These days, for a reporter to move up in the ranks of a newspaper or news outlet the reporter has to put themselves in ever more precarious positions in ever more dangerous places. Sometimes they have to ask politicians or heads of states shocking questions in public arena's. These days you are likely to find Anderson Cooper (CNN) or Anne Curry (NBC) anyplace around the world with a camera crew; Iran, Somali or North Korea.
This brings me to my point, Currrent TV reporters Enua Lee and Laura Ling were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor by the Courts in North Korea. I don't know how I feel about that, it's like a person poking a stick at a lion through a cage and then being mad that the lion bit them. As we have all witnessed from watching the evening news, Kim Jong Il is a flat out nut. Why would you be over in North Korea messing with that man's people. Someone had to have told these two journalist that if your caught over there, "your on your own". Now I see Ling's sister Lisa (the more famous reporter for (National Geographic and NBC fame) on the evening news crying and asking the Obama administration to intervene.
America and North Korea are anything but friends, we have no juice in North Korea, quite the contrary. Jong Il probably relishes in being able to hold these two young journalist over the American people heads. He makes Obama have to ask for favors from people he 's trying to ostracize right now, for the missile they've been launching as of recently. It's a shame.
To me, this has a lot to do with reporters going to more and more dangerous lengths to try to make a name for themselves. The problem is, when things don't work out, America has to come and grovel to despots for their releases. The same scenario just played out in Iran, where a female reporter was jailed for spying/reporting in Iran. They released her, but only after the Obama Administration had to come with hat in hand.
America may have to start to new policy where they say to reporters if you go to dangerous inhospitable places you may have to suffer the consequences of your actions.
It's going to be hot in Atlanta this week, bordering on 90 degrees everyday. I'm concerned with the grass at all my clients properties. I don't have tremendous amount of grass on my properties, but the grass I do have is fescu, a dark green, year round grass, that doesn't do to well when the sun beats down on it for long periods of time. I also have fescu at my own home.
I'm thinking that I need to (unfortunately) turn on the irrigation at a few of my properties. This isn't as easy as flipping a switch. Some light weight computer programming of the systems is necessary. Also testing to see if everything is working properly from the year before, if you have a few large properties like I do, it's going to take all day. It's all good though, that's why a person gets paid the medium bucks. Caio
Monday, June 8, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
'Press' the Grapes
I was checking out this months Vanity Fair Magazine, I like Vanity Fair, good reporting and writing, something very hard to find these days. They are running a story this month about how well the Obama Administration handles the press, compared to other Administration's. I was also watching CNN and they were reporting basically the same thing. I like when President can control the spin coming out of the White House. Over the years I've seen this done badly. Where the press has the administration chasing their tail and explaining after every little cliche that happens through the course of a day.
President Clinton comes to mind, during the Lewinski debacle, Clinton would be a state functions or sitting with world leaders and the press would ask him about the most nonsensical things. Those people had no leash on the dog, (that is the press). You have to keep a tight leash on the press in my opinion or they will muddle your message and lead you to places you don't want to go. In the VF article they talk about how disciplined and smart Obama and his people are concerning the media. and how the administration strategically releases information that they need for the press and the American people to know. I think Rahm Emanuel has had big hand in this, he has always been a person who could mold the media to his liking.
I was outside this morning checking on the grapes, blueberries, peppers and Kiwi's, I have growing in my yard. everything is great. But while I was out, two of my neighbors were passing and admiring our landscape. So we strike up a conversation and I take them on a tour of the yard. This has happened about 9 or 10 times his season, it's interesting because we have virtually no blooming flowers in our landscape all Agave's, dwarf evergreen materials, some climbing Roses for our only burst of color, and vining grapes, blueberries, kiwis and cherry tomatoes. This season I built four bamboo trellis about 5 feet high for the roses, grapes and kiwi to climb. From the street the look is fresh, I've never seen anyone do it. I'm sure I'll see it everywhere next year, but by then, I'll be on to something new. This is what I do.
