Guests at the Sony Building in New York City were enjoying a party honoring the Jewish holiday Purim on Saturday night when it appeared to start hailing inside. Chaos erupted as people realized it was actually falling glass and everyone scurried to escape the atrium of the Manhattan building. The East Coast has been hammered with ice and snow for the last month and this event was another casualty of that. Ice had built up on the glass ceiling of the 32nd floor and finally became too heavy and fell through two of the 3 by 5 glass panels into the lobby. Luckily no one was seriously injured. The 10 partygoers who sustained minor injuries were taken to local hospitals and treated for cuts and gashes. The owners of the building could face fines from the Building Department for up to $25,000 for failing to properly maintain the building.
AP
The winter storms have brought record snowfall amounts to several cities up and down the East coast from Delaware to Maine this past month and several states have issued roof collapse warnings. State emergency officials are encouraging home and property owners to contact roofing professionals to remove any snow from their roofs. This is especially true if you have a flat roof or an older building. You also need to make sure to keep your gutters clear so that melting snow has somewhere to go.
Danger zone:
4 feet of fresh snow
2 feet of old snow
4 inches of ice
This of course is true for combinations of the above as well. Just remember that 10-12 inches of snow = 3-5 inches of old or packed snow = 1 inch of ice. Hopefully these guidelines can help to avoid any more disasters like the one in New York.
The National Association of Realtors posted the numbers for January this year today. Sales are up slightly from last year, but posted a seven month low falling 7.2% to an adjusted rate of 5.o5 million. Economists were hoping for a number closer to 5.50 million which might indicate a light the end of the bleak real estate tunnel. This was not the case and the housing market shows no signs of real recovery as of yet.
Sales were the worst in the Northeast falling 10.9%, while sales in the South were down 7.4%, sales in the Midwest fell to 6.9% and sales in the West were down 5.2%. For the second month in a row despite the extension of the new home buyer tax credit to April of 2010, the sales of existing homes dropped. New home sales are also at an all time low.
So for now our volatile housing market continues to decline despite predictions of a stronger showing in 2010. Will it ever get better? There is some good news to be gleaned from January’s abysmal numbers: they are better than numbers a year ago. Maybe there is some hope for our unstable real estate market yet.
On Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 Shaun White became one of four American men to win back to back gold medals in the same sport. He had already won gold when he made the decision to throw down his newest trick, the “Tomahawk” to score a 48.4 out of a possible 50 in the snowboarding half-pipe finals. White invented this trick which is a double McTwist 1260 a full 3 1/2 twists while most of his competitors were still mastering the double cork. The 23-year-old “Flying Tomato” is said to be the best in the sport, a pioneer who has pushed snowboarding farther than it has ever gone.
Shaun White’s teammate Scotty Lago’s bronze medal run was nothing to shake a stick at either. He rode a personal best with the cab double cork 1080 scoring a 42.8. Lago was edged out of 2nd by the Finnish snowboarder Piiroinen Peetu. When asked what the American medalists would do after the Olympics, 23-year-old White and 22-year-old Lago indicated that they would love an invitation to the White House to meet President Obama. This trip would have to occur after the mandatory celebration and partying of course! Obama has not responded to the request as of yet.
Hey kids, do you fireworks? Bottle rockets? Fire crackers? How about thermal nuclear detonations? When most people think of places that got nuked, two cities in Japan probably come to mind. Fact is though, that was only two bombs, and small ones at that. Since then, thousands of nuclear bombs have been detonated. Sure, it’s the wartime ones that receive all the attention, and we’ll mention them too. Beyond those however, there are test detonations. Plenty of places have been nuked. These are just a few of them.
Trinity Site
Image via Wikipedia
Quick, what was the first country to ever be nuked? Nope, not Japan, it was the United States. That’s right, on July 16th, 1945 the United States nuked itself at the Trinity Site found within the Alamogordo bombing range in New Mexico. Today, the place is known as the White Sands Missile Range, and the actual Trinity Site is a historic landmark that is open to the public twice a year. When the bomb went off, the surrounding sand was melted into a green radioactive glass, which was named “Trinitite”. For several years it was legal to take pieces of this glass from the site as a souvenir. Today, pieces of this glass can be found on ebay.
