Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. When I woke up this morning there was a press release from Warner Home Video announcing an HD-DVD trade-in program called red2blu. If you go to www.red2blu.com you can scan their titles released on HD-DVD and for $4.95 per title you can trade in your HD-DVDs for the same title in Blu-Ray. If you're like me and jumped into the High-Def pool a little too early you can now replace a lot of your HD's with Blu-Rays. Since I don't want to drop a ton of money on a combo player and would love to free up an HDMI input, this is really exciting for me. The biggest benefits are actually in the Matrix and Harry Potter Box Sets. I bought the HD-DVD Potter box set and haven't wanted to drop another $100 for the BR version. But instead of charging their $4.95 per title (which is almost $25 for all 5 movies), I'm paying only $14.95. The best part is they only want your inserts, so if you still have an HD-DVD player hooked up you get to keep your discs and your cases. They just want the paper inserts sent to them. I think it's a fantastic move for Warners. Between this and their awesome Archives section they're cornering home video awesomeness. I just placed my order. The shipping was only $6.95 for 22 titles as well as the Harry Potter 1-5 set and Planet Earth. With tax, shipping and the cost of the upgrade I essentially spent the equivalent of rebuying 5 of the Blu-Rays. Figured some of you out there might be interested.

 

Hello everyone!

 

I cannot believe it, Spaces finally let me in! I hope that this will not be a fluke and I will be able to blog walk as often as I used to.

 

I’m going to start this entry with something great that just happened to me this morning. I had my annual review at work and I received a bigger raise than last year! My boss told me that I was as perfect job coach as she has ever seen and she wouldn’t be able to do her job without the things that I do every week. That made me the happiest I’ve ever been “work-wise” but I was also glad that I was recognized for all of my hard work. For example since we are the ones that are in the community, we were asked to get “our adults” schedules. We have thirty adults working in the community and half of them have schedules that change weekly. I am the only one who gets the schedules and I go out of my way to be sure that our boss has the schedules. What I still don’t understand after nearly three years (has it really been that long?) is that is one of the simplest things that we can do and it’s for our schedules. I don’t mind that the others don’t bother; it just doesn’t make any sense. In fact, after my boss told me all of the wonderful things that she recognizes that I do, she gave me a 5% raise which is the biggest one that I could have gotten. Pretty cool huh?

 

Justin just had a birthday and is doing really well considering. He completed a computer training course and is hoping to find a way to use his new knowledge to help other war vets like himself. He’s still struggling and probably always will but isn’t giving up. His mom is amazing and Justin’s younger brother, N. returned from Iraq in one piece and will be stateside for seven months unless our new president gets any new ideas before he may have to return.

 

Beloved and I are in the process of remodeling our master bathroom after 23 years. We have received two quotes that were pretty close and are doing our homework to be sure that we pick the right tile, granite and of course, the contractor. When I have some picture to share, I will post them although I’m not the photographer like Cindy is!

 

Pound Puppy is having fun with her boyfriend. They play at least once a week and since he got his “summer hair cut” she looks bigger than he does but they really are the best of friends. I’m not sure if I have shared this with my Spaces friends, but when our precious cat died a year and a half ago I found a little kitten from the pound. I was finally able to get her spayed about three weeks ago since both the pound and my work schedule took a while to come together. Our little one has become more loving and when we let her go outside to explore our backyard with her big sister, she didn’t stray too far and kept checking to be sure she could come back in the house. Glad we were finally able to take care of that so she can go outside and play while I’m at work.

 

Well, it’s been a long day so I will close this for now. Please don’t lurk, leave a message. I miss my Spaces friends!

 

Hello everyone!

 

I have been a bit busy so I haven't had much time to blog. But I wanted to wish you all a very nice Thanksgiving. I found some interesting facts about this holiday that I wanted to share.

 

 

 

How Much Do You REALLY Know About Thanksgiving?

 

Hello everyone!

 

I was surfing the 'net this morning and found this really cool story from the UK.

 

 Happy Thanksgiving everyone as you enjoy the pictures!

 

 

A feast for the eyes: The artist who can turn a market stall into a masterpiece

 

 

Last updated at 10:53 PM on 24th November 2008

 

Somewhere out to sea, the Good Ship Marrow ploughs through a mackerel ocean.

Elsewhere, garlic balloons float over fields of brocolli. At first glance, they may seem like ordinary landscape paintings.

 

   Field of dreams: The countryside landscape has broccoli for trees, potatoes for rocks and basil and herbs for the grass. The path is made from nuts, while the basket is bread with a mushroom wheel. The balloons were crafted out of apple, mango, a strawberry, bananas, garlic, lemons and a lime

 

Sugar loaf mountain: Rustic loaves form the backdrop to this alpine scene, with stilton and cheddar rocks, a house made out of crackers, cauliflower clouds and a path made entirely from breadcrumbs

But these particular artworks are more vegetable than Constable, more turnip than Turner, because the raw ingredient for all of them is food.

This is the latest portfolio of foodscape photographer Carl Warner, 45, who dreams up the landscapes and commits his ideas to a sketch before buying the ingredients.

Were it not for the fact most of them took days to create, using pins and superglue, they'd be good enough to eat.

