The Worker, Home Ownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009 Extension
Thankfully The Worker, Home Ownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009 has been extended and has even expanded available tax credits for home buyers.
The tax credit was scheduled to expire on 1 Dec 2009 but is now extended until 30 Apr 2010. Good deal. In addition, if you're toiling through a long short sale process (like I've been) don't sweat it! . If a signed contract is entered into before 30 Apr 2010 you'll still be eligible for the credit if you close on the house by 30 June 2010.
There's much more jammed into the new Worker, Home Ownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009 but I won't bore you will all the minute details. If you're in the market for a new home or even thinking about , purchasing your first home I encourage you to visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-worker-homeownership-and-business-assistance-act-2009
Now is the perfect time to get yourself into a new home. Get to it!
-- Weather When Posted --
- Temperature: 77°F;
- Humidity: 64%;
- Heat Index: 79°F;
- Wind Chill: 77°F;
- Pressure: 30.01 in.;
They Stole My Precious 2009 Yamaha YZF R6
I walked out to my parking stall yesterday morning and low and behold….someone stole my beautiful 2009 Yamaha YZF R6. First thing I said was, "Bummer." Then I did the whole looking around the parking lot bit as if just maybe it was moved somewhere else. Hahaha, you know what I'm talking about.
I love this island but bikes tend to "disappear" quite a bit here on Oahu. In fact, Oahu has ranked as the top area for stolen motorcycle claims in the country for the last 3 years. Super duper, that's an awesome record to hold!
Anyhow, luckily for me I took out quite a bit of gap insurance from Safe-Guard Products International and Total Loss Protection when I bought the bike from South Seas. I must have haggled with the sales rep for 45 minutes on why it was in my best interest to invest in all the additional gap insurance. Thankfully the sales rep was convincing and I paid…and now here it is a year later and I'm counting my blessings.
With the amount I'll receive back from the gap insurance and GEICO I'll have roughly $16k to purchase a new bike. So, today I ordered a Matte Black 2010 Ducati 848 from South Seas.
The Ducati 848 is beautiful and delivers 134 bhp, which is roughly 34 bhp more than my previous Yamaha YZF R6. I cannot wait to get my hands on this bike but unfortunately it will not be released until February-March of 2010. So until then I'll have to suffer from severe withdrawal. And for this bike I'm investing in LoJack for Motorcycles and a Scorpio Alarm System.
-- Weather When Posted --
- Temperature: 81°F;
- Humidity: 58%;
- Heat Index: 83°F;
- Wind Chill: 81°F;
- Pressure: 29.96 in.;
CIT Group (CITGQ) Stock Anyone?
CIT Group like so many other lenders made some seriously bad decisions and got caught up in the subprime mortgage debacle that came to a head towards the end of last year. Although the centennial bank holding company received 2.3 billion from the government under the Troubled Asset Relief Program last year the government did not award CIT a separate program that would allow it to issue debt at low interest rates.
On November 1, 2009 CIT Group Inc. (CITGQ.PK) shares plunged 65% to .25 cents after the lender filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy
According to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal about 700 companies have a total of $3.9 billion in undrawn revolvers from CIT. Many are small businesses that obtained revolving facilities of about $10 million to $50 million in size. CIT is the sole or main lender to two-thirds of these companies, and a failure of the lender would leave many without access to funds. With this in mind the the prepackaged plan of reorganization scheduled for December 8, 2009 could very well fall in favor for the bank holding behemoth.
At just .$018 as of November 6, I'll take a significant risk and order 9,600 shares upon market opening this Monday. At worst I'm only out $1700 but there is the potential for a nice return over the next six months.
About CIT Group (CITGQ):
CIT is a bank holding company with more than $60 billion in finance and leasing assets that provides financial products and advisory services to small and middle market businesses. Operating in more than 50 countries across 30 industries, CIT provides an unparalleled combination of relationship, intellectual and financial capital to its customers worldwide. CIT maintains leadership positions in small business and middle market lending, retail finance, aerospace, equipment and rail leasing, and vendor finance. Founded in 1908 and headquartered in New York City, CIT is a member of the Fortune 500. www.cit.com
-- Weather When Posted --
- Temperature: 78°F;
- Humidity: 71%;
- Heat Index: 80°F;
- Wind Chill: 78°F;
- Pressure: 30 in.;
2009 Yamaha YZF R6 Modifications – K&N Air Filter and Miracle Mod
Always looking to squeeze even more inexpensive low end grunt and acceleration out of my 2009 Yamaha R6 I decided to upgrade my stock air filter to a K&N Air Filter. I ordered it directly from K&N for 69.00 +S.H. Not a bad price for some easy horsepower.
- 2009 Yamaha YZF R6 K&N Aif Filter
On it's own the K&N Air Filter provides a noticeable increase in horsepower and acceleration while providing exceptional filtration…and then I came across this….
THIS MIRACLE MOD cold air intake is AWESOME!!! As quoted by Performance and Perfection Miracle Mod will:
- Increase your bike’s performance by 4 to 7 horsepower and 2 to 4 ft/lb of torque
- Lower air intake temperatures up to 50°F
- Horsepower is instant from 2000 – 15000+ rpm (more power at all times)
- Your bike will run at cooler temperatures and cool down faster.
- This modification feels stronger than a full exhaust system or gear change.
All this for the paltry price of 149.00! This was an absolute no brainer modification for my 2009 R6. Getting the airbox out proved to be a bit of a hassle on my 2009 R6 so I took it in to the shop and they had it out in minutes flat.. It took roughly 4 days via 2-day air mail to get my brand spanking new air filter fitted with my custom Miracle Mod back from Performance and Perfection. From purchase to returned product Performance and Perfection provided a professional and expedient service. Thanks a lot Brian!
Here's some pictures of what my Miracle Modded air box looks like from Performance and Perfection:
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- 2009 Yamaha YZF R6 K&N Aif Filter
Putting the Miracle Modded filter back in the bike was performed by my dealer again and only took a few minutes to install with a little tug and pull here and there. Other bikes are probably a little easier but I had some fuel lines to contend with. As for performance….WOW! What a noticeable difference the new K&N Air Filter with Miracle Mod makes. It literally feels like riding a completely different sportbike. Low end power all the way up through 5th gear is amazing!
I can't recommend this easy upgrade enough for whatever sportbike you're riding.
Miracle Mod works.
Next on the list is a Akrapovic Full Exhaust with a Power Commander V. That's going to cost a little coin so I think I'll let Google Adsense pay for that! More to come on that project.
-- Weather When Posted --
- Temperature: 80°F;
- Humidity: 61%;
- Heat Index: 82°F;
- Wind Chill: 80°F;
- Pressure: 29.97 in.;
God Bless Israel
I recently launched a new website www.GodBlessIsrael.com to show solidarity with our Jewish brothesr and sisters in Christ. In a world where many of Israel’s neighbors oppose their very existence I feel it’s important as Christians to show our support for them. After all, we as Gentiles share in God’s covenant with Abraham as revealed in Romans 4:16-17:
"The promise is according to grace in order to be guaranteed to all Abraham’s descendants, not only to [the Jews] but also to [Gentiles] who share the faith of Abraham, who is father of us all, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations."
If you feel compelled please visit http://www.GodBlessIsrael.com, Register on the blog and leave a blessing for God’s chosen people and the nation of Israel. As the Lord tells us in Gen. 12:2-3:
"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Thank you and God bless you.
-- Weather When Posted --
- Temperature: 81°F;
- Humidity: 64%;
- Heat Index: 84°F;
- Wind Chill: 81°F;
- Pressure: 29.84 in.;