Bixby Letter - Saving Private Ryan

Executive Mansion,
Washington, Nov. 21, 1864.

Dear Madam,

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.

I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.

I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

A. Lincoln

Eating Preserved Meats?

Nitrates (also called Nitrites) is a preservative and used to set color in food. Nitrates and Nitrites form Nitrosamines in the body. Nitrosamines are carcinogenic.

I read somewhere that Germany banned the use of nitrates.

Most preserved meats contain nitrates. This includes foods that are typically pink in color like bologna, salami, pepperoni, hotdogs, corned beef, pastrami, bacon, and cured ham.

The Good Nut

Read this article in a local newspaper in which a Cleveland Clinic doctor had a list of top 10 recommended snacks. Coming in at number one was Walnuts. Why? Because of the Omega 3 fatty acid content in them. There is also a study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology that support this idea. Of course, I did get a huge packet of walnuts from Sam's Club, for about 10 bucks, after reading this article.

Virgin olive oil is another similar healthy item to include in diet. One can't tell what kind of cooking oil is used in any food service business. Virgin olive oil is more expensive than other types of cooking oil but is probably more than worth the little bit extra money.

Cleveland News: Brookpark Road

Brookpark Road does have too many traffic signals. The lights appear to be smaller and less bright than the newer traffic signals used in newer developments. This street would be a good candidate for students of access management; driveway permits gone wild.

While Brookpark Road is a primary commercial street, traffic uses side residential streets for accessing Brookpark, a nightmare for residents of this area with respect to quality of life and property values.

Cleveland Population Projections

The loss of population in Cuyahoga County is projected to continue. There is little incentive to rebuild old housing.

Cleveland Home Buying and Selling: Top Housing Markets

$0-$200,000

1. Mentor
   
2. Painesville
3. Elyria

$200,000-$400,000

1. Medina
   
2. Westlake
3. Avon Lake

$400,000 +

1. Solon
   
2. Chagrin Falls
3. Gates Mills

2006 Information

Cleveland Real Estate: Shaker Heights Versus Westlake

I did a comparison of year 2000 census data for Shaker Heights and Westlake, suburbs in Greater Cleveland, Ohio. The finding was interesting and I will present it here in the next several days.

Update: Coming soon

Ohio Real Estate Agent: Keeping Up Appearances

So this real estate agent arrives in a flashy and shiny Mercedes to take me on a community tour. She pops open the car trunk, gets off the car, to place an object lying on the passenger seat in the car trunk. I quickly glance at the trunk and notice that the trunk is like a garbage can.

She was interesting to talk to. She said that she was a former nurse and was on the public committees of the city. She was trying to steer me towards a McMansion.

Cleveland News: Canopy Collapses

During a significant snow event in February 2007, a few canopies over gas pumps at gas stations collapsed in Cleveland Ohio.

The canopies had flat roof and there was nowhere the snow could go. Snow is hygroscopic, it absorbs moisture from the air. When new, it weights about 7lb/cft; after absorbing moisture it could weight as much as 30lbs/cft. As the snow load increased with time, the canopies started buckling and eventually collapsed.

Top 10 Traffic Accident Areas in Cleveland 2004

1. Cleveland 17,864
2. Strongsville 1,231
3. Parma 1,206
4. Euclid 1,066
5. Garfield Heights 1,044
6. Shaker Heights 970
7. Cleveland Heights 927

Cleveland Real Estate: North Ridgeville

A article in March 2007 identified North Ridgeville as the fastest growing bedroom community in the Greater Cleveland area. City officials reportedly linked this fast growth to the city's 7 million dollar sanitary sewer project on the west side of the area. Build the poop sewer and they will come. Before the project, 60% of the area was served by septic tanks.

North Ridgeville is listed as the home of the first Del Web community in Ohio. Del Web is a business that builds residential units for baby boomers. I suppose the selection of North Ridgeville was made partly because of the tranquility of the area. With hundreds of homes scheduled to be built, this tranquility is in some jeopardy.

How long will it take before North Ridgeville gets filled up and developers move on to a new area? About 10 years or less?

Is development of such new communities linked to an environment where consumers abandon used consumables, including homes, and buy new ones because it just makes economic sense?

An Honest Real Estate Agent in Cleveland

So I tell this real estate agent, G, in the Cleveland area that I was interested in the rent to buy option. As a buyer, this would provide for test driving the home, prior to buying it. I explained that the test drive, living in the home for few months, is likely to bring to light home defects, neighborhood issues etc. The real estate agent says that she may not be help me with that because she would not make any money since a sale does not happen in the rent to buy option. There was no spin, no nuances, no quoting from canned scripts from her. I am planning to contact her again.

The most fundamental rule of real estate is, you don't make money unless a sale is completed.

As Dr. W said long back, watch the money flow. He must be a investor in stocks.

