Pirate University

A similar service is available between libraries as ?Interlibrary loan? or ILL-service. However, these schemes are slow and expensive.

The Pirate University is ILL organized by library users and fulfilled via the web. Request an article to which you don?t have access and someone with access might just upload it for you.

It is a new site ? there have been only 29 article requests and less than a dozen responses ? and it probably won?t gain much network effect but it is still interesting.

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Why Most of your Facebook Fans Don?t See Any of your Posts

Just like Google, no one knows exactly how Facebook?s algorithm works. But unlike Google where most content gets into the search engine and can be found for years, if no one interacts with your posts on Facebook, they are essentially gone. Once they are off the front page they have essentially disappeared forever. Sure, there?s a chance someone will find and read your old content, but it?s unlikely (get it, unlike -ly?). If someone truly likes you they want to hear from you.

Number of Fans not as Important as Level of Engagement

I?ve seen various figures about what percentage of your Facebook Page fans see your content, but it?s not ever very high. Anything above 10% is pretty good. And the larger your page, the lower the engagement drops.

To find what percentage of engagement your page gets, take the # of likes for your page divided by the number of people ?talking about? it. I wish I knew where I got this chart (help, please comment if you know). Once I got my engagement level in the 80% range for a client but I couldn?t maintain it. It?s consistently around 20%. This is why I rarely delete or ignore fans who post frequently. Instead I thank them and respond (unless they are obscene or vulgar). Think about it ? controversy sells! Every CEO I?ve worked with wants me to squelch the person who posts something negative. I say most of the time, leave it up! Let your fans come to your rescue. Chime in. Find ways to reward engagement from your fans and ways to build loyalty with them.

Interact with Brands you Like on Facebook

The bottom line is if you want to see content from brands you like, you need to share, like or comment on their posts. Otherwise they won?t show up in your newsfeed and you?ll forget all about them. Same goes for the fans of your Page. If you want to see all the brands you or someone else has liked (which is great for understanding your target market) simply type in your username followed by a slash and then ?favorites? like this: https://www.facebook.com/JanetThaeler/favorites Scroll down past interests and you?ll get to all of your likes. I?m not sure why that URL isn?t /likes but not my call.

Go try this on your profile and you?ll see just how many pages you?ve liked but forgot all about. Then go and start interacting so you have a newsfeed full of content from brands and organizations that you really like. It beats having a newsfeed full of drama from your high school friends!

An Effective Way to Get Higher Engagement

What I?ve found most effective (besides large giveaways) for engagement on Facebook and Pinterest (link goes to my Pinterest for Business blog) are quotes that relate to your brand. My client?s page attracted people who want a quick pick me up that will make them feel good and inspire them in their faith. I started out simply typing in a daily quote.? Next I graduated to making quotes into graphics. That really enhanced the numbers of shares, likes and comments.

My best posts have a short question relating to the image and a killer image with a quote. Not too crafty and not too plain. In other words they like quotes that have background images over just text on a colored background. If I keep it short, the quotes also make ideal tweets (I have them tweeted automatically using Hootsuite). Then I use the same quotes in blog posts to get maximum search engine value and I pin the quotes on Pinterest. That?s a lot of bang for my buck!

P.S. I?m always looking for a tool to make quotes where I can add my own image and have choices of fonts and sizes. Let me know if you know of any.

Not All Interactions are Equal

When it comes to Facebook, not all interactions are equal. The share is king because it says you like something so much you?re willing to put your name on it and let your friends know.? These are usually very informative, timely or funny posts. Next important is a comment because that takes more effort than just clicking like (easy). The time of day you post something on Facebook is another factor because then more people will see it. Sound complex for a small business to pull all of this off well? That?s why there?s a rise in social media experts. It?s a lot to keep up with and do well! I invest a lot of time staying current and testing for that very reason.

Support the Brands you Love by Interacting with Them on Facebook and in Real Life

Think of this principle in real life. The longer and more often you ?engage? with a store (visit, go inside, talk to the owner or salesperson), the more likely you are to buy from them.? If you simply drive by it frequently it?s not going to help. Example: your local bookstore. You might be glad it?s there. It may add a lot to your community. It has character. People gather there. They bring in authors and have live performances. You really like them. But if you never make time to visit or buy books and instead order all of your books from Amazon.com what will happen to your local bookstore? Yes, exactly what is happening all over America. That bookstore will close. Either that or it will struggle. That?s why I?m willing to spend more to keep places I like in business and why I?m bugged when people only buy what is least expensive (they?re cheap). I?d rather not have a world full of asphalt, chain stores and Walmart!

