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Archive for May, 2012

The Amazing Cat Species

We all know that cats are loving and truly wonderful creatures.  These days, it isn’t out of the ordinary to see a cat in virtually every other home, sleeping in the window or cuddling up on the laps of their owners.  Although cats have been popular pets for as long as most can remember, they weren’t domesticated less than 5,000 years or so ago.  Domestication took place in the valley of the Nile, which is what research tells us today.

In the beginning, people were very grateful to cats and encouraged them to stay with them by feeding them various scraps of food.  Once they were fed and perceived humans to be no threat, the cats would move in permanently with their human owners.  As time went by, even the wildest of cat would allow humans to approach him, often times even hold and touch as well.

In those days, cats were very loyal and endearing pets.  They proved to be great hunters, as they done their sleeping in short periods and were much easier to wake up than dogs.  Cats also have better night vision than dogs, and much better hearing as well.  If someone moved through the house or if they heard suspicious noises, they would wake while dogs would sleep right through it.  Humans loved having cats around, and they seemed to get along good with dogs as well.

These days, cats are used for both companionship and show.  They aren’t used much at all for hunting mice and rodent anymore at all.  There are a lot of breeds available, from the traditional alley cat to the well-known Siamese.  All breeds are unique in their own way, and will provide you with years of companionship if you take care of them.

Before you get a kitten or older cat, you’ll first want to examine the source.  If you are getting the kitten from a breeder, you’ll want to make sure that the breeder has a reputable reputation.  You’ll also want to ensure that the cattery is clean and in good shape.  The kittens that are still there shouldn’t be overcrowded, and their surroundings should be clean.  The litter boxes there should be kept up and both the food and water dish should be clean and full.  The kittens shouldn’t be caged, instead free to run around.  All cats that are there should appear healthy, with shiny coats and none of their ribs showing.

When you get your kitten, it should be used to being touched and handled.  The kitten should be sweet, not afraid in the least.  Kittens that have been handled young normally have a better temperament.  The better breeders won’t allow their kittens to leave the nest until they are around 12 weeks old, with some waiting until the kittens are 16 weeks.  By doing this, breeders ensure that the kitten is in good health and his immune system has properly developed.

There’s no mistaken the fact that cats are great to own.  You can get a kitten from a reputable breeder, through a local newspaper, or an adoption agency.  Cats can also be obtained from a local pound, although people normally don’t like to choose this option.  No matter which way you decide to pursue, you should always make sure that your cat is healthy.  If you get a healthy cat, you won’t have a lot of problems later on down the road.  Healthy cats were taken care of – and normally have everything up to date – including their vaccinations.

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Fun Of It, Helpful Tips, Interesting

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The Role Of A Tax Collector

The County Tax Collector is as independent government agency and is elected for a four-year term in the Presidential election year. It is essential that a County Tax Collector is independent to ensure that it can serve the taxpayers, local businesses and local and state agencies correctly.

The duties of a County Tax Collector are:

• Collecting property taxes for every local government agency with the power to levy taxes   • Serving the state as an agent for the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Revenue and others

• Managing local revenue programs, such as issuing occupational licenses and collecting tourist development taxes

The County Tax Collector is a vital link between the citizens and the diverse programs that affect them and they have the authority and resources to manage both state and local revenue programs. A County Tax Collector can have collections and distributions of billions of dollars annually. Handling this requires conveniently located offices, skilled employees, and innovative data systems to ensure that the County Tax Collector functions efficiently and, most importantly, works accurately.

Even though the revenues collected by the County Tax Collector are mostly taxes, the County Tax Collector is not funded from tax dollars but is a fee office. The fees collected for the services provided by the County Tax Collector are used to fund the operating budget, which is approved by the State’s Department of Revenue. Unfortunately, the work volume of a County Tax Collector, along with cost-effective operations, normally results in fee revenues that are well in excess of the budget. The excess fees are returned to the local government agencies in proportion to the amount they pay by the County Tax Collector so that they receive tax collection services at the lowest possible cost.

Amongst other issues, the County Tax Collector bills and collects real and personal property taxes for the Department of Revenue. The actual amount of the tax is based on the assessed value of the property and the mileage rate, which is set by various taxing authorities. They also issue state motor vehicle licenses and processes applications for titles on automobiles, trucks, mobile homes, and boats on behalf of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Most tax personnel have some form of Municipal Tax Collector Qualification that is sponsored by local government services. This is because a tax collector has many legal obligations and financial responsibilities that must be met in a timely manner. Achieving the status of Qualified Tax Collector indicates that an individual has proven his or her competence, knowledge and professionalism in the field.