 

Gone fishing: Only sustainable fish were used to create this seascape, including oysters, scallops and crabs in the foreground, mackerel and herrings for the sea itself, and pollock and sprats for the banks. Thyme stands in for trees, while the boat is a marrow with a mangetout mast

  

A meal treat: This amazing Tuscan landscape was created using breadsticks for the cabin and cart, with ciabatta rocks, and a selection of Italian cold meats for the sky, trees and hills

  

Secret cave: Cauliflowers, spiky kiwano fruits, broccoli and snails can all be seen underwater, while rice and truffle pasta form the reeds. In the cave, carrots stand in for stalagtites hanging off a bread rock

 

Pasta master: This Tuscan home is full of tasty treats, such as fresh pasta curtains and tablecloth, bowls made out of fresh tomatoes and walls created from fresh Parmesan

 

The big cheese: The hills are brought to life with a carved slab of cheddar, while breadsticks form the jetty and garlic cloves bob on the lake as sallboats. The steamer is made of bread with a celery funnel

 

Storm in a teacup: The raging sea and stormy sky are made from red cabbage while the boat hull is a courgette, the wheelhouse has been formed from mangetout and the masts standing proud are asparagus

Hello everyone!

 

 

I found this story from CO and the first thing that made me say "It's a sign of the times" which is so sad. But the couple had the farm are angels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I was surfing the 'net before I need to head out to work and found this interesting but sad story. I want to see this movie.

 

 

An Actress Moves On, Or Tries To

You can almost touch the sadness in Michelle Williams's movie 'Wendy and Lucy.'

 

 

Michelle Williams disappears so deeply into her new movie "Wendy and Lucy," it's like you're watching a documentary. Williams plays Wendy, a down-on-her-luck woman on a long drive to Alaska, where she hopes to find work. But she runs into a string of problems in Oregon, after she parks her car one night at a Walgreens and falls asleep in the driver's seat. The next morning, a security guard rouses her to tell her to move, but the car won't start. The nearest auto shop is closed, though she doesn't know if she has enough money left for repairs anyway. Worst of all, her traveling companion—a yellowish mutt that makes up the second half of the film's title—is starving, so Wendy wanders into a grocery store to swipe food. She stuffs her pockets with bread, and then she's suddenly distracted by a tabloid with Jennifer Aniston on the cover —and we are, too. For the first time, it's not Michelle Williams the actress on screen. It's Michelle Williams the celebrity, face to face with a kind of cracked mirror of her own fame. "That was Kelly [Reichardt, the director]'s idea, and I was like, 'Noooo,' but I like the inherent risk in it," Williams says. "I'm just glad it didn't have my face on it. That would've really taken you out of the movie."

You have, of course, seen Williams all over the tabloids since her ex-boyfriend Heath Ledger died from a prescription overdose last January. Photographers have stalked Williams, 28, and the couple's 3-year-old daughter, Matilda, to the point where she's now spending some time in a farmhouse in upstate New York. But as the grocery-store scene shows, her celebrity doesn't affect just her private life. It's often tough to watch "Wendy and Lucy" without thinking about Ledger, especially since the melancholy film is about losing your best friend. Williams isn't the only actress whose fame threatens to overshadow her work. When Jennifer Aniston talks about wanting to start a family in "Marley & Me," you think about her failed relationship with Brad Pitt. In "The Changeling," you realize it's hard to see Angelina Jolie as anyone but herself. Celebrity has obviously colored an actor's art from the beginning of the Hollywood star system, but it's different now, too. For all we heard about, say, Elizabeth Taylor's love life, we never saw daily, even hourly, pictures of Liz and their child just after her husband, Mike Todd, died in a plane crash. "It's such a funny line to walk as an actor," Williams says. "There's some great quote I think Dustin Hoffman gave when he was doing 'The Graduate': 'The more you know about me, the harder my job is'."

What makes it harder is that Williams isn't the kind of actress who craves attention. She's always tried to live a small life, out of the spotlight. She and Ledger moved to Brooklyn in 2005 and were often seen pushing Matilda down the street in her stroller. She proudly talks about how she just learned how to compost upstate, but she doesn't want to discuss her love life (she's reportedly dating director Spike Jonze). Williams grew up in Montana ("Independence was really valued in my family"), and, like Wendy, she's a bit of a pioneer. She left home as a teenager to pursue acting. At 17 she landed the role of Jen Lindley on "Dawson's Creek." She says the most difficult part was having people identify her with such an overtly sexual character. "It made me feel bad, like there was something wrong with me," Williams says. When the show ended, she went the anti-"Dawson's" route, with small independent films ("Imaginary Heroes," "Land of Plenty," "The Station Agent"), though she concedes she was too tough on her first big job. "When I was on 'Dawson's Creek,' I wanted to make work that meant something to people, serious work that made people less alone in the world," she says. "And I was thinking about that this morning in the shower—'Dawson's Creek' meant something to people."

