Does everyone in a position of authority consider the consumer stupid...???

It certainly seems so, and it may be the single-most underlying cause of our social and economic problems today...!!!

I look at Congress and I see a reluctance to allow the consumer to see bills which they will be voting on...before they vote...I guess if you're in Congress, and you don't read the bills you yourself are voting on, why let anyone else see it, right!!! That sure sounds like a functioning democratic republic alright...!!!

Even closer to home, and pertinent to our beloved real estate industry, the new HUD1 form to be implemented very shortly (perhaps before years end) is anything BUT a consumer friendly document...in fact, it presumes the consumer knows nothing about the home buying process, and lumps important fees together rather than a complete and total itemization of charges as under the old HUD1 system...

Am I simply rebelling against CHANGE...refusing to adapt to improved and better ways to accomplish the American Dream...??? Heck no...!!! I welcome new, inventive, and improved ways to SIMPLIFY the system...That is what knowledge and wisdom and experience are supposed to provide...It's called PROGRESS...

But what we're seeing on practically every front nowadays is anything but PROGRESS...

It is POWER GONE SOUR.......

We're regressing faster than a 5 year old still in diapers...

Is the popularity of 'Dummy Books' evidence that many, if not most, consider consumers stupid...??? Do the terms 'smart shopper' and 'informed buyer' carry any weight with people in power? Or have people in power reached the conclusion that 'I'm stupid, therefore everyone else must be'...!!!

Why can't we acknowledge that we are ALL CONSUMERS...each and every one of us...??? And anything that benefits the consumer, benefits us...!!!

If there is something the consumer needs to know, educate him/her...don't assume that WE can't or won't get it...

Or is that the mentality that defines a Congress that votes on bills they've never read...???

Patience as a virtue is almost extinct from our leaders...and Prudence is equally missing...!!!

C'mon people...let's get to work on SOLVING problems, not creating new ones...!!!

Have a great and productive weekend...!!!

It was a successful weekend for many Philly sports teams...all except the one that counted the most...The Phillies in World Series game 4 against the Yankees...  

After an exciting 8th inning solo home run by Pedro Felize to tie the game at 4 to 4, the Phillies only saw their hopes dashed in the top of the 9th when the Yankees took a commanding 7 to 4 lead which resulted in another Yankee victory bringing the series to a 3 to 1 Yankee lead!!!  

Now, the Phils, whose MO is winning on the road and against all odds, must settle back into that role if they hold any hopes of repeating as World Champions...  

It's really as simple as that...take each game as it comes, go out and play like you did in the regular season, don't lose heart or give up before the final out, and BELIEVE...!!!  

In any case, thanks for some great baseball this year...It's November and my team is still playing baseball...!!!

I know this post is grossly 'off topic', but something this important needs to be dealt with expeditiously...

Having been around football, especially youth football, for a goodly number of years, I was able to observe many things which affect the safety of the participants...

The most critical of which is the 'HELMET' or headgear...

Make no mistake about it, the helmets that are used and certified today, are designed for maximum protection for the wearer, and especially the wearer's head...

The problem is...in designing headgear protecting the wearer, little attention was paid to the amount of damage that could be caused by someone coming in contact with the helmet in a typical football maneuver...

In other words, the very saving grace for the wearer has become a potential injury hazard to the opposing player, or, in fact, even to any other player on the same team who happens to come into contact with the helmet...it is a virtual weapon...!!!

Simply stated, the outside shell of the helmet needs to be redesigned with some 'give' in the part of the helmet contacting other players...as currently manufactured, the helmets are simply 'too rigid'...

I hope this post will raise awareness of this problem and cause an initiative to redesign a suitable helmet that will afford maximum protection to all users and players.

In an age where head injuries and concussions seem to be on a drastic incline in football as well as several other contact sports, it would seem prudent and beneficial for some University to adopt this concern as a research project that can save many lives and/or serious injuries...!!!

Have a great weekend...!!!

I love to listen to people talk...truly listen...!!!  

You can learn more by listening than by talking...  

And in our English languge, the art of listening is even more compounded by the nuances we place on our English words...  

Take the words in this title above...phrases we hear tossed around while presuming that everyone understands and knows the true meaning of those terms...  

In fact, at first glance, the terms in the title seem very related and synoptic, but on closer observation and study, there can be chasms of difference in their actual meanings...  

SO...do the words mean what the speaker thinks and intends or rather do they mean what the hearer hears...  

In my experience the answer, more than not, lies somewhere in between...  

And so we have debates, misunderstandings, arguments, disagreements, and confusion...much of which is a result of language moreso than knowledge...  

If this post sounds convoluted or distorted it is probably because you weren't listening...!!! LOL...!!!  

Just some food for thought on a typical Monday morning...!!!  

Take the time to listen and develop the art to perfection...all will benefit and we will all have a lot more fun...!!!

Not only has the weather provided challenges to fall sports schedules in our home, but now the flu and its close cousins have invaded our home, our schools, and our work places.  

I don't know about you, but I find it difficult to get the true scoop on all this flu stuff...you have the regular flu, the swine flu, some doctors advocating for vaccination, but others opposing inoculations, some news media over sensationalizing the negatives, but failing to report the important and documented facts about all this flu stuff.  

Then you have the usual conspiracy theorists who now have email to propagate their theories at lightning fast speeds...theories of government controlled disease releases, enemy countries releasing contagious substances, and other scifi like plots abound..!!!  

