Deseronto, ON

This is one of my pet peeves as a real estate webmaster.

When many people fill out an information request form for a specific property, they don't specify exactly what information they are seeking. To actually arrive at this form they would have had to have already browsed through the webpage that already contains quite a bit of information about the property. I generally do know quite a bit more about the property, but I'm not sure what additional information the person is seeking.

I get an email with a name and a return address that simply states "I'd like more information about MLS®*********"

When I first got emails like that I was happy enough to shoot an email back with pretty much the same information that is contained on the MLS listing in the first place. I was pretty pleased that someone had found the listing on the interwebs. It seemed like a redundant solution to bounce back information that they had already seen, but I saw it as an opportunity to start some sort of dialogue with a potential buyer.

Now I'm a little annoyed when I get them. I have learned to be a lot more guarded about my time as a real estate agent and I am stung by a little twinge of resentment when I feel that someone is making me guess what their motives are. Why wouldn't the person take the time to ask me the specific questions that they would like to have answered? Ater having fielded hundreds of such emails over the last couple of years, I suppose the bloom is off the rose.

I have played with the idea of automatically sending back a response to such emails "I'd like more information about the information you'd like about MLS®*********" and see where that leads. Ball's in your court now.

I know it sounds like a petty pet peeve, but I'm happy to have it off my chest. Stay tuned for my take on insipid hand-dryers in public washrooms.

I don't know how often I hear people say that foreign aid is a waste of money. People tell me that giving money to these causes is like throwing good money after bad. In a way, I can see their point. Oftentimes the money is wasted, and it does seem as if there is a never-ending list of causes. It can seem rather discouraging at times.

Well, let me tell you about something that worked.

Jhojan Camilo was one of the first children that I sponsored through World Vision. He lives in the community of EL PORVENIR SANTANDER in Columbia. This was the picture I recieved when I first sponsored him in 2000. He's a handsome little fellow, and as it turned out, quite a bright one too. He was a normal little boy, and did a lot of the things normal boys around the world do, except he didn't go to school and he couldn't read or write. Initially our communication was done through a World Vision worker in Columbia.

Last week I recieved a letter from World Vision telling me that I was no longer sponsoring Jhojan. My sponsorship was no longer needed in the community of El Porvenir Santander. Through World Vision's partnership with the community, it is now a self sufficient community, no longer in need of outside aid.

This is how World Vision works. The motto is "A hand up, not a hand out." When they go into a community they partner with the people and develop goals. The area becomes an ADP (Area Developmental Project). Typically, the goal is for World Vision to leave the area in ten to twelve years and when they do, the community will be able to stand on its own two feet.

El Porvenir Santander was a town without clean drinking water and sewage. Now it has both. Parents recieved nutritional instruction and are aware of health care practices, the children are no longer malnourished. Because of the military violence in the area, households were run by women who neither had the time or the means to send their children to school. Women were helped with this burden and those who wished to get an education were able to through programs set up by World Vision. Families who wished to establish a small business recieved micro loans. World Vision established a school where children not only learned the basics, but were able to enroll in music, theatre programs, sports and learned life skills. The boys now have options other than joining the paramilitaries or engaging in criminal activities. Farmers were given the means, education and improved strains to get much higher crop yields. This diversity in diet did wonders for the children and the community at large.

Much like the town, Jhojan flourished too. He enrolled in school, learned how to read and write. He began to write letters to me (which were translated from Spanish) and I to him. He eventually put me to shame, and began to write to me in English. He is not a little boy any more. He is an intelligent, articulate, witty and educated young man who will be attending university next year. Jhojan will pass on many of the things he has learned to the children that are coming behind him. He will be a leader in his community, and he is fully embracing the possibilities that life has to offer him.

If we could just ensure that our aid money went to programs that really helped to benefit the recipients, I am sure that there would be fewer grudging people in North America. While I no longer sponsor Jhojan financially ($35.00 a month - what a bargain) our relationship is not finished. We will keep in touch. I look forward to seeing what this young man will accomplish. When I really think about it, I'm not sure that Jhojan is the one who benefitted the most from our relationship.

I have been following the whole Russian spy ring caper with some amusement. I guess the spy game isn't as serious as it used to be. For those of you who haven't been following along, apparently 11 Russian spies who have been operating under "deep cover" in the U.S. for some years have been caught by the American authorities.

The most interesting one to me is Anna Chapman, a New York real estate agent. She's interesting because she's a real estate agent AND the press have dubbed her as a "femme fatale". