Monday, August 31, 2009

Were you ever bullied as a kid? Now there cyberbullying what is next?

2009 is well in the age of advanced technology with the promise of getting even better in the future. Computers, internet, cell phones, blackberries, palms and ipods are all great inventions that no only make life more streamlined and able to get immediate information, no matter where we are at it seems. However a down part of this is cyberbullying defined as a "causing substantial emotional distress to a person using electronic means such as cell phone or internet to support severe, repeating and hostile behavior." Bullying on or off line can be psychological damaging to victims, however cyberbullying be can worse than face to face as it has a bigger audience.

Legislators are trying to pass a bill which makes cyberbullying a criminal offense. Some states have passed laws requiring school districts to deal with this type of specific bullying. Should the law be tackled through legislation or local resources even if it does not involve the law. What do you think?

And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

Best regards.
Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI 2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors (949) 753-7900

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Build Business with Shredding Parties

Purse parties, jeans parties, and cash for gold parties have become very popular with women. But have you ever been to a shredding party?

Shredding parties are the new marketing tactic for small businesses. The constant challenge of creative, neighborhood marketing and the increasing threat of identity theft and fraud have made this a popular event. Document shredding "parties" have become an excellent way for entrepreneurs to assist the community, build their reputations and protect important information.

Local Better Business Bureaus are even starting to recognize shredding events and will recruit various companies as sponsors. Insurance agencies, notary publics, neighborhood associations and local government agencies have held these events across the country.

Any business or person can host their own shredding party; try partnering with a local document shredding company. Network with others and safely dispose of documents containing sensitive information like signatures, account numbers, and Social Security numbers. This will ensure their customer privacy and make sure they remember the name of the hosting business in a positive light.

And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

Best Regards.

Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

(949) 753-7900

Friday, August 28, 2009

Signs Obama needs a vacation


David Letterman is at it again. This is the infamous Top Ten list from Monday. Source: CBS




Top Ten Signs President Obama Needs a Vacation:

10.Last week's radio address was ten minutes of snoring

9.Switched from beer summits to tequila summits

8.Asked CIA director what we're doing about terrorist organization "Al-Pacino"

7.Staffers often find him on White House roof meowing like a kitty

6.Announced he's sending an elite military unit to kill Hitler

5.Lately, he's been fist-bumping staffers in the face

4.Asked for the number of Rush Limbaugh's OxyContin guy

3.Called Bush for advice on sneaking naps during intelligence briefings

2.Been babbling nonsense about government death panels -- wait, that's a sign Sarah Palin needs a vacation

1.Barely has the energy to smoke


Happy Friday!

And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com


Bestregards.
Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

(949) 753-7900

photo credit

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

OC Girl Donates Graduation Gifts to Strangers

This is what the world needs more of...
3 recent college graduates, 2 local to Orange County, have headed on the road trip of their lives. One country to cross, one car to sleep in, and their own graduation money to donate.

In an interview with the Dana Point Times, Rebecca Marshburn explained her philosophy regarding donating her graduation gifts. "It was a gift to me, it should be a gift to someone else," she said. "It's not mine to keep. I have what I need." She added, "I wanted to have a bigger purpose, I wanted to make other people smile."

Rebecca Marshburn, Alex Reames, and Kevin Leda have been traveling from East to West to spread happiness to those in need. The three will be giving away money to help those in need and performing random acts of kindness across the United Staes. They donate time, money, and compassion to various causes from orphanages to the homeless.

Their first act was in Allston, Massachusetts providing 2 Honduran children from an underprivelged family YMCA scholarships. This allowed the young girls to be with their friends and sharpen their English skills over the summer.

The road trippers have given stranded motorists lifts and free tanks of gas, donated food gift certificates to domestic violence victims, and have had many establishments donate to their cause. What an amazing thing to do for such young people. Please check out this great cause!

Follow their journey via their blog http://roadsideassistanceusa.blogspot.com/

If you would like to donate or get involved contact Rebecca Marshburn at beccamarshburn@yahoo.com.