President Clinton comes to mind, during the Lewinski debacle, Clinton would be a state functions or sitting with world leaders and the press would ask him about the most nonsensical things. Those people had no leash on the dog, (that is the press). You have to keep a tight leash on the press in my opinion or they will muddle your message and lead you to places you don't want to go. In the VF article they talk about how disciplined and smart Obama and his people are concerning the media. and how the administration strategically releases information that they need for the press and the American people to know. I think Rahm Emanuel has had big hand in this, he has always been a person who could mold the media to his liking.
I was outside this morning checking on the grapes, blueberries, peppers and Kiwi's, I have growing in my yard. everything is great. But while I was out, two of my neighbors were passing and admiring our landscape. So we strike up a conversation and I take them on a tour of the yard. This has happened about 9 or 10 times his season, it's interesting because we have virtually no blooming flowers in our landscape all Agave's, dwarf evergreen materials, some climbing Roses for our only burst of color, and vining grapes, blueberries, kiwis and cherry tomatoes. This season I built four bamboo trellis about 5 feet high for the roses, grapes and kiwi to climb. From the street the look is fresh, I've never seen anyone do it. I'm sure I'll see it everywhere next year, but by then, I'll be on to something new. This is what I do.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Water Devils
Morning came a bit too soon this morning, our dog Juniper has got himself into a pattern of waking at 5:30a to go outside and just roam a bit. About half the time my wife wakes and takes her in the backyard. When I wake and take the dog out, I take her to the front yard. I sit on one the front porch chairs and check out the roses while Juniper sniffs out new smells from the night before and hopefully squeezes out a piss and poo. Dog stuff.
In rained hard for quite a while yesterday and last night in Atlanta. I love it, he keeps me from having to turn on the sprinkler system at one of my largest clients property. Gotta conserve the water. Speaking of water, people think that just watering a plant indoors or out until the plant is floating is the key to healthy plants. It isn't. Over watering is probably the no.1 way that indoor plants die. Too much love. In the plant world it's much easier to cure a plant that's dry than wet. Plants can recover from being too dry, water them, and they will usually snap back good as new.
Letting a plant go dry (not dessert dry) but almost to wilt, and then watering it is the best way to make a flowering plant create flowers, try it. Same for non flowering plants, let the plant go almost to wilt and then water it and the plant will grow new shoots. Now too much water is the problem, plants cannot recover from too much water, it rots the roots, leading to death of the plant. Simple way to avoid this, for house and outdoor plants; feel the soil before watering. Stick your finger about two inches into the soil around the plant if it's wet or moist don't water. This will also eliminate gnats in the home. The gnats are attracted to the moistness, This is the reason that gnats fly around your face, they are attracted to the wetness in your mouth. hmm...
The critics are in on President Obama's speech in Cairo. It was the usual nonsense, but the thing that struck me is that they had a problem with Barack saying Assalamu Alaikum, (peace to you) I believe. What !. They've got to have something better to do. The president touched on many subject during his hour long address to the students and faculty at Cairo University. The speech seemed to be well received by most Muslims which is a start. It's good he recognized the educated masses in Cairo. What is interesting to me is that Egyptian Universities graduate 900,000 students a year. That's alot of educated people. many more than their economy can support. Someone needs to come up with a plan to put these graduates to work, or were going to have a problem with the old saying "an idle mind is the devils playground".
In rained hard for quite a while yesterday and last night in Atlanta. I love it, he keeps me from having to turn on the sprinkler system at one of my largest clients property. Gotta conserve the water. Speaking of water, people think that just watering a plant indoors or out until the plant is floating is the key to healthy plants. It isn't. Over watering is probably the no.1 way that indoor plants die. Too much love. In the plant world it's much easier to cure a plant that's dry than wet. Plants can recover from being too dry, water them, and they will usually snap back good as new.
