| Keeping Watch for Burglars (And Tabs on the Kids)
As a police officer in southern Florida, Greg Varley was dispatched to investigate as many as 10 false alarms a day at residents' homes. He was frustrated to discover that most people didn't disarm their security systems properly. So after retiring and moving to Cookeville, Tenn., Mr. Varley three months ago looked for a home-security system that would give him more control over arming the sensors, helping him avert false alarms. He soon came across a company called InGrid Inc., a security system that he could install himself and control using the Internet. Mr. Varley now arms and disarms his security system by logging onto a personalized Web site. And in addition to knowing when something goes wrong at home, he also can monitor when things are going right. "It's easy to go online and check the status of your sensors," he says.
Litchfield Park: $14.9 million
The pad: This 12,000-square-foot home is the priciest in the West Valley, carrying a $14.9 million price tag, with key pieces of furniture and chandeliers thrown in. The goods: In addition to the two master bedrooms and separate master baths, there is marble throughout this stately ranch style that boasts unobstructed views of the Red Course of the Wigwam, the West Valley's most exclusive resort. The home is perfect for entertaining with an open gourmet kitchen, two built-in Sub-Zero refrigerators, wine cooler and a 12-seat theater with full wet bar. There is also a billiards and game room. The wall-length patio door disappears into the wall to invite the outdoors in. There are a six-car garage and a 2,000-square-foot guesthouse. Shaq can tout that he lives in an energy-efficient foam-paneled home built so soundly that it is hurricane proof - not that he needs to worry about that now that he's left Miami.
Filed under: MLB
I had a hard time getting to sleep last night. I was flipping around the tv and landed on ESPN. I figured that listening to more in depth coverage of Tom Brady's ankle would be tv's version of Ambien, it would help me get my zzzzs. However, I made one fatal flaw, one that many mortals in Greek mythology made when looking at a Gorgon, I took a peek at the scroll on the bottom of the screen. There were two categories, NFL and SANTANA. Much to my astonishment, the Twins had agreed to send Johan Santana to the Mets for a hamburger today (pending the Mets contract extension for Santana). Well, maybe not a hamburger, but the Mets package of Phil Humber, Carlos Gomez, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey. Mulvey, wasn't that Jerry called his girlfriend who's name he couldn't remember. Oh no, that was Mulva.
Rose explodes late to lead Tigers to win over Golden Eagles
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Wal-Mart won't stock HD DVD movies, players past June
Without even being asked about the battle for DVD supremacy, half the salespeople told our shoppers that there was a battle going on and Blu-ray either was already the winner (or would become the dominant player in the end)," he said. “About a third of all salespeople said our shoppers should choose Blu-ray because of the strength of the companies behind Blu-ray," Denove said. Only one retailer – Rex – had salespeople that were split approximately 50/50 in steering shoppers toward Blu-ray and HD DVD to customers, Denove said. The study did not bring up gaming consoles with HD DVD or Blu-ray playback ability, but gaming devices were factored into the study if suggested as a consideration by the salesperson. Denove said that some retail chains – Best Buy in particular – had salespeople that seemed to be more focused on cross selling, where they were more likely to tie in the TV elements of the disc formats with computers or gaming.
An infernal tax scheme comes back
Add a $20 tax to cars, trucks and motorcycles. Tax speeders. Add a $1-per-pack tax to cigarettes. Add a one-cent tax to the statewide sales tax and perhaps another one-cent regionally. Expand the sales tax to groceries and to 174 categories of services, using the proceeds to reduce property taxes on homesteads and cars, trucks and motorcycles. Georgians who prefer Democrats and who feared that putting Republicans in control under the Gold Dome represented a lurch to the right needn't have worried. This is where the old gang left off. House Speaker Glenn Richardson appeared last week before the House Ways and Means Committee to propose something that Democrats never dared bring forth when Zell Miller and his band started studying tax revision 16 years ago.
A case of collect-a-con?
From a distance Shadrack Monkhe bears an uncanny resemblance to the Collect-a-Can man seen in the recycling organisation's advertisements. At the edge of a road in Vanderbijlpark, he pushes a wheelbarrow heaped to capacity with littered beverage containers. Even the setting is appropriate. Behind him sprawls the steel mill of ArcelorMittal, the main shareholder of Collect-a-Can, which makes the rolls of steel that become cans. Next door is the can factory of Nampak, Collect-a-Can's other owner. And around the corner is a purchasing depot of Collect-a-Can itself. But Monkhe walks past a flattened Coke can to pull two plastic bottles out of the long grass. He has not picked up a single steel can today, though he has seen many. A scrap dealer will pay him R1,80 per kilogram for his plastic bottles.
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