Showing posts with label james madalone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label james madalone. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

ExplanationFor Conservatism

FATHER/DAUGHTER A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be very liberal, and among other liberal ideals, was very much in favor of higher taxes to support more government programs, in other words redistribution of wealth. She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch conservative, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his. One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father. He responded by asking how she was doing in school. Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying. Her father listened and then asked, “How is your friend Audrey doing?” She replied, “Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes because she's too hung over.” Her wise father asked his daughter, “Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA.” The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, “That's a crazy idea, how would that be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!” The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, “Welcome to the conservative side of the fence.” If anyone has a better explanation of the difference between conservative and liberal or progressive or neocon I'm all ears.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

VERY Helpful Do you know the difference between http and https?

Do you know the difference between http and https? Don't know how many of you are aware of this difference, but it is worthsending to any that do not. The main difference between http:// and https:// is.... It's all aboutkeeping you secure!! HTTP stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol... The S (big surprise) stands for "Secure". If you visit a website orwebpage, and look at the address in the web browser, it will likely beginwith the following: http://. This means that the website is talking to yourbrowser using the regular unsecured language. In other words, it is possiblefor someone to "eavesdrop" on your computer's conversation with the website.If you fill out a form on the website, someone might see the information yousend to that site. This is why you never ever enter your credit card number in an http://website! But if the web address begins with https://, that basically means yourcomputer is talking to the website in a secure code that no one caneavesdrop on. You understand why this is so important, right? If a website ever asks you to enter your credit card information, you shouldautomatically look to see if the web address begins with https://. If it doesn't, you should NEVER enter sensitive information....such as acredit card number.
PASS IT ON (You may save someone a lot of grief).

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Is Our FinancialFuture Bleek????


International Forecaster June 2010 (#5) - Gold, Silver, Economy + MoreBy: Bob Chapman, The International Forecaster
-- Posted Wednesday, 16 June 2010 Digg This Article
Share this article Source: GoldSeek.com
The following are some snippets from the most recent issue of the International Forecaster. For the full 26 page issue, please see subscription information below.
US MARKETS
Were it not for the Federal Reserves purchase of Treasury and Agency bonds the US would already be unable to raise funds to service debt and issue new debt, and it would already have descended into national bankruptcy. It is no wonder the Fed does not want to be audited. Through various artifices the Fed has been purchasing US treasury paper. No one knows how much, because when asked the Fed says it is a state secret. That is what all Americans love. A country run in secrecy. A privately owned corporation operating under the cover of secrecy, and protected by a Treasury Department, that is under the control of the Fed’s owners. How is that for an incestuous relationship?

Government is desperately searching for more revenue to cover its massive deficit spending and to service existing mandatory programs. Taxes are being increased; some 19 new taxes, in the recently passed medical reform legislation. Unfortunately this isn’t enough. Of course, there is never enough.

As a result, as we pointed out recently, government has been eying retirement plans as a source of funding. The arm-twisting has been going on for some six months to make managers of retirement funds to purchase US Treasuries and Agency bonds. This is to provide a delaying action as the dollar begins to play second fiddle to gold as the only real currency. In addition, foreign central governments, which own well over $3 trillion of these debt instruments, hope that the US is serious about protecting the functioning of government. Accessing retirement plans will be an integral part of extending solvency to buy more time for Wall Street, banking and government. Of course there is nothing our purchased Congress won’t pass to stay in office.

Thus it has been decided behind the scenes to eventually confiscate the $15 trillion in private retirement funds. The only thing those who control government haven’t quite figured out yet is exactly how to confiscate what little wealth you have left. These plans were in construction in the early 1990s with funding from the Rockefellers. In 1991, plans were presented to create a mandatory pension system to be funded by a one-time 15% tax on retirement assets and a continuing tax of 15% on retirement income. Those plans had to be put on the shelf, because they were not politically acceptable at the time and passage was not possible. Today there are more aggressive plans in the works and if we do not unseat most of the incumbents in November’s election you will see passage of such legislation over the next two years.

Tax revenues are plunging due to high unemployment and the justification is there to present such legislation, as government spending reaches unbelievable levels. New methods, no matter how unpalatable have to be found to feed this devouring money monster.