And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

Best,

Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

(949) 753-7900

School is back in session


It's back to school time! This means you are either ready to get the kids out of the house, or dreading the return of cooler weather and checking homework. So, how do we adjust our family to the transition?



•A week before school starts make bedtime about 15 minutes earlier until they are back to the school routine.

•Make sure they aren't sleeping in late the last week before school, preparing them for early wake up calls.

•Get little ones excited with an alarm clock featuring their favorite cartoon character. For teens, try a cool iPod alarm clock and player.

•I tried to make my kids read at least one book during the summer. If they haven't, refresh their reading a little bit everyday before the year begins.

•Get them into a routine so mornings don't consist of forgotten lunches, incomplete homework, and lost shoes.

•Set goals for your children and explain your ground rules for homework and limitations on TV, videogames, and computer time.

•Try to plan dinners in the morning or the beginning of the week. Making sure your kids are eating balanced meals rather than fast food will ensure they will be at their full potential in class.

•Get kids excited with some new back to school clothes or book bags.

•Start this before the school year begins to eliminate stress, fights, and hassles.


Have a great school year everyone!



And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

Best,
Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

949) 753-7900

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Graphic Texting and Driving PSA

A new Public Service Announcement about texting while driving is causing some stir. The PSA, with over 1 million YouTube hits, graphically warns teens about the dangers of texting while driving.

A recent Virginia Tech study found that drivers are 23 times more likely to be involved in a collision if texting.

The video shows 2 teen girls driving, giggling, and texting. The driver smashes into another car and after a couple seconds a third car slams into the passenger side. The driver sees her friend dead next to her and become hysterical. It is emotional, bloody and violent, but has the potential to really make teens think.

You can find the video here, but here is the DISCLAIMER: it is very graphic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGE8LzRaySk



And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

Best regards.

Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

(949) 753-7900

Monday, August 24, 2009

Who doesn't love a good movie?

Summer is a great time to catch up on movies. While spending time out doors, enjoying summer activities, swimming, time at the lake, river or ocean, picnics at the park, or enjoying an outdoor concert is great, at times it is nice to slip into an air-conditioned theater and watch a good flick. Here is a list of some of this summer's favorite movies.

Land of the Lost

The Taking of Pelham

The Hangover

The Ugly Truth

Year One

Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen

Public Enemies

Bruno

Harry Potter - Half Blood Prince

G-Force

Julia and Julie

G.I. Joe - The Rise of Cobra

While this is not a complete list, hopefully there is a movie out there for everyone.

If you have not seen any, a few of these are still in theaters. So grab some popcorn, candy and a soda and enjoy!

And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

Best regards.

Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors (949) 753-7900

Who Remembers the First Day Back to School?

Who remembers the first day back to school? (edit/delete)


Who remembers their first day back to school after a long lazy summer? Either the kids are very excited and pop out of bed ready to go or they need to practically be dragged from bed only after they have been promised that there are only four days left in the week that require them to get up early.

Parents have mixed emotions, of having to return to schedule and routine. On the flip side however the kids no longer need to be "entertained", so we don't have to hear those dreaded words "I am bored".

As a parent, this summer was great. I was the perfect mixture, of "quiet days", time at the beach, the county fair, a few movies and even a long over due vacation with the family and of course working the entire time and doing my best to stay on top of the game. Hope you also had a good summer, if your kids have not started already; school is just around the corner, then .....the holidays!

And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

Best regards.

Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors (949) 753-7900

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Back by Popular Demand--The Top Ten!

Courtesey of cbs.com



Top Ten Reasons Brett Favre Came Out Of Retirement
10.Blew his savings on a two-day taco binge
9.No reason to stay home every day now that "Guiding Light" has been cancelled
8.Worried Obama's death panels might try to take him out
7.In this economy, someone offers a job, you grab it
6.Wants to raise and then dash hopes of another city's fans
5.Couldn't take another trip to Pottery Barn with the wife
4.Lured by a lucrative contract and free jar of Icy Hot
3."Concussions made my krazy!"
2.Who could resist chance to spend glorious winter in Minnesota?
1.Oh, oh, wait. He just retired again.