"Wendy and Lucy" is something of a meditation on loneliness. Williams is by herself in half the scenes, and even when she's sharing the frame she seems lost in a fog. She filmed the movie right after her breakup with Ledger in 2007. "It was a vulnerable time," she says. "I felt vulnerable but somehow strong." She stops herself. "No, just vulnerable. It was a strange combination of one of the greatest summers of my life and one of the most excruciating summers of my life." Williams lived with Matilda in Portland, in the guesthouse of one of the director's friends. She doesn't wear makeup in any of her scenes, and she didn't shave her legs, to get into character. She even slept in her car for a few nights to see how Wendy's nomadic life felt. "I went up there for five days, and her nails were really dirty," says her friend and "Dawson's" costar Busy Philipps. "I just remember thinking, 'OK, Michelle, let's go get manis and pedis'." Williams bought her own (and only) costume—a blue hoodie and brown corduroy shorts—at thrift stores. Weren't the people freaked out when she walked in? "I never saw Michelle get recognized the whole time I was in Portland," says Reichardt, the director. "She really blended in."

When you drive around with Williams in the New York countryside, you see how easily she blends in. She stops to get her oil changed, and no one recognizes her. One of the employees asks her for her name. "Michelle," she says. He asks her for her last name, and Williams's hands go into her pockets like a turtle withdrawing into its shell. She's wearing a plain wool sweater and no jacket on a chilly November day, which might be part of the reason she can't kick a long cold. "I had a friend that I met recently, like six months ago, and she said, 'You've been sick ever since I knew you'," Williams says. "She's totally right. I don't have any armor right now."

Williams is jovial and chatty, until the conversation turns to Heath. You can see it's still difficult for her to talk about him, and she hasn't done so publicly until now. The first time Ledger's name comes up, she bursts into tears. "It's so sad," Williams says. When she's asked about how she's been doing in the past year, she's silent for a very long time. "I guess it's always changing," she says. There's another pause. "What else can I say?" Her voice is breathy and fragile, and she takes a few gulps of air. "I just wake up each day in a slightly different place—grief is like a moving river, so that's what I mean by 'it's always changing'." She stops again. "It's a strange thing to say"—her words unravel slowly, her eyes tear up—"because I'm at heart an optimistic person, but I would say in some ways it just gets worse. It's just that the more time that passes, the more you miss someone. In some ways it gets worse. That's what I would say."

As she walks back to her car, Williams spots an SUV parked on the side of the road. Is it the paparazzi? No, but her heart still sinks at the thought. The paparazzi are one topic that gets her so riled up, she spits out curse words. "It burns a fire inside of me, the s––– that I've seen people do to get at me or my daughter," she says. "I won't forget it, and I won't support it. I don't want my daughter growing up feeling spied on or threatened." She can't understand how many more pictures people need of her holding a coffee cup in one hand and Matilda in the other. Williams is especially enraged at female photographers, because she thinks women should be protective of mothers. She tried to give a particularly aggressive paparazzo career advice recently. "I said, 'You're better than this. Look at you! You're young, you're able-bodied, you have a brightness in your eyes. You're above this.' But you know what? She didn't go away."

If the paparazzi won't leave her alone, then Williams might just have to leave them behind. She says she'll quit acting, if that's what it takes to get her life back. "If it gets to the point where I can't situate my life in a way that they stay away more, then I'll drop a match on the thing," she says. "I'll be sad. I like to act. It's saved my life over and over again. It's given me a sense of self-esteem, self-worth. I have this thing that I'm in love with—acting—and now it has this baggage." For now, Williams is taking a year off to focus on the job that really matters to her: being Matilda's mom. She's endearingly protective of her daughter. She tells a story about finding a tick on Matilda and getting so worried she almost called 911. "I don't want to work while she's in school," Williams says. "I want her to have a routine. I want the plainest, simplest, most ordinary, habituated routine possible. I just want to know what's coming next." And what's that? We didn't ask. Don't you think it's time we gave Michelle Williams a little privacy?

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I was surfing the 'net and found this article from NY. It has some interesting points to it but I don't think it will ever happen.

 

 

Pol to retailer: Food stamps will nourish biz

BY MELISSA GRACE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

 

Queens City Councilman Eric Gioia wants Costco to start accepting food stamps - because the warehouse giant can offer deeply discounted prices on healthy food to the poorest New Yorkers.

After living for a week on $28 worth of groceries - the average food stamp allotment paid to individuals - Gioia was unable to get enough to eat. He said that what he bought at local supermarkets was of little nutritional value.

"I'm hopeful that Costco will see they have a great opportunity to help families put healthy food on their tables at a healthy price," Gioia told the Daily News yesterday.

"Not only is it morally right," said the Democrat, "it's good for [Costco's] bottom line."

Gioia sent letters to Costco President James Sinegal last week asking that the retailer start taking the federal subsidies.

Sinegal contacted the councilman's office yesterday to say he is considering having Costco join the federal food stamp program, Gioia said.

Some New Yorkers are on Gioia's side.

"That would be great," said Brenda Adams, a mother of three who relies on the federal food program to feed her family in the Queensbridge Houses in Queens.

"I'm a member there," Adams said of the members-only retailer. "But I have to wait until I get some cash."

The Long Island City Costco - Brooklyn, Staten Island and Yonkers also have the warehouse stores - is within a mile of the Queensbridge Houses, the nation's largest public housing development.

In New York City, more than 1.1 million residents receive food stamps.

Gioia has also urged Congress to pass a bill adding billions of dollars to the food stamp program.

 

Any comments out there?

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I found this disturbing story about US companies that feel forced to leave. This economy is going to take a long time to come back this time.

 

 

 

Want American-made socks? How about an American car? Or even a cigarette? Good luck. Like many traditional domestic industries, these one-time stalwarts are leaving home (or may be soon).

