Friday, February 26, 2010

Touching Up Your Hardwood Floors

If you have hardwood floors you know that with the steady foot traffic scratches, scuffs, and and chips are bound to happen. While most people won't be able to notice the imperfections it can be enough to drive you crazy knowing it's there.

If you don't want to camoflauge the blemish with an area rug or cover it with a piece of furniture here's a few suggestions for fixing the normal wear and tear on your wood floors.

#1: Marker It

You can pick up a wood stain marker from your local home improvement store. You'll probably want to get an assortment to make sure you get the right match. Even if you normally feel confident in eyeballing it, it's better to have a few options. You can test the markers on a corner of the flooring where it won't be noticed. Then cover the scratched area and watch it disappear.

#2: Oil It

Light scratches may go away when treated with lip balm or even a pecan or walnut. The oil will fill the space quickly and cleanly.

# 3: Sand It

If the cut is too deep for superficial treatment lightly take a fine sand paper to the area. Rub gently in the direction of the wood's grain. Then you wipe the area down with a cloth a mineral spirits, making sure to remove any dust created from the sanding process. Finally, using a cotton swab or soft paintbrush, lightly brush over the surface with the original stain. If you don't have the original, check your local store for a close match, making sure that you blend very carefully with the rest of the floor around the spot you're touching up. Let the stain dry for an hour, making sure that no one will walk in the area.

After taking these steps you should once again have beautiful hardwood floors that you can be proud of.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Top 50 Highest Paid Soccer Players

A list has been compiled by Futebol Finance, a Portuguese marketing agency, which comprises of the top 50 highest paid soccer players based on their club salaries for the 2009-2010 season alone. Sponsorship and advertising dollars (or Euros or Pesos) are not included. It can be quite surprising if you are a fan of the game.

Rank/Name/Country/Club/Salary

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid, $17.5 million)
2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden, Barcelona, $16.1 million)
3. Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona, $14.1 million)
4. Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon, Internazionale, $14.1 million)
5. Kaka (Brazil, Real Madrid, $13.4 million)
6. Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo, Manchester City, $11.4 million)
7. Karim Benzema (France, Real Madrid, $11.4 million)
8. Carlos Tevez (Argentina, Manchester City, $10.8 million)
9. John Terry (England, Chelsea, $10 million)
10. Frank Lampard (England, Chelsea, $10 million)

11. Thierry Henry (France, Barcelona, $10 million)
12. Xavi (Spain, Barcelona, $10 million)
13. Ronaldinho (Brazil, AC Milan, $10 million)
14. Steven Gerrard (England, Liverpool, $10 million)
15. Daniel Alves (Brazil, Barcelona, $9.4 million)
16. Michael Ballack (Germany, Chelsea, $8.6 million)
17. Raul (Spain, Real Madrid, $8.6 million)
18. Rio Ferdinand (England, Manchester United, $8.6 million)
19. Kolo Toure (Ivory Coast, Manchester City, $8.6 million)
20. Wayne Rooney (England, Manchester United, $8 million)

21. Robinho (Brazil, Manchester City, $8 million) *1
22. Iker Casillas (Spain, Real Madrid, $8 million)
23. Victor Valdez (Spain, Barcelona, $8 million)
24. Frederic Kanoute (Mali, Sevilla, $8 million)
25. Deco (Portugal, Chelsea, $8 million)
26. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, Chelsea, $7.4 million)
27. Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, Juventus, $7.4 million)
28. Francesco Totti (Italy, Roma, $7.4 million)
29. Luca Toni (Italy, Roma, $7.4 million) *2
30. David Villa (Spain, Valencia, $7.4 million)

31. Arjen Robben (Netherlands, Bayern Munich, $7.4 million)
32. Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany, Bayern Munich, $7.4 million)
33. Ashley Cole (England, Chelsea, $7.4 million)
34. Fernando Torres (Spain, Liverpool, $7.4 million)
35. Gareth Barry (England, Manchester City, $7.4 million)
36. Patrick Vieira (France, Internazionale, $7.4 million) *3
37. Charles Puyol (Spain, Barcelona, $6.6 million)
38. Andres Iniesta (Spain, Barcelona, $6.6 million)
39. Sergio Aguero (Argentina, Atletico Madrid, $6.6 million)
40. Andreas Pirlo (Italy, AC Milan, $6.6 million)