Hiroshima
Image via Wikipedia
Obviously if you’re going to talk about places that got nuked then there are two locations that need to make the list. Hiroshima was the site of the first nuclear detonation to be used as a weapon in wartime. With the Empire of Japan intent on fighting to their very last man, it was decided that the Allies’ new super weapon would be used instead of spending anymore of their own soldiers lives in what would undoubtedly have been a brutal land invasion. The Hiroshima bomb, named “Little Boy”, instantly killed 70,000 people and injured another 70,000. Within a few months the death toll would rise to 140,000 as more died from radiation poisoning. Within five years that number had raised to 200,000. Five square miles of the city was destroyed. Arguably, the most frightening number was a much smaller one: 12. “Little Boy” was only 12 kilotons. For all its devastation, the Hiroshima bomb was an incredibly weak nuclear device, today’s bombs being immensely more powerful.
Nagasaki
Nagasaki after bombing, image via wikipedia
The site of the second nuclear detonation to be used as a weapon of war. Further, this was the explosion that put an end to World War II. The Nagasaki bomb, “Fat Man” instantly killed 40,000 people and injured 60,000 more. Three square miles of the city were destroyed. Despite the fact that “Fat Man” was almost twice as powerful as “Little Boy” the devastation was curtailed by the steep hills surrounding the city. Some argue that dropping an atomic bomb was unnecessary for the surrender of Japan. They are correct. Two bombs were necessarily, which should quell any question regarding Japan’s resolve. Credit should also be given where it is due. A country that responds to being nuked with, “Oh yeah? Try that again!”, is not close to surrendering. Within a few years, the death-toll of Nagasaki would rise to 140,000. Credit in turn should also be given to the United States who chose their targets based on military significance. If loss of life were the goal, a target such as Tokyo would have been much more devastating.
Bikini Atoll
Bikini Islands Explosion from Above
For some reason, this tends to be the nuclear test location everyone knows about off the tops of their heads. This is probably because the first tests conducted here took place so shortly after World War II. Everyone at the time was clamoring to learn more about this new technology that had ended the war, and dawned a new age. The initial tests at the Bikini Atoll were to find out how nuclear bombs would fair with wiping out enemy naval forces. A decade later, the site would be home to the largest nuclear detonation to ever be conducted by the United States, a 15 megaton bomb.
Nevada Test Site
This site, established in 1951, has been home to over a thousand nuclear detonations. So where is it? About an hour northwest of Las Vegas. Yep. While in operation the nuclear detonations were a tourist attraction, being fully visible from high rise hotel rooms in Las Vegas. Up until 1992, 928 nuclear tests were conducted at the site. A number of these tests, however, involved multiple detonations resulting in a grand total of 1,021 nukes. Today the site is open to public tours. During its operation, an inexcusable amount of fallout was dropped on the American people during the early years of the atomic age. Much of the iconic imagery of nuclear tests, homes being blasted by nuclear shockwaves, paint boiling off of building exteriors, etc. was shot at the Nevada Test Site.
Elugelab, Marshall Islands
Elugelab before and after
Hey everyone, ever been to the island of Elugelab? Were you born after 1952? Then you never will. Why? ‘Cause Elugelab is now an impressive, man-made crater that’s part of Enewetak atoll. So how do you turn an island into a creator? Easy. All you need is a little know-how, some elbow grease, and the world’s first hydrogen bomb, which was detonated here on November 1st, 1952. The blast was 750 times more powerful than the one that destroyed Hiroshima.
Novaya Zemlya Archepelago
This is the site of largest nuclear detonation, quite simply the most physically powerful device ever used by man. So how powerful was it? Big. The most powerful bomb ever detonated by the United States was 15 megatons. This bomb however? 50 megatons. The Soviets sure loved to do things big. So just how big is 50 megatons? Take the entire power of all explosives used in World War II. Every bomb. Every bullet. All of it. Even both atomic bombs dropped on Japan. 50 megatons is 1400 times that. The bomb, detonated on October 30th, 1961 created a fireball five miles wide. If one were standing 62 miles away from ground zero they would still receive third degree burns. The mushroom cloud was seven times the height of Mount Everest. Windows were blown out in Finland and Sweden, hundreds of miles away. The total power output of the bomb could be measured at approximately 1.4% of the power output of the sun. The scary part? The bomb was purposely cut to half its power to minimize fallout. It was a 100 megaton bomb turned down to 5/10.
