Terry Penrod, HER Realtors: Information for my clients, friends and family about real estate, politics, LGBT equality and sometimes just fun stuff.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Congresswoman Virginia Foxx Called Matthew Shepard Hate Crime "A Hoax"..guess which Party she belongs to?
http://mediamattersaction.org/items/200904290005
Rep. Virginia Foxx Called Matthew Shepard Hate Crime "A Hoax"
Published April 29, 2009 2:10 pm ET by Media Matters Action Network
Summary: On April 29, 2009, in a speech on the House floor, Rep. Virginia Foxx claimed that Matthew Shepard's death was merely the result of a robbery gone bad. While his killers Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson did rob him, they also admitted that they were well aware of his sexual orientation and pretended they were gay to lure him away from the bar he was in at the time. The most striking feature of the case, of course, is that during the course of a normal, simple robbery, the victim is not generally beaten, tied to a post, and left for dead.
Matthew Shepard's Death Was A Hate Crime, Not Simply A Robbery
Rep. Foxx: "The bill was named after a very unfortunate incident that happened, where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of robbery. It wasn't because he was gay. The bill was named for him, the hate crimes bill was named for him, but it's, it's really a hoax, that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills."[House Floor Speech, 4/29/09]
All the evidence clearly indicates that this was a vicious hate crime, not a robbery gone bad.
Shepard's Killers Lured Him "Out Of A Bar By Saying They Were Gay." According to the New York Times: "According to the local police and prosecutors, the two men lured Mr. Shepard out of a bar by saying they were gay. Then, the Laramie police say, the pair kidnapped Mr. Shepard, pistol-whipped him with a .357 Magnum, and left him tied to a ranch fence for 18 hours until a passing bicyclist spotted Mr. Shepard, who was unconscious." [New York Times, 10/12/98]
The "Robbery" Myth Was Debunked During The Trial Of Matthew Shepard's Killers. As reported by Slate a few weeks after the Shepard murder trial: "Speculation has persisted for the past year that Matthew Shepard, rather than being the victim of gay-bashing, might really have been nothing more than a hapless robbery victim who was exploited by gay activists to reap unwarranted sympathy and advance their own agenda to enact hate-crimes legislation. Statements made by one of the convicted killers, which were revealed for the first time Thursday, reveal these accounts to be false. [...] The most significant revelations emerged from the secret confession of Henderson, obtained just three days after his plea bargain. Henderson debunked the portrayal of Shepard that has gained currency the past few weeks. Had he testified in court as scheduled at McKinney's trial, he would have blown apart the watered-down 'gay panic' defense pursued to the end by McKinney's legal team." [Slate.com, 11/6/99, emphasis added]
Detective: "They Knew Damn Well He Was Gay." The Slate article went on to report: "According to detectives who interviewed both of the convicted murderers, there is no evidence that Shepard made any sexual advances to the pair -- and the detectives dismissed the idea that the murder was the mere result of a robbery gone bad. 'Far from that!' scoffed Sgt. Rob DeBree, the chief investigator in the case. 'They knew damn well he was gay ... It started out as a robbery and burglary, and I sincerely believe the other activity was because he was gay.'" [Slate.com, 11/6/99; emphasis added]
See how your Member of Congress Voted on Hate Crimes
FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 223
H R 1913 RECORDED VOTE 29-Apr-2009 4:55 PM
QUESTION: On Passage
BILL TITLE: Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act
| Ayes | Noes | PRES | NV |
Democratic | 231 | 17 | 8 | |
Republican | 18 | 158 | 2 | |
Independent | ||||
TOTALS | 249 | 175 | 10 |
Abercrombie