And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.
Best regards, Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI 2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors (949) 753-7900

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Exercise at work

Getting antsy? Cabin fever from being inside all day? Or maybe you didn't feel like waking up early to get your recommended 30 minutes of activity in today?

Well take a short break, and do this easy workout. Yes, at work!

If your sitting down:

*Keep one foot planted on the floor and raise the opposite leg several inches off the ground. Then move the leg up a few inches 10-20 times and repeat on opposite leg. When your done with that, rotate each foot around in small circles, both directions.

*Lift legs on the balls of your feet and put back down. Keep going until your calves are tired. Do every 10-15 minutes for an hour!

If your standing up:

*Place your feet together and lift both heels up and down. (3 sets of 15)
*Do 10 side-leg lifts to work out outer thighs

Anytime:

*Hold hands out in front of you and rotate you wrists in circles. 5-10 times each direction.
*Keep a tennis ball in you desk. When tense squeeze as hard as you can for 8 seconds. Release and relax. Repeat to condition forearms and increase hand strength

Finding new ways to exercise, even at work, will give you a longer and healthier life! Now get moving!

And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

Best regards,

Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

(949) 753-7900

Source: TopSafety

Monday, August 17, 2009

Water Conservation, we all need to do ur part.

The state is asking residents to conserve water...again.

Residents are asked to water lawns less, plant native shrubs and install more efficient irrigation systems to stave off water shortages and impending rationing amid growing worries about a long term drought.

In some communities residents are asked to not to water between the hours of 9:00 am - 6:00pm. Residents are also asked and home owners are asked to cut back 1 day a week of garden watering.

Restaurants may not serve water unless a patron asks for it. While many officials say it's too early to impose water rationing, plans are being made on how to facilitate mandatory conservation to deal with a possible drought.

While it is predicted that we are in an El Nino year, we can not completely depend on our future rains. It is important at least here in Southern California that we all do our part to conserve water, until the rain gods bless us with the sweet nectar from the sky once more.

And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

Best regards, Michael Caruso

Do your loveable animals also come with fleas?

Many of us have family pets, dogs, cats, fish, birds, reptiles, etc. We love these pets and our children especially love the animals. However there is a financial commitment involved with these furry friends as well as a time commitment. The financial commitment is obvious. Vet bills; shots, check-ups, cleaning, food, leashes, collars etc. Then there is the occasional my dog jumped from too high broke his foot, medical bills. The time commitment is also there, dogs, need to be walked and played with and while cats are much easier, they still need to be brushed played with and some really love to snuggle even if it is intrusive. All these things are easy enough to deal with, but what about these summer time pests, that our animals drag in. FLEAS. They are annoying, invasive, pestering and can cause a dent in your wallet and well as you time as you need to take sometimes extreme measures to make sure you get rid of them or keep them away. All the standard precautionary measures have been done, the once a month spot on they back of there neck, (frontline, or advantage), flea baths, special medication, regular grooming. The house has even been professional flea bombed, and yet these little pest keep on showing up on the strictly indoor cat. Any thoughts out there???



And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

Best regards. Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI 2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors (949) 753-7900

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Picture This...




Picture by aliceeedude @ Flickr.

"Whatever your past has been, you have a spotless future."

Picture it here...a vacation, beach home, retirement, success, a family, its up to you!




And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

BestRegards.

Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

(949) 753-7900

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Support HomeAid OC with Project Playhouse at the Spectrum

Come support HomeAid Orange County as Project Playhouse spends its first time at the Irvine Spectrum. This signature fundraiser has raised more than $5 million in 18 years to help build and maintain dignified housing for the homeless to rebuild their lives.