Prince Edward Island, Indian Ocean
Ho ho ho… someone’s being sneaky! What do you get when a United States satellite detects a nuclear explosion that no one takes credit for on a deserted island? You get the “Vela Incident”. On September 22nd, 1979 someone possibly nuked Prince Edward Island off the coast of South Africa. Sure, it could have been faulty equipment on the satellite, but hey, most officials in the US believed that indeed, it was a very small nuclear device. Over the years, various sources have stated that it was a test conducted by South Africa with considerable help from the Israeli government.
One can only hope that nuclear weapons are never used again wartime. If a clean enough bomb were to be created, some have speculated that a nuclear detonation could be utilized to create canals, and even bays to build ports. Testing has also been done to look into generating electricity through underground explosions. For all its power though, as a technological achievement it is still dwarfed by such feats as the moon-landing and especially the internet.
Scarlett Johansson bought a 4 bedroom 5 and half bath Spanish Style ”Villa” in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles for $7 million back in 2007. She then dumped at least $2 million more into remodeling it and now is looking to sell. Due to the crash in the housing market, Sotheby’s is listing it for only $4.95 million, over a $2 million dollar loss. The gated house was built in the 1930s, sits on more than an acre and uses solar panels to power the home naturally. One of the bathrooms has that spa-like appeal and the house is surprisingly homey and bright.
photo courtesy of Getty Images
Johannson has appeared in over 30 films and has been nominated for about 20 awards since appearing on the silver screen in 1994. In 2005 she also launched a music career. In 2008 she was married to Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds in a ceremony in British Columbia. Johannson is still considered one of the sexiest women in the world and in February 2007 Playboy named her “Sexiest Celebrity” of the year.
All of these merits and all of her notoriety did not protect her from the crash of the real estate market however. This is proof that everyone is feeling the squeeze of the current market and economy. Some just have more to lose and less cushion for the fall than others.
Once again cupid is upon us in the form of St. Valentine’s Day. It is the season for flowers, chocolates, expressions of undying love and of course marriage proposals. Valentine’s Day is among one of the most popular days to pop the question along with Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve and the bride-to-be’s birthday. If you are looking for a special or romantic spot to pop the question, here is a list of some of the most famous.
Wikipedia
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Paris is considered one of the most romantic cities in the world, so what better place to propose than atop its most famous landmark?
Wikipedia
A Venetian Gondola in Venice, Italy. You can arrange for a private gondola ride through the canals in the city or through the Grand Canal and can even book a serenading gondolier if you wish.
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Taj Mahal in Agra, India. This is a monument to love and a powerful symbol of devotion to your spouse.
gocanada.about.com
Niagara Falls in Canada. The ions produced by the roaring water are said to be a natural and powerful aphrodisiac.
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Wailua Falls in Kauai, Hawaii. You can propose either at the top of these twin waterfalls at the overlook or down by the pool.
bestbeaches.com
Honeymoon Beach in St. John on the US Virgin Islands. How can you go wrong with a name like that?
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The Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA. This is one of the natural wonders of the world with lots of good opportunities for a proposal: horseback, biking, rafting, camping or even a helicopter or hot air balloon ride.
wikipedia.com
The London Eye in London, England. This is the tallest cantilevered observation wheel in the world and you can pop the question in a private capsule with a spectacular view.
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The Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. Famous for weddings, Vegas can also be a great place to propose. With a lot of options to choose from like the Eiffel Tower replica at Paris Las Vegas, or the gondola rides at the Venetian or the view atop the Stratosphere it will be a night to remember.
wikipedia
LOVE Park in Central City, Pennsylvania. This beautiful and romantic sculpture was created by Robert Indiana and makes for a perfect place to start your lives together.