41. Willy Sagnol (France, Bayern Munich, $6.6 million) *4
42. Frank Ribery (France, Bayern Munich, $6.6 million)
43. David Beckham (England, AC Milan, $6.6 million) *5
44. Wayne Bridge (England, Manchester City, $6.6 million)
45. Lassana Diarra (France, Real Madrid, $6.6 million)
46. Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgaria, Manchester United $6.3 million)
47. Andrei Arshavin (Russia, Arsenal, $6.3 million)
48. Nicolas Anelka (France, Chelsea, $6.3 million)
49. Ryan Giggs (Wales, Manchester United $6.3 million)
50. Alessandro Del Piero (Italy, Juventus, $6.3 million)

Players in BOLD are on new teams from the 2008-2009 season

*1 = Robinho now plays for Santos
*2 = Luca Toni is on loan from Bayern Munich
*3 = Patrick Vieira now plays for Manchester City
*4 = Willy Sagnol has retired
*5 = David Beckham is on loan from L.A. Galaxy

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Transit Patterns in Art

How are people getting to work? The link below leads to an artistic way to show how people commute to their jobs. It is the the product of artist Martha Kang McGill and is based on the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.

Of the eight metropolitan areas in the United States that are included, Washington D.C. has the most proportion outcome among those who drive or use public transportation. Houston has the largest ratio of drivers while New York City has the most public commuters.

The other metro areas shown are Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Seattle. Orange represents drivers, red stands for those who carpool, purple are those who use public transportation, blue indicates those who walk, and all others (those who bike, work at home, etc.) are shown in salmon.

http://www.metrodcliving.com/.a/6a00d8341c5cb453ef01310f2a6ba0970c-pi

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Man Bulldozes Home Ahead of Foreclosure

A man in Moscow, Ohio has taken unique steps against a bank forclosing on the house he, himself built. Terry Hoskins tore his $350,000 home down with a bulldozer.

Hoskins has been in struggle with RiverHill Bank over his home for over a decade after the Internal Revenue Service placed liens on his carpet store and commercial property after his brother, and one-time business partner, sued him.

The bank claimed his house as collateral and went after both his residential and commercial properties.

Hoskins, who owed the bank $160k, said he'd gotten a $170,000 offer from someone to pay off the house, but the bank refused saying they could get more from selling it in foreclosure.

So Hoskins decided to present the bank with an ultimatum and told them he'd tear it down before he'd let them take it. And so that's what Terry did.

Monday, February 22, 2010

USA Hockey Upsets Team Canada

The United States hockey team, competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, upset tournament favorite and home side Canada on Sunday night, in a 5-3 thriller of a game.

A young American squad, led by three olympic veterans all scoring goals including defenseman Brian Rafalski, Chris Drury, and Jamie Langdenbrunner, fought off a Canadian side that tied the game twice and stayed close throughout the game.

Ryan Miller made 42 saves in a lights-out performance that included a bevy of incredible stops, including the save of the tournament in flurry of the dying minutes while the Americans were hanging on to a 4-3 lead before Phil Kesler whacked in the game-clinching goal on the empty net.

The Canadians seemed to be cruising through the first two periods, content with turning on the burners when they had to in order to tie the game through Eric Staal and again through Danny Heatley, who leads the tournament with 4 goals along with USA's Rafalski, who netted two in this game.

The Americans led at every intermission, 2-1 after the first period and 3-2 after the second, but the viewer always felt that the depth of talent on Canada's roster suggested they could turn on the pressure whenever they wanted to. Unfortunately for them, it came too late.

Canada began the third period needing to kill off three consecutive penalties and the U.S. capitalized making it 4-2 with just under 13 minutes left. The Canadian's finally kicked into gear and the firing squad escalated on U.S. goalie Miller. While one goal by Sidney Crosby did slip by, Miller was up to the task, however, and made several amazing saves to preserve victory for the red, white, and blue.

This border matchup was sure to be a bruiser and it didn't disappoint as the two squads made up entirely of NHL players left it all on the ice. There was hard skating, huge hits, and immense passion on display as the teams battled for the top slot in Group A.

