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— Today’s entry in the Tribune Co.-Chandler family circus: the unmasking of the accounting genius who engineered the sale of the Times Mirror Co. to Tribune Co., former Times Mirror CFO, Thomas Unterman. A financial wizard with a kind of shaman-like reputation on Wall Street, Unterman remains close to the Chandlers and... |
Julia Cameron’s journey to guru-dom began, perhaps predictably, in Los Angeles in the 1970s after a failed celebrity marriage and a scotch-and-cocaine binge had brought her to rock bottom. Back then, she was best known as the lush whom Martin Scorsese left for Liza Minnelli, the hotshot writer who swore like a sailor a... |
Back then, no one knew of Cameron’s own struggles, the nervous breakdowns that got progressively worse and the traumatic episodes so severe she found herself talking to trees in a London park and darting naked down her driveway in Taos, N.M. |
Though we should point out that we don’t see the streaking as a sign of dementia. It would throw too much of our own behavior into question. |
— Don’t miss Elizabeth Snead’s breathless coverage of the Superman Returns premiere Wednesday night, which includes the intro, “Spirits were sky high. . .,” describes how guests “snarfed down-home vittles,” and reveals the shocking news that new Man of Steel portrayer Brandon Routh brought his “real-life mom” to the ev... |
U.S. swimmer Allison Schmitt: “People didn't know anything (about swimming before Michael Phelps)." |
The U.S. swimming team has just one practice left before it leaves for the Rio Olympics. |
Women's coach David Marsh likes what he's seen at the 12-day Atlanta training camp. |
The team's most prominent co-captain, Michael Phelps of Baltimore, was the big draw Saturday for the near-capacity crowd at the Georgia Tech aquatic center. |
Phelps has said he will retire after his fifth Olympics, and fans started lining up at 5 a.m., over six hours before the team walked onto the deck. |
Phelps occasionally waved and smiled during the nearly three-hour workout, but mostly kept to himself. Despite doing no interviews with reporters, his influence was felt everywhere. |
Two of the North Baltimore Aquatic Club’s best swimmers of the past, Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt, will make an impression on this year’s Olympic teams as two of the six captains, USA Swimming announced Tuesday. |
The most decorated athlete in the history of the games, Phelps will try to add to his 18 golds and 22 overall medals before he retires for the second time. He won the 100-meter butterfly, the 200 fly and the 200 individual medley at the U.S. Olympic trials r this month in Nebraska. |
His personal coach, U.S. men's coach Bob Bowman, said Phelps looks as strong as ever. |
Bowman declined to say if the 31-year-old will compete in a relay event. |
First-time Olympian Chase Kalisz, another NBAC alum and Bel Air native, has known Phelps for several years and says it's easy to see why television insisted on starting the finals, which begin next Saturday, so late each night. |
Phelps means big ratings for NBC. |
The team has already adapted to a new sleep schedule, getting in the pool each night at Georgia Tech at 10 p.m. That's what time the semifinals will begin in Rio. Some finals could end after midnight. |
Swimmers have grown accustomed to the uncustomary hours over the last few weeks. |
The standoff between the US and Iran continues as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Friday that the West will not deprive Iran of nuclear technology. The United States had recently offered to open a dialogue with Iran if they agree to suspend certain nuclear-related activities. |
According to the news agency, Iran Focus, Iran has hinted that it has enriched uranium to nearly 20 percent. Iran Focus reports that Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said it was incorrect to place a 3.5, 5, or 10 percent cap on Iran’s level of uranium enrichment. “Fuel for lightwa... |
Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, had offered to join multilateral talks with Iran on its nuclear program. The Voice of America reported that Rice said "The United States is willing to exert strong leadership to give diplomacy its very best chance to succeed. Thus, to underscore our commitment to a diplomatic solut... |
Russia and China can opt out but will not block U.N. sanctions that may be imposed on Iran if it refuses to suspend its nuclear enrichment program, Reuters reports. A diplomat from the European Union said that the six world powers had agreed on a "catalogue of sanctions" that could be used if Tehran remains defiant. "T... |
Interestingly, the deal that Russia and China once opposed is now supported by the two countries. They both have strong trade ties with Iran. The anonymous diplomat said the measure could be similar to a confidential EU paper obtained by Reuters last month. They include political measures like visa bans on Iranian offi... |