Ackerman Adler (NJ) Altmire Andrews Arcuri Baca Baird Baldwin Barrow Bean Becerra Berkley Berman Biggert Bishop (GA) Bishop (NY) Blumenauer Boccieri Bono Mack Boswell Boucher Boyd Brady (PA) Braley (IA) Brown, Corrine Cao Capps Capuano Cardoza Carnahan Carson (IN) Cassidy Castle Castor (FL) Chandler Clarke Clay Cleaver Clyburn Coffman (CO) Cohen Connolly (VA) Conyers Cooper Costa Costello Courtney Crowley Cuellar Cummings Dahlkemper Davis (CA) Davis (IL) DeFazio DeGette Delahunt DeLauro Dent Diaz-Balart, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Dicks Dingell Doggett Doyle Driehaus Edwards (MD) Edwards (TX) Ellison Engel Eshoo Etheridge Farr Fattah Filner Foster Frank (MA) Frelinghuysen Fudge Gerlach Giffords Gonzalez Grayson | Green, Al
Green, Gene Grijalva Gutierrez Hall (NY) Halvorson Hare Harman Hastings (FL) Heinrich Herseth Sandlin Higgins Hill Himes Hinchey Hinojosa Hirono Hodes Holden Holt Honda Hoyer Inslee Israel Jackson (IL) Jackson-Lee (TX) Johnson (GA) Johnson, E. B. Kagen Kanjorski Kaptur Kennedy Kildee Kilpatrick (MI) Kilroy Kind Kirk Kirkpatrick (AZ) Kissell Klein (FL) Kosmas Kratovil Kucinich Lance Langevin Larsen (WA) Larson (CT) Lee (CA) Levin Lewis (GA) Lipinski LoBiondo Loebsack Lofgren, Zoe Lowey Luján Lynch Maffei Maloney Markey (CO) Markey (MA) Marshall Massa Matheson Matsui McCarthy (NY) McCollum McDermott McGovern McMahon McNerney Meek (FL) Meeks (NY) Michaud Miller (NC) Minnick Mitchell Mollohan Moore (KS) Moore (WI) Moran (VA) Murphy (CT) Murphy (NY) | Murphy, Patrick
Nadler (NY) Napolitano Neal (MA) Nye Oberstar Obey Olver Ortiz Pallone Pascrell Pastor (AZ) Payne Pelosi Perlmutter Peters Pingree (ME) Platts Polis (CO) Pomeroy Price (NC) Quigley Rahall Rangel Reichert Reyes Richardson Rodriguez Ros-Lehtinen Rothman (NJ) Roybal-Allard Rush Ryan (OH) Salazar Sánchez, Linda T. Sanchez, Loretta Sarbanes Schakowsky Schauer Schiff Schrader Schwartz Scott (GA) Scott (VA) Serrano Sestak Shea-Porter Sherman Sires Skelton Slaughter Smith (WA) Snyder Space Speier Spratt Stupak Sutton Tauscher Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Tierney Titus Tonko Towns Tsongas Van Hollen Velázquez Visclosky Walden Walz Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Watt Waxman Weiner Welch Wexler Wilson (OH) Woolsey Wu Yarmuth |
Aderholt
Akin Alexander Austria Bachmann Bachus Barrett (SC) Bartlett Barton (TX) Bilbray Bilirakis Bishop (UT) Blackburn Blunt Boehner Bonner Boozman Boren Boustany Brady (TX) Bright Broun (GA) Brown (SC) Brown-Waite, Ginny Buchanan Burton (IN) Buyer Calvert Camp Campbell Cantor Capito Carney Carter Chaffetz Childers Coble Cole Conaway Crenshaw Culberson Davis (AL) Davis (KY) Davis (TN) Deal (GA) Donnelly (IN) Dreier Duncan Ehlers Ellsworth Emerson Fallin Flake Fleming Forbes Fortenberry Foxx Franks (AZ) Gallegly | Garrett (NJ)
Gingrey (GA) Gohmert Goodlatte Gordon (TN) Graves Griffith Guthrie Hall (TX) Harper Hastings (WA) Heller Hensarling Herger Hoekstra Hunter Inglis Issa Jenkins Johnson (IL) Johnson, Sam Jones Jordan (OH) King (IA) King (NY) Kingston Kline (MN) Lamborn Latham LaTourette Latta Lee (NY) Lewis (CA) Linder Lucas Luetkemeyer Lummis Lungren, Daniel E. Mack Manzullo Marchant McCarthy (CA) McCaul McClintock McCotter McHenry McHugh McIntyre McKeon McMorris Rodgers Melancon Mica Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Miller, Gary Moran (KS) Murphy, Tim Myrick Neugebauer | Nunes
Olson Paul Paulsen Pence Peterson Petri Pitts Poe (TX) Posey Price (GA) Putnam Radanovich Rehberg Roe (TN) Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Rohrabacher Rooney Roskam Ross Royce Ryan (WI) Scalise Schmidt Schock Sensenbrenner Sessions Shadegg Shimkus Shuler Shuster Simpson Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smith (TX) Souder Stearns Sullivan Tanner Taylor Terry Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiahrt Tiberi Turner Upton Wamp Westmoreland Whitfield Wilson (SC) Wittman Wolf Young (AK) Young (FL) |
Berry
Burgess Butterfield Granger | Miller, George
Murtha Perriello Ruppersberger | Stark
Teague |
Obama on hate crimes: “I urge the Senate to work with my Administration to finalize this bill and take swift action.”