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Buyer Tips, For The Home, Helpful Tips

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Improving Your Security And Privacy

Due to the increase in door-to-door salesman, criminals looking to scope out your residence, and other annoyances, you may sometimes feel that answering your door isn’t worth it.  When you do finally answer your door and find a door-to-door salesman, you may have a very tough time getting rid of them.  They will continue to hassle you and keep coming back until you support their group or buy one of their “innovative” products.

To prevent this from happening and keep unwanted company from bothering you, you should use a protective barrier between your door and the street.  You don’t really need a 15 foot high electric fence, as even the most basic of fencing will do the trick.  You can install a simple decorative fence around your yard, complete with locking gate, to keep any type of solicitors at bay.

Although a fence is a great way to achieve privacy, not everyone has a yard that they can build a fence on.  You can also use a gate that blocks entry to your porch or front door, as this way you can keep the gate locked at all times.  The main idea and theory here is to make it difficult to approach the door to your home.  This way, salesman, solicitors, and even snoops will see that it requires a lot of effort to reach you – and they will normally just give up and move on.

Even though a fence or locked gate are great, you can’t overlook a dog either.  A barking dog can be very effective, as trespassers simply can’ t look over a dog that is barking.  Barking dogs aren’t the same as a fence or gate, although they are very common these days.  Keep in mind however, that the effectiveness of a dog with scaring off unwanted guests will greatly depend on the disposition and character of the dog you have.

Nearly every dog will bark when it sees a stranger, although not every dog will prevent someone from coming to your door unless it has been trained to do so.  A lot of door-to-door salesman and snoops deal with dogs on a daily basis, and will normally just ignore the dog and the barking and proceed to come to your door.  If the dog is more of a violent nature and appears ready to strike, then it will be a different store.  If the salesman or snoop notices the dog is ready to bite, he will normally stop in his tracks and turn around – out of the fear of getting bit.

Keep in mind that having a dog doesn’t mean that you have to blood train him or put him on steroids to keep unwanted visitors away.  What you need, is an aggressive dog that will stand his ground and help you keep your privacy.  When a solicitor visits your home and sees your aggressive dog, he won’t want to sacrifice a sale at the risk of getting bit by your dog.

As annoying as door-to-door solicitors are, there are ways that you can improve your security and your privacy around your home.  You can also invest in home surveillance systems as well, to further enhance your privacy and security.  For solicitors, fencing with a locked gate is the best way to go, if you have the room for it.  On the other hand, if you don’t have the space for a fence, you can always use a dog or other options. Privacy and security is very important – which is why you don’t want solicitors invading your space.

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For The Home, Home Security

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Location Importance And Crime

When looking to buy a house, the location of the house is very important.  Most people want to buy a home in a decent neighborhood, as they have the intention to remain at their home for many years to come.  If someone is planning to buy a home strictly for the resale value, then the location will prove to be even more important.  The resale factor of a home is very dependant on the location, simply because someone wouldn’t want to buy a home that wasn’t in a decent neighborhood.

When buying a home, the general rule of thumb is to purchase a home that will appeal to a large number of potential buyers.  To do this, you’ll need to look at the location of the home.  The community is very important, especially in terms of crime.  If you buy a home in a neighborhood that is well-known for crime you’ll more than likely have difficulty when you try to sale.  Bad neighborhoods generally spark little to no interest.  These days, people want to buy homes in the best possible neighborhoods that they can afford.

When buying your home, you should always narrow the choices down a few of the best cities around you.  You’ll want to buy your home in a community that has a very stable economy and plenty of commercial and business districts.  This way, when you decide to sell your house, you can rest assured that your house is in a good selling area.  You should also look at the crime statistics for the area as well. If the crime rate is high, you should look into another area.

You should also look into the local school system as well.  Even though you may not have kids now, you should always think about the future.  A home that is within a short distance to shopping centers and quality schools are always easy to sale. If you buy a home that is in a bad neighborhood and has poor schools, you’ll quickly regret that decision.  If you can’t afford to purchase a home that is in a good location, you should work on your credit and save up some money until you are able to purchase a home that is in a desirable location.

Although the size of a home is important, the location is one of the most important aspects to buying a home.  The location is important for those living in the home as well as the resale value.  A home that is in a desirable location is always easy to sale, for the simple fact that the location speaks for itself.  If you’ve been thinking about buying a home for the resale value – you should always make sure that you pay close attention to the location.