 

Hello everyone!

 

Recently I had an entry about the huge calories and portions for dinner called the 20 Worst Foods in America and now here is part two with the appetiziers. You will not believe this one!

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I found this funny but weird story from Oklahoma to share.

 

 

 

 

 
(11-07) 06:42 PST Lawton, Okla. (AP) --

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I haven’t spoken about “my adults” for a while now and I decided that I would share something that touched my heart.

 

For those of you who have been with me for a long time knows that I am a job coach for special adults that are mentally challenged. For the few who don’t know what a job coach is, here is a brief description. Most of “our adults” work as maintenance associates and there are nearly fifteen different employers. The job coach needs to know what each employer’s policies are and how to do the job 100% as if you were the employee. Believe it or not, there is more than one way to clean a public restroom. The job coach doesn’t actually do the job but since you are the eyes and ears for both our company and the employer, your job is to be sure that the adults is doing everything correct. If the job isn’t done to the employer’s needs, if an associate and/or the adult says or does something wrong (either illegal or against the employer’s policy) etc. the job coach needs to step in and be an advocate to “our adults” and make the situation correct.

 

I have been the job coach for this older adult for the past four months and it has been a joy like none other before. I cannot tell you much about her except that she is a lot older than most of the adults that we have working in the community. She has never worked in the public; instead she has either worked in our protected workshop (where everyone there is an adult who is just like her and they do things like make first aid kits, glue the labels on dog food cans with the help of supervisors who watch them carefully) or behind the scenes of retail places doing simple things like putting the alligator tags (anti theft tags on clothing) or putting together your place settings at a restaurant. The last job she had was maintenance at a facility after hours so she only saw people like her and their job coach.

 

She was told by her counselor that she needed to get out into the community and that Wal-Mart would be the perfect place for her. She agreed to try it with the understanding that if she gave it 100% and it wasn’t a good fit, she could go back to the workshop. My boss chose me to be her job coach because she felt that I was the best person to get her ready to overcome her fear and shine. She was understandably nervous and I understood her fear on the spot and how to help her. Her job has three basic parts; cleaning the restrooms, safety sweeping and getting the trash. I started with safety sweeping and I demonstrated how to do it first in the stock room and then asked her to show me how to do it. I then took her to the dairy/frozen area of the grocery department and pre –warned her that she was going to see people now. I explained that she had to be careful around people and if she was close to a customer even if they were on the other side of the aisle, she had to speak up and say “excuse me” in case they stepped back into her. She nearly quit on the spot when I mentioned that but when I explained that I would be next to her the entire time, she trusted me. Fast forward four months later, this is her favorite part of her job and she has learned the “ten foot rule” which for Wal-Mart means if you are within ten feet of a customer, she has to smile or say something like “good morning” and will practice it half of the time with her goal to be 100% soon.

 

Here’s the best thing that has happened to her so far though. On Friday morning last week, she was cleaning the men’s room when she spotted something that wasn’t right. In the bottom of the trash can was a Garmin® GPS system. Wal-Mart has an anti-theft alarm system on the expensive electronics that the cashier will remove when the item is paid for so she knew it was stolen. The GPS system was still inside the box since the thief wasn’t able to remove the alarm system and threw it into the trash in disgust. She asked me what to do since it was still complete. I redirected her to first let claims know what she found and to then to speak to the assistant manager of electronics. Both of these were needed for two reasons; part of her therapy/training is to learn to speak to management especially and this also helps her to practice the “ten foot rule” for the customers. Anyway, she got lots of praise from claims and when she nervously went to electronics, I pointed out Frank, assistant manager and redirected her to speak to him. She knew that if she got stuck, I would help but it was up to her. Frank was very surprised but very happy to see that Wal-Mart didn’t lose $250. He thanked her and within a half hour returned and presented her with an “Awesome Job” button. She had no idea that would happen and the grin never left her face the rest of the day. She even stopped people to show it off when she normally will say hello if they say it first to her. Her confidence level has skyrocketed and has stayed that way since last week.

 I am so grateful that she stuck it out and trusted me.

 

Well, that’s it for now. Any comments out there?

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I just got home from work a few minutes ago and found this really cool story from Target. And for once, the customer will win!

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I found one more story to share before I head off to work. It was really inspiring read and I needed to share this one. Any comments out there?

 

 

 

Man Drops 140 Pounds in 11 Months to Join Marines

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

Before I run off to work, I found this bizarre story to share with you guys. I will have at least one more entry today when I get home from work today.

 

 

 

 

Mon Nov 17 2008

 

 

 

A philandering husband allegedly strangled his wife to death, smeared her in peanut butter and dumped her body in a ditch hoping wild animals would devour the evidence, a report claims.

New York police say William Walsh, 29, has admitted to killing wife Leah after the pair had an explosive argument about his infidelities in the early hours of October 26.

Walsh dumped her body then tried to make it appear like she had been kidnapped by making public pleas for help, police allege.

Now a report in the New York Post claims Walsh's morbid plan included having his wife's body eaten by wild animals. Police earlier stated the dead teacher's body was found covered in peanut butter.

But Walsh's effort was only partially successful, a source told the newspaper.

The body of his 29-year-old wife was discovered by a New York country club employee three days later.