clipped from www.hrcbackstory.org
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Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Nationally, Home Prices Fall, but Pace Stops Setting Records (from WSJ)--Buyers Start Looking NOW.
clipped from online.wsj.com
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Monday, April 27, 2009
CALL CONGRESS NOW: Supporters of bill to combat hate crimes urged to call Congress
We also know far right groups are flooding Congress with calls, emails and sickening "fact sheets" claiming that sexual orientation means criminal acts like bestiality and necrophilia, and that this bill protects those behaviors. Shame on them.
We need more calls to Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, and we need them right away. So we've organized a national call-in campaign with dozens of organizations across the country – I hope you'll do your part. She is an original co-sponsor and a huge supporter. She needs to hear from our side.
It takes about 45 seconds. So set yourself a reminder on your phone. Stick a note to your computer. Or stop reading this and do it right now. Whatever you do, make sure to CALL REP. Kilroy TODAY.
If you've never called Congress, let me assure you, it's easy. And even if you have already sent an e-mail or called, please make another call – this is our LAST CHANCE before the House votes tomorrow!
Before 5 p.m. ET, call Rep. Kilroy's office at (202) 225-2015.
Most likely, one of Rep. Kilroy's interns will answer and ask where you're calling from and why. You're calling to urge the Representative to vote for the Matthew Shepard Act (H.R. 1913). Most calls end right there. But if you like, you can add:
Hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are on the rise. One out of every six hate crimes is because of the victim's sexual orientation.
Hate crimes have more than one victim. They are intended to create an atmosphere of fear and terrorize entire communities.
The Matthew Shepard Act targets only violent acts – not speech. It does not tell any clergy member what he or she can or can't preach.
Mention that Rep. Kilroy's vote on this bill will affect your future support.
IMPORTANT: After you hang up, click here http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/hc_call_campaign to let us know that you made the call. Don't skip this step! It helps us track our progress.
It's been 10 years since Matthew Shepard was murdered for being gay. Judy Shepard has fought for 10 years for this bill, and HRC has been by her side. It's been 10 years, and this is our chance to get the bill signed into law.
Unlike the other side, we can't use lies to win. We only have the truth – and the voices to speak it. Please make your phone call right now.
Then, please pass this information on to your friends and family.
From HRC: http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2009/04/national-call-in-campaign-launched-for-hate-crimes-legislation/
With legislative action on the U.S. House version of federal hate crimes bill likely to continue this week, today HRC announced a national campaign for supporters to call their congressional representatives April 27-29 to urge quick passage of the legislation, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (H.R. 1913).
“We’ve received word that the House will vote on the Matthew Shepard Act very soon and we know that right-wing groups are flooding Congress with calls, emails and sickening ‘fact sheets’ full of lies about the lives of LGBT Americans,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “We need more calls to Members of Congress, and we need them right away. It has been ten long years and tens of thousands more victims since the Matthew Shepard Act was first introduced in Congress. We are poised for a presidential signature this year but lies from the radical right could easily derail our efforts. We must not allow them to continue to demagogue and distort the truth.”
