Top 5 Destinations for Kids During Holiday Season
fun for kids during holiday season, Christmas in Georgia, holiday events in Georgia, Christmas in Atlanta, Georgia, top 5 Christmas destinations for kids, ideas for Christmas, Christmas lights, Santa in Atlanta, Georgia
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/2321946/top_5_destinations_for_kids_during.html

Protecting Yourself and Others During Seasonal Flu and Swine Flu Seasons
As the flu season approaches, there are many questions regarding the seasonal flu and swine flu.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/2201591/protecting_yourself_and_others_during.html

Joe Biden & Ric Flair

Is it just me or does Ric Flair and Joe Biden look like brothers.  I was watching Joe Biden give a statement regarding the passing of “Teddy” Kennedy on CNN and I was just waiting on him to say, “Whooah"!”  It was at that moment, I notice the resemblance between him and Ric Flair.  Maybe being a huge wrestling fan in the 80’s may have some influence in the resemblance, but man, I can’t help but to smile now when I see Vice President Joe Biden.  As Ric Flair would say:

Whether you like it or don’t like it; Learn to love it, because it’s the best thing going today, “Whooah”

 

                   

Walmart Gift Wrap

I ordered a Sansa MP3 player from walmart.com and paid $4.00 for gift wrap.  Check out the gift wrap below:  WTF!!  A black knapsack with a white ribbon dangling from it.  Are you kidding me Mr. Sam Walton.  The Sansa MP3 is the size of my palm and you throw it in a knapsack and call it a gift wrap.  Cheap B*****!  I was furious over this.  My first instinct was to drive to the nearest WalMart and kick some WalMart butt.  Instead, I’m going to let them enjoy that $4.00, but, I’m going to tell everyone that I know and don’t know how big of a rip-off this is. 

#7 is Back!

I must admit that I did not see that one coming. Michael Vick signs with the Philadelphia Eagles. Congratulations on the signing Michael Vick. Now, let the drama begin. The protest will start. The Michael Vick bashing will start. All the Hypocrites out there will remind us of the actions of Michael Vick in the past. Well, the man has served his time. It's over. Anyone that has never made a mistake in there life can continue to criticize, other than those people, everyone else needs to shut their mouth. There's no good sins, bad sins, or minor sins. A sin is a sin. Telling a lie is just as bad as killing a dog in my book. Cheating on your taxes, drinking and driving, spousal abuse, child abuse, child molestation, stealing, etc. All are bad!! Let him be!! He did the crime, did the time, now it's time for all of you to move on.

Go Michael Vick!!

Lakers Champs

Congratulations to the LA Lakers.

Lebron James

I was really cheering for King James and the Cavaliers this year, but, after watching the last three games versus the Orlando Magic, it’s clear that Lebron James will have to wait another year or two for a championship. Even though they had the best record this year, Orlando is just their Achilles Heel.  Every team seems to have an Achilles Heel.  Lets take a look look at my favorite sport, Football.  The Indy Colts always have trouble with the New England Patriots.  No matter how good the Colts seems to be.  No matter how many points the Colts seem to be able to put up points on other teams, it seem that they cannot beat the New England Patriots.  No matter Lebron won MVP. No matter the Cavs had the best record in the NBA.  They will lose the series against the Orlando Magic. 

Funniest Commercial Ever!!!

I'm watching the massacre between the Cavaliers vs Hawks NBA playoff game and saw the funniest commercial ever! It's a Nike commercial with Lebron James and Kobe Bryant puppets. If you missed it, a lot of you did because no one was interested in the beat down of the Atlanta Hawks, here is a link to the Commercial.

Enjoy!!!!

http://inside.nike.com/blogs/nikebasketball/2009/05/10/most-valuable-puppets

Burglar Proof Your Home

Protecting Your Home from a Burglar
The more you do to your home to protect it from burglars, the more it will standout to burglars as the last home they would like to try to break-in.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1485432/protecting_your_home_from_a_burglar.html

Homebuyers Tax Credit

The First-Time Home Buyers Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit of 10% of the purchase price, up to $7,500, which will be provided to first-time home buyers for homes purchased on or after 4/09/08 and before 7/01/09. Buyers can claim 2009 purchases on their 2008 tax filing, and the credit will appear as a refund on their tax return.

Single buyers with modified adjusted gross income up to $75,00 and couples with modified adjusted gross incomes up to $150,000 may be eligible.

Note: The refundable tax credit is paid back over a 15 year period with no interest, and payments start after two years.

For more information, contact a loan officer today.

Mandatory Automatic Principal Balance Reduction Plan

I'm tired of hearing the banks complain about how hard times are. How they need our money to bail them out of turmoil. My answer to the banks....................Tough S_ _ T!!!! Y'all created this monster of an economy. Greed, Greed, and more Greed. Do the politicians really believe that the good ole banks are going to do what they say they are going to do? Well lets take a look:

1. We (banks) are going to use the bailout money to help start making new loans to people.

False



2. We (banks) are going to help people who are in trouble with their mortgages by restructuring their current mortgage to make it more affordable for the trouble borrowers.


False


Instead, they;
A. Increase people interest rate on their credit cards to help generate more money for their companies.
B. They make it harder for people to get loans.
C. Tell the public that they lost track of the money they got from the federal government the first time so they need even more money now.

My relief package hit the heart of the problem; The Real Estate Industry. After all, it was the housing market that started this turmoil, why not fix the source? If we fix this problem, the economy will start to move.