Anti-1080 protesters locked Auckland Council staff members in the Hunua Ranges Regional Park last night. |
The council dropped 1080 in the ranges earlier today after an interim junction stopping the drop lapsed on Friday evening. |
Auckland Council parks, sports and recreation manager, Mace Ward, said they were trapped in the park for more than an hour. |
"We were able to remove those chains and exit the park safely and secure the park overnight. What also happened overnight we had graffiti on signage and some of our toilets and facilities." |
Mr Ward said following today's drop, staff would now clear tracks and test water quality in the ranges. |
The council was given the go ahead to drop the poison after the interim injunction lapsed on Friday evening. |
The Friends of Sherwood Trust won a temporary injunction in the Environment Court halting the major pest control programme two weeks ago. |
However, on Friday the court refused the Trust's bid to further halt the drop. |
Mr Ward said the first block of the operation, which covers 16,000 hectares, was set to be completed today. |
The pre-feed drop, which was completed before the drop was temporarily suspended, did not need to be repeated, Mr Ward said. |
Following today's drop, staff will then work to clear tracks and test water quality in the ranges, he said. |
On Friday, council staff phoned more than 100 households near the drop site to give them the required notice. |
The action follows a recent spike in anti-1080 protests including one last week when dead birds were placed on the steps of Parliament, with activists claiming they were poisoned by the toxin. |
However, after police were called in to investigate if the birds had in fact been bludgeoned, one of the protesters admitted some were actually road kill. |
But a community board member said many residents in the Hunua Ranges did not oppose 1080 being dropped in the area. |
Franklin Local Board member Malcolm Bell said no one wants to drop the toxin, but it needs to be done. |
"We're in the situation where if we don't then wildlife, particularly the birds, are likely to be reduced drastically in numbers to the point actually where we probably won't have any native birds in the Hunua Ranges if we don't take action," he said. |
There is a small minority of individuals in the area who oppose the drop, Mr Bell said. |
A conservation group has failed in its legal bid to stop a 1080 drop in the Hunua Ranges near Auckland. |
Two Northland men challenging DOC's right to drop 1080 on Russell State Forest say it needs to show it has consent from Māori and the community. |
BANGOR, MAINE (WABI) - Ricky Smith is having a pretty good start to his college track career at Husson. |
The freshman helped the 4 x 400 relay have a solid finish at a meet in Florida. |
Husson has its practice at UMaine and that works better than his workouts last year at Belfast high school in the hallway. |
My research lies at the intersections of the environmental humanities, political ecology, and science and technology studies. I am currently revising a book manuscript, titled “Turning Trash into Treasure: Shadow Economies and Toxic Ecologies in Kunming, China.” The book ethnographically examines tensions between state... |
Robert Bruss is recovering from an extended illness. The following column appeared July 2, 2006. |
Q: About two years ago, I set up a revocable living trust and placed my checking, savings and stock brokerage accounts in it. But I recently realized the title to my condominium is not in my living trust. What must I do to place my condo into my living trust to avoid probate when I pass on? |
A: You are not alone. Millions of homeowners create their revocable living trusts to avoid probate costs and delays for their heirs but they forget to fund it with title to their homes. |
This is especially important if you own real estate in more than one state; otherwise probate will be required in each state where your properties are located. |
The easiest way to transfer title to your condo into your living trust is to sign a notarized quitclaim deed in recordable form from yourself to yourself as trustee of your living trust. Then record it with the local recorder of deeds. |
To be recordable, the quitclaim deed must usually include the legal description of your property, the local parcel number and your notarized signature. The easiest place to find your condo legal description and parcel number is on your owner's title insurance policy. |
Q: We plan to sell our home, which has worn and stained carpet. Professional cleaning won't remove the stains. A friend suggests we just clean the carpet as best we can and offer a credit to the buyers so they can select their own carpet color. But I worry that is not putting the best face on our house and the carpet m... |