So on Facebook if you truly like a brand show them! Go out of your way to comment and share their content. It?s a win/win for both.

Learn more about EdgeRank

In the meantime, here?s an awesome infographic with insights on how to rock your Facebook fans (link goes to original post about the infographic):

?

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Youth Wrestling Comes to Falls Church City! : Falls Church Times

By: FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF

George Mason High School coaches Bryan Harris and John Pitas have a long list of Falls Church City kids that they have worked with over the years to teach one of the world?s old

est sports: Wrestling.? These athletes often enter the high school program with little or no wrestling experience, and must quickly learn the skills and disciplines they will need to succeed at the high school level.? This can be a daunting task given that many of their competitors have been wrestling for a number of years prior to high school and mastered the techniques that provide them a major advantage over a less experienced opponent.? Harris and Pitas have embraced this challenge and worked hard to assist the George Mason wrestlers in achieving their goals to include producing many District, Regional and even State Champions over the past few years. However, the one critical element that has been missing from the George Mason program, is now being organized ? a city youth wrestling program.

In February, youth coaches Aaron Martinez and Brian Sulc pitched an idea to Coaches Harris and Pitas as well as Athletic Director Tom Horn to see how they could lend a hand with opening up the sport of wrestling to City youth.? From that meeting and some essential help along the way from Horn, Chris Madison of Falls Church Recreation & Parks, Seve Padilla of Falls Church City Public Schools facilities, as well as a pivotal helping hand from Falls Church City School Board Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones, the Falls Church Wrestling Club was born.

The program is dedicated to developing a love and appreciation of wrestling in the area youth with the goal of increasing their overall athletic abilities and imparting the life lessons that wrestling teaches like no other sport.

Coach Sulc explained, ?We will do this by focusing on having coaches that are committed to following a well thought out and proven template of developing our wrestlers and team. Creating a positive, encouraging environment while maintaining accountability and discipline is our approach. By stressing fundamentals and bringing our teams together in a way that bonds them with each other and the coaching staff, a life changing experience can be the end result. Our goals are to wrestle to the team?s potential, give everyone an opportunity to wrestle, have the best sportsmanship reputation in the League and have fun. We use a Character Development Program to help bring our teams closer together and to develop each wrestler in lessons he or she can use on and away from the wrestling mat.? Teaching great fundamentals, teaching character lessons, getting everyone mat time, having fun and winning are not mutually exclusive.?

Coach Martinez also commented that, ?Wrestling is such a great sport for developing the overall athleticism of each participant.? My wife and I have five boys and they are all been involved with and benefited from the sport.? Brian and I are both enjoy working with kids and are looking forward to developing a program that will have a positive impact on everyone who decides to participate.?

The first opportunity for our youth to get introduced to or improve on their current wrestling skills will be at the Falls Church Wrestling Camp which will be held June 25 ? June 29, 6:00-8:00 PM in the Husky Gym at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, for $75 for the week.? 8:00 ? 8:30 will be available for advanced techniques.? Interested parents and wrestlers can email the Club at Fcyouthwrestlingclub@gmail.com.

Additionally, last week, the Falls Church Wrestling Club was unanimously voted in by the Board of the Northern Virginia Wrestling Federation (NVWF), a beginners wrestling league. The NVWF is comprised of 34 wrestling clubs?with?more than?1,700 coed wrestlers ages 5 to 14?from 12 different cities and towns in?11 Virginia counties.

The Falls Church Wrestling Club?s first practice will be November 7^th in the George Mason Auxiliary Gym.? Practice will be on Wednesdays and Fridays, 5:30 ? 7:30 PM.? Currently, there are more than 20 boys and girls and six youth coaches from the area who have expressed interest in joining the new club.

Both the camp and team coaching staff will be led by Coaches Martinez and Sulc. Martinez wrestled in high school and at the University of Missouri, and has coached at three different clubs in Missouri and Virginia. Sulc wrestled in high school and the Marine Corps, and has coached wrestling since 2003.

Youth wrestling has come to Falls Church and as Coach Harris put it, ?The benefit of youth sports programs can?t be overstated.? When our kids come to us at the high school level with the fundamentals already established and with an excitement for the sport that I know Brian and Aaron will instill, it makes my job that much easier.? This is the type of program that has the potential to make our team much more competitive but more importantly will have a positive impact on the lives of all of the kids involved.?

?