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Swimming Pool Accessories for Sport Fans

Swimming pools, they have become a staple of summer. Each year, millions of children and adults jump into a swimming pool, not only to cool off, but for excitement as well.  If you are a pool owner, regardless of whether or not you have children, you may want to consider incorporating some fun sports games into your pool. If you are interested, this can easily be done with the purchase of a few popular pool accessories. Those pool accessories may include, but should not be limited to, basketball hoops or volley ball nets.

Poolside basketball hoops have been providing swimmers and spectators with fun for years now. Even though more modernized pool accessories have been developed, there is still just something fun about playing basketball in the water.  In fact, paying basketball in the pool is so much fun that everyone is likely to enjoy it, even those that do not consider themselves to be sports fans. 

What is nice about most basketball hoops, for the pool, is that they can be used on all different types of pools.  For instance if you have an in-ground pool, an above ground pool with a deck, or an above ground pool without a deck, there should be a basketball hoop that will fit your pool. This is because some basketball hoops are able to attach on to the side of a pool, while others attach to the deck, or there are even basketball hoops that are filled with water.  Unlike basketball hoops that are anchored into something, these types of hoops are easy to move. 

If you are interested in purchasing a basketball hoop, for your pool, you will have to start shopping. In your search, you will likely see that basketball hoops come in a wide variety of different sizes and styles. In fact, there are so many different styles that you may find it overwhelming to choose just one. If this is the case, you are advised to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each style. This may help you pick the basketball hoop that will not only be right for your pool, but right for your needs as well.

In addition to basketball, volleyball is another popular sports game that can easily be played in the water. To play water basketball, you need to have a basketball hoop and to play water volleyball; you need a volleyball net.  Unlike basketball hoops, for the pool, most volleyball nets are the same or similar. This may make purchasing this popular pool accessory easier. 

When it comes to purchasing a volleyball net, you will find that most nets are able to be used in above ground swimming pools and underground swimming pools. This is due to the fact that volleyball net arms are usually extendable.  This means that if you have an above ground pool, you will need to increase the length of the poles to reach from the ground to your pool.  If you have an in-ground pool, you will often decrease the length of the poles to the smallest size.  In addition to being ideal for both above ground and in-ground pools, most volleyball nets should be easy to remove and store.

Despite the fact that basketball and volleyball are considered the most popular sports games to play in the pool, you do not have to limit yourself.  By visiting your local pool supply store or by shopping online, you may be able to find other fun games that can be played in the pool. And, if not, you can also get creative and make your own. What could be more fun than that?

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Backyard Activities, Swimming Pool Tips

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Tax Tips for Real Estate Investors Using IRA Funds

You’ve seen the advertisements and news articles. IRA funds can be used to make real estate investments. But before you jump on this bandwagon, make sure you understand some of the tax planning angles related to this opportunity.

Passive Loss Deductions

Almost always, an important component of your real estate profits comes from the tax savings associated with depreciation. These paper losses, referred to as passive losses by the Internal Revenue Code, can save both small and professional real estate investors thousands of dollars a year in income taxes. Unfortunately, passive losses from depreciation and related, similar tax deductions won’t benefit real estate investors investing through IRAs.

Capital Gains Preferences

If you sell an investment for a profit—whether a stock or real estate—you get a tax break because your profit gets taxed at a preferential capital gains tax rate. In the best case scenario under current tax law, for example, your capital gains get taxed at 15% rather than at 35%.

Unfortunately, by putting real estate inside of an IRA, you lose this benefit. In effect, the appreciation you enjoy from your real estate investment gets taxed at your marginal income tax rate rather than at the capital gains rate. (Fortunately, the tax gets paid when you withdraw the money.)

Note: This “problem” also exists for other investments that produce capital gains, such as stocks and mutual funds that invest in stocks.

Unrelated Business Income Tax

In certain special circumstances, an IRA needs to pay income taxes on the profits it generates. These taxes, called unrelated business income taxes, essentially put the IRA investor in the same position as a regular taxable investor.

For example, if you’re developing and then flipping properties inside your IRA, you may actually be an active trade or business. And in this case, your real estate investment—even though it’s inside an IRA—may be subject to income taxes. (Your IRA custodian is supposed to report your taxable income and tax liability, and then pay the taxes but many don’t…)

And here’s another example of a situation where the unrelated business income tax can trip you up. If you borrow money to invest in real estate—the typical situation in any leveraged real estate investment—the profit you earn on the money you’ve borrowed is treated as unrelated business income. Accordingly, that profit is subject to unrelated business income tax.

Unrelated business income inside an IRA is taxed according to trust taxation rules, which means that as soon as you’ve made much money at all, you’re taxed at the highest marginal tax rates. Ouch.

