DEBORAH STONE

When you grow up with “Depression-Era” parents from New England, nothing ever gets thrown out. Re-use, repair and recycle is the mantra I heard constantly. Although I was familiar with “yard sales” , I couldn't believe the stuff people were selling when I moved to San Diego CA. Items with tags still on them, sporting goods in perfect condition and small appliances that were just months old.

Downsizing? Redecorating? Just Spring cleaning?Too busy to hold a yard sale? Need to sell that stationery bike you never used? Set of golf clubs collecting dust?

I had an idea and it worked great. I am downsizing and have several small items that are in "useable" condition ......cat litterbox and carrier, small stained bookcase, old folding table and chairs, planters,

etc. Actually most of this stuff was kind of junky and I thought of discarding. (I actually didn't think anyone would buy a litterbox, but was I surprised by the response!)

I took pictures of all the items and placed them in seperate ads on Craigslist. Although I didn't care if I made any money on them, so as to avoid placing the ads in the FREE category (where FREE ads tend to get lost) I charged $5.00-$10.00. Besides, a nominal charge always imparts a bit more value to an item.

I got rid of EVERYTHING within a few hours of placing the ads.(one guy was at my house in an hour of placing the ad for some used tile flooring). I put the items in the driveway for pick-up to avoid strangers coming into my home and asked them to place the money in the mailbox .So far everyone has put their cash in the mailbox and nobody has cheated me yet.

So in downsizing, my belief in the honesty and kindness of the human spirit is reinforced AND I did something GREEN for the planet by not throwing this stuff in the landfill.

Check out my profile on Active Rain

Apple to be sued by 2 companies

That a manufacturer can be sued over a product is old school and
it is sometimes over really stupid things. Apple has irritated a few folks.
The Chinese company Shenzhen Great Loong Brother is planning on suing Apple because the Chinese company says that Apple copied their iPad idea from a tablet the Chinese company has called P88.

The president of the company, Wu Xiaolong, has said that the iPad is identical to their P88 Tablet and even the support is identical.Xialong also said that if the tablet stays in the U.S that there is not much they can do but if the iPad goes to China, that they are not going to have any choice but to sue. They will sue because if the iPad is launched in China it will certainly affect the P88 tablet's sales which has been on sale for 6 months now.

The difference in the tablets: The P88 tablet has a bigger screen and is heavier. The main differences is that the iPad’s processor is 64GB while the P88 tablet has 160GB’s. The OS’ are different since the P88 uses Windows, the P88 only has a battery life of an hour and a half compared to the iPads 10 hour battery.Xiaolong has stated that he is very upset with Apple and that he was in disbelief when he saw what the iPad's final design was.

For the most basic model there is a slight difference in price since the P88 tablet sells for $529 USD compared to the iPads $499 USD starting price. The P88 tablet was registered but since the process take a while (about a year) has said that they could take legal action this Spring.

Fujitsu also has plans to sue for the name no one likes to start with, iPad. We'll have to wait patiently for the outcome.

Check out my profile on Active Rain

I recently landscaped the front of my home hiring San Diego CA company North Park Native Plants.

Rocks Forming "Streambed"

Wes Hudson, the owner did a great job using native plants to Southern California and decomposed granite (DG). He aso added a "streambed" wth rocks which I loved! After the first torrential rain (and we have been having a very wet winter here in San Diego CA) we ran into a problem. There was quite a run-off of water from the back yard since the front is on a slope and the deluge of water formed gullies in the DG and washed a lot of it away. It looked awful. I was not very happy, but knew Wes would figure out a way to address the problem.

The gutter at the side of the house was attached to a downspout and we could have removed the downspout and installed another gutter across the front of the house, channeling the water away into the gutter on the garage. But thinking caps were put on and a bright idea evolved. Water in a San Diego CA climate is like "manna from the gods" and an idea was born: Why not try to save the water in a holding tank and use it to water the garden on dry days........CHEAPLY. However, we had just gone over budget and I knew I was tapped out but could this idea be achieved for lttle money? You bet!

Wes bought a barrel with a cover (and screen for mosquitoes) and a spigot at the bottom.($75) He cut the downspout at the height of the barrel and voila~ a rain cistern that any desert dweller would be proud of was born. You can attach a standard size hose to the spigot.

Now not only do I have landscaping that has native plants but also a sustainably managed groundwater storage system for a very small $$ investment.

Contact me for all your real estate needs and other bright ideas!

Rob Sidner, director of the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park and Mexico’s Consul Remedios Gomez. (Courtesy of Mexico General Consulate in San Diego)

2010 is a very significant year for Mexican history. First, Mexicans will celebrate 200 years of independence from Spain on Sept. 16. Later, on Nov. 20, a century of the Mexican Revolution will pass.To celebrate here in San Diego, the Mexican Consulate will present a cultural program with art exhibits, artistic presentations, festivals, a symposium, and much more.