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Judge to Edwards jurors: Don't discuss the case

Former U.S. presidential candidate and Sen. John Edwards leaves a federal court during a lunch break during the fifth day of jury deliberations in his trial in Greensboro, N.C., Thursday, May 24, 2012. Edwards is accused of using nearly $1 million from donors to help hide his pregnant mistress as he sought the White House in 2008. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Former U.S. presidential candidate and Sen. John Edwards leaves a federal court during a lunch break during the fifth day of jury deliberations in his trial in Greensboro, N.C., Thursday, May 24, 2012. Edwards is accused of using nearly $1 million from donors to help hide his pregnant mistress as he sought the White House in 2008. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Former U.S. presidential candidate and Sen. John Edwards leaves federal court with his daughter Cate Edwards during the fifth day of jury deliberations in Greensboro, N.C., Thursday, May 24, 2012. Edwards has pleaded not guilty to six counts related to campaign finance violations over nearly $1 million from two wealthy donors used to help hide the Democrat's pregnant mistress as he sought the White House in 2008. The jury has ended the fifth day of deliberations. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Former U.S. presidential candidate and Sen. John Edwards leaves a federal court during the fifth day of jury deliberations in Greensboro, N.C., Thursday, May 24, 2012. Edwards has pleaded not guilty to six counts related to campaign finance violations over nearly $1 million from two wealthy donors used to help hide the Democrat's pregnant mistress as he sought the White House in 2008. The jury has ended the fifth day of deliberations. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) ? Jurors in the John Edwards campaign fraud trial have the long holiday weekend to think over the case ? but not talk about it ? as the judge sternly warned before sending them home after six days of deliberations.

U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Eagles abruptly closed the courtroom Friday to talk to attorneys about an issue with a juror. She did not indicate what the problem was after meeting with prosecutors and defense lawyers for about 35 minutes, but when she reopened the courtroom, she admonished the jury before dismissing them until Tuesday.

"All of your deliberations should take place while you are in the jury room and together," Eagles said. "Don't discuss the case in small groups."

The jury's behavior drew attention Thursday when the four alternates all wore canary-yellow shirts. On Friday, they all wore bright red shirts, as did two of the 12 jurors deliberating the case.

One of the alternates, a young woman, has also frequently exchanged smiles with Edwards and nodded enthusiastically during closing arguments last week as the former presidential candidate's lawyer urged them to find his client not guilty.

Kieran J. Shanahan, a former federal prosecutor who has attended nearly every day of the trial, said he has never seen such unusual behavior as the color-coordinated clothing, or a juror so openly flirtatious with a defendant.

"It's seems harmless when the alternates are doing it, but if the jurors are doing it, that's a concern," said Shanahan, now a Raleigh defense attorney. "This case has enough issues already."

The alternate jurors are not supposed to talk about the case and they are kept separate from the other 12 jurors during their deliberations. All 16 of the jurors eat lunch together, but the judge has warned them not to deliberate or talk about the case then.

Eagles can dismiss an alternate juror without affecting the trial. But if she dismisses one of the 12 deliberating the case, deliberations would have to start all over with an alternate a part of the discussions, Shanahan said.

The judge scheduled court to start 30 minutes early Tuesday, after the Memorial Day holiday, and said she would possibly take up the juror issue again.

Prosecutors say Edwards masterminded a plan to use money from two wealthy donors to hide his pregnant mistress as he sought the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Edwards has denied knowing about the money, but his lawyers have argued that even if he did, it was a gift from friends, not a campaign contribution intended to influence the outcome of an election.

Edwards is charged with six felony counts related to illegal campaign contributions. He faces a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison, though legal experts say he is likely to serve no more than 5 years if convicted.

___

Follow AP writer Michael Biesecker at twitter.com/mbieseck

Associated Press

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Andy Carvin on Twitter as a newsroom and being human

Andy Carvin on Twitter as a newsroom and being human
By Mathew Ingram, May. 25, 2012