Closing Caveats

Real estate is a great investment. And real estate belongs in any investor’s portfolio. But you need to think carefully about buying into the idea of using your IRA to make real estate investments. If you do decide to invest in real estate through your IRA, first consult with your tax advisor.

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The Importance of Using Caution When Making Your Own Online Videos

Online videos have rapidly increased in popularity, especially over the past few years. Online, you should be able to find a number of different websites that are known as video websites. Two of the most popular video websites include Google Video and YouTube.  With video websites, you are not only able to view videos online, but you are also able to make, share, and upload your own.  If you are interested in doing this, there are a number of important factors that you should take into consideration.

One of those factors involves the content of your videos. Many people do not realize that what they write, say, or video tape literally could come back to haunt them, if not right away then in the future.  This not only involves documentation the use of illegal activities, but your thoughts, views, and beliefs.  As nice as it is to share something that you made all on your own, you need to be careful with the internet. Millions of internet users flock to online video websites just to see what they are coming across.  Although many are there just for a laugh, others are there for a specific purpose. 

If you are like many other internet users, you may be wondering how something as fun or as simple as an online video could cause you so much damage.  Honestly, there are a number of different ways.  Just one of those ways involves employment.  When applying for a job, you will have to supply your prospective employer with information about yourself.  This information should include your name, address, and telephone number.  Unlike in the past, many employers are now using the internet to research their prospective employees. What they find online may be able to help or hurt your case. 

Even though you may not be searching for a new job, it is still important to be cautious when making your own videos online.  You need to think as a prospective employer. Would you want to hire someone who has an online video of them doing illegal activities, swearing, or being downright insulting?  If you would not then chances are that no one else would as well.  In addition to worrying about prospective employers, you should also be concerned with what your current employer would think if they saw your online video.

With employment, adults are the ones who need to worry the most about their use of online video websites, such as YouTube.  However, everyone needs to be concerned, including children.  In the short-term sense, you may not have to worry about the impact your homemade video would have a prospective employers, but you should be concerned with your school.  Due to the documentation of illegal activities and threats of violence, a large number of school officials are using the internet to keep tabs on their students.  This watching often involves the use of social networking sites, but online video websites as well. 

In some cases, but not all, there are little things that a school official can do, if they view one of your online videos and find it to be offensive.  Being offensive is one thing, but participating in illegal activities, as well as treating other students or teachers is another.  Not only could you be suspended from school and sports teams, but you could also be reported to your local authorities.  Even if legal action cannot be taken, it is likely that you will be closely watched for a period of time. 

Whether you are a teenager or an adult, it is important to remember that your actions may have consequences.  So, the next time that you are thinking about making a homemade video to send into one of the many online video websites, you are urged to closely examine your video’s content.  Although you may not mean to cause yourself any harm, you could do so without even realizing it.

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What You Should Know About HUD Properties

HUD properties are available all over the United States, and make great investments for anybody that is interested. These homes often times get a bad rap for being in bad condition, but in all actuality they are not any worse than other foreclosed homes that are available. Just like anything else, there are some HUD properties that are in good condition, and some that are in need of a few repairs. It is simply a matter of how well the past owner cared for the home.

HUD properties are homes that had loans which were insured by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. But when the owner fails to live up to the financial obligations that are expected, the bank then takes over the home and it becomes a HUD property. At this point, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is in charge of repaying the lender any money that they lost on the deal. So as you can see, the Department of Housing and Urban Development sticks their neck on the line when they insure the loans on these homes; if the owner does not pay, they are stuck with owing money to the lender.

Investors are particularly fond of HUD properties because they are a great way to make them a quick profit. The way this works is quite simple. Since HUD properties can be bought at a great discount, investors will purchase as many as they can afford. They will then fix these homes up just enough so that they can sell them back to the public. But the catch is that they sell them for the market value. This means that their profit equals the difference between the market value cost and how much they actually bought the home for. In many cases this can be tens of thousands of dollars. By doing this on several houses a month, HUD property investors can make a lot of money.

If you are not an investor and are just in need of a new home, you may also want to consider HUD properties. Even though you may have to put some work into repairing the home, you will save a lot of money on the initial cost. With the money that you save you will easily be able to make the necessary repairs.

HUD properties can be found all over the United States, and offer great buys to interested parties.

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Buyer Tips

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A Look At Ice Wine

Although there are several types of wine that you buy, one of the most unheard of is ice wine.  Ice wine is a very rare form of wine, a wine that is produced under certain types of weather conditions.  Ice wine is mainly produced in the Pacific Northwest region, where the weather conditions are right for the wine. 