Letting a plant go dry (not dessert dry) but almost to wilt, and then watering it is the best way to make a flowering plant create flowers, try it. Same for non flowering plants, let the plant go almost to wilt and then water it and the plant will grow new shoots. Now too much water is the problem, plants cannot recover from too much water, it rots the roots, leading to death of the plant. Simple way to avoid this, for house and outdoor plants; feel the soil before watering. Stick your finger about two inches into the soil around the plant if it's wet or moist don't water. This will also eliminate gnats in the home. The gnats are attracted to the moistness, This is the reason that gnats fly around your face, they are attracted to the wetness in your mouth. hmm...
The critics are in on President Obama's speech in Cairo. It was the usual nonsense, but the thing that struck me is that they had a problem with Barack saying Assalamu Alaikum, (peace to you) I believe. What !. They've got to have something better to do. The president touched on many subject during his hour long address to the students and faculty at Cairo University. The speech seemed to be well received by most Muslims which is a start. It's good he recognized the educated masses in Cairo. What is interesting to me is that Egyptian Universities graduate 900,000 students a year. That's alot of educated people. many more than their economy can support. Someone needs to come up with a plan to put these graduates to work, or were going to have a problem with the old saying "an idle mind is the devils playground".
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Orchids in Cairo
Ours is a floral home, a house that's as close to tropical as you can be indoors in Atlanta. We have Marginata's, Neon Janet Craig's, Orchids you name it. It's good, it adds an aliveness to a home. I assume everyone knows indoor plants clean the air in a home. In Canada high rises are required to have a certain amount of plants for each floor of the structure.
People make the mistake of thinking that companies put plants in offices for adornment. To make it pretty. No... There is a hierarchy when it comes to plants in offices, Usually the most important people have the biggest and best plants in their offices. This is because NASA Research has proven that any plant but the (bigger more leafy plants are better), cut down on a person becoming sick at the office. Companies put great plants in the boss and the moneymakers offices because they want them to show up for work. Here's a tip Cold and flu germs stick to plants. The more plants, the cleaner the air and less sickness in the home. Google it.
I was listening to President Obama this morning, he was speaking in Cairo at one of the University's there. I liked, that he seemed at ease, something he wasn't yesterday with the Saudis, he had a very closed stance and energy. The last time I saw him in the Middle East he seemed a bit closed. One of his strategies in the Middle East is to reach out to the youth, the college students and academics amongst them. These people set the tone for a society, they are the trend setter, leaders and moneymakers in Societies. I think in looking at Mr. Obama's administration and how they do business, they've noodled this out, as the best way to reach out and change the future in the Muslim World.
People make the mistake of thinking that companies put plants in offices for adornment. To make it pretty. No... There is a hierarchy when it comes to plants in offices, Usually the most important people have the biggest and best plants in their offices. This is because NASA Research has proven that any plant but the (bigger more leafy plants are better), cut down on a person becoming sick at the office. Companies put great plants in the boss and the moneymakers offices because they want them to show up for work. Here's a tip Cold and flu germs stick to plants. The more plants, the cleaner the air and less sickness in the home. Google it.
I was listening to President Obama this morning, he was speaking in Cairo at one of the University's there. I liked, that he seemed at ease, something he wasn't yesterday with the Saudis, he had a very closed stance and energy. The last time I saw him in the Middle East he seemed a bit closed. One of his strategies in the Middle East is to reach out to the youth, the college students and academics amongst them. These people set the tone for a society, they are the trend setter, leaders and moneymakers in Societies. I think in looking at Mr. Obama's administration and how they do business, they've noodled this out, as the best way to reach out and change the future in the Muslim World.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Politics and Palms
I was sitting on are stoop, (our front porch) this morning. Thinking. Last night the sorority house (literally) next door to us had a party, Pretty little hard belly's playing loud rap and R&b music, imagine that. My wife complain to me about what we should do, but what could I say, I use to do the same thing.
I was surveying my back forty this morning and I've acquired some Palms-Silver palms, King Palms, and a Banana Palm. They are what 2 or 3 feet tall, not big at all. I'm thinking I'll put one up front and the rest around our backyard which is about to be under construction.