By now, many people are familiar with the story of how NPR editor Andy Carvin used Twitter to create a kind of crowdsourced newswire during the Arab Spring revolutions in the Middle East last year, inventing a brand-new kind of journalism on the fly and in full public view. In a discussion with me on Thursday in Toronto about the lessons that can be learned from his experience, Carvin made some interesting points about the value of such an approach ? including the importance of being transparent about the process, and the virtues of being human. The discussion at the Mesh 2012 conference (full disclosure: I am a cofounder) touched on a number of different elements of what Carvin did during the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, including two important factors that allowed him to take on the role that he did. The first was the nature of his job at NPR, which ? as a senior digital strategist ? allowed him to experiment with new tools and take risks. The second was the fact that he already had a number of contacts in the Middle East through his work with Global Voices and other social advocacy groups (Harvard researcher and author David Weinberger, whom I also interviewed at the conference, live-blogged the session with Carvin). Both of these meant that Carvin was perfectly positioned to do what he did when dissidents started revolting in Tunisia, and then following that

in Egypt and Libya. He also noted with a laugh that ?it helps when you have ADHD? (which he does), because for several months during the height of those revolutions, he was spending almost every waking minute reading or posting on Twitter, managing several lists of dissidents and thousands of responses from followers. His peak output reached 1,400 tweets a day at one point, whereupon Twitter blocked his account as spam. Not a newswire, but a crowdsourced newsroom of public editors But Carvin also talked about how he approached the reporting of realtime events on Twitter, and how he doesn?t really like having what he did called a ?newswire.? Instead, he says he prefers to think of it as a crowdsourced newsroom ? with him as the reporter, or the anchor (or ?news DJ,? another term he likes to use) pulling in reports from different places, and then relying on his followers to act as editors and sources, fact-checking and verifying and also distributing the news that he was curating. As he put it: I get uncomfortable when people prefer my twitter feed as a newswire. It?s not a newswire. It?s a newsroom. It?s where I?m trying to separate fact from fiction, interacting with people. That?s a newsroom. In many cases, Carvin says, this process worked remarkably well ? and quickly. In one photo of Egypt, for example, someone he asked for an opinion said that the corner of a building in the background was clearly a prominent local landmark, and then sent a link to a Google Earth view of the building, allowing Carvin to confirm within minutes that it was the same location.

He also gave his followers what he called ?fire drills,? in which he would ask them to fact-check photos that he knew were fake and then he would look at how many errors they found. And what happened when he made a mistake and posted something that wasn?t accurate? In one case, he distributed a photo he thought was of a woman who had been shot in battle and was being attended to by nurses ? but it turned out she was actually dead, his followers told him, and her body was being prepared for burial. Carvin says he admitted his mistake multiple times, and then retweeted both the criticisms and the corrections as broadly as possible: You have to be prepared to be accountable in real time. When I screw up, my followers tell me. News as a process, and the virtues of being human The NPR editor, who is now working on a book about his experiences, says he believes in the ?news as a process? approach, as author Jeff Jarvis and others have described it ? in which not only is the reporting of an event crowdsourced in real time, but new information is added and mistakes are also corrected by readers, who journalism professor Jay Rosen has called ?the people formerly known as the audience? (recent events have also shown how social networks like Twitter and Reddit can act as fact-checking engines). As I tried to argue in a Twitter debate on Friday with a number of people (which Craig Silverman of the Poynter Institute curated with Storify) I think there is a lot of public value in doing what Carvin did, by assembling and fact-checking and correcting information in real time. That?s not to say editors don?t have value, or that reporters shouldn?t try to report things as accurately as possible.

But when errors are made, I think admitting them publicly and being seen to correct them (not something traditional media is very good at) actually builds trust. For me ? and I think for Carvin ? doing this is connected to a larger principle, and that is the value of being human, and of expressing that humanity, even if it means acknowledging a mistake. The NPR editor also admitted that in some cases he was so disturbed by the videos and images he was seeing from Egypt and elsewhere that he responded on Twitter in a way that he says might not have been professional ? but he still felt was justified. As Weinberger noted in his live-blog: ?Andy perfectly modeled a committed journalist who remains personal, situated, transparent, and himself.? This is the kind of thing that mainstream media outlets discourage, just as many try to avoid admitting that they have made mistakes. Restrictive social-media policies put in place by many of these outlets seem designed to remove as many of the elements of being human as possible from the practice of being a journalist ? which I think is the exact opposite of what needs to happen if traditional journalism is to survive. And I think Andy Carvin is a pretty good example of what one possible future of real-time, crowdsourced journalism actually looks like.

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Tips On Handling Back Tax Repayment | Free Finance Articles

As the IRS is known to take drastic action again those who owe back taxes, it can be scary to find out that you have not filed your tax returns properly and therefore owe the IRS money. However, instead of giving in to despair, one should take action and do all in his or her power to pay the back taxes owed in a speedy manner. Ignoring back taxes is the worst thing to do, as the IRS has the power to freeze one?s bank account, deduct money from wages even place a lien on valuable assets such as a house or vehicle.