The spoils of the game for USA, are a first round bye in the playoffs where they will meet the winner of a game between Switzerland and Belarus. Canada will face Germany for the right to face another arch-rival; the Russians.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Referrals; a Realtor's best friend

While most Realtors' business come from other means, most still cherish referrals. These types of leads are largely thought of as the least expensive and most promising to pick up in the industry. In most markets real estate brokers who focus on referrals are usually among the largest producers. While they don't aways come in vast quantities the quality of these leads are usually much better.

Here are 5 tips from HomeGain.com to help get more referrals:

1) Satisfied Customers

You won’t get too many referrals if you don’t provide good service. Clients who are happy with your service are more likely to refer people to you. Keep your name in front of your past customers consistently. They will forget about you if you don’t touch them often enough. Unfortunately, I have found this out the hard way.

2) Networking

Do you spend time at networking events? This can be a successful way to generate referral business. People do business with people they know and like. It is not uncommon to see several Realtors at networking meetings. Make networking fun and not a chore. If you get some business out of it that is great, if not at least you had a good time.

3) Vendors

How about getting referrals from an appraiser, interior designer, painter or handyman? These can be great sources for referrals. Buy these people lunch, give them gift cards or provide something else of value. Let them know that you are looking for referrals.

4) Don’t Be Frightened

Don’t be frightened to ask for referrals. You should not be ashamed to ask for them. Instead of asking, “Do you know anyone else who could use my services?” ask, “Who do you know who could use my services?”

5) Closing Gifts

This may be the last thing your client remembers about the transaction. A great closing gift could produce a few extra referrals every year. You may want to deliver the closing gift a week or two after the closing. This way you can check on your clients and make sure everything is hunky dory. They will most likely remember this and they will feel that you went that extra mile for them.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Top 10 Ultimate Bands (February 18, 2010 Edition)

As I haven't written a music blog recently I decided today I would put down on paper (so to speak) a list that I've been working on for a while, but never quite stays the same. It's an exercise in both futility and the evolution of my musical tastes (though not always over time; sometimes it just depends on the day or my mood).

The list is my imagination's attempt at creating the ultimate band; lead singer, guitarist, bass, and drums. Nothing fancy (although occassionally I will add a pianist/keyboardist, DJ/turntablist, and/or brass section). I always have an extremely hard time widdling the list down to one person so I create a Top 10 at each instrument. The rules are, there are no rules. There are no constraints on time, genre, dead or alive, or even primary instrumentation. Now obviously I have to have heard their music, not as a rule but just general common sense.

Having laid down the background, here's my Top Ten Ultimate Bands for February 18, 2010:

Singer:
1. Bob Marley (The Wailers)
2. Jim Morrison (The Doors)
3. Marvin Gaye
4. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
5. Arethra Franklin
6. Johnny Cash
7. Bob Dylan
8. Al Green
9. John Lennon (The Beatles)
10. Van Morrison

Guitarist:
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Eric Clapton (Cream)
3. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
4. Jerry Garcia (The Grateful Dead)
5. Kirk Hammett (Metallica)
6. John Mayer
7. Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine)
8. Duane Allman (The Allman Brothers Band)
9. Jeff Beck (Yardbirds)
10. Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones)

Bassist:
1. Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
2. Les Claypool (Primus)
3. Geddy Lee (Rush)
4. Victor Wooten (The Flecktones)
5. Justin Chancellor (Tool)
6. P-Nut (311)
7. Bootsy Collins (Parliament)
8. Aston Barrett (The Wailers)
9. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)
10. Phil Lesh (The Grateful Dead)

Drummer:
1. Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band)
2. John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)
3. Neil Pert (Rush)
4. Keith Moon (The Who)
5. Danny Carey (Tool)
6. Dave Grohl (Nirvana)
7. Travis Barker (Blink-182)
8. Phil Collins (Genesis)
9. Lars Ulrich (Metallica)
10. Jon Theodore (Mars Volta)

By: David

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

First Time Homebuyers Seminar

Low prices, low interest rates, and the federal tax credits have many people wondering if now is the right time to start thinking about buying their first home. If you are among this group you may be interested in a class for first time home buyers.

It is taking place at the Arlington County Library on March 3. The event, a free educational session to provide information and answer any questions you might have, will take place from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. The library is located at 1015 North Quincy Street near the Ballston Metro on the Orange Line. The class will take place in the 2nd Floor Meeting Room.