I try to explain to customers that it would actually be much more cost effective to buy smaller less expensive plant material, (unless you just have to have it). The Palms I got came from a nursery for 5bucks a piece. I see these Palms at Home Depot maybe a foot or two taller for 80, 90 dollars. Buy small , put the plant in the right light (very important) and it will jump out of the ground the (second) year. Not gonna get much the first season but the second and third year, golden.
I was watching President Obama with Nancy Reagan yesterday and it struck me that Barack always seems so reassuring in his decision making. He was cool as cucumber, Nancy Reagan was holding onto his arm like it was a life preserver in the Ocean, it was cute.
I see that Tom Pawlenty Republican Governor of Minnesota is not running for re-election. Very impressive man, people are talking about him running for the President as the Republican nominee in 2012. Between Pawlenty and Mitt Romney, Baracks gonna have his hands full if everything isn't running smooth and folks aren't working. I'll still take Barack.
I was surveying my back forty this morning and I've acquired some Palms-Silver palms, King Palms, and a Banana Palm. They are what 2 or 3 feet tall, not big at all. I'm thinking I'll put one up front and the rest around our backyard which is about to be under construction.
I try to explain to customers that it would actually be much more cost effective to buy smaller less expensive plant material, (unless you just have to have it). The Palms I got came from a nursery for 5bucks a piece. I see these Palms at Home Depot maybe a foot or two taller for 80, 90 dollars. Buy small , put the plant in the right light (very important) and it will jump out of the ground the (second) year. Not gonna get much the first season but the second and third year, golden.
I was watching President Obama with Nancy Reagan yesterday and it struck me that Barack always seems so reassuring in his decision making. He was cool as cucumber, Nancy Reagan was holding onto his arm like it was a life preserver in the Ocean, it was cute.
I see that Tom Pawlenty Republican Governor of Minnesota is not running for re-election. Very impressive man, people are talking about him running for the President as the Republican nominee in 2012. Between Pawlenty and Mitt Romney, Baracks gonna have his hands full if everything isn't running smooth and folks aren't working. I'll still take Barack.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Blueberrys, Kiwis and the Middle East
It's Tuesday and I just checked out the blood Japanese Maple tree I installed on one of my clients locatons. THis is a big tree sitting on the side of a hill, I had to hire five people to lug it up the hill and put it in the hole. This is not a game. I'm on the hook for a year, if it dies I'm out 700 dollars to replace it.
I planted seedless grapes, kiwis, cherry tomatoes, and blueberrys on the side of our home, they look beautiful, if I say so myself. With the rain Atlanta's has had over the spring the roots have had a chance to grow deep which is what you want, it makes for a strong and durable plant in the summer months.
Speaking of roots running deep, I see that President Obama leaves for the Middle East tonight. It's interesting that alot of people feel a slight sense of nervousness about this trip. I sort of hate that people know his agenda, it gives bad people the chance to plan bad things before the President arrives. I know the Secret Service is watching his back, but I don't put anything past America's and the President's enemy's--- even home grown enemy's. To me this would be a pefect time for these fools to try something. He's over in the Middle East, it would be easy for govt. assassins to try something and then blame it on the Middle Easterners. Or it would be a opportune time for Bin Ladin's people to advance there agenda while the president is on their soil.
I just hope that all goes well and the President does what he came to do and leaves. If something was to happen, I don't think the Republic could survive.
I planted seedless grapes, kiwis, cherry tomatoes, and blueberrys on the side of our home, they look beautiful, if I say so myself. With the rain Atlanta's has had over the spring the roots have had a chance to grow deep which is what you want, it makes for a strong and durable plant in the summer months.