The grisly claim came as 24-year-old waitress Donna Lepore admitted she had an affair with the accused murderer that ended a year ago.

"Just because I had a past with him doesn't mean I know anything," she was quoted as saying.

Famous shock jock Howard Stern recalled meeting Leah Walsh in 1999 when she interned on his radio program and competed in a beauty contest.

"It's really weird. ... She said, 'I never have luck with men,'" Stern was quoted as saying in Newsday.

William Walsh is facing one count of second-degree murder and will serve up to 25 behind bars if convicted.

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

Sorry that I haven't been posting anything in the last few days but work has been pretty busy. I found this story from the UK that sparked my interest. I don't expect any comments since it's a political story, but I just thought it was wild that someone in another country had this story and not someone like NY Times.

 

 

 

Hillary Clinton plans to accept the job of secretary of state offered by Barack Obama, who is reaching out to former rivals to build a broad coalition administration, the Guardian has learned.

Obama's advisers have begun looking into Bill Clinton's foundation, which distributes millions of dollars to Africa to help with development, to ensure that there is no conflict of interest. But Democrats do not believe that the vetting is likely to be a problem.

Clinton would be well placed to become the country's dominant voice in foreign affairs, replacing Condoleezza Rice. Since being elected senator for New York, she has specialised in foreign affairs and defence. Although she supported the war in Iraq, she and Obama basically agree on a withdrawal of American troops.

Clinton, who still harbours hopes of a future presidential run, had to weigh up whether she would be better placed by staying in the Senate, which offers a platform for life, or making the more uncertain career move to the secretary of state job.

As part of the coalition-building, Obama today also reached out to his defeated Republican rival, John McCain, to discuss how they could work together to roll back some of the most controversial policies of the Bush years. Putting aside the bitter words thrown about with abandon by both sides during the election campaign, McCain flew to meet Obama at his headquarters in the Kluczynski Federal Building, in downtown Chicago.

Obama, speaking before the meeting, said: "We're going to have a good conversation about how we can do some work together to fix up the country." He said he also wanted to thank McCain for his service to the country.

Asked by a reporter whether he would work with Obama, McCain, who has long favoured a bipartisan approach to politics, replied: "Obviously".

Sources on both sides said Obama did not offer McCain a cabinet job, but focused on how the senator for Arizona could help to guide through Congress legislation that they both strongly favour.

Given Obama's status as president-in-waiting, the two met in a formal setting, a room decked out with a US flag, and were accompanied by senior advisers. Obama appeared the more relaxed of the two, sitting with legs crossed, smiling broadly and waving to reporters, while McCain sat stiffly, with a seemingly fixed grin.

Although the two clashed during the election campaign over tax policy and withdrawal from Iraq, they have more in common than they have differences. They both favour the closure of the Guantánamo Bay detention centre, an increase in US troops to Afghanistan, immigration reform, stem cell research and measures to tackle climate change, and oppose torture and the widespread use of wire-tapping.

Although Democrats made gains in the Senate in the November 4 elections, they fell short of the 60 seats that would have allowed them to override Republican blocking tactics and will need Republican allies to get Obama's plans through. This was highlighted today when the Democratic leadership in Congress announced that a broad economic stimulus package Obama sought was not likely to be passed because of Republican opposition.

Obama confirmed at the weekend that he would offer jobs to some Republicans. One of the names that crops up most often is Chuck Hagel, the former Republican senator who is a specialist in foreign affairs and a critic of the Iraq war.

 

Hello everyone!

 

Well, we are back and I went to work this afternoon. I was surfing the 'net and found this bizarre story from IL. I sure hope this is an isolated case and they figure how he did it and why they didn't find out much sooner!

 

 

Sex offender found living in U of I library

 

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Hello everyone!

 

 I was surfing the 'net and found this story from Ohio. My first impression when I read it was huh? 

They are still making enough money; they just cannot gouge any more!

 

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I was surfing the 'net and found an interesting article about Target. I will try to blog walk later today but after this posting, I need to run.

 

 

 

One of the discount retailer's biggest investors is pushing a plan to spin off its land, saving Target huge sums in taxes and boosting its stock price. Will the company go along?

 

 

Company Focus

Target, the discount retailer nicknamed "Tar-zhay" by affectionate shoppers who regularly peruse its aisles for "cheap chic" designer goodies, may soon have a new bargain to offer: prime real estate at marked-down prices.

Unlike most retailers, Target (TGT, news, msgs) owns virtually all of the land underneath its 1,600 stores. And it's some of the best retail land around, because Target has been careful over the years to buy in areas with the best demographics.

Now, as dismal retail-sales trends weigh heavily on Target's bottom line and haunt its shareholders, many of them want the retailer to carry out a massive land sale of sorts to reap the value of those real-estate holdings.

Mind you, you wouldn't be able to buy parcels and build on them. You would be able to buy shares, and Target would pay you rent.

On paper, the proposal has its merits. Spinning off its land to a separate company with stock that would be given to Target shareholders might bring the following benefits:

• The value of Target's land might get more respect in the market, creating $10 billion to $15 billion in value out of thin air for Target shareholders.

• The restructuring could net huge tax savings, in essence creating an annual half-billion-dollar taxpayer bailout plan for Target.

• The move could significantly increase profits by freeing up more cash for share buybacks.