There are 10 incredible playhouses on display. These fantasy cottages have electrical systems, flat screen TVs, video game consoles, entertainment systems, gorgeous interior decorations, and more. Visitors can take a tour of them any weekend from August 3 - September 12 for $5 each. If you are really interested there are private tours at $10 each.

These houses will be auctioned live on September 12th. For $50 you can go to the party, have dinner, attend the silent auction, and the exciting Playhouse action.

To register as a bidder, please contact Gina Cunningham at Gina@Homeaidoc.org or call (949) 553-9510.

Visit www.projectplayhouse.org to see these amazing mini homes.





And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

Best regards.

Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

(949) 753-7900

Friday, August 7, 2009

Orange County home prices headed up

Good news for Orange County. Jeff Collins reported on the OC Register that Home prices are heading up for the 3rd month in a row. (Read Here)

*The first 20 days in July saw an average selling price of $425,000. The lowest monthly median was at $370,000 in January.

*The amount of homes purchased is up 10.6% from this time last year.

*3 zip codes in Orange County had sales gains for 100% or more

*July is expected will be the 13th straight month of year-over-year sales gains

I think this is going to keep up!

And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

Best regards.

Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

(949) 753-7900

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Today in History

Pay attention, here is your history lesson for the day.

Today in history...

*August 4, 1901--The great jazz trumpeter, Louis Armstrong was born.

*August 4, 1961--President Barack Obama was born in Hawaii (we think). He turns 48 today. Happy Birthday.

*August 4, 1977--The Department of Energy was signed into approval by President Jimmy Carter.



And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

Bestregards.

Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

(949) 753-7900

Monday, August 3, 2009

Make your website greener!



Pretend that you and some colleagues were wondering who threw the winning pitch in the 1990 World Series. Who would you ask? These days, you would probably say, “Let’s Google it.”

Ladies and gentleman, I have an even better search engine for you….

Next time, “Blackle” it. A Blackle search is a small step we can take to save energy in our everyday lives. Blackle searches are powered by Google Custom Search so you will be getting relatively the same results.

Blackle saves energy because the screen is predominantly black. It requires more power for a computer to display a white or light screen than a dark or black one. So by searching though Blackle, you are essentially helping our environment. Small energy savings will eventually add up.

That being said, is your website “green”? Mine is! Try changing the backgrounds of your websites or blogs to a darker color and save wattage energy.

"Blackle.com - Saving energy one search at a time".

And thank you for making me Your First GREEN Real Estate Connection in Orange County

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

Best Regards,

Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

Would you sue your college for being unemployed?

I found this article at CNN.com, by Jason Kessler. Can you believe this?

"A recent college graduate is suing her alma mater for $72,000 - the full cost of her tuition and then some - because she cannot find a job.
Trina Thompson, 27, of the Bronx, graduated from New York's Monroe College in April with a bachelor of business administration degree in information technology.

On July 24 she filed suit against the college in Bronx Supreme Court, alleging that Monroe's "Office of Career Advancement did not help me with a full-time job placement. I am also suing them because of the stress I have been going through."
In her complaint, Thompson says she seeks $70,000 in reimbursement for her tuition, and $2,000 to compensate for the stress of her three-month job search.

The college responded that it offers job-search support to all its students."

I wonder if this will give other jobless, college grads similar ideas. Isn't the purpose of college to teach you skills and give you an upper hand at getting a job, not actually guarantee you one? I have a feeling Trina won't get too far with this.

And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

Bestregards.
Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

(949) 753-7900

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Home of the Red, White, and Brew?

The media continues to talk about President Obama's "Beer Summit" and I was curious of your opinions on the meeting...



Source: www.nytimes.com

Was it a staged media opportunity? Or do you think that it taught a lesson about racism?

With now less focus on the issue at hand and more on the beer of choice, I think the beer industry is going to be the one to come out ahead here. If only they had chosen American made brews.

Share your thoughts and thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com

Bestregards.

Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GREEN GRI

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

(949) 753-7900
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