In 2007 ideas were submitted to a congressional subcommittee by Thresa Ghilarducci who was director for the far, far, left at the New School for Social Research. Her idea, of course, was to make sure retirement would be available for millions who never bothered to save a cent and her solution was to confiscate the assets of those who did save. A program that would have made Marx and Lenin very happy. Her plan was to tax workers of 5% of their gross income. The eventual payout would be based on government’s bogus CPI, which has been screwing retirees under COLA for the past 30 years. As any intelligent person knows the government is already broke and can never pay off its debt, thus the funds would be used to pay down existing debt. That would go for any plan the government puts together. Since then we have seen other approaches, such as mandatory plans, voluntary plans, but they all end up stealing your retirement. As we said last week now is the time to start phasing out of these plans, such as IRAs. In order to overcome the tax and possible penalties you might phase out over 2 or 3 years. If you have any questions contact us and we will try to be of assistance.

There could be legislation to end further tax deductions in effect ending all plans for the future in order to being in immediate tax revenues, or a voluntary plan where a percentage of your plan could be traded for a government annuity, which would not be worth the paper it is written on. It is coming no matter what form it takes. The people who control government know this has to be done to keep the economy afloat. This is just another form of fascist nationalization. It may be sold to Americans’ as bonds lose their AAA status, or an attack on the Fed or the Treasury, or another war, or a complete economic collapse. It could be a false flag event, or World War III. Take your pick, but it is coming. The brainwashed public in worry and fear can be convinced of anything. These events could spark a move to add taxes or penalties justified by such events. Those in plans they cannot exit are just plain screwed, unless they quit their jobs, take the funds and buy gold and silver related assets.

Discussions are in progress to relieve you of your wealth. They have already destroyed the real estate market. The stock market will be next to fall followed by bonds. You have to begin exiting now before the rules become more onerous. In fact, such events will force workers to jump at the chance for a worthless government program. Fortunately you will already be out and into gold and silver assets. If you do not begin your exit now you will be plundered by government. We might add that in the process of the stock and bond market falling there will be a consolidation and nationalization of banks, so immediately exit CDs. Those lower values in stocks and bonds will lower the value of cash value life insurance policies and annuities, which also should be terminated while you still have time to do so. Whether we like it or not, this is to be a total takedown. If you think moving assets offshore, forget it, unless you are willing to live in that new country and become a citizen. The US has agreements with many countries already to access the assets of US citizens. Why do you think the number of Americans renouncing citizenship is growing in leaps and bounds? There are some savvy people who are able to escape and are doing so. Now is the time to act. He who hesitates is lost.

The foregoing events lead us to other manifestations of trouble, real trouble. For the past four years all currencies have fallen versus gold and silver. The US dollar has been falling for 11 years versus gold and silver. What gold is telling you is that the US, UK and European financial systems are on the way to collapse. The cover-up cannot go on and all the players know that. They are all living in the theater of the absurd. What politicians in all these countries are doing is what they are being told to do. If they do not do what they are told they will never hold public office or be a bureaucrat again. If what they do is serious enough they will be liquidated. What is happening financially, fiscally and monetarily is unnatural. There is absolutely no way the system can be fixed. If these politicians and their handlers believe this they are doomed. They have pulled this hundreds of times and each time they have been unsuccessful. This time will be a disaster for the Illuminists due to the Internet and talk radio. This time they will escape nothing. We live in a decadent, immoral financial system that has to fall. In this sort of environment only gold and silver can protect your assets.

It wasn’t too long ago we lived under socialism; today it is fascism. Those socialist states have built on massive borrowing to bring about a now broken state. Like Europe, which is dead, America will soon be just as dead. The only changes we will see after a total collapse. What is good about that is that the illuminists will lose and we will win. Then come the civil and criminal trails to convict and relieve these people of their wealth and lives. The reign of the parasites will be over. Those controlling our president, Congress and the Fed want to bring America down to the socialist European model. Worse yet, all the players believe they are above the law, that is banking, Wall Street, transnational conglomerates and, of course, our government servants. Fortunately, we have taken a bit of their arrogance away over the past couple of years. Recent comments by a number of Illuminists have led us to believe we have them on the run. That is not enough. They are going to fight back with everything they have and we must be ready for the challenge. The battle is just now being undertaken finally.