As ironic as it is, ice wine is produced in very small quantities.  With the wine requiring only the fines of quality and a lack of availability, the product is extremely rare indeed.  Truth be told, there are only a lucky few who are actually able to purchase the wine.  Ice wine, due to the scarce amount, can be extremely expensive and out of the price range for a majority of us.

Much like the beauty of owning a diamond, ice wine is something that many of us hope and dream to experience at some point in our lives.  Although the materials are rare, the weather conditions are even more crucial to producing this wine.  Once the right weather conditions arrive, the wine maker prepares to produce this extremely rare and priceless wine.

The basic requirements needed to produce ice wine are fully ripened grapes and a temperature of around 5 degrees C.  The temperature needs to stay that way for several days, so that the wine maker can complete the process of making the wine.  Grapes that are frozen during these extremely cold temperatures are hand plucked at night by the wine maker and his assistants.

To produce a bottle of ice wine, full vine grapes may be required. Once the grapes have been collected, they are gently pressed, in order to collect the running juice only.  The temperature creates the frozen water crystals, which are fermented along with sugars and the particles that are found in the free running juices.  Through this process, the wonderful and rare ice wine is created.

If you have been looking to try ice wine, finding it may be very difficult.  As you probably already know, most alcohol and wine stores don’t sell this rare wine.  Finding it online is very hard to do as well, unless you catch it at the right time.  Even then, if you are able to find it, it can easily cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single bottle.

The best way to experience ice wine is to find the right wine maker in the Pacific Northwest region.  Even though bottles go extremely fast once they have been made, you may be able to catch a wine maker with some on hand.  Be prepared to spend a hefty amount though.  Although it can cost a lot and be extremely hard to find – the taste of ice wine makes it well worth the effort.

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Customizing Your Computer with Preferences, Making Your Computer Work with You – Not Against You

Although you did not design or build your computer, you can turn it into a device that responds to your way of using it as if you were its original engineer or programmer. This is because the computer is a mere platform – a blank canvas, if you will – waiting for you to direct its operation or paint the picture of the perfect machine. All this is possible from making just a few changes in your computer’s current configuration.

Your computer’s main configurations are housed in Windows Control Panel. Within this small section of Windows, you can make some major changes from the way that your computer looks to the way that your computer responds to the people who use it. But your specifications don’t just apply to Windows, they also apply to the many software programs that are installed onto the computer (not to mention that many software programs can be further customized through their own configurations). We aren’t going to cover them all, but we will introduce some of the most popular so that you can get a feel of the control over your system that these configurations give you.

Users. Before we get into the individual settings, it’s important that you understand that each set of configurations you make is specific to the users that sit down in front of a computer. Changes made to a system by one person will differ from the changes made by another. Enabled by a username and password, individual desktop settings (icons, background picture, and other settings) are available after logging onto Windows.

Display Properties. Through Display Properties, a user can change the background of the Windows Desktop, add a screen saver, change the overall color scheme and fonts of Windows, and adjust a computer’s color depth and/or resolution (screen area). Not just a bunch of preference settings, display properties help individuals who have to deal with visual problems.

Accessibility Options. Speaking of visual problems, another setting that’s useful is accessibility options. This setting allows people with disabilities to use a computer that accommodates vision and hearing problems.

Keyboard and Mouse Options. The keyboard and mouse control give users the option of speeding up or slowing down the movements of both of these peripherals. For those entering the United States from a foreign country, users will appreciate how Windows grants use of keyboard layouts native to their original language. Other uses will appreciate the different selection of cursors and the ability to add additional ones.

Passwords. Since the computer in use may be shared with others, Passwords gives the almighty administrator the means to determine whether all users will share the same preferences and desktop settings or if users can customize preferences and desktop settings. 

Regional Settings. Things get really personal in Regional Settings – as this configuration makes changes according to a user’s location and language. Options available can accommodate a person’s preference for the display of numbers, currency, time, and date format.

Sounds Properties. Multimedia fans can create a rich PC environment filled with sound through this setting. Sounds can be assigned to numerous events and they don’t even need to be the default sounds installed by Windows. Users can download sounds from the Internet or create their own sounds with a microphone.

Dialing Properties. Even the way a user connects to the Internet can be customized. Through Dialing Properties, users can determine how a phone and modem dials into an Internet service provider.

From just these basic configuration options, you can create your own experience with a computer each time you sit down in front of one. Customizing your PC is what makes using a computer truly unique and enjoyable, so have fun and build a situation at home or a work in which you’ll love to work with everyday. Should you feel a little nervous about it at first, remember that your computer’s original configuration can be saved to a back up file should you ever want to restore it to the same state that it was in when you first bought it.

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For The Home, Social Net / Computers

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