Why, this morning I even listened to a renown atheist on the radio, Doctor Richard Dawkins, I believe, who disavowed any notion of God, prayer, miracles, or supernatural healings...his rhetoric was somewhat convincing, and thankfully he has not lost his faith in atheism...however,  

I prefer to fall back on the wisdom of my God fearing and God loving Grandmother...drink plenty of water, eat well, apply vinegar and warm water towels to feverish foreheads, sip hot lemon to sooth that sore throat, gargle often with salt water...

OH...and don't forget your prayer time...!!!  

Have a great and flu free weekend...!!!

Well, it's Monday...The weekend was exciting, but full of foul weather...SO...  

There was plenty of time provided by the weather conditions for reviewing problems and opportunities, establishing priorities, and planning the week ahead...  

Of course, with the Phillies knee deep into the NLCS playoffs...all scheduling resolves around that particular sporting event...!!!  

But one task which I have been putting off for months was the need to replace our mailbox at work...

Just to bring those of you who don't follow this blog up to date.......  

We moved into our present offices about 7 years ago...the premises had been a very nice stone front rancher on about an acre and a half of beautifully landscaped plantings and used exclusively for residential purposes...in fact, the previous residents can trace their ownership back to William Penn...  

Over the years, and due to expansion in the area, new road accesses, and unprecedented development, the property found itself lying in a spot which had become zoned for Office/Light Industrial use...  

And so, although the property fit all of our needs commercially, I had resolved to keep the 'residential and homey look' as much as practicable through the many renovations that were completed to the property before we moved in...  

One such 'residential touch' to the property was its mailbox...obviously custom hand made and not mass produced and barely serving our commercial needs regarding size and functionality, the mailbox we resolved not to touch has undergone several other 'attacks' since moving in...not the least of which was being attacked and 'drilled' by a local woodpecker looking to upgrade his residence, a local red cardinal seeking similar privileges I suppose, and numerous threats to its structural integrity caused by weather and aging...  

So before our mailbox looks like the picture above and misrepresents who we are and what we appreciate...We will be searching for and installing a suitable replacement...one probably which I found on Ace Hardware's website...!!!  

I will keep you all 'POSTED' (humor intended)...!!!

My regular blogging schedule has been seriously impacted for over a month and a half now...!!!  

Not only have I missed my blogging, but my commenting on other blogs as well has suffered...  

It all started with the onset of the midget football season...which concurrently competed for my attention with fall baseball schedules for three of my other children...  

Now, knee deep in the throes of all these sporting activities, comes the Major League October Classics...Baseball playoffs and World Series preliminaries...  

I make no excuses, however, but I do recall when there was plenty of liesure time for book reading, crossword puzzles, sudokus, cryptograms, TV watching, etc...  

But that was before my World Champion Phillies Playoff hopes and HDTV...  

It doesn't get any better than this...!!!

 

 

Please don't read this unless you're addicted to baseball...!!! I mean it's not considered Americas favorite pastime for nothing...!!!  

And so, let the games begin...  

Of course, I'm hoping my Phillies repeat as World Champions, but in this age of 'buying' a class contender, one has to wonder if the sport hasn't gone out of the game in favor of the business aspect...  

Go into any major league city and you'll notice that the dollar wins the day...I mean these 'palaces' costing close to a billion dollars to erect aren't being built as 'tax deductions'...

The action goes on between innings..as millions are spent on food, parking, concessions, wearables, souvenirs, etc...  

It just so happens that there is a baseball game going on in the midst of all this hyper spending...!!!  

Nevertheless, it's October baseball, so let the games begin...!!!  

I'll be watching on my new Hi Def...!!!

We have been struggling for months closing short sale transactions...  

Talk about 'heavy maintenance' and 'luck'...A lot of both are experienced trying to close these transactions, and a great many never survive to closing...at great out of pocket expense to us, by the way...  

Recently, an inquiry was made to us about handling a 'flip' subsequent (read concurrent) to a short sale...!!!  

Legal or no, ethical or no, I'm just old enough and tired enough and frustrated enough to say no to such transactions...  

What comes after your brain is fried after having 'worked' a successful short sale through closing...???  

As for me and my company, we don't wish to find out...!!!  

Have a great week...!!!

First off, let me apologize to all, that I have been so busy that my blogging has dropped off...Not because I hate blogging...the opposite is quite true...I have loved blogging, and still do...!!!  

It's just that family responsibilities have been tremendous, particularly with 5 children all involved in sports activities...Hopefully, once football is over and Thanksgiving approaches, our schedules will ease up a bit, and I will be able to resume my regular and consistent blogging duties...!!!  

Thanks for bearing with me...!!!  

NOW.......with regard to the title of this forum post...  

We live in a cute cape cod style home on 2 acres of land that has its own septic system on site...That's right...we have no public sewer, and even our water is supplied by an on site well...  

With five children, two adults and a dog, there are plenty of clothes, towels, and other essentials being washed constantly...and in order to keep our septic system operating at peak efficiency, there are certain recommendations we must take to achieve that goal...  

***We use as little water as possible when washing clothes  

***We have water savers on all faucets and in all showers  

***Our toilets are the energy and water conserving type

***We are careful about what we flush down our drains and toilets...and we have the septic system pumped occasionally  

***AND, we have no garbage disposal...at least the kind you're familiar with that runs on electricity and is mounted beneath the kitchen sink  

***We do, however, have a 'garbage disposer'...it (she) even has a name...DAISY...and she consumes anything, edible and otherwise, that falls to the floor or is left within reach of her 'retriever' mouth...including over 10 remote controls, several pairs of socks, a few sneakers, and an occasional article of clothing...  

We're debating whether we can use her as a deduction on our income tax as an 'energy compliant' appliance...!!!  

Stay busy, enjoy the autumn weather, and have a great weekend...!!!