It will cover a recap of the market, current trends, and market stats including days on market, average sales prices, and inventory levels. There will also be a discussion on the home purchase process, the federal tax credit, common pitfalls, financing basics, and a how-to-get-started chechlist.

There will be a specific focus on:

1. local markets (Northern Virginia, D.C., and Montgomery County)
2. Mortgage basics (rates, points, and fees)
3. Financing basics (FHA, conventional, conforming, and "jumbo" loans)
4. Calculating the tax benefits of homeownership
5. Short sale, foreclosure/REO/Bank Owned basics
6. Search tips
7. Fees and closing costs

Again, there is no cost or obligation to attend this class.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

2010 Winter Olympics - Men's Ice Hockey

While the 2010 Winter Olympic's opening ceremony was four days ago, the sport I've been waiting to see has it's first games being played today.

The men's ice hockey tournament begins today when teams in Group A face off against one another, including USA vs Switzerland and later Canada vs Norway. The teams in Group B are Russia and Latvia (who also play one another today), Czech Republic, and Slovakia while Group C is comprised of Sweden, Finland, Belarus, and Germany.

As a Buffalo Sabres fan I am excited to see Ryan Miller as the starting goalie for Team USA, as well as Henrik Tallinder (Sweden), Toni Lydman (Finland), Andrej Sekera (Slovakia), and Jochen Hecht (Germany). You Washington Capitols fans may have a harder time rooting for your home nation as both Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, and Semyon Varlamov are on the Russian roster. Other Caps competing are Tomas Fleischmann (Czech Republic) and Nicklas Backstrom (Sweden).

Olympic ice hockey is great because not only do you get to see great NHL veterans you wouldn't normally get to see play together, but you also are able to see emerging young talent from "across the pond" and former NHL stars who are now back playing in Europe such as Jaromir Jagr (Czech Republic), Sergei Federov (Russia), and Peter Forsberg (Sweden).

Here's the scheduled Group A games for the United States: Switzerland (Feb 16 at 12 pm), Norway (Feb 18 at 12 pm), and Canada (Feb 21 at 4:45 pm).

Monday, February 15, 2010

Like a Good Neighbor...

What ever happened to the ancient ritual of knowing your neighbors? It seems to me that now-a-days the only contact people living in the same area have with one another is through an arbitrator for the homeowner's association when a conflict comes up between these strangers living next to each other.

Growing up, I knew everyone that lived around my parents' house and the kids around my age would spend all day outside running from one house to another and playing in one yard or another. The house you were at around 1 o'clock was where you ate lunch. I'd bring home the weed wacker Mr. Waldorf borrowed from my father and then return the sewing kit my mother had borrowed from Mrs. Aldridge. Our mothers would gossip with each other at the bus stop (which was at the end of the street, as we didn't get picked up at our individual house's) and our fathers would talk shop over droning lawn mowers.

It might be that I haven't noticed that still happens because I've been changing addresses (or cities) almost yearly since graduating college or that people don't have time to get to know the people that live adjacent to them because more homes have two members working full-time but it seems to me that good neighbors are a dying breed.

But then again, what is a good neighbor? Maybe a good neighbor is someone who allows you to live as privately or sociably as you wish. How do you, yourself, be a good neighbor to those around you?

First; meet them. You don't have to come over with a pie or casserole when someone moves into the neighborhood or go door to door saying hello whenever you change addresses. It can be as simple as introducing yourself while grabbing the mail at the same time or meeting someone while walking the dog. Give a wave, nod, smile, anything to the people you see during your day outside your home.

Second; keep them informed. Contact them before making any changes that would affect them, such as hosting a big party around the holidays, putting up a fence, or cutting down a tree. This so rarely happens these days that it will probably squash any uncertain feelings they may have had about the project and gain you some respect in the process.

Third; be aware and understanding of your differences. Age, faith, ethnicity, or marital status can drastically affect lifestyles. You have to come to grips with the fact that not everyone lives like you and open dialogue about issues that come from these differences will probably alleviate any problems or complications. But also be aware of things you have in common. If you share a passion for gardening, biking/jogging, or you both have pets this could be something that could draw you closer.