A person who has discovered that he or she owes money to the IRS should contact a CPA and assess just how much money is owed. An accountant can help a person assess how much money is owed and give a person good advice on how to handle future tax returns. Once a person has determined how much money needs to be paid in back taxes, he or she can make a plan for paying off the back tax bill in full.

There is more than one way to back a back tax bill. The IRS provide free forms for those who owe back taxes and these can be obtained via the IRS website. If one can pay the bill right away, he or she should do so, as delaying payment can result in the IRS placing an interest rate on the money owed or demanding a late payment fee. Unfortunately, this is not an option for many people and while a person can take out a loan to pay back tax taxes, this may not be the best course of action.

A person who cannot file back taxes right away should write the IRS and ask for either an installment agreement or compromise agreement. An installment agreement involves working out a deal whereby back taxes are paid in installments every single month. However, a person who works out this type of arrangement with the IRS would need to make sure to pay the full amount due on time, as there can be negative consequences for not doing so.

A compromise agreement is much harder to work out than an installment agreement. In a compromise agreement, the IRS agrees to waive some of the money it is owed and a person only has to pay a portion of his or her back taxes. One should only ask for such an agreement if there are no chances of ever being able to pay back the full amount that is owed. Furthermore, the IRS will only consider a compromise agreement if a person is facing severe financial hardships and/or it is not clear just how much a person needs to pay in back taxes.

It is important to pay back any back tax owed as soon as possible. The fact is that it is best to file a yearly tax return and double check it for accuracy so that back tax bills do not arise. Thankfully, a person who has made a mistake and so owes back taxes can repay these without having to face drastic consequences. The first step would be to consult a CPA and then contact the IRS as to which repayment option would be the most suitable.

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iPad apps to keep you informed and entertained

14 hrs.

Rosa Golijan

Whether you're keeping track of must-read stories using Pocket, browsing hilarious videos on Squrl, hunting down amazing photography on National Geographic, or keeping up with the election season with NBC Politics, msnbc.com's Rosa Golijan has the apps for you.

Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts, or circling her?on?Google+.

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Apartment Careers: Real Estate/Property Management jobs, Sugar ...

About Pinnacle.

We invest in great people. That's why clients trust us with their real estate investments!
At Pinnacle, we consider our employees our most valuable asset. In fact, our number one key business objective is to attract and retain the best talent in the industry! At Pinnacle, the key to our continued success and competitive advantage is our people.

We offer a total compensation and benefits package to help with your needs today and build for your future tomorrow. We recognize that each employee is an individual with individual needs, lifestyles, and interests. Our benefits package was created with the flexibility to support employees who are at different places in their lives and careers.

Pinnacle values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity in employment. We offer a safe, healthy work environment for employees through a commitment to maintaining a drug-free workplace.
Pinnacle has ongoing employment opportunities at our headquarters in Seattle, our more than 40 branch office locations nationally and our many managed communities throughout the country.

Pinnacle is the national leader in third-party fee management of investment real estate encompassing multi-family, commercial space, affordable housing and military housing. Pinnacle is built on four basic principles:

Quality people

Strong customer service

Solid market knowledge

Superior systems and support capabilities

At Pinnacle, success is about more than having a healthy bottom line. Guided by our principles and values, we are committed to making Pinnacle an amazing and unique place to work for each member of our team.

About the job..

As a Groundskeeper at Pinnacle, you play a key role in making our apartment communities a great place to live! The Groundskeeper is a member of the Maintenance staff working directly with the Maintenance Supervisor and the office staff to provide world class service to our residents. The Groundskeeper is a hands on professional whose goal is to make sure everything is working right everyday! At Pinnacle, we value our Maintenance Staff, provide career training, and a clear career path for individuals who are looking for advancement opportunities. You will be part of a team responsible for keeping our communities in the top-notch condition our residents have come to expect, building motivated and trustworthy teams who consistently deliver a notably higher level of service to our residents. Be ready to be busy!

Essential Responsibilities:

Responsible for the overall upkeep of the property landscape and the exterior image which includes cleaning of the driveways, parking lots, curbs, dumpster areas, exterior hallways, or any other public areas; maintenance of property flowerbeds, plants, and grass areas; snow removal; and pool cleaning or routine pool maintenance.

Responsible for providing world class customer service by addressing the concerns and maintenance needs of our residents in a friendly and professional manner

May be called upon to the Maintenance staff on other projects as needed.