From April 27-29, supporters are urged to call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and tell their Member’s office:
* Hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are on the rise. One out of every six hate crimes is because of the victim’s sexual orientation.
* Hate crimes have more than one victim. They are intended to create an atmosphere of fear and terrorize entire communities.
* The Matthew Shepard Act targets only violent acts – not speech. It does not tell any clergy member what he or she can or can’t preach.
Because there is no federal law mandating states and municipalities to report hate crimes, they are often underreported. However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s own statistics, based on voluntary reporting, show that since 1991 over 100,000 hate crime offenses have been reported to the FBI, with 7,624 reported in 2007, the FBI’s most recent reporting period. Violent crimes based on sexual orientation constituted 16.6 percent of all hate crimes in 2007, with 1,265 reported for the year. In addition, while not captured in the federal statistics, transgender Americans too often live in fear of violence.
The LLEHCPA gives the Justice Department the power to investigate and prosecute bias motivated violence where the perpetrator has selected the victim because of the person’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It provides the Justice Department with the ability to aid state and local jurisdictions either by lending assistance or, where local authorities are unwilling or unable, by taking the lead in investigations and prosecutions of violent crime resulting in death or serious bodily injury that were motivated by bias. It also makes grants available to state and local communities to combat violent crimes committed by juveniles, train law enforcement officers, or to assist in state and local investigations and prosecutions of bias motivated crimes.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Free Chicken Tomorrow (Monday) at KFC.
I may drive by to just look at the lines
clipped from www.nydailynews.com
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Our freshman Congresswoman, Mary Jo Kilroy writes legislation and makes an impact in Congress!
From the Columbus Dispatch:
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/national_world/stories/2009/04/26/dc_dispatches_0426_ART_04-26-09_A6_GMDLQCI.html?adsec=politics&sid=101Kilroy attends bill signing for Serve America Act
Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, who did two stints as an VISTA volunteer in Ohio, was on hand last week at a Washington charter school when President Barack Obama signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.
Kilroy, a Columbus Democrat, wrote an amendment that expands the scope of Americorps VISTA -- a federal program founded in 1965 as Volunteers in Service to America -- to allow members to serve homebound senior citizens and participate in childhood obesity nutrition programs. The law's namesake is the veteran Democratic senator from Massachusetts.
Kilroy served as a VISTA volunteer during the 1970s in Dayton and Cleveland, working on housing, poverty and after-school education issues, said Paul Tencher, her spokesman.
This is the freshman lawmaker's second bill signing. The first was at the White House, when Obama signed the State Children's Health Insurance Program overhaul.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
First look at Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace Menu Opening May 2009 in downtown Columbus, Ohio
hot dog served on a steamed poppyseed bun Tofurkey® Veggie dog, jumbo dog, Polish sausage, or Kielbasa can be substituted for $X
Chicago
Run through the garden. Fresh tomatoes, diced onions,
Vienna® Sport Peppers, pickle relish, dill pickle, yellow mustard,
& a dash of celery salt
Ohioana
Topped with spicy corn relish (sweet corn, pickle relish
& jalapeno blend) & a dash of celery salt
Chili Dog
Coney sauce, fresh onions, yellow mustard,
& shredded sharp cheddar
Beano
Our veggie coney! Vegetarian refried beans, diced tomatoes,
diced onions, yellow mustard, & a sprinkle of sharp cheddar
Razzle Dazzle
Cream cheese, grilled peppers & onions
True Love Always
Cream cheese & green olives
Sriracha Slaw Dog
Sriracha slaw, mustard & onions
Saurkraut Dog
Grilled saurkraut, brown mustard & onions
Timmow
Mild green chiles & sharp cheddar
Zippity Zam
Sriracha cheam cheese & roasted red peppers
Seoul Dog
Topped with Kim Chee
Whoah Nellie!