My plan:



Mandatory Automatic Principal Balance Reduction Plan



Make the banks reduce every homeowner principal balance by 20% -25%, charge homeowner current interest rate to the new balance, thus, giving the homeowner a cheaper mortgage. Having a lower mortgage will free up homeowners spending cash and put equity back into their homes. Thus, freeing up money to buy a much needed car if the homeowner needed it, home improvements, spending money for vacations, extra money for shopping, etc. See, the homeowner will put money back in the economy, not the banks. If homeowner interest rate is above 6.5%, make a mandatory reduction on interest rate to 6.5% or lower and adjust the principal balance as well. This will stabilize the market. Help people in need and also help the ones who were responsible enough to buy a home that they could afford in the first place. Win-Win Situation in my opinion. This way, the government does not have to keep giving a blank check to the banks and auto industries and they can use the money in other ways to stimulate the economy like alternative fuel sources, infrastructures, saving social security, etc.

For once, do the right thing for the American people.





Thanks,


Ken

Save time for your family and friends!

I received and email this morning and I thought it was one of the best "chain" emails I have received in years. I rarely burden other people with these type of emails but this one is different. I was asked to keep it going and passed it along, so I decided to put it in my blog so my readers can enjoy it. It's called:

Can I Borrow $25?

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'
DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the man.
SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'
DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the man said angrily.
SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'
DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.'
SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?'
The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed.. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think, maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door. Are you asleep, son? He asked. No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy. I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the man. It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for. The little boy sat straight up, smiling. Oh, thank you daddy! he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father. Why do you want more money if you already have some? the father grumbled. Because I didn't have enough, but now I do, the little boy replied. Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you. The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.
It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love. If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

Thanks to the author!
Have a great day!

How to prepare your walls for painting

Painting a room a new and fresh color is the cheapest and easiest do-it yourself home improvement project. Here are 3 simple steps to help you prepare your walls for painting.

Follow these steps to prepare your wall for painting.

1. Cleaning
Wash the walls with soap and water. If there are evidence of mold, add up to a quart of bleach to 3 quarts of an ammonia-free detergent solution. Don't forget to protect nearby floors with drop cloths. Allow the bleach solution to remain on the wall for 15 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly.

2. Smoothing surfaces

Scrape any cracked or flaking areas with a paint scraper until you reach paint that is solidly fixed on the wall.

Where the paper surface of drywall is torn, trim the tear free with a utility knife, and apply joint compound over the damage.

Use a wide blade to fill large bare patches with joint compound. Apply several thin coats instead of one thick layer.

Use a power palm sander or a sanding block to smooth the patches. Over sanding can scuff the drywall surface.

3. Use a Primer

Prime all repaired areas, following the paint manufacturer’s recommendations for priming. Note: Also use a primer on dark color walls.

Good luck and have fun painting.

6 Reasons to buy a Home

1. Tax breaks. The U.S. Tax Code lets you deduct the interest you pay on your mortgage, your property taxes, as well as some of the costs involved in buying your home.

2. Equity. Money paid for rent is money that you’ll never see again, but mortgage payments let you build equity ownership interest in your home.

3. Savings. Building equity in your home is a ready-made savings plan. And when you sell, you can generally take up to $250,000 ($500,000 for a married couple) as gain without owing any federal income tax.

4. No Surprises. Unlike rent, your fixed-mortgage payments don’t rise over the years so your housing costs may actually decline as you own the home longer. However, keep in mind that property taxes and insurance costs will increase.

5. Freedom. The home is yours. You can decorate any way you want and benefit from your investment for as long as you own the home.

6. Prices. Due to the current condition of our economy, prices on homes have hit rock bottom. You can find a good condition 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath home for under $80,000 here in Georgia.

One way to stabilize the housing market and get the economy back on track is to find a way to stop home foreclosure and sell these homes that are currently on the market.

Rocawear 9IX Cologne Review

I bought my 9IX two months ago to put it to the test. My end result is as follows:

Smell - B
The smell of the 9IX cologne is refreshing and mild. It smells like a cucumber or melon base product. Initial spray affect is quite pleasing.

Innovative - A
The design is very unique. Instead of the typical glass bottle, Rocawear use a metal type container. The design of the container itself will catch your eye in the department stores.

Lasting Affect - D
I applied the 9IX early in the morning after my shower and noticed by mid afternoon I can no longer smell the fragrance. Most high quality men's cologne I can still get an unexpected "whiff" of my cologne throughout the day. With 9IX, the "whiff" is not present.

Women's Attraction - D
Having worn the 9IX brand for 2 months, no one has approached me or ask me what cologne I was wearing. I had to mention it to my female co-workers a few days after I purchased the 9IX fragrance and their response was that the fragrance was nice and/or okay. If 9IX wants to "stomp" with the big boys of fragrances, I suggest they make the fragrance more masculine. Masculine but not over bearing. A good fragrance should be noticeable not only in the morning when first applied, but throughout the day. When you walk in a room, the fragrance should be noticeable but not over bearing to all. When people see you, they should think of your fragrance. That's what makes a good fragrance. 9IX fails to hold up to this standard.

Overall Review - C
The design and the initial smell when first applied help this fragrance from falling in the D grade. I will like to see Rocawear and Elizabeth Arden (actual maker of the fragrance) to improve the formula for the cologne to make it last longer without doing major changes to the overall scent of the fragrance. If no major upgrades is done to the fragrance, it will likely end up at low budget departments stores for $19.99.