A shareholder bonanza

All told, the real-estate spinout plan could double the value of Target shares within a year and triple it three or four years. That's the view of William Ackman of Pershing Square Capital Management, who's leading the charge for this change.

Ackman is an "activist" investor -- the kind who likes to buy a big stake in a company then use the position to pressure management into applying new tactics that drive up the stock to make him and his investors richer. Ackman's Pershing Square controls about 10% of Target stock.

If Target stock doubles, he and his investors stand to gain $3 billion.

So far, Target has raised a few objections to the plan but has held back on saying if it will go along. If history is any guide -- Ackman has a record of pressuring Target -- the retailer may agree to some new tactics that draw from the plan and drive up the stock, but won't go along 100%.

That outcome, combined with the sheer cheapness of Target's stock, a well-run company with a solid brand whose business will snap back in a healthy way once the economy recovers, makes Target a buy here. Target stock is down more than 30% from its 52-week high of $61 near the start of the year.

Ackman's plan has all the complexity of a business school final exam. I'll spare you the details and sum up the three main advantages:

No. 1: Get full credit for the value of the land

Right now, the stock market values Target's land the same way shoppers size up one of the retailer's "cheap chic" handbags -- at a big discount.

Ackman believes that the market puts a value of just $13 billion on Target's land. He gets that number by first calculating the value of Target's retail business and the stores that it owns. He then subtracts that amount from Target's total market cap, now just under $30 billion. The remainder, $13 billion, must be the value the market assigns to the land.

That looks way too cheap. Judging by transactions on similar real estate, Ackman calculates the replacement value of that land is much higher, around $19 billion.

It could be worth much more to Target shareholders if it were transferred to a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) that would be spun off to Target shareholders. A REIT invests in real estate and isn't taxed on its profits, as long as it distributes virtually all of the profits to shareholders.

Target's land would be worth more in the REIT because of this tax savings. It would also be valued on the basis of its earnings potential over the next several decades. And related businesses would also be tucked inside that REIT, doing the job of maintaining the land and buying more land each year so that Target could expand.

Ackman estimates the Target REIT could be worth as much as $29 billion. That would work out to about $38 a REIT share if the land is spun off, while the value of Target stock would drop to $32 from recent levels of around $39. After a year, the two companies could trade for a combined value above $80 a share, more than doubling the value for current shareholders.

Target would still own the stores on the land transferred to the REIT. This is unusual, but it makes sense for two reasons. First, retailers like to have complete control over their stores. Second, buildings depreciate in value over time, and Target could take advantage of that for tax purposes. The REIT couldn't, because it doesn't pay taxes to begin with.

No. 2: Create a taxpayer bailout for Target

Next, the restructuring provides a big tax bailout of sorts for Target. It would do this by converting taxes paid to the government into dividends paid to shareholders.

Here's how this would work. Target would have to pay about $1.4 billion a year in rent to the REIT for the land. But Target could deduct the cost of rent from taxes and save around 38%, or $538 million a year. (This isn't a special tax break by the way; home businesses can do it, too.)

That would reduce Target's tax bill by nearly a third. It set aside $1.85 billion for taxes last year.

As for the other $868 million in rent that Target would not otherwise be paying, much of that money would find its way right back to shareholders. First, it would go to the REIT. The REIT would then distribute most of it back to shareholders -- without paying any tax on it -- in the form of an annual dividend of $1.85 per REIT share.

REIT shareholders would pay tax -- probably around 35% -- but they would still come out ahead, given how much they get plus the value of the tax deduction of the rent to Target.

No. 3: Increase earnings growth

Ackman proposes several related cost savings inside Target. He would have Target use the money to buy back more stock, boosting earnings per share.

• First, presumably because Target shareholders who kept the REIT would be getting such a big dividend, Ackman would have Target slash its own dividend to a penny a share from 60 cents a share.

• Next, Target would save money because it wouldn't have to fund loans of over $1 billion a year to buy land to expand. The REIT would take care of this.

• Finally, Ackman also wants Target to sell its credit card operation to pay down debt and reduce interest expenses.

With all the savings, Target could step up its share buyback program enough to increase annual earnings growth over the next five years to 17.6% from 14.7%. That would make Target the fastest-growing retailer among its peers.

On target?

Will Target go for all of this?

Judging by recent trends, it sure looks like the retailer needs to do something. Even before the economic storm hit, Target's growth was slowing considerably.

Sales at stores open more than a year grew by just 3% last year, compared with 4.8% in 2006 and 5.6% in 2005. For the last three quarters, sales growth at stores open more than a year has hovered around zero, putting Target in the middle of the pack for retailers.

But as good as Ackman's restructuring plan sounds, it may be too much to swallow -- especially for new Target chief Gregg Steinhafel. On the job for just six months, Steinhafel is still fresh enough to have his own agenda. I doubt he wants to give up his own plan so early, especially to an outsider who happens to own a lot of stock.

Steinhafel's plan is to use more technology, tweak pricing, sell more food and make some strategic acquisitions -- all to improve the "Tar-zhay" experience and bring in more shoppers. He hasn't been shy about pointing out that a key part of his strategy involves maintaining Target's solid credit ratings, which would take a hit under Ackman's plan.

So Target's initial cool response to Ackman's plan, unveiled in public last week, is no surprise. "We have concerns, but we are still considering and evaluating it," a Target spokeswoman said.

