Kansas High School Newspaper Says It's Moral to Execute Gays

Ah, high school journalism programs. They offer a venue for budding young writers to get their feet wet in the world of reporting. They also offer ample opportunities to stick a big, wet, ginormous foot in your mouth.
Case in point, in my junior year of high school, I tried to argue that the Red Hot Chili Peppers were a better band than The Beatles. Perhaps I might have misjudged just how much pop culture influence the Chili Peppers would have on this world. But whatever, I've tried to put that article "Under the Bridge." (Heyoo!)
But it's not like I wrote an article that suggested it would be moral to execute an entire population of students. Yet that's exactly what happened in Wichita East High School in Kansas, where a student got the green light to author an editorial, and have it published in the school's newspaper (The Messenger), that said same-sex relationships were not normal, and then quoted from a Leviticus translation that says men who lie with other men should get the death penalty.

Bathrooms...Go A Long Way!

In your house the bathroom might be the least favorite part. But if you are planning to sell your room, a real estate agent is definitely going to give you an advice that the bathroom should be kept in good condition. Painting in bright colors are included in this. The atmosphere should bring peace to the people living in the property and it should be calm. Bathroom is something that could add to the selling price of the property. The bathroom is usually taken care by the ladies of the home in the olden days. The kitchen is also given the same preference.
If you want to create a certain atmosphere and style, it is important to use the right bathroom accessories.

Perhaps the first thing to do is to decide the color motif of the bathroom. For example, you can choose red bathroom accessories if you want to project passion and love. Most of us emphasis on the wall’s colors and designs Red bath towels are those, which should be include in accessories and furnishing. The more of the light pastel colors are majority decors. If you want to create a light atmosphere especially it is true. The appearance of the small bathroom may look larger when you choose like colors.

The whole setting should also match the bathroom furniture. Information including the bathroom design is all gathered from internet, which has become a great resource. One could utilize this tool to shop for items and they can browse through many retail stores online. It is easier to get ideas on the type of bathroom accessories that you wish to have. The bathroom accessories that can be integrated area are found through this. There are both traditional design and modern themes. Classical themes like Victorian, classic or renaissance design are some sort of themes you may find easily.

One should not neglect the showers and sink while incorporating modern bathroom designs. This is something that can offer rich atmosphere. Simple things like faucets and taps are proven necessary and should not be overlooked. Minimalist design to sleek are those you can choose. These designs are not so overwhelming and are said to be compact. There are some options for us to choose from like Chrome or gold finish. Ceramic handles are some of them. Some modern bathroom accessories that are interesting like bidet are built inside the toilet. Popularity is gained slowly in this. It is necessary to complete the whole bathroom design with the towel bars and cabinets. Overall a bathroom should give peace to its users.  : )

Shay Wesley
RE/MAX CityView
713-965-7161
ShayWesley@Remax.net

Uncle Sam wants you ... to repay the home tax credit

Uncle Sam has a reminder for some people who took advantage of the first-time homebuyer tax credit three years ago: He wants his money back.

Americans who bought homes in 2008 using the government’s tax credit will be required to start repaying the credit beginning with their 2010 tax return, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

In an odd twist, those who took advantage of a nearly identical tax credit in 2009 or 2010 will not be required to pay it back.

Under the terms of the 2008 tax credit, the credit must be paid back over a 15-year period, beginning with this year’s return.

That means anyone who took the maximum $7,500 credit will have to add $500 to their income tax liability for 15 years. If you sell your house before the 15 years are up, the entire tax credit bill will be due the year the house is sold.

The Internal Revenue Service describes the 2008 program as “like an interest-free loan.”

This may come as a shock to some people, who may have forgotten the terms of the so-called credit, which was really more of a tax deferral. The IRS said it is sending reminders.

“There will definitely be people that are going to be surprised by it,” said Sean M. Dowling, vice president of The Dowling Group in Stamford, Conn., and a certified financial planner.

For others, it paid to be late. If you bought a home in 2009 or 2010 using the same tax credit, you don’t have to pay it back, as long as you stay in your new home for at least three years.

That’s because the government changed the rules regarding the tax credit after the first year, allowing people to take the credit without any requirement that they pay it back.

 

For those later homebuyers, it works more like free money. People who took advantage of the program in 2009 and 2010 were able to take a maximum tax credit of $8,000, and they don’t have to pay it back as long as they are in the house for at least 36 months.