Also, be candid and assume the best. People generally don't create problems intentionally. Therefore, feel free to discuss an issue that comes up with those around you. You can assume they are unaware that their actions are annoying you. And if you are approached by them, remain calm and congenial. You don't have to justify your behavior. If you refrain from acting defensive there is a greater possibility for resolution through communication.
Remember the golden rule; treat others as you would like to be treated and love thy neighbor as yourself.

By: David

Friday, February 12, 2010

Ciudad Real Madrid

Real Madrid F.C.'s training facilities, known as Ciudad Real Madrid (Real Madrid City), was opened in 2005 and covers 1.2 million square meters. It is also known as Valdebebas, the name of the district in which the complex is located. So far construction cost the club around $101 million and only about 1/3 has been completed.

It contains 13 1/3 soccer fields, including, Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano, where the reserve team, Real Madrid Castilla, play it's home matches. The youth squads are designated 3 synthetic turf fields (115 x 75 yards), 2 natural grass fields (approximately the same size), and 2 small sided synthetic turf fields for the youngest age groups (70 x 45 yards). The first team is allocated 2 natural grass fields, 1 synthetic turf field, a small sided natural grass field (60 x 35 yards), a small sided synthetic turf field (55 x 30 yards), and a "final third" partial field (35 x 70 yards) used for finishing exercises and practicing set pieces. The quality of the fields are such that the natural and synthetic environments are easily confused with one another.

These surround a large building, shaped like a letter "T", that serves as the spine of the complex and in some regards, the club itself. The vertical portion of the building serves the purposes of the youth teams, while the long hall at the end is reserved for the first team. As a youth player develops, each year he is invited back to the academy his team room will be closer to the first team wing. Within this building you will find team rooms, equipment rooms, weight rooms and rehab centers. There are audio-visual rooms, used as tactical classrooms, complete with projection video systems, microphone and speaker systems, and large dry erase boards designed like soccer fields. Several flat screen LCD monitors are positioned in various places throughout the room. The state of the art medical facilities consist of examination rooms, treatment rooms, and a hydrotherapy center that includes hot and cool pools, a cold plunge, and a resistance wave pool. Everything in Valdebebas is the best money can buy.

The security at the sports facility is also extremely impressive. A private security company monitors and patrols Ciudad Real Madrid. From the outside it may resemble a minimum security prison as it is completely fenced in, with a road circling the complex used mainly for security vehicles, 2 manned security towers at each end, and gated entrances where you must provide proper identification. The complex is impressively designed so that fans and parents are kept at a distance from the academy, reserve, and first team members. The training fields can only be accessed through the main building, past another security checkpoint which even parents of youth team members are not allowed to pass through. Spectator stands can only be accessed from the outer perimeter of the complex. For every Real Madrid team room there is a visitors team room, but they are only accessable from the outside.

Every detail has been very well though out in it's design. For example, the sand pits (20 x 35 yards) were built in to accommadate South American members who enjoy playing Brazilian volleyball (a game in which you can't use your hands), the rehab facility has a wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling window looking out over training grounds to motivate players to work hard when returning from injury, there is an indoor synthetic turf area adjacent to the rehab facility where players can work with a ball or footwork exercises under medical supervision. Other things to note are the cantina inside the building which serves food and drinks and the first team player lounge, which is equiped with comfortable couches and chairs, includes a bar, and overlooks their training pitches.

This soccer city is a modern marvel of the blent between sports and business. It has everything you could ever want when developing soccer talent. And the detail and specificity of the grounds is astounding.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

33rd America's Cup

The oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the modern Olympics by 45 years, will be on the line next week when the 33rd America's Cup will take place off the coast of Valencia, Spain. The cup is given to the winner of a challenge-driven match race sailing regatta.

The cup will be defended by the Swiss team Alinghi, hailing from Société Nautique de Genève, and challenged by an American team BMW Oracle Racing from Golden Gate Yatch Club.

Alinghi won the trophy in 2003 and successfully defended it in 2007. Alinghi will be sailing on Alinghi 5, a catamaran which measures 120 feet from stern to tip of the bowsprit. Controversially, the boat has an engine installed to provide power for winches and pumping water ballast from one hull to the other.