In the end, however, even if Target rejects Ackman's plan, the activist will likely "keep pushing until he gets management to do something to boost the stock," says Wachovia Capital Markets analyst Shannon Joseph. "Historically Bill Ackman has been able to achieve some sort of watered-down version of his proposals to Target."

A year ago, he pushed the retailer to launch a $10 billion share buyback program, which Target is now halfway through. Target also sold half of its credit card business to JPMorgan Chase (JPM, news, msgs) last May, as a result of pressure from Ackman to unload that business.

"Target could potentially come back to Pershing Square with some sort of appeasing proposal," predicts Joseph. Even if it's not the full monty, it's likely to be good for Target shareholders.

At the time of publication, Michael Brush did not own or control shares of any company mentioned in this column.

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I was surfing the 'net and found some pictures of a few celebrities taking their kids Treat or Tricking. Check out Harrison Ford!

 

 

Brad Pitt and Zahara in Malibu CA

 

 

Jennifer Garner took two-year-old Violet out trick-or-treating in New York City on Friday.

 The adorable duo dressed as Fred and Ted from the popular Big Dog Little Dog Dr. Seuss series.

 

 

Harrison Ford got all decked out in his pea pod costume alongside Calista Flockhart

 as a hippie taking her son Liam out trick-or-treating with a friend in LA on Friday.

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I was surfing the 'net this morning and found this really cute blog to share. All the comments listed with the story belong to the person's blog, but I felt that they were cute enough to share.

 

Any comments out there?

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I just got home from work and found this story which made me sad. He died way too soon.

 

 

Entertainment Tonight and The Associated Press

Michael Crichton, the million-selling author of such historic and prehistoric science thrillers as "Jurassic Park," "Timeline" and "The Andromeda Strain," has died of cancer, his family said.

Crichton died Tuesday in Los Angeles at age 66 after privately battling cancer.

"Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand," his family said in a statement.

"While the world knew him as a great storyteller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us — and entertained us all while doing so — his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes."

He was an experimenter and popularizer known for his stories of disaster and systematic breakdown, such as the rampant microbe of "The Andromeda Strain" or the dinosaurs running madly in "Jurassic Park." Many of his books became major Hollywood movies, including "Jurassic Park," "Rising Sun" and "Disclosure." Crichton himself directed and wrote "The Great Train Robbery" and he co-wrote the script for the blockbuster "Twister."

In 1994, he created the award-winning TV hospital series "ER." He's even had a dinosaur named for him, Crichton's ankylosaur.

"Michael's talent out-scaled even his own dinosaurs of `Jurassic Park,'" said "Jurassic Park" director Steven Spielberg, a friend of Crichton's for 40 years.

"He was the greatest at blending science with big theatrical concepts, which is what gave credibility to dinosaurs again walking the Earth. ... Michael was a gentle soul who reserved his flamboyant side for his novels. There is no one in the wings that will ever take his place."

John Wells, executive producer of "ER" called the author "an extraordinary man. Brilliant, funny, erudite, gracious, exceptionally inquisitive and always thoughtful.

"No lunch with Michael lasted less than three hours and no subject was too prosaic or obscure to attract his interest. Sexual politics, medical and scientific ethics, anthropology, archaeology, economics, astronomy, astrology, quantum physics, and molecular biology were all regular topics of conversation."

In recent years, he was the rare novelist granted a White House meeting with President Bush, perhaps because of his skepticism about global warming, which Crichton addressed in the 2004 novel, "State of Fear." Crichton's views were strongly condemned by environmentalists, who alleged that the author was hurting efforts to pass legislation to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.

If not a literary giant, he was a physical one, standing 6 feet and 9 inches, and ready for battle with the press. In a 2004 interview with The Associated Press, Crichton came with a tape recorder, text books and a pile of graphs and charts as he defended "State of Fear" and his take on global warming.

"I have a lot of trouble with things that don't seem true to me," Crichton said at the time, his large, manicured hands gesturing to his graphs. "I'm very uncomfortable just accepting. There's something in me that wants to pound the table and say, 'That's not true.'"

He spoke to few scientists about his questions, convinced that he could interpret the data himself. "If we put everything in the hands of experts and if we say that as intelligent outsiders, we are not qualified to look over the shoulder of anybody, then we're in some kind of really weird world," he said.

A new novel by Crichton had been tentatively scheduled to come next month, but publisher HarperCollins said the book was postponed indefinitely because of his illness.

One of four siblings, Crichton was born in Chicago and grew up in Roslyn, Long Island. His father was a journalist and young Michael spent much of his childhood writing extra papers for teachers. In third grade, he wrote a nine-page play that his father typed for him using carbon paper so the other kids would know their parts. He was tall, gangly and awkward, and used writing as a way to escape; Mark Twain and Alfred Hitchcock were his role models.

Figuring he would not be able to make a living as writer, and not good enough at basketball, he decided to become a doctor. He studied anthropology at Harvard College, and later graduated from Harvard Medical School. During medical school, he turned out books under pseudonyms. (One that the tall author used was Jeffrey Hudson, a 17th-century dwarf in the court of King Charles II of England.) He had modest success with his writing and decided to pursue it.

His first hit, "The Andromeda Strain," was written while he was still in medical school and quickly caught on upon its 1969 release. It was a featured selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club and was sold to Universal in Hollywood for $250,000.