Topped with pulled beef brisket & a drizzle of BBQ sauce
The Nikola
Tzatziki sauce & zesty Greek relish
Hot BaliWood
Spicy hot Indian mango pickles
Sides
Double Fried Fries
Sriracha Slaw
Onion Rings
Fried Leeks
Mac & Cheese
with Vienna® Sport Peppers
Split Pea
The Sample Menu is here:
http://www.dirtyfrankshotdogs.com/menu/dfmenutemp.pdf
ACLU Demands Tennessee Schools Stop Censoring Gay Educational Websites
Filtering Software Still Allows So-Called “Ex-Gay” Sites
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org
NASHVILLE, TN - As many as 107 Tennessee public school districts could be illegally preventing students from accessing online information about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, according to a letter to sent to school officials by the American Civil Liberties Union. The letter demands that Knox County Schools, Metro Nashville Public Schools, and the Tennessee Schools Cooperative unblock the Internet filtering category designated “LGBT” so that students can access political and educational information about LGBT issues on school computers.
“When I found out about this web filtering software, I wasn’t looking for anything sexual or inappropriate – I was looking for information about scholarships for LGBT students, and I couldn’t get to it because of this software,” said Andrew Emitt, a 17-year-old senior at Central High School in Knoxville. “Our schools shouldn’t be keeping students in the dark about LGBT organizations and resources.”
In its letter, the ACLU gives the districts and the Tennessee Schools Cooperative until April 29 to come up with a plan to restore access to the LGBT sites or any other category that blocks non-sexual websites advocating the fair treatment of LGBT people by the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year. If that deadline is not met, the ACLU will file a lawsuit.
“Students at Knox County and Metro Nashville schools are being denied access to content that is protected speech under the First Amendment as well as the Tennessee state constitution,” said Tricia Herzfeld, Staff Attorney with the ACLU of Tennessee. “This kind of censorship does nothing but hurt students, whether they’re being harassed at school and want to know about their legal rights or are just trying to finish an assignment for a class.”
The Internet filtering software used by Knox County and Metro Nashville school districts blocks student access to the websites of many well-known national LGBT organizations, including:
- Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
- The Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
- Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
- Marriage Equality USA
- Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry
- The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
- Dignity USA (an organization for LGBT Catholics)
In its demand letter, the ACLU notes that websites that urge LGBT persons to change their sexual orientation or gender identity through so-called “reparative therapy” or “ex-gay” ministries – a practice denounced as dangerous and harmful to young people by such groups as the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics – can still be easily accessed by students.
“One of the problems with this software is that it only allows students access to one side of information about topics that are part of the public debate right now, like marriage for same-sex couples,” said Karyn Storts-Brinks, a librarian at Fulton High School in Knoxville, pointing out that the software blocks access to organizations that support marriage for same-sex couples like the Religious Coalition for Freedom to Marry or the Interfaith Working Group while allowing access to organizations that oppose marriage equality. “Students who need to do research for assignments on current events can only get one viewpoint, keeping them from being able to cover both sides of the issue. That’s not fair and can hinder their schoolwork.”
“Public schools are supposed to be a place where students learn from the open exchange of ideas,” said Eric Austin, a senior at Hume-Fogg High School in Nashville, which also uses the filtering software. “How are we supposed to be informed citizens and learn how to have respectful debate when our schools rule out an entire category of information for no good reason?”
No federal or state law requires school districts to block access to LGBT sites. Tennessee law, Tenn. Code § 49-1-221, only requires schools to implement filtering software to restrict information that is obscene or harmful to minors. About 80 percent of Tennessee public schools, including those in the Knox County and Metro Nashville districts, use filtering software provided by Education Networks of America (ENA), and the software’s default setting blocks sites ENA categorizes as LGBT. The ACLU believes that most of the 107 Tennessee school districts that use ENA’s filtering software keep the LGBT category blocked. ENA blocks access to a wide category of “LGBT” sites described on the organization’s website as
Sites that provide information regarding, support, promote, or cater to one's sexual orientation or gender identity including but not limited to lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender sites. This category does not include sites that are sexually gratuitous in nature which would typically fall under the Pornography category. Examples: glsen.org, gsanetwork.org, hrc.org
“When public schools only allow access to one side of an issue by blocking certain websites, they’re engaging in illegal viewpoint discrimination,” said Hedy Weinberg, Executive Director of the ACLU of Tennessee. “Over a hundred other school districts in Tennessee use the same filtering software used in Metro Nashville and Knox County, and we’re eager to find out whether any of those systems are also violating students’ Constitutional rights by restricting access to LGBT sites.”