Car Mechanic in Greater Cleveland

I think I found a fairly reliable independent car mechanic shop for Toyota and Honda cars by looking up auto mechanic reviews on Car Talk. A quick check of Cleveland Better Business Bureau did not reveal a negative report for this business.

The business is Alternative Solution Car Care at 3203 Mayfield Road in Cleveland Heights. Brothers Tim Weeks and Thomas Weeks run the show there, the owner is Don _ _?.

It appeared like several of their customers were return customers and trusted the business. I overheard Tim saying that he is planning a vacation travel to China to adopt a baby, that will make a total of 7 children for his family.

I find people (like Jenny, Tim) who adopt other peoples babies amazing, particularly, when they may be from a modest background unlike some celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Madonna etc. who may be doing it, in part, for publicity and image.

Laura Rowley on Credit Card Debt

Laura Rowley is my favorite columnist at Yahoo Finance. Below is an excerpt from one of her columns. I invited her for a cup of tea and she accepted!

In the article excerpted below, Laura mentions debt collection techniques such as calling relatives and neighbors. I recall watching a program, probably the Oprah Show, wherein a debt collector was indicating that a debt collector may encourage a debtor to sell bodily fluids such as blood to pay the debt.

Excerpt:

"Maxed Out," a documentary that opens nationwide next week, examines the dark side of America's love affair with debt.

By turns humorous and heartbreaking, "Maxed Out" exposes the targeting techniques of credit card companies (the most profitable customers are broke); the gold rush mentality in the business of debt collection; an influential credit scoring industry riddled with errors; and the power of the credit card lobby at the highest levels of government. (MBNA, the biggest campaign contributor to President Bush, was behind the restrictive bankruptcy legislation of 2005.)

Fiduciary

The fiduciary duty is a relationship between two or more parties (most commonly a "fiduciary" or "trustee" and a "principal" or "beneficiary").

A fiduciary is expected to be extremely loyal to the person to whom they owe the duty (the "principal"); they must not put their personal interests before the duty, and must not profit from their position as a fiduciary, unless the principal consents.

Examples

• attorney-client relationship
• guardian-ward relationship
• landlord-tenant relationship
• trustee-beneficiary relationship

Real Estate APPRAISALS

Appraisal education in the United States may be often provided by professional organizations. At present time it is not necessary to have a college degree in order to become an appraiser.

A real estate appraisal a service performed by a licensed or certified appraiser, who develops an opinion of value based upon the highest and best use of real property for a specific point in time.

For mortgage valuations of improved residential property, this value is often reported on a standardized form, the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report, Fannie Mae Form 1004. Download Uniform Residential Appraisal Report here. Do NOT forget to read the FAQ related to this Uniform Residential Appraisal Report. This type of appraisal is the most complete and more costly. Less complete appraisal forms are available from the Fannie Mae site and these have their own utility.

An appraisal is performed for a specific client, to whom the appraiser has a fiduciary responsibility, regardless of what party ultimately pays for the appraisal, whether anyone actually pays for the appraisal, or when the appraisal is paid for.

Some additional terms that related to value and may be of interest are:

• Broker Price Opinion (BPO): Estimate done by a real estate agent.
• Value of home determined by the County Auditor for tax purposes.
  

Typically residential appraisers agree to accept orders from lending institutions with the understanding that payment will be made following settlement, or closing of the loan. In most cases, the homeowner or buyer ultimately pays for a residential appraisal, either directly or rolled into settlement fees. The paying party may also be entitled to a copy of the appraisal report, so make a written request for ALL pages and contents of the appraisal report.

Some Exhibits

• A street map that shows the location of the subject property and of all comparables that the appraiser used;
  
  
• An exterior building sketch of the improvements that indicates the dimensions. The appraiser must also include calculations to show how he or she arrived at the estimate for gross living area. A floor plan sketch that indicates the dimensions is required instead of the exterior building or unit sketch if the floor plan is atypical or functionally obsolete, thus limiting the market appeal for the property in comparison to competitive properties in the neighborhood;
  
  
• Clear, descriptive photographs (either in black and white or color) that show the front, back, and a street scene of the subject property, and that are appropriately identified. (Photographs must be originals that are produced either by photography or electronic imaging.);
  
  
• Clear, descriptive photographs (either in black and white or color) that show the front of each comparable sale and that are appropriately identified. Generally, photographs should be originals that are produced by photography or electronic imaging; however, copies of photographs from a multiple listing service or from the appraiser's files are acceptable if they are clear and descriptive;
  
  
• Any other data--as an attachment or addendum to the appraisal report form--that are necessary to provide an adequately supported opinion of market value.