Many of us do not have the resources to make it to one of these world-famous landmarks to pop the question this Valentine’s Day. Do not fret, however there are still some wonderful romantic options right in your backyard. Consider a garden at twilight or a winery. If you live near mountains or a beach both of those are great options. You can always rent a limo and visit your favorite spots together and propose in the back or go to one of your favorite romantic restaurants. If you do decide to pop the question this Valentine’s Day be sure to choose a place that has meaning for you both as you start this journey of the rest of your lives together, but remember the location is not as important as the promise you are making to each other.
The World’s tallest building the Burj Khalifa in Dubai at 2,717 feet (828 meters) opened on January 4th, 2010 to a major fireworks display. The tower boasts the fastest public lifts in the world, climbing to the top in about a minute or 25 mph. This tower is the tallest free-standing structure in the world as well as being the world’s highest building boasting at least 160 floors. The tower was designed by the same company that engineered Chicago’s Willis Tour (formerly the Sears Tower), Skidmore, Owings & Merrill from Chicago. The observation deck for Burj Khalifa sits at the 124th floor about 2/3rds of the way up the tower and is mostly enclosed with an observation terrace that is bordered by guardrails. It is the only part of the tower that had been opened and it closed down as of Saturday.
15 people were trapped in the elevator between floors on the way down from the observation deck on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 for about 45 minutes. The exact reason is unclear and undivulged. According to witnesses there was a large bang, the sound of breaking glass and smoke right before the malfunction that caused the elevator to stop (Times Online). About 60 tourists were stranded on the deck as well before being evacuated via a service lift. Rescue workers were able to drop a ladder down and pry open the elevator doors to rescue those stranded passengers as well.
Reports as to what the problem was or is are unclear stating high-traffic, electrical problems and maintainance issues. The lifts and observation deck are closed indefinitely.
So you are one of the millions of Americans who was forced to foreclose or short sell your home. You assumed that you were off the hook from the bank right? Wrong! Lenders can still come after you for money if the house was auctioned or sold for less than what you owed. This can even happen years down the road when you have already written it off!
These are called “deficiency judgements” and are happening to people who may have even had the bank’s approval for the short sale. This phenomenon is not limited to those who may have entered into a loan they couldn’t afford or those who had “liar loans” that didn’t verify income first. These judgements are happening to people who consistently paid their mortgages but due to the current housing market and other unforseen circumstances, like the loss or transfer of a job, are forced to sell their homes for less than what they owe.
Lenders can come after you depending on several factors including whether or not you have a second mortgage, other liens or even what state you live in. If you have a foreclosure lenders have the right to pursue a deficiency judgement against you in 30 states according to the U.S. Foreclosure Network. States that are “non-recourse” don’t allow these judgements but if your loan was refinanced at any time it may be subject to claims. Judgements on short-sales are allowed to happen in many more places and debt needs to be negotiated away with the bank.
Perhaps the scariest part about all of this is that lenders don’t have to file right away. They can wait several years until borrowers are more financially stable and then garnish your wages, obtain your financial records and even put you in jail if you fail to respond!
What can you do? Be sure to ask for a release from the bank on all financial obligations. This is not just the title, but in accordance with your state laws be sure that you have fulfilled all parts of your mortgage. There are usually two parts to a mortgage, one that is represented by the title and one that is a promise to pay off the loan. Make sure you are released from both. For more information check out CNN Money.
If an emergency were ever to occur and you needed firefighters or other emergency personnel to come to your home, minutes lost due to a non-visible address could mean life or death. Here are some tips to make sure that your address can be found quickly:
Walk out into the street (at night too) to make sure your address numbers are easy to see.
Use reflective numbers or light up signs.
Make sure these numbers are at least 4 inches high.
Address numbers should be placed above, at the side or on the main entrance and be visible from the street.
If your home entrance is not clearly visible from the street or set back more than 50 feet, use a second set of numbers on a mailbox or post at the end of your drive or street.
If you need to mark a mailbox be sure to mark both sides as emergency personnel may come from either direction.
Use numbers that are contrasting in color to the background.
Not only are these tips an aide for delivery personnel and postal workers, they could just save your life one day.
AP
Photo from AP