If you bought a home using the tax credit, Dowling said it is definitely worth verifying whether you owe the money, and paying the liability if you do.

If you don’t pay it, the IRS is likely to send you a bill — perhaps with interest due.

History of Valentine's Day....Happy V-Day!

History of Valentines Day – The Man Valentine
Is the history of Valentines Day expressed in the current celebration of yummy chocolates, lovely cards, and sparkling engagement rings? What is the story behind such a highly-retailed celebration?

Some say the day is named after a bishop named Valentine, who was stationed in the Roman Empire. Claudius II was the Emperor at that time. He thought that unmarried men made better soldiers, so he decided to make it a law that young men could not marry. Around 270 A.D., Valentine took pity on the ostracized soldiers who were not permitted to marry or see their sweethearts.

He became an advocate of these young lovers and began to perform secret marriages. He was soon found out and jailed. Emperor Claudius II attempted to convert Valentine to begin worshipping the Roman gods, but Valentine refused. Instead, he tried to convert Claudius to Christianity and Valentine sentenced to be executed on February 24, 270.

Another version of the history of Valentines Day tells that Valentine fell in love with his jailer’s daughter. Just before his death, he sent her a note and signed it “from your Valentine.” An aura of romance surrounded his demise and those who knew about it spread the tale. Bishop Valentine became Saint Valentine with his fame extending to England and France.

After his death, Valentine then became what is known as a “Patron Saint.” Some considered him the spiritual overseer of an annual festival in which young Romans would distribute cards of affection to those they wished to formally see. This festival was held each February 14. There are Valentine cards in museums worldwide that date back to 1415.

February has been the month to celebrate love ever since the Middle Ages.
History of Valentines Day - Symbols of the Day
Even though the history of Valentines Day is unclear, it has become one of the most popular holidays among lovers and florists! The common symbols of Valentine’s Day in this era are cupids, hearts, roses, teddy bears, and words of adoration. Children exchange valentine cards decorated with current comic and cartoon icons. Adults have continued this tradition of card giving which makes this day, behind Christmas, the second largest card-sending holiday of the year.

Cupids with bows and arrows represent Roman mythology. Cupid was the son of Venus, the goddess of love. The shot of the arrow would strike the unsuspecting desired person or god, making him fall in love.
History of Valentines Day – Finding True Love
The history of Valentine’s Day began in the era of courtly traditions. The stories of how women were wooed by grand gestures of gallantry flourish in romance novels of today. We all wish to be desired -- to be loved and accepted.

God has met this need through the most loving act ever done in the history of the world. God loved us so much that He sent His son to earth to live as a man. We are separated from God due to our sin, so God provided a way for us to spend eternity with Him in heaven. In a great act of love, Jesus died on the cross as a perfect substitute for each of us. He died, was buried, and rose again. When we acknowledge His gift and accept it, He comes to guide our lives and love us as we’ve never been loved before.

There’s nothing like fresh cut flowers to really brighten up a home.  I have started bringing home a small bouquet of flowers from the Heights Floral Shop on 20th Street for a few months now and it really makes a difference in our sitting room.  I’ve enjoy running over there and getting a new bouquet every two weeks, which is about how long many of them seem to last.  Best of all, the flower and color options are completely limitless.  The one pictured is the second one I brought home with autumn colors and I requested a bit of blue to match some of our sitting room decor.

The first time I went down there I purchased their least expensive arrangement which came in a small glass vase for only $34.95.  The bouquet itself was full of vibrant fall colors like orange, red and yellow with some gorgeous mums.  The flowers lasted about 2 weeks and then I brought the vase back to them and had them just refill it (word to the wise…make sure you have them put the vase in a portable box because if you place it on the floorboard…it’s bound to fall over and spill water all over your car).  I usually leave the flower and color options up to them because I think it makes it more fun and interesting.  A fresh flower bouquet would be a great low cost option for someone trying to sell their home and wanting to brighten it up a bit.

Ever Wonder?... by Shay Wesley

EVER WONDER how I come up with things to blog about, and I find the question strange, because my problem is the opposite. I have too much to blog about. Why? Because there’s a whole fast revolution rolling through, and right now – today – is our time to make it all work for us. If we’re going to show people how to use social media to drive meaningful conversations instead of being yet another marketing tool, we have to run out and educate at a break-neck pace, so we can bring more and more thought leaders into alignment with these big and not-so-big organizations who could use our help.