Personal Competencies:

High-energy

Roll up your sleeves mentality

Positive Attitude

Warm, friendly and service-oriented philosophy

High degree of flexibility and tolerance for change

Effective written and verbal communication

Organized and detail-oriented

Customer-service focused

Qualifications:

Minimum of a high school diploma

Previous grounds or custodial maintenance experience.

Excellent oral and written communication skills

Must be willing to work evenings or weekends (on call) in the case of an emergency.

Pinnacle has grown to become America's largest apartment manager through many different successes. Yet, in today's ultra-competitive market, each success must fuel the next and speed is essential in the ongoing race to lead the industry.

If you are ready to work hard and be empowered and encouraged to innovate, contribute ideas and discover solution to provide current and potential residents with unparalleled, world class customer service please click Apply Online.

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Why this may be the ideal time to buy real estate - CFED News Clips

TIME
By: Martha C. White
May 21, 2012

Why this may be the ideal time to buy real estate

Well, it's only taken half a decade, but the moribund real estate market is finally starting to show signs of life. If you were thinking about making a move on a piece of property, right now is possibly the best time. You can still take advantage of low prices in most places around the country, and mortgage rates are at once-in-a-lifetime record lows: 30- and 15-year fixed mortgages are around 4% and 3%, respectively.

Although prices are still near 2003 levels, the signs of an impending resurgence are everywhere you look. The number of people signing contracts to buy houses rose by around 4% in March, according to the National Association of Realtors, and is the highest it's been in nearly two years.

Many would-be homebuyers are surprised to find that one fixture of the bubble era is back: the bidding war. According to a recent survey of 28 housing markets conducted by the Wall Street Journal, there are fewer houses for sale in every single one of those places than there were last quarter. This relatively tight inventory in markets as varied as Sacramento, Phoenix and Washington, D.C., dictate that the law of supply and demand is going to kick in. Even in places like Long Island, N.Y., where there's still a depressing 16-month buildup of housing supply (realtors consider six months' worth to be a healthy number), the number of available homes is falling.

Buyers are no longer shying away from "distressed" properties; that is, short sales and foreclosures. The foreclosure specialists at RealtyTrac.com say there are even bidding wars on foreclosures, because investors know these rock-bottom prices aren't going to last forever.

An increase in short sales is actually a good sign: Short sales do less damage to their surrounding neighborhoods than foreclosures do, both because foreclosures drive values down further and often fall victim to neglect or vandalism. Short sales are also better for banks because they get distressed properties off their books faster and don't have to pay as much in legal and administrative costs. In a recent blog post, RealtyTrac vice president Daren Blomquist writes, "Banks have recently been given additional reasons to opt for short sales rather than foreclosure over the past 18 months," and he forecasts what he describes as a "surge" in short sales this year. By some measures, it's already begun: Short sales first eclipsed foreclosure sales in November, according to Bloomberg, and RealtyTrac data shows short sales climbed by a third from the beginning of this year as compared with the same period last year.

Part of what's driving this movement is more buyers are snapping up properties as rental investments or as vacation homes for themselves. Vacation-home sales grew by 7% last year, as the rising cost of travel drove people to look at "getaways" closer to their primary residences. Trulia chief economist Jed Kolko tells the Wall Street Journal, "People choose second homes that are a shorter drive rather than a plane flight away."

Purchases of investment properties soared by 65% last year, with many buyers scooping up cheap foreclosures and renting them out. Data from real estate number-crunchers CoreLogic shows that the conversion of foreclosures to rentals will be more than a $100 billion business this year and for the next few years.

People are starting to figure out the huge potential in this market: More than a quarter of all the houses sold last year were investment properties. Fortunately for such buyers, there's also an unprecedented degree of demand for rental housing: Homeownership hit a 15-year low in the first quarter of this year, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, and rent rates, which climbed an average of 5% last year, are historically high compared with the cost of homeownership.

In some places, such as college towns, a buyer-investor often can make an even greater return on the purchase price of a house. In two-thirds of the places surveyed in Coldwell Banker's College Home Listing Report, you can buy a three-bedroom house for under $200,000. SmartMoney.com points out if the kid renting the house is your offspring, you also can net significant tax savings by purchasing a home and then renting it back to them, thanks to more lenient rules about renting to a family member versus a stranger. (Gift tax laws let you give your son or daughter up to $13,000 a year toward offsetting the cost of those monthly bills, although tax experts recommend that you avoid commingling your accounts and keep a paper trail of canceled checks or rent receipts.)