"A few of the teachers feel I'm wasting my time, and that in some ways I have wasted theirs," he told The New York Times in 1969. "When I asked for a couple of days off to go to California about a movie sale, that raised an eyebrow."

His books seemed designed to provoke debate, whether the theories of quantum physics in "Timeline," the reverse sexual discrimination of "Disclosure" or the spectre of Japanese eminence in "Rising Sun."

"The initial response from the (Japanese) establishment was, 'You're a racist,'" he told the AP. "So then, because I'm always trying to deal with data, I went on a tour talking about it and gave a very careful argument, and their response came back, 'Well you say that but we know you're a racist.'"

Crichton had a rigid work schedule: rising before dawn and writing from about 6 a.m. to around 3 p.m., breaking only for lunch. He enjoyed being one of the few novelists recognized in public, but he also felt limited by fame.

"Of course, the celebrity is nice. But when I go do research, it's much more difficult now. The kind of freedom I had 10 years ago is gone," he told the AP. "You have to have good table manners; you can't have spaghetti hanging out of your mouth at a restaurant."

Crichton was married five times and had one child. A private funeral is planned.

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

Sorry that I've been away for a while; work has been busy with the end of the month and all. I was glued to the TV as most people were I suppose last night. It sure was a blow out wasn't it? I found an article that makes a lot of sense to why McCain lost yesterday. I even heard some of these comments from the pundits last night. I don't care who you voted for, but I sure hope the country will get out of the mess that Bush put us in sooner than later. I liked both of the speeches last night, but I won't comment on the election otherwise.

 

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I wanted to share something a bit personal today which is always a bit scary. As most of you know, I have been working as a job coach for the past two years now and it's been the best and hardest decision I have made for me business-wise in the past ten years. "My adults" are mentally handicapped adults who work in the community and it's been a joy to watch them grow professionally. But today isn't about me but about my boss.

 

The woman who hired me is no longer working for the company thanks to our governor. Since we work for a non-profit organization and the state funds were cut, so were a lot of positions that were deemed duplicates or would have to be cut since the money wasn't there any longer. Our new boss started in February of this year. Years ago, she was the job coach manager but was promoted to case manager. She was the person who read our case notes, incident reports etc. before making her reports that went on to another agency for the state of California. Our company asked her to take on her old position but keep her current position or more positions would have to be cut. She gamely took on the huge challenge of being our boss and keeping her old position as well.

 

What this means is that we have 30 adults who work in the community that need to have a job coach with them (some are needed 100% of their shift while other just need half time or less) and they work in different locations around our town. Of course their personalities are different and needs are different. They range in age from early twenties to a little older, so she also needs to match our personalities to some of "our adults" so they respond better.

 

Then she still has to do her other job; we also have some adults who work in the "HAB crew" which is a fancy way of saying they work in the community as grounds keepers as well as another section that is classified to the general public. In all she is in charge of about 85 people (the adults we job coach) as well as the job coaches.

 

We "connected" right away and I believe that if we met in life outside of work, we would be good friends. Part of our job is to get "our adults" schedules for the following week so she knows when we need to be scheduled since we are already there. No other job coach have done it and I always have. Half of our"adults" have set schedules and half don't, so I get fifteen schedules for her every week. In fact, when I call the employers they know when they hear my voice why I'm calling and have it ready for me. (I call for only eight of them unless I am working with one of the others or am nearby to stop by and get it in person.)

 

I even do this on my day off, like today is. I "scratch her back and she scratches mine." Which means when I need something special, I will get it 99% of the time. That's a huge thing since beloved's job means he's not home exactly when he plans to be sometimes.

 

This morning when I knew my boss wasn't at work yet, I dropped off a Boss's Day balloon attached to a present that I bought that was perfect for her. It's a Dove chocolate "Emergency Kit" that is filled with some yummy chocolates in a cute tin that looks like a First Aid Kit. I then ran some errands that I needed to take care of. I returned home with a sweet message from my boss that said in part "You absolutely, positively, completely and utterly made my day!" which in turn made my day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Port Richey, Florida - A New Port Richey man called us with an unbelievable story.

Jimmy Hill offered up this mobile home to friends of the family six months ago. They lived in Tampa, and wanted to relocate to Pasco county.

But his effort to put a roof over this family's head has come back to haunt him. Now they're trying to take his home.

According to Hill the family was paying him $600 a month plus utilities. He says shortly after the family moved in, the flow of money stopped and the headaches began. "Well they don't pay for the utilities at all," Hill says, "My bill has gone from $160 a month before they moved her to my last bill which was $654 . The next one is even worse, they run things day and night."

Hill says it was time for them to go. "Well I asked them if they would get out and they threatened to poison my dogs." That was when Hill says he went to the sheriff's office and picked up an eviction packet.

"Now these people are suing me for my home," claims Hill. "They filed a restraining order on me the day after I have them the eviction papers." Hill says he learned he can't evict the family because they're considered squatters. He even considered shutting off the utilities but can't because the family moved a child into the house. He says they threatened to charge Hill with child endangerment.

The family was not available for comment but with little money in his pocket, Hill says he can't afford the legal fees necessary to take them to court.

Hill now feels as though his heartfelt gesture has left him empty handed.