Mexican Consul Remedios Gomez said that with the collaboration of San Diego Museums in Balboa Park and Tijuana’s Cultural Center, activities are planned for the entire year.“In fact our first activity has just begun at the Museum of Photographic Arts with the projection of a Mexican classic film ‘Que Viva Mexico,’” she said.

Gomez said that with these activities the Consulate wants to celebrate and share a space for reflection of the 200 years of relations between Mexico and San Diego County.

She also said that at the time that Mexico fought for its independence, the California region was part of the New Spain territory.

“This is also a celebration for all the families that live here and an opportunity to learn and admire the Mexican art,” she said.

Activities for the first half of the year is listed below. More information can be found at the Consulate Web site.

February

17 - Mexican Film in the Barrio “Aguila o sol” by Cantinflas @ Salon Imperial, National City.
25 - Conference about the work of Carlos Merida, curator of the San Diego Museum of Art @ SDMA.
27 - Opening historical exhibition “Viva Mexico! Heroes y artesanos” @ Mingei International Museum.
27 - Exhibit “Brutal Beauty” by Hugo Crosthwaite @ SDMA.

March

3 to 21 - Latino Film Festival @ Hazard Center.
4 - Raul Anguiano exhibit @ University of San Diego.
11 - Mexican Classic Cinema Series “Doña Barbara” @ Museum of Photographic Arts.
11 - “The Mexican Landscape” exhibit by Jose Lobo @ Mexico General Consul.
13 - Opening of photographic exposition Colburn Collection “Photographs of old Mexico” by Hugo Brehme @ SDMA.
14 - Conference by Hugo Crosthwaite about “Brutal Beauty” exhibit @ SDMA.
19 - Benito Juarez Anniversary @ Pantoja Park.
21 - Mexico’s Folkloric Ballet @ San Diego Symphony Hall.
26 - Latin Jazz Festival @ Mingei International Museum.

April

8 - Mexican Classic Cinema Series “La Cobarde” @ Museum of Photographic Arts.
24 and 25 - Art Walk @ India Street, Little Italy.

May

1 - Spanish storytelling with Laura Whiteside @ Timken Museum.
1 - Artistic Festival “Viva Mexico!” with Tijuana’s High School Lazaro Cardenas @ Organ Pavillion.
13 - Mexican Classic Cinema Series “Los Olvidados” @ Museum of Photographic Arts.
13 - Mexican serenade dedicated to Mexican mothers, by Mariachi Garibaldi @ Southwestern College.
14 - Iconoclastic pictures of Mexican revolutionaries by David Silva @ Mexico’s General Consulate.
20 - Symposium about the Mexican history and culture @ Mingei International Museum.

June

10 - Mexican Classic Cinema Series “Pedro Paramo” @ Museum of Photographic Arts.

Check out my profile at Active Rain

A popular tax-savings loophole regarding capital gains taxes on some primary residences has been impacted by the 2008 Housing and Economic Recovery Act. The law places new restrictions on wealthy homeowners who own 2 or more homes and plan to "house hop" to avoid paying capital gains taxes. Although this law is almost 2 years old, I thought it would be useful to explain it in more detail, since many of my clients have questions about it.
Under previous law those who sell a house for profit after living in it as their primary residence for 2 of the past 5 years would not have to pay capital gains taxes on $250,000 of the gain for a single person or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly.

Some taxpayers have avoided the capital gains tax by selling their primary residence, claiming the full tax exclusion, then moving to a 2nd or 3rd home that they have owned for some time making it their primary residence which they then sell and pay little or no capital gains tax. The new law states that the gain may not be excluded for periods of "non-qualified" use, basically the period of time the house was not used as the taxpayer's primary residence.

While the change to the law will affect only a small minority of homeowners it will cause some tax headaches for a few. Partial exclusions will still be available in some cases and there are some special rules for members of the uniformed services and federal employees. Here are the basics to remember:

** The new law is effective for sales beginning in 2009
** Partial exclusion may still be available if the home was sold due to a change in place of employment, for health reasons or "unforeseen circumstances" such as the death of a spouse.
** The tax exclusion does not apply to portions of the gain attributable to depreciation allowed for rental or business use of the principal home for periods after May 6,1997.
** The gain may not be excluded for periods of "non-qualified" use or any period when the property isn't used by the homeowner, spouse or former spouse as a principal residence.

Here is an example of the "unqualified use" rule:

A married couple buys a home on January 1, 2009 for $600,000 and plans to hold it as an investment. On January 1, 2012 they begin using it as their principal residence. They live thee 2 years and sell it on January 1, 2014 for $1.1 million, a profit of $500,000.

Under the old law, the couple would have excluded the entire $500,000 gain from their taxable income. Under the new law they can only exclude $200,000-two fifths-since the other $300,000 would be considered non-qualified because of the 3 years the home was not their principal residence. For more information consult a tax professional who may be able to identify any exceptions or other important points for individual situations.

Check out my profile on Active Rain