increased to 3.31 million in the week ended July 17. Congress last month restored aid to about 2.5 million unemployed Americans, whose benefits had lapsed in May. The benefits, which were extended until November, were renewed retroactively to June 2.

An economist at BNP Paribas in New York, Yelena Shulyatyeva said, “We are likely to see some pick up in the number of extended and emergency claims in the short term, and however, there are still large numbers of people who are reaching the maximum 99 weeks of benefits.”

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My Take: I think they should call this the 2nd Great Depression instead of bouncing around with the words “economic recession”. There are many good things to consider about this rough period of financial problems. Babies are still being born and expectant mothers are still sending out baby shower invitations. Teenagers are still anxiously waiting the time they can get their driver’s license, which means they will be going to academy driving school in NY to learn the proper way to drive.

People are still having birthdays, which mean they are sending out party invitations. People are changing their careers to truck drivers, and this means they need to go to a truck driving school in NY. And businesses are still looking after their employees by purchasing safety equipment like platform trucks and safety cabinets. They might even be reducing their workbenches for their factories.

What I am trying to get at is that things are still going along as they should, albeit, things do cost more right now. The worst thing of all this is that even when things start to get better, the prices will not go back down! That is the worst part of this whole recession. The companies raise their prices to make up for losses and when things get back to an even keel, they keep the same prices. It would be nice if they lowered their prices again, that’s a laugh!

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Construction Working Capital and Bridge Loans

While there is often a time-table in place for when a construction project must be finished, often the construction working capital available to the company responsible for organizing the build or event is unavailable for months beyond when a project would need to begin. While the financing might be in place, a company can potentially burn through cash reserves while placing a project on hold or while waiting for delivery of funds. Commercial bridge loans can help decrease the potential for a stalled project or underfunded program. Short-term collateralized loans may also be an answer and can close in as little as a week and a half.

Offshore Incorporation and Nevada

While not technically an offshore location for citizens of the United States, Nevada is widely considered the best domestic location for offshore incorporation due to a host of perks and benefits. Not only does Nevada not impose any corporation tax on a corporation or limited liability company as many states do, but the state also allows a corporation’s business matters to be conducted entirely out of state. For example, corporate stockholders and board directors do not have to live in Nevada to take advantage of a Nevada-based incorporation. This state is quite possibly the most friendly business state in the country.

Cited: Reuters

Mortgage rates have fallen to the lowest level in decades over the past two months and could dip below 4 percent if the economy worsens.

The average rate for 30-year fixed loans fell this week to 4.42%, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. It was the eighth time in nine weeks that rates have fallen to the lowest level since Freddie Mac began tracking rates in 1971.

Investors fear the recovery is slowing. The latest sign came Thursday when the government reported a half-million people applied for jobless benefits last week, a nine-month high.

Mortgage rates are following the economic jitters. Rates track the yields on U.S. Treasury’s. Those yields have lowered in recent months as more investors put their money into safer Treasury’s.

Rates could fall to 4% sometime next year if the economy slips back into a recession, said Michael Moskowitz, chief executive of Equity Now, a New York-based mortgage lender with operations in six states.

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“The economy is going nowhere for a very long time,” he said.

The average rate on 15-year fixed loans dropped to 3.9%. That was down from 3.92% last week and the lowest on records dating back to 1991.

Low rates have not helped the struggling housing market. It is hampered by tight credit and a weak economy that is producing few jobs.

More people are taking advantage of the rates to refinance their existing loans, with activity reaching the highest level since May 2009.

Many lenders are having a hard time keeping up. Like many employers, they have also slashed jobs because of the tough economy. Now they have fewer people available to process loans.

“They’re trying to slow the number of loans they have coming in because they can’t handle the volume,’” said Cameron Findlay, chief economist at LendingTree.com.

Rates are unlikely to fall to 4% in the next few weeks but could easily do so in the coming months, Findlay said.

To calculate the national average, Freddie Mac collects mortgage rates on Monday through Wednesday of each week from lenders around the country. Rates often fluctuate significantly, even within a given day.

Average rates on 5-year adjustable-rate mortgages were unchanged at 3.56%. Rates on 1-year adjustable-rate mortgages also were unchanged at an average of 3.53%.

However, these rates do not include fees known as points. A point is generally equal to 1% of the total loan and nationwide fees for loans in a survey done by Freddie Mac average 0.7% a point for 30-year and 1-year mortgages. For 15-year and 5-year mortgages they averaged 0.6% a point.

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My Take: I, for one, am glad the mortgage rates are still low. I am in the process of buying my 1st home and I would like it to be as cheap as possible, financially speaking. It’s not like I want to buy villas in Marbella or a ranch in Montana. Although, a ranch in Montana sounds good! Even Marbella homes sound good. However, those are for when I become exorbitantly rich by winning the lottery. Ha ha!

I would love to have the cash to build my own home and to afford the Denver CO construction attorneys I would need if I had a problem. Or would those be Denver CO construction defect litigation attorneys. You see, it’s a good thing I don’t have the money to build my own home because I would note contact there was a problem.

I understand that because the rates are so low a lot of investors are purchasing homes and then renting them out. Homes for rent are a big business nowadays. I understand there are a lot of homes for rent right now, some of which may be rent-to-own homes. However, I do not live in Blaine so they will not get my business.

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Places to Stay

When deciding on places to stay for your vacation needs you may be presented with many different options that can easily change the feel of your holiday. Sometimes choosing to stay in an upscale hotel with luxuries like room service and a concierge would be the best option while on the other hand it might be more advantageous to stay in the more casual atmosphere of a local condo or home for rent. While the location of your vacation home is something to consider, the amenities provided in the residence can certainly guide your decision.