Tennessee students, teachers, or school librarians whose schools use the ENA web filtering software and find that their access to LGBT websites is restricted are encouraged to contact the ACLU of Tennessee by phone at 615-320-7142 or by email at aclutn@aclu-tn.org.
Austin, Emitt, and Storts-Brinks are represented by Herzfeld, Chris Hansen and Catherine Crump of the ACLU First Amendment Working Group, and Christine Sun of the ACLU LGBT Project.
A copy of the ACLU’s demand letter is available at http://www.aclu.org/lgbt/youth/39346res20090413.html.Friday, April 24, 2009
Hate crimes bill clears hurdle. House committee passes bill despite GOP efforts
clipped from washblade.com
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Go Here:
http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/hate_crimes_video
Two stories about the Central Ohio Real Estate Market....Two different conclusions!! You decide.
From the Columbus Board of Realtors
http://www.columbusrealtors.com/16595.cfm
March home sales increase as first-time buyers leave the fence
(April 23, 2009) Home sales continued to increase in March, marking the highest number sold in a single month since October, and a sign that first-time buyers are starting to come off the fence, the Columbus Board of REALTORS® said today.
"It has been my impression that the first-time homebuyer is fueling the market now which should funnel up to the second and third generation buyer in the short-term future," said Gary Parsons, president of the Columbus Board of REALTORS®.
"It appears historically-low interest rates; realistic sellers and the $8,000 tax credit are positively impacting our market."
There were 1,360 homes sold in March, a 21.1 percent increase over February sales, but still down compared to March 2008.
"Although sales are increasing, they are down compared to last March, indicating some buyers and sellers are still cautious to enter the market at this point.
The housing market is influenced by consumer confidence, which is still lacking somewhat," added Parsons. "If people are serious about buying, and they're waiting for the market to bottom out, they may end up waiting too long and missing a great opportunity."
Although affordability is still at record levels, the average sales price increased in March to $143,287.
That's the highest average sales price this year, but still down 7.6 percent compared to last March.
"Prices are still favorable, especially with the $8,000 tax credit for first-time buyers, but as more inventory is absorbed, prices will continue to rebound," Parsons said.
From Business First
Realtors: Region’s March home sales down 19%
http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/04/20/daily33.html?s=du&ana=e_du_pub&ed=2009-04-23
Lower consumer confidence continued to make its mark on Central Ohio’s real estate scene last month, which saw a 19 percent decline in existing single-family home sales, the Columbus Board of Realtors reported Thursday.
The board said 1,360 single-family homes and condominiums were sold last month, down from 1,680 a year ago. Homes in contract, a sign of future sales activity, dropped 31 percent to 1,318 homes.
The average sale price of a home in Central Ohio dropped 8 percent last month to $143,287, compared with $155,141 a year ago.
Board President Gary Parsons said record-low mortgage rates and a first-time homebuyer tax credit are fueling month-to-month gains in home sales, but attributed the lag from last year’s pace to consumer caution.
“The housing market is influenced by consumer confidence, which is still lacking somewhat,” Parsons said in a release.
Sales in the first quarter fell 23 percent to 3,442 homes and condominiums from 4,477 in the first three months of 2008. The average sale price was down 10 percent from last year at $138,500.
New listings for the market were down 13 percent in the first quarter, putting the total of homes on the market down 14.5 percent from a year ago at 14,279 units.
Board of Realtors statistics include market information from most of the seven-county region along with parts of nine nearby counties.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
More $25 Columbus Dine Originals Gift Certificates for $17.50 available NOW!