A new survey from home builder PulteGroup finds that 60% of people renting today would prefer to own their own homes, the Wall Street Journal says. This is good news if you don't plan on being a landlord forever. When mortgage lending standards loosen, there will be pent-up demand from all those renters looking for a place to call their own. The desire to own a home is particularly strong among the so-called "echo boomers," adults under 35 years old. This demographic made up 31% of home purchases last year, the National Association of Realtors says, but that's still a relatively small slice of the roughly 62 million echo boomers in the United States.

Of course, these young adults are also the same ones who have been clobbered by sky-high student loan debt and above-average joblessness, which is keeping some of them on the sidelines of the housing market. Economists say as they mature and attain more financial stability, more will make the transition from renters to homeowners. The desire for homeownership is there; an Urban Land Institute survey conducted in 2010 found that two thirds of 18- to 32-year olds expect to own their own homes by 2015. Even among the remaining one third, 70% say they'll own a home at some point in the future.

For Americans who either have cash to buy or a credit score good enough to obtain a mortgage, there's still time to get a killer deal on real estate, but that window may be closing. If your finances can support it, now appears to be a great time to buy.

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Enhance Your Children's Health and fitness Company with ...

Should you personal a children?s health and fitness small business and want to include to your solutions, try providing a preschool exercise system inside your nearby location. Preschool physical exercise plans are a lot required, but also generally, they get place on the back burner in colleges, daycares, and also other preschool organizations. Some may possibly really feel it?s not that vital that preschoolers physical exercise regularly, but this couldn?t be farther in the fact. Fitness is very crucial for preschoolers and it aids them establish great routines that will last a lifetime.

Give a Preschool P.E.

Numerous right here mature youngsters participate in some type of P.E. (bodily training) course at college, but several preschoolers don?t. P.E. is really a class supplied in a set time for about an hour per day when kids workout and play sports for instance softball, basketball, and dodge ball. Having a preschool P.E., you?ll be able to schedule to return towards the preschool class in a set time every day to teach the young children age-appropriate exercises as well as other enjoyable, energetic things to get in form.

A few of the preschool conditioning activities you may present in your courses consist of aerobic workout routines, entertaining dances, gymnastics, and age-appropriate sports activities. You can even integrate diet data and give take-home items this kind of hand-outs, newsletters for mother and father, take-home coloring sheets, DVDs, tunes CDs, as well as other objects to improve the preschool exercise courses.

If you?re not able to instruct the lessons your self, you can this place method preschools about beginning their own system. Your children?s health organization can offer the materials and training they want. The curriculum you present will teach the instructors tips on how to assist preschool youngsters learn about health and nourishment, remain in form for your lengthy expression, and enhance self-esteem.

The Benefits of Preschool Health and fitness

Preschool physical fitness gives lots of advantages for kids, mother and father, and academics. The youngsters in the plan study the importance of physical exercise in a fun, thrilling way, and they learn how to warm up, great down, and stretch their muscle tissues for additional versatility. Preschool physical exercise encourages cardiovascular wellness at a young age and aids kids create very good exercise and consuming behavior which will remain with them for any lifetime.

Preschool physical fitness plans can reach in to the children?s houses find here to assist mothers and fathers combat childhood weight problems at home. Instructors concerned within the system may see an enhancement in class moral, and additional energy and clearer minds within their preschoolers, which may result inside an improved teaching and understanding environment.

Acquiring Began using a Preschool Physical fitness Plan

Whether your children?s physical fitness organization is situated inside a storefront or you travel to distinct schools or houses, you could easily incorporate a preschool health system along with your current offerings. There are numerous fantastic franchises dedicated to assisting you start your personal plan. These will offer the curriculum along with other things needed to teach the courses. In a storefront setting, you?ll be able to setup shows for nearby academics to enroll as preschool health and fitness instructors. Or, you may pay a visit to neighborhood preschool establishments to question about starting a plan.

Use on-line sources to find a kid?s health plan franchise that may perform nicely along with your company. Appear to get a system that presents a number of exercise approaches and supplies therefore the children will not become bored with all the plan. Preschoolers have a short focus span therefore the much more new methods you?ll be able to give, the much more efficient it?s going to be.

A preschool physical exercise plan can enhance your children?s health company in extra strategies than one. It allows you to deliver a good impact to nearby daycares and colleges though helping several impressionable preschool kids discover to acquire in form and stay wholesome!