Friday, May 14, 2010

My friends have too much time!!!!

A frog goes into a bank and approaches the teller. He can see from her nameplate that her name is Patricia Whack."Miss Whack, I'd like to get a $30,000 loan to take a holiday."Patty looks at the frog in disbelief and asks his name. The frog says his name is Kermit Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger, and that it's okay, he knows the bank manager.Patty explains that he will need to secure the loan with some collateral.The frog says, "Sure. I have this," and produces a tiny porcelain elephant, about an inch tall, bright pink and perfectly formed.Very confused, Patty explains that she'll have to consult with the bank manager and disappears into a back office.She finds the manager and says, "There's a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000, and he wants to use this as collateral."She holds up the tiny pink elephant. "I mean, what in the world is this?"The bank manager looks back at her and says..."It's a knickknack, Patty Whack. Give the frog a loan, His old man's a Rolling Stone."

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Monday, April 19, 2010

Staging or making enemies????


I am an artist at heart. So I'm more drawn to "decorating" rather then staging. However, I understand and have been professionally taught how to reach a homes maximum potential for price and sale by staging appropriately. And I must admit that I am amazing at it. You can say anything bad about me that you want as I tell others in a joking way -but you can never say I'm not fabulous cook, artist and I can really, really, really stage a home....

Thanks to shows like HGTV, many sellers are now aware of the concept and its important to know that it originated in California- and if you are selling there, you wouldn't consider not staging(both selling and staging go hand in hand).

What makes me good at staging? First and foremost I am an artist. My hobbies are painting , sculpting, refinishing furniture and creating. It actually goes as far back as my days as a dorm student at Niagara University. An artist needs to wake and surround herself to beauty. So needless to say I had a challenge as a broke college student. But I met that challenge with desire and creativity. I would "garbage shop"(rummage through people's garbage), paint, recreate and next thing I knew people were actually offering to buy my recreations.

Fortunately I have created a great lifestyle now and can actually buy my art and furniture at my discretion, but I have to admit I love to estate sale shop (Kottage to Castle-NJ a great find!) and find "pet projects" although my husband gets quite upset when I buy anything "used" or damaged". My reply is beauty is in the eye of the beholder - my eyes....and I can make anything beautiful. Which brings me back to the point of this blog.

Staging is NOT about decorating. I just staged a home this past Saturday. Because it requires me to remove emotional items from the owners eye it becomes challenging. I'm not there to insult your taste in design. As a matter of fact the home that I staged this Saturday did not need to be decorated and if they were selling it with furnishings, we could have left it as is. The point of staging is to create a visual palette for others to imagine the placement of their own furnishings. We are selling a house, not a home and its square footage. Do do so we need to "empty" all unnecessary items. And this scares many folks. I try to convince them that this just gives them a head start on the packing process, but regardless its personal to see someone attack their style and belongings and hard on the stager many times.

So now I've taken on a new job. Virtual staging. Id like to say its easier, but its not. Graphic design requires time and patience. To make a photo "perfectly enhanced" you are talking hours of labor. But I've gotten it to where I can highlight and draw attention within a reasonable time. You can see some examples at http://njtopbroker.com/virtualstaging.html. But unless I'm being paid by the hour rather then doing this in good faith and as a courtesy , you wont see perfection - but you will see results; and that's what this is all about!

A few tips on staging yourself....

remove anything that insinuates illness (diabetes reminders on kitchen fridge e.g., needle boxes) - people insinuate this as a taboo or actually feel guilty about taking a home from a sick person

remove religious items - another taboo to some unfortunately

remove any and all signs of pets

empty all surface and clear corners- this makes rooms look larger

remove dying, dead and artificial plants

find focal points of each room and highlight them by removing competing objects

In closing as boring as this may sound - Keep it plain, boring and bland. Many buyers don't have imaginations so we need to create a bland surrounding to help them out. Your style will only compete with their intentions!