BMW Oracle Racing competed and lost in both the 2003 and 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup's, which determined the challenger for the next America's Cup. The team will be racing on a 90 foot trimaran known as USA 17. Interestingly, the boat is equiped with a hard surface wing, instead of a cloth-like sail.

The first two attempts to kick off the event, on February 8 and 10, were postponed due to light variable winds and rough seas, respectively. The matches are now scheduled to take place February 12th, 14th, and 16th.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

2009 Trends in Housing Year-End Report (MRIS)

Metropolitan Regional Information System (MRIS), the company that runs the multiple listing service for the D.C. metropolitan area, has released the Trends in Housing Year-End 2009 Report. The report includes an analysis of the of the regional economy, an examination of regional housing data and a review of trends, and discussion of the housing sector's impact on other industries.

They found that the number of houses sold in the Washington D.C. area in 2009 was up 11.4% from 2008 and that over that span average home sales prices were up 3% in Alexandria, VA and 14% in Arlington and D.C. D.C. was also shown to have the lowest rate of unemployment, at just 6.1% compared to the national average of 10%. Low mortgage rates and the $8,000 federal tax credit ushered many new home buyers into the market. While many home sellers are offering concessions to buyers in order to facilitate sales, those tactics are shrinking.

The report also made several predictions. The researchers believe that renewed demand in 2010 will continue to yield yearly price gains, first becoming apparent in the outer suburbs but extending to other areas in the near future. Also, the National Association of Homebuilders estimates that the extended and expanded tax credit will generate 180,000 additional home sales nationally. And it is believed that the first half of 2009 saw the D.C. regional economy hit bottom and that it is now in the beginning stages of recovery.

The report states, "The Washington area housing market is in the early phases of the recovery cycle. Of note, most major market indicators have improved compared to one year earlier."

Monday, February 8, 2010

Super Bowl XLIV

The 2009 football season concluded at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida yesterday after Super Bowl XLIV, in which the New Orleans Saints became NFL Champions for the first time since their inception in 1967. They defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 and quarterback Drew Brees was the game MVP. Brees tied a Super Bowl record set by Tom Brady in Super Bowl XXXVIII with 32 completions. Brees also had 2 touchdowns and 288 yards passing.

Other stars of the day were Colts quarterback Peyton Manning who had 31 completions for 333 yards and a touchdown, however, he threw the interception, by Tracy Porter, that sealed the win for the Saints in the 4th quarter. The leading rusher was Indianapolis' Joseph Addai, who ran for 77 yards on 13 carries. It was a day for passing, however, as Addai, Dallas Clark (Colts), Marques Colston (Saints), and Deverey Henderson (Saints) all came away with 7 receptions each. Dwight Freeney, who was under speculation for two weeks as to whether he would play due to an ankle spain in the AFC Championship, had the only sack of the night. Indy's Gary Brackett had 12 tackles. Also, the Saints Garrett Hartley became the first kicker with 3 field goals over 40 yards in a Super Bowl game.

The story of the day seemed to be New Orleans willingness to take risks and leave it all on the field, with both success and failure. Their 4th and goal attempt from the Colts 1 yard line came up short, but their onside kick immediately after halftime proved to be genius as it caught the Colts special teams off guard and leaning away in anticipation of a long kick.

The halftime show was performed by The Who and accented by a brilliant light show. They played a medley of their hits, including "Pinball Wizard", "Who Are You", "Baba O'Riley", "See Me Feel Me", and "Won't Get Fooled Again".

The Colts were favored by Las Vegas by 4 points and the over/under was set at 57.

A 30 second commercial during this years Super Bowl cost $2.5 to 2.8 million.

Friday, February 5, 2010

National Signing Day

The first Wednesday in February, known as National Signing Day when high school seniors are allowed to sign binding National Letters of Intent for college sports. The media annually follow the happenings of the day related to football closely.

This year Florida were the hungry-hungry-hippos gobbling up blue chip players, despite the uncertainty in the offseason regarding the retirement, then leave of absense, of head coach Urban Meyers'. This was a class for the history books, seeing Florida nab 17 kids ranked in the nation's top 150.

Florida was significantly trailed by Texas and Alabama, who competed in the BCS Championship last month, and everyone else for that matter.