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Padres' offense busts out in win vs. Mets

By HOWIE RUMBERG

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 12:49 a.m. ET May 25, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) - Padres manager Bud Black tried spinning a tale about extra batting practice in the cages during the rain delay to explain why his offense came alive when the game resumed.

He couldn't do it. The swings that counted were just too good.

Will Venable hit a pair of RBI doubles and Cameron Maybin had two run-scoring singles as San Diego started hitting the moment the tarp came off and beat the New York Mets 11-5 on Thursday night.

"Started raking in the cage and we carried it over out on the field," Black said before giving long pause, followed by a deadpan "no," while trying to contain a smile.

"I thought all night long the guys had really good at-bats," he said after the laughter died down. That was probably, obviously, the best offensive night we had all year."

Jesus Guzman hit a two-run double in a four-run third to help the Padres rebound from being swept in a three-game series in St. Louis. Everth Cabrera had a career-high four hits and Eric Stults (1-0) pitched five innings to earn his first win with San Diego.

Fielding a lineup in which the 6-7-8 batters all had averages under .200, the Padres set a season-high for runs and had their best effort for hits with 18. Cabrera was just 2 for 21 coming in. Nick Hundley homered in the ninth to give every position player at least one hit.

"It was very encouraging just to see up and down the lineup to see the quality of at-bats the guys had," Hundley said. Watching guys like Will and Cabby and Chase just battle and grind. ... It's starting to come a little bit."

Both starters wearing No. 53 returned to the mound following a delay of 1 hour, 8 minutes after the second inning. Stults adjusted better than Jeremy Hefner (0-2), shutting down the Mets for three more innings.

Stults might have gone longer but he was hit by a comebacker on his triceps on the final out of the fourth inning and Black said that it started bothering Stults on breaking pitches after the fifth.

"I think it should be OK," Stults said.

David Wright hit a two-run homer off Matt Palmer in the sixth and he finished 3 for 5 to raise his average to .405 in the first game of the Mets' season-long 11-game homestand.

"He's in a zone like no other," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "His whole approach, I mean, you watch him get ready before a game starts. He's got a routine he sticks with. He believes in it and he gets himself ready to play."

Hefner was making his first big league start - against the team that drafted and signed him in 2007, when New York's current GM Sandy Alderson was running the Padres. Hefner twice chose college over signing with the Mets after they picked him in the 2004 and `05 drafts.

Alderson got Hefner back this winter off the waiver wire from Pittsburgh, which had the right-hander for a month.

Pitching in the rain from the start, Hefner gave up a hit in two innings and the Mets led 1-0 on an unearned run when the rain picked up and the tarp came out. Play resumed 1 hour, 8 minutes later.

"I hadn't experienced that in my career and so I didn't really have anything to base it off of. I felt fine," Hefner said about pitching after the long delay. "After the second inning, from then on, I didn't execute my pitches."

He promptly gave up a double down the third base line to Cabrera to restart the game. After Stults grounded out, the Padres scored four times on four straight hits.

Venable slapped an opposite-field RBI double just inside third base, Maybin had a run-scoring single, Yonder Alonso doubled and Guzman drove in two runs with a double for a 4-1 lead.

Venable and Maybin had RBI hits with two outs in fourth, ending Hefner's night. Venable finished with two hits a night after coming up a triple shy of the cycle.

Hefner gave up nine hits and six runs.

Stults gave up one hit after the wait. Overall, he allowed an unearned run and four hits in five innings. He was claimed off waivers by the Padres from the Chicago White Sox on May 17.

With 13 players on the disabled list, including starters Tim Stauffer, Cory Luebke and Dustin Moseley, Stults has been a nice addition for San Diego. In his first start, he allowed two runs and four hits in 6 2-3 innings.

With Stults out, the Mets tried mounting a rally. Wright's homer to straightaway center field cut the lead to 6-3 and Scott Hairston followed with a single. But Brad Brach relieved and struck out the side.

The Mets scored a run in the second on Hundley's throwing error.

Ronny Cedeno batted leadoff for the fifth time in his eight-year career. He went 0 for 5.

NOTES: Mets manager Terry Collins said struggling 1B Ike Davis would not be sent to the minors to work on his swing. He said he'd be more selective in the matchups he chooses for Davis, who entered Thursday's game hitting .159 (23 for 145). Davis had a two-run pinch-hit single in the eighth... About 10 of Alonso's teammates watched his appearances on the MLB channel before batting practice. They gave him a round of applause when the interview was over. ... NYPD Officer Kevin Brennan, who was shot in the head Jan. 31, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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