Monday, March 22, 2010



Hello My Friends!!!!! HAPPY SPRING

When a realtor thinks of spring - two words come to mind. BUY, and SELL. This is the hottest time of the year for real estate transactions for several reasons. Timing - enough time to seek the perfect home and register children for schools in September, Weather- its far more comfortable unloading boxes in sunshine rather then snow. Lord knows we got enough this year here in New Jersey. Statistically speaking your chances during this time of getting the highest amount for your home exists as a seller and as a buyer the options for selection are greatly improved. It couldn't be worded better " Now is the time, Now is the BEST time".

On another note I would like to add that we have now added a new dimension to our marketing strategy called "virtual staging". Although we highly recommend reality staging, and of course offer it to our clients free of charge, we also understand that some people prefer not to do so. In this case- our computers accessing adobe photoshop recreate pictures of your home clutter free. We pride ourselves on going that extra mile to make your real estate transactions a great experience.

Hopefully as well, your reading this newsletter in time to quickly find that perfect home and go under contract by the end of April to take advantage of the tax and first home buyer incentives that I've discussed prior in the past letters. Call me any time to discuss this further in detail.

Enjoy this fabulous weather,the upcoming Holidays, the sunshine and all that Spring has to offer. I myself am off to a parade with my Springer spaniel and cocker- they too enjoy the sunshine!Love, Peace & Sunshine,

James & Christine Madalone

The James Madalone Realty Group
(908)963-8470/(908)754-1587
http://www.njtopbroker.com/
http://www.jamesmadalone.com/

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Universal Health Care - interesting stats !

Investor's Business Daily" article provided very interesting statistics from a survey by the United Nations International Health Organization.
Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis:U.S. 65 % England 46%Canada 42%Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received treatment within six months:U.S. 93%England 15%Canada 43%Percentage of seniors needing hip replacement who received it within six months:U.S. 90%England 15%Canada 43%Percentage referred to a medical specialist who see one within one month:U.S. 77%England 40%Canada 43%Number of MRI scanners (a prime diagnostic tool) per million people:U.S. 71England 14Canada 18Percentage of seniors (65+), with low income, who say they are in "excellent health":U.S. 12%England 2%Canada 6%I don't know about you, but I don't want "Universal Healthcare" comparable to England or Canada .
Moreover, it was Sen. Harry Reid who said, "Elderly Americans must learn to accept the inconveniences of old age."He is "elderly" himself but be sure to remember his health insurance is different from yours as Congress has their own high-end coverage! He will never have to learn to accept "inconveniences

Friday, March 5, 2010

LET AUDREY ASSIST IN YOUR NJ PURCHASE


AUDREY DOOLEY - REAL ESTATE BROKER/SPECIALISTAudrey has had alot of experience in relocating people from all walks of life. For over 20 years Audrey has helped executives from such companies as ATT,Verizon,Pharmacia,Merck,Schering,Chub find apartments,condos and homes for their employees. Audrey is a certified relocation agent and has helped hundreds of people settle into the state or the country!While moving and accepting a new job most of you will be totally overwhelmed with the daunting task of not only fitting in with your new environment at work, meeting new people,impressing the boss with possible long hours initially but to also find a neighborhood, a safe environment to come home to, an affordable place to rent or buy and not have to worry if you are making the right decision. Thats where Audrey comes in.Audrey will find out what your budget is and run with it. She will drive around neighborhoods, look into affordable and competitive condos, homes,and scout out great places for you to buy or rent. It is a full time job keeping up with the inventory especially in Somerset, Union,Hunterdon Counties where the living is not cheap and the availability not large Audrey is the expert in finding the right place and the right time for the busy,pre-occupied executive.There is a huge turnover here 40 mins from Manhatten, with various train lines,express bus routes,park and rides to the city, if you are looking for real estate the very best thing (and the best kept secret) is to get hold of a Realtor that knows the area, one that not only knows whats on line but also knows all the for sale by owners so she can give you a fast,complete analysis of the task at hand so you the consumer can make the most educated decision on your housing needs.Call AUDREY DOOLEY - SHE WILL TREAT YOU LIKE FAMILY (908) 334-4664