A: You are correct. Replace that worn, stained carpet. Always get a house or condo into its best possible condition before offering it on the market for sale. Painting, cleaning and repairing are the most profitable. |
Discounts don't work. But don't go overboard with major renovations. Spending a few hundred, or even a few thousand, dollars on new carpet will pay off. |
Most home buyers have zero imagination about how nice your home will look with new carpet. Avoid what I call "cheap-spec-house dark brown" or any other color except light beige. |
You don't have to buy top-of-the-line carpet, but don't install the cheapest carpet either. Most important, be sure to install a good-quality, new rebond pad, which makes the new carpet comfortable to walk on. |
Q: I own a condominium that suffered water damage about six months ago from the upstairs condo when a pipe in the wall leaked. The condominium homeowners association paid for extensive repairs to my bathroom. Do I have to disclose this to my buyer? |
A: No. Unless the damage was not completely repaired, or there is evidence of the need for additional repairs, you don't have to disclose what happened in the past. If homeowners were required to disclose all past repairs, the list for most homes would be a mile long. |
All you must disclose are current defects and problems that have a material effect on the market value or desirability of your home. |
Q: I am in the process of buying a house. The seller accepted my purchase offer but the sale won't close for 60 days because the seller needs extra time to move. However, that's good for me so I can shop for the best mortgage. |
The first lender, the bank where I have done business at least 10 years, was very arrogant. They insisted on a $250 appraisal fee, which I paid. The appraisal came in at exactly the sales price. When I questioned the loan officer, he said appraisers are instructed never to estimate a market value higher than the sales ... |
A: Congratulations on being a savvy mortgage shopper. As you have discovered, mortgage lenders hire the appraisers, not the borrower. A second mortgage lender will rarely accept an appraisal ordered by the first mortgage lender because of nonsense professional appraisal rules. |
The result is you, the borrower, get stuck paying a second appraisal fee. However, if you found a much better mortgage, paying a $300 second appraisal fee is not a big deal. |
Q: We are in the process of selling our home. Now I see why you suggest interviewing at least three successful local agents before listing with the best one. So far, we interviewed three agents and they each provided us with comparative market analysis forms, as you said they would. However, they used mostly different ... |
We have a run-of-the-mill house with nothing unique but in a very desirable neighborhood. The agents set the market value of our home at $475,500, $560,000 and $625,000. These are all experienced, longtime local agents. How can they set the market value of our home so far apart? |
A: That is amazing. But you should be aware the agent doesn't set the market value for your home -- the local market does. |
Something is seriously wrong with those market analyses, especially if they didn't use the same recent sales prices of similar nearby homes in your vicinity. |
You should be aware it is possible one of those agents tried to "buy" your listing by estimating a high market value and another estimated a low market value, hoping to make a quick, easy sale. I suggest you keep interviewing more agents before selecting the best agent to receive your 90-day listing. |
Q: My house, which I now want to sell, was rented to tenants between 2000 and 2004. I moved back 26 months ago. Can I still do a Starker tax-deferred exchange? If not, would there be any benefit to carry back the mortgage for my buyer? I am single, if that makes a difference. |
A: Sorry, you don't qualify for an Internal Revenue Code 1031 tax-deferred exchange. The reason is the property is your personal residence, not a rental or business property. |
To make the property eligible for a tax-deferred exchange, you must move out and rent the property to a tenant. |
However, because your property is currently eligible for an Internal Revenue Code 121 principal residence sale tax exemption up to $250,000 for a single homeowner, that might be your best choice. |
If you carry back the mortgage for your buyer, that is called an installment sale. It will spread out your profit tax over the life of the mortgage payments you receive. |
The capital gain portion of each payment you receive will be taxed at the current federal 15 percent tax rate, plus applicable state tax. Of course, the interest income you receive is taxable as ordinary income. For full details, please consult your tax adviser. |