The email said tomorrow......which now means today
clipped from www.columbusunderground.com
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U.S. House Judiciary Committee markup of hate crimes bill to resume on Thursday
clipped from www.hrcbackstory.org
Read HRC’s play-by-play updates on the hate crimes markup on Twitter here. Enter #FightHateNow at search.twitter.com for continued coverage of the hate crimes bill. |
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Rosendales to Unveil “Rosendales Modern Bistro” Focusing on New Custom Dining Concept
Press Release:
Celebrated Chef Richard Rosendale to Re-Create Rosendales and to Unveil “Rosendales Modern Bistro” Focusing on New Custom Dining Concept
Since its opening, Rosendales in the Short North has established itself as a rule-breaking, innovative restaurant. The Owner/Chef Richard Rosendale has accomplished a great deal in two short years. This rising star, not just in Columbus, but on the national stage as well, has had quite the ride. He has competed at the IKA, International Culinary Olympics, as the Team Captain in 2008, as well as competing in the Bocuse d’Or semi-finals in Orlando. Richard finished second from a chef from the French Laundry, and ahead of one chef from Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago. Both The French Laundry and Charlie Trotter’s are world renowned Mobil five star restaurants. And while all this was going on, he opened his second venture, Details Minibar and Lounge, next door to Rosendales. So what is next for Chef Rosendale?
Despite all this success, 2008 and 2009 have posed many challenges for restaurants. Rosendales was no exception. “Details” has proven to be a wise and insightful move by the young restaurateur in anticipation for the drop in 2009 for high-end dining. The current economy has stifled the growth and accessibility of fine dining for many patrons. Answering the call to his loyal guests, and as a way to create an opportunity to re-define itself for the future, Chef Rosendale is re-branding the downstairs of Rosendales into “Rosendales modern bistro” to debut in the Spring of 2009.
“Rosendales Modern Bistro” will have offering such as short rib barbeque tacos, tortilla crusted grouper, with tequila, and preserved lime butter, “baked potato poppers” and high quality steaks. Signature pistachio crème brulee, with blueberry gelee, is also a must on the restaurant’s totally house made dessert selections. The food will be served very differently then any other bistro. Chef Rosendale calls it “custom dining.” It’s not the chef’s style to follow the rules when creating a dining experience and this new bistro is no different. The menu is designed so that you can order what you want, spend what you want, try as much, and as many different dishes that you like off our menu. Call it “custom dining.” All the dishes are served as individual dishes that you can share with a friend or design your own adventurous meal. All of the food is served individually on colorful earthenware dishes. You can order multiple courses as you go or create a canvas of dishes to be brought out to your table to dine socially with friends. What makes it a bistro is the simple approach to cooking the items perfectly. Even simply roasted chicken at Rosendales is prepared using a secret technique that leaves all the juice in the bird, producing a subtle flavor of thyme and black pepper enhanced with just a little sea salt.
The restaurant is currently consulting with designers to upgrade the uniforms, refresh color schemes, modify lighting, and other details to aid in the transformation. The menu will have anew look and a new web site will be added. Ultimately, the downstairs will feel less formal, conforming to todays guest. It is a very exciting time for the restaurant.
The flagship Rosendales restaurant as it is today will be moved to the second floor, essentially a restaurant within a restaurant. “Upstairs At Rosendales” will be elevated to a higher level of service, complete with ironed tablecloths, and cutting-edge preparations. This concept of a smaller dining room makes a lot of sense. Many of the five-star and Michelin star restaurants in the world have only 40-60 seats, so this will be a much more exclusive and manageable dining room at this level of creative cuisine. Some experienced diners have gotten bored with traditional fine dining and are ready for the evolution of the next generation of modern fine dining. We want to be a leader in defining what this will be. It is Chef Rosendales goal and ambition to make this a destination dining room known throughout the country. The new “Upstairs at Rosendales” will create a whimsical culinary tour intent on making modern fine dining in this unique place a completely different experience, and not an afterthought. “Upstairs At Rosendales” will be an intimate dinner-only fine dining restaurant.