Tennessee and Southern California came away with top 10 recruiting classes despite coaching changes that saw Lane Kiffen leave Nashville for Pasadena. However, other teams in the Pac-10, such as UCLA, Cal, Oregon, and Washington, also had great days which bodes well for the often criticized conference that has been dominated recently by the USC Trojans.

Ohio State had less than stellar day due to it's Signing Day last year, which saw coach Jim Tressel bring in just about every recruit he wanted. Notre Dame had an okay day, as Brian Kelly took over as coach for the fired Charlie Weis.

Here's how the top 10 classes shake up, according to scout.com: 1. Florida 2. Oklahoma 3. Texas 4. Alabama 5. USC 6. Auburn 7. LSU 8. UCLA 9. Penn State 10. Florida State

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Commercial Real Estate Market Concerns Congress

As reported by HousingWatch.com, some in Congress, led by Dem. Paul Kanjorski (Penn.) and Rep. Calvert (Calif.) are growing increasingly concerned about the state of commercial real estate industry.

A letter, signed by 77 congressmen and women, was sent to both the U.S. Treasury Department the Federal Reserve warning of the damage a collapse of the $7 trillion industry, which supports some 9 millions jobs, could do to the recovering economy.

The critical moment people are looking ahead to comes in 2013, when $1.4 trillion in commercial mortgages will be due. According to Deutsche Bank analysts, about 65% of them will have a difficult time getting refinanced.

The New York Times has reported that these members of Congress would like the two federal agencies "to make a clear public statement encouraging lenders to continue to make credit available for performing assets, even if the value of the property has taken a hit in its value."

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Trump Interested in Buying Stuy Town

Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town seems to be a financial sinkhole. In order to avoid bankruptcy, control of the private residential development on the East side of Manhattan was recently handed over to creditors of Tishman Speyer Properties, who bought the 56 building property from MetLife for $5.4 billion in 2006. It was the biggest American residential property deal in history, around a half a million dollars per unit.

It was originally built to provide housing for working people (veterans, cops, teachers, etc.) and because of New York's rental stabilization laws many people still live there who would not be able to afford "luxury" apartments. The strict laws and protests from residents killed plans by Tishman Speyer to hike rent, causing them to foreclose.

Donald Trump is now interested in investing in the nearly 11,000 apartments, telling the New York Post, "people have asked us if we would be interested in running it or buying it. We are looking at it right now very seriously."

This seems to be a boot that does not fit and if Trump and his partners follow up on this it may blow up in their faces, joining a long list of Trump failures. The red brick design and housing project architecture seems out of place when compared to the famously grandiose Trump properties. Given his previous brushes, both business and personal, with Chapter 11 he might want to stay away from Stuy Town.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Egypt Win 2010 Africa Cup of Nations

Yesterday, January 31, Egypt won the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations held in Angola. As reported in an earlier post, this international soccer tournament determine's the continents best national team. Egypt have succesfully the title they won in 2008 making this their seventh championship, despite not qualifying for the World Cup finals being held this summer.

Ghana finished second after losing to Egypt by a score of 1-0. Nigeria beat Algeria 1-0 in the consolation game to finish in third place.

Egyptian players also took home all three individual awards as Ahmed Hassan was named Player of the Tournament, Essam El-Hadary won Goalkeeper of the Tournament, and Geddo was the Top Scorer of the Tournament as well, finishing with five goals.

The Best XI, selected by the tournament's Technical Study Group, were goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary, defenders Madjid Bougherra of Algeria, Wael Gomaa of Egypt, and Mabina of Angola, midfielders Ahmed Hassan, Ahmed Fathy of Egypt, Peter Odemwingie of Nigeria, and Alexandre Song of Cameroon, and forwards Asamoah Gyan of Ghana, Mohammad Zidan of Egypt, and Flavio of Angola. Substitutes named were Richard Kingston (Ghana), Geddo, Emmanuel Mbola (Zambia), Karim Ziani (Algeria), Achille Emana (Cameroon), Kwadwo Asamoah (Ghana), Seydou Keita (Mali), Andre Ayew (Ghana), Eric Mouloungui (Gabon), Chindedu Obasi (Nigeria), Salomon Kalou (Ivory Coast), and Jacob Mulenga (Zambia).

The 28th African Cup of Nations will be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in 2012.