Q: I saw in a recent item you said it was bad to inherit real estate because of the reduced cost basis. Are you saying inheritance is a bad thing? Please explain why you said stepped-up basis is better. |
A: You misunderstood. I often say it is better to inherit real estate than to receive it as a gift before death. The reason is when you inherit real estate from a deceased owner, you receive it with a new stepped-up basis of market value on the date of the decedent's death. |
If you receive a pre-death gift, you take over the donor's usually much lower basis than the current market value. |
For example, suppose your mother's basis for her house is $50,000. It is worth $300,000 today. If she gives you a gift deed, your adjusted cost basis will be $50,000, the same as her basis. |
However, if you instead inherit that same house after she passes on, your adjusted cost basis is the date of death market value at $300,000 in this example. Obviously, stepped-up basis is much better because when you eventually sell that property, your capital gain tax is payable only on the increased sales price above... |
Seller is motivated and will entertain all offers! This is a wonderful lot located around the corner from the lake access. Mature, Gated Community with 116 lots in total. Water, utilities, signage, and gate are all in place. Community offers recreational area and easy lake access. Almost 1 acre that sits elevated and r... |
Spec and personal residences are in progress. Those that are completed have full time residents so please do not disturb. |
Call listing agent and ask for Gate Code to tour this property today! |
Does Anybody Care About Tablet Stats That Don't Include The Kindle Fire? |
Let’s find out! Research firm IDC released its Q3 2011 report on media tablet shipments today. You’ll recall that the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet were not released until Q4 2011, making the firm’s report today somewhat less juicy but containing some interesting tidbits nonetheless. The company estimates that Android ta... |
» IDC moved Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color into its media tablet category, rather than classifying it as an e-reader. The company estimates B&N shipped 805,458 Nook Colors in Q3. |
» IDC estimates that e-ink e-reader shipments have increased by 165.9 percent year-on-year, with 6.5 million units shipped in Q3. Amazon’s launch of the $79 Kindle and $99 Kindle Touch with Special offers “drops these products well into the range of impulse and gift buys for many.” The United States still makes up 80 p... |
» IDC estimates that Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) shipped 11.1 million iPads in Q3, up from 9.3 million units in Q2. |
» Overall, the company estimates that media tablet shipments rose 23.9 percent in Q3, over the previous quarter, to 18.1 million units–an increase of 264.5 percent year on year. The company projects worldwide shipments of 63.3 million units for all of 2011. |
Officials are now investigating 252 cases of possible acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), including 90 confirmed cases in 27 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
The number of cases under investigation by the CDC is up 33 from last week, and the number of confirmed cases rose by 10, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters Tuesday. |
Acute flaccid myelitis is a condition that has polio-like symptoms such as partial paralysis. The virus mostly affects children and young adults. The CDC said they do not know why the condition is impacting these individuals, but many believe it is caused by viruses. The CDC emphasized it remains a rare condition and s... |
An infographic distributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on "How to Spot Symptoms of Acute Flaccid Myelitis in Your Child." |
The typical symptoms of AFM are similar to those of a severe respiratory illness, along with a fever, but then progress into neurological symptoms. Some patients with AFM feel weakness in their arms or legs, a loss of muscle tone or slower reflexes. |
Some patients may also exhibit facial droop or weakness, difficulty moving their eyes and drooping eyelids or difficulty with swallowing or slurred speech. The most severe symptom is respiratory failure. |
Messonnier said the CDC doesn't yet have enough information to definitively say what causes AFM and are casting a wide net for information. Part of that is studying the long-term health of AFM patients. Scientists are also looking for a pathogen in AFM patients' spinal fluid, but haven't yet found a pathogen that's a c... |
The CDC said it sees an uptick in AFM cases every two years, and so far, the curve of the cases being investigated this year looks very similar to that of 2014 and 2016. |
Officials don't expect many more cases in 2018 compared to 2016 and 2014, Messonnier said. |
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