Speaking of roots running deep, I see that President Obama leaves for the Middle East tonight. It's interesting that alot of people feel a slight sense of nervousness about this trip. I sort of hate that people know his agenda, it gives bad people the chance to plan bad things before the President arrives. I know the Secret Service is watching his back, but I don't put anything past America's and the President's enemy's--- even home grown enemy's. To me this would be a pefect time for these fools to try something. He's over in the Middle East, it would be easy for govt. assassins to try something and then blame it on the Middle Easterners. Or it would be a opportune time for Bin Ladin's people to advance there agenda while the president is on their soil.
I just hope that all goes well and the President does what he came to do and leaves. If something was to happen, I don't think the Republic could survive.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Reagan, Clinton and the mortgage mess
I was reading Paul Krugman the economist who writes a Op-Ed column for the New York Times this morning. The jist of his column this morning lays out a line of thinking, that the whole mess that the country is in goes back to the Reagan Era bank deregulations. Before Reagan deregulated the banks, People had to put down a nice chunk of money to buy a home. It makes sense that people were required to have some skin in the game before being allowed to make quarter , half, three quarter million dollar purchases. I have no problem with that.
This practice was expanded during the Clinton era, with Freddy Mac and Fanny May. Clinton's famous call to homeownership for all Americans was a percursor for scary things to come Well as a homeowner, I'll use the words of the great wordsmith Jay-Z, "It ain't for everybody." I remember back in 2005-2006, seeing my 21 year old nephew buying a 200,000 piece of property while selling Newspaper subscriptions for the local newspaper, right then I new something was amiss with this whole homeownership thing. Folks who I wouldn't loan 20 dollars were coming up with 300k mortagages like they were buying bikes.
But that's wasn't the worst of it, after they had acquired these loans they were able to pull 10s of thousands of dollars out of the property after only being in them for months, I always thought this is money musical chairs, I was just wondering who was gonna get caught standing with no chair. 99% chance it would be the small guy.
After a bit of research I had found out that the banks were selling these loans as fast as they were making them, so they really were assuming little-to-no-risk in the transaction. Real estate Agents, Mortgage Brokers, Appraisers and the banks were running a much bigger Ponzi scheme than Madoff ever imagined.
What's interesting or criminal to me is if I figured this out within like two days why didn't the govt. regulatators or the banks or the Brokers or the appraisers understand what was going on. I get it now... We... yes we.... not all but a good portion of the American people are greedy. We saw that the Jones were stackin piles of money , putting pools in their back yard, buying new cars and off on exotic vacations and we wanted some of that. And if we had to fudge some numbers, defraud a bank, lie to a loan officer so be it. It's the American way...right.
This practice was expanded during the Clinton era, with Freddy Mac and Fanny May. Clinton's famous call to homeownership for all Americans was a percursor for scary things to come Well as a homeowner, I'll use the words of the great wordsmith Jay-Z, "It ain't for everybody." I remember back in 2005-2006, seeing my 21 year old nephew buying a 200,000 piece of property while selling Newspaper subscriptions for the local newspaper, right then I new something was amiss with this whole homeownership thing. Folks who I wouldn't loan 20 dollars were coming up with 300k mortagages like they were buying bikes.
But that's wasn't the worst of it, after they had acquired these loans they were able to pull 10s of thousands of dollars out of the property after only being in them for months, I always thought this is money musical chairs, I was just wondering who was gonna get caught standing with no chair. 99% chance it would be the small guy.
After a bit of research I had found out that the banks were selling these loans as fast as they were making them, so they really were assuming little-to-no-risk in the transaction. Real estate Agents, Mortgage Brokers, Appraisers and the banks were running a much bigger Ponzi scheme than Madoff ever imagined.
What's interesting or criminal to me is if I figured this out within like two days why didn't the govt. regulatators or the banks or the Brokers or the appraisers understand what was going on. I get it now... We... yes we.... not all but a good portion of the American people are greedy. We saw that the Jones were stackin piles of money , putting pools in their back yard, buying new cars and off on exotic vacations and we wanted some of that. And if we had to fudge some numbers, defraud a bank, lie to a loan officer so be it. It's the American way...right.
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