“Upstairs At Rosendales” will delight guests with ingredients, grown locally to global inspirations with techniques that range from traditional to ultra-innovative and modern preparations. Both traditional and cutting-edge preparations will make this an exciting evening event. It’s this approach of modern, merged with traditional, which Rosendale is known for, while always imparting a wink and sense of the whimsical. Chef Rosendale hopes to show diners how fruits and vegetables can be an imaginative, satisfying and central element to a meal, by showcasing locally grown field to table ingredients. This dining room will collaborate with local farmers to grown all produce specifically for “Upstairs At Rosendales”.
With Chef Rosendale’s creative cuisine, innovative and unique style, and now, Rosendales’variety of dining options, the Columbus dining scene is about to undergo a tectonic shift. Cutting-edge cuisine, a custom bistro experience, and its sibling Details, Rosendales now has somethingfor everyone. Whatever you choose, it’s going to be delicious.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Sweden got talent - Naked guys dancing! (nothing to do with real estate) LOL
Pass Federal Hate Crimes Protections Now – vote is coming!
clipped from www.hrcactioncenter.org No one knows better than Judy Shepard about the threat of anti-LGBT violence.
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[With the Help of Facebook] Fan cooks up plan to help Nancy's restaurant
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/04/21/save_nancys.ART_ART_04-21-09_B1_S0DK824.html?sid=101
The lunchtime crowd gathers at Nancy's Home Cooking in Clintonville, where owner Cindy King faces bankruptcy and $59,000 in medical bills. The special yesterday was chicken and noodles, which tempted even a longtime vegetarian.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 3:05 AM
By Ann Fisher
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
When a 26-year-old information-technology recruiter opened a Facebook page to raise money for the owner of soon-to-close Nancy's Home Cooking, he figured he'd attract 1,000 members, tops.
Instead, more than 2,640 devotees had joined the page -- Save Nancy's Home Cooking!!! -- by last night.
Conor Malloy said he hopes the high turnout on Facebook, an online social-networking site, will be reflected Sunday at the Clintonville restaurant.
He has asked Nancy's fans to overpay their bills that day to help owner Cindy King as she faces bankruptcy, $59,000 in medical bills and disabling illnesses.
The restaurant won't reopen after May 31, but Malloy asked fellow patrons to help out King anyway. She bought the business at 3133 N. High Street in 1970.
The higher-than-expected turnout on the Facebook page has inspired Malloy to rethink his assumptions about the popular eatery.
He grew up visiting Nancy's with his father, Michael, who first visited the restaurant with his own father. Conor Malloy said he figured that most longtime fans are too old to know or care about Facebook.
Maybe his father had a hand in that. The Columbus police officer said he hasn't visited the page and doesn't intend to. "I'm using the computer too much at work already."
Perhaps Conor Malloy envisioned someone like Chuck McKenzie, who has been a Nancy's regular since he moved to the neighborhood some 30 years ago. McKenzie said he will celebrate his upcoming retirement at a shooting range, where he intends to finish off his keyboard and monitor.
McKenzie knows there's an effort afoot to raise money for King, but he didn't hear about it on Facebook. "You gotta be kidding," he said yesterday while he waited for his cheeseburger at Nancy's.
Or maybe Malloy pictured someone like King herself, a 60-year-old who said she had barely heard of Facebook before Malloy told her about his online campaign. "I don't know anything about 'Facebook this' or 'tweety that,' " she said in reference to Twitter, another Internet networking tool. "I hear the word mouse, and I'm calling an exterminator."
King said she appreciates the kindness, however, adding that she's "overwhelmed by the attention" and struggling to accept it. She said she doesn't know how much money has been raised.
When Malloy set up the Facebook page, he probably pictured someone like Dereck Baxter, a 26-year-old Internet sales representative who heard about the Sunday fundraiser after a friend directed him to the site.
Yesterday, he broke an eight-year stretch as a vegetarian to sample the chicken-and-noodles dish he often enjoyed during lunch break as a Whetstone High School student.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Facebook and Fundraisers won't save Nancy's Home Cooking in Clintonville
clipped from www.dispatch.com
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