So, I decided to write you up 100 blog post titles that I want YOU to write. Take one of these and run with it. Make the coolest ideas from whatever these spark in you, and keep coming back to these as often as you want. Bookmark the page. Copy/paste it into a notepad file. Whatever works for you. Or just use them as a way to bounce into better posts of your own devise. Make podcasts. Whatever works for you.


Here’s 100 Blog/Podcast Topics I Hope YOU Write:
1 How I Use Facebook
2 Ways I Embrace My Audience
3 Should My Town Use Social Media?
4 A Community I Love
5 Technology That Empowers Me
6 How Flickr Did it Right
7 How Best to Comment on a Corporate Blog
8 Ways to Save a Bad Time at a Conference
9 How I Find Blogging Ideas
10 Somebody Has to Say It
11 My Children Will Do it Differently
12 How Schools Could Use Social Media
13 The Best Parts of Marketing
14 Presentation Skills for a New Conversation
15 How I Find Time to Make Media
16 Empower Your Best Customers
17 After the Event- Carrying the Conversation Forward
18 Just Jump Into Podcasting- Heres How
19 My Community and How You Can Engage It
20 Twitter Jaiku Pownce Facebook- And Then What
21 Making a Miniseries
22 If I Were an Advertiser Today
23 My Mother is On Facebook
24 Does a Big Brand Need You
25 Books I Want to Write
26 Serving the Deep Niches- How I Do It
27 How Women Use Social Media
28 A Hard Look at My Media Habits
29 If I Were a Television Producer
30 Social Media Marketing vs Traditional Marketing
31 Elements of a Marketing Campaign
32 Social Media Campaigns are NOT Traditional Campaigns
33 Idea Making and How I Make Something
34 What I Spend Money On
35 Do Rock Stars Need Social Media Strategies
36 How I Use My Website
37 Book Shopping- Buy These Books
38 MTV Changed the World in the 80s- Here is What Comes Next
39 How I Process Blogs and What I Do With All That Info
40 Ten Guilty Pleasures
41 The Internet Application I Havent Seen
42 If I Worked for a Venture Capital Firm
43 My Day Job Versus My Passion
44 The Difference Between Fark and Truemors
45 Fixing Conferences
46 Making Marketplaces for Media Makers
47 When I Feel Frustrated
48 Branding Strategies I Use
49 Your Ideas And My Ideas- How We Play Together
50 Friends I Cant Wait to Meet
51 The Art of Chaos
52 Telling My Boss About Social Media
53 Could I Quit My Day Job
54 When to Cut Back on Web Habits
55 Breaking Down My Favorite Blog
56 Explaining Social Media to Your Chamber of Commerce
57 Non-Internet Equivalents to Internet Tools I Use
58 Considering Media for the Rest of the Globe
59 Twitter is Too Simple- Twitter is Just Right
60 The Future of Podcasting
61 Video Made Simple
62 Facebook Applications I Love
63 You Are Here
64 Blogging Tactics- How to Keep it Fresh
65 I Want to Brag A Minute
66 Who Says What About Your Brand
67 Tools for Blogging
68 Wordpress Plugins I Use And Why
69 Media Topics That Need More Coverage
70 Comments versus Blog Posts
71 How I Drive Traffic to My Site
72 News- Is it Useful and How I Might Fix It
73 Which TV Network Gets Videoblogging and PodCasting
74 Franchising My Media
75 Handling Critics
76 My Audio Tricks
77 Ning Sites I Like and Why
78 Controlling My Brand
79 Sharing and Contributing
80 How Twitter Improved My Blog
81 Email After Twitter
82 Facebook Video Improved My Social Network
83 Letting Go
84 Downtime- What I Do Offline to Recharge
85 How I Went From Very Shy to Less Shy
86 The RIGHT Number to Track for Podcasting
87 PodCamp Has to Change
88 Shaking Things Up
89 Joining A Network- Things to Consider
90 Newspapers and How I Would Change Them
91 Interview With a Veteran
92 The Countries of My Social Media World
93 Giving it Away
94 Consulting Strategies for Social Media Experts
95 Turning Media into a Business Card
96 Podcasting on a Budget
97 For Every Excuse a New Strategy
98 Just When I Think I Am Done
99 Buying Gear- My Shopping Tips for Podcasters
100 When is Free Better- When Not

Have a great day and I look forward to seeing what you choose!!  Do me a favor and link my Blog to what you write about...that's all I ask in return!!
Shay Wesley