Be Aware Of Arbitration Clauses

When buying your next automobile read your paperwork carefully. Some car dealers and financiers are inserting an “arbitration clause” in the fine print to take away legal rights if case they do something wrong to you. Currently, some Ford credit, Chrysler credit and other bank finance contracts include an arbitration clause. Likewise, many car dealers are doing it, too. US Bank has an arbitration clause in the account agreement related to their checking account.

An arbitration clause does not have to be in your contract, and an arbitration clause can take away your right to go to court without you even knowing it! Some arbitration clauses are written so “tight” that you could get mugged, robbed and beaten up on the car dealer’s lot, by their employee, and you couldn’t do much of anything about it at all!

If you already signed an arbitration agreement, don’t give up because you may still be able to get around it, but the best thing is never to sign one in the first place.

Female Feticide

Feticide is described as the intentional destruction of a human fetus.

There are have been reports in the media in February 2007 of findings of bones of newly born babies in India. It is common knowledge are some families choose to have female fetuses aborted. I personally know a family who have been reported to have chosen this path. I also have family members who work in the field of obstetrics and gynecology in India and sometimes one hears things.

It is unlawful in India to use technology to determine the sex of unborn children and the termination of pregnancies on the basis of gender.

This female foeticide practice is related to the belief that the males are the carriers of the family genes; isn't this something you would probably hear on National Geographic or Discovery Channel?.

Can there be a worse level of cowardice? I am ashamed that something like this occurs in India. Things are changing but its too late for some...many.

Reality from Realty One's Cleveland Real Estate Agent

So I ask this real estate agent from Realty One to send me a form for review at my convenience, prior to a meeting. No, I am not going to list the name of the real estate agent. I ain't trying to disparage her.

The Analogy: The real estate agent says that a doctor's office does not send forms to a potential patient but presents the forms when the patient arrives at the clinic to see the doctor.

The implication was, using the same logic, why should a real estate agent send the the forms to the prospective client? Hmmmm?

I suppose that is one viewpoint. Is this viewpoint valid? One similarity that I note between real estate agency and doctor patient agency is the fiduciary relationship. One dissimilarity is that real estate services is a human want whereas medical services is a human need.

As an update I must note that the realtor did send the requested forms. And I am rather certain that a doctor's office would also send forms if the patient made a request, perhaps, without offering an analogy.

Question: How do you decide that you have found the right real estate agent?
Answer: When you hear the right answers from your real estate agent.

Median Home Price in Cleveland, Akron

In the Cleveland metropolitan area, which includes outlying suburbs, the median home price was $131,000. In Akron, $110,000 - - February 2007

Cleveland Real Estate: 10 Mortage Mistakes

1. Not knowing which mortgage fees you can - and cannot - negotiate. Or how the lender actually makes money on you.

2. Choosing and trusting the first loan officer you interview.

3. Using an interest-only or adjustable rate loan primarily to qualify for a more expensive house. (You could be paying forever, eventually getting in debt over your head or, at the very least, you will pay more interest for a longer period of time.)

4. Thinking the interest rate is always the main thing. (Most "astute" mortgage shoppers think they should call around to "shop" rates. And "rate envy" is common, especially among male borrowers. But what closing costs will you need to pay to get that fabulous advertised rate?

5. Not comparing the final fees listed on the closing documents to the up-front estimates (to avoid the lender "packing" the loan with added-on fees without your knowledge)

6. Not knowing if your mortgage has a pre-payment penalty - until it's too late.

7. Thinking that renting is always "just throwing money away." (At least in the short run, it can cost you thousands less to rent. For instance, don't buy a starter house.)

8. Not knowing if you are paying a back-end yield spread or Service Release Premium (if so, the lender has upsold you the rate).

9. Paying for mortgage life insurance, credit insurance or other expensive lender add-ons (like the just-mentioned SRP, this sale can increase the "kickbacks" the lender will receive from various vendors).

10. Paying hundreds of dollars to have a company set up a biweekly mortgage payment plan for you, something you can generally do yourself - for free.

She's Italian but is blonde

So this guy T says with some pride in his voice that his wife is an Italian, from Sicily. He met her at a restaurant and she's a cosmetologist. He says that his wife's grandmother had migrated from Sicily. He quickly adds that his wife is blonde and does not have black hair like other Italians do. It appeared that he was implying that blonde is better than black and therefore he was providing the clarification.

Everyone's a "Honey" here

It was a surprise to hear staff at the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles addressing customers/citizens as "honey". I ain't complaining but using this term of endearment for hundreds of customers decreases its value. And...I am beginning to sound like Andy Rooney of the fantastic CBS show, 60 minutes.

I saw the staff doing a good job providing services that mainly involve repetitive tasks quite well. One gets to see a variety of people at this type of governmental office.

Wines with Indian Food

White wines with moderate alcohol (8% to 12%) are recommended. My favourites are German Riesling (Auslese, Spatlese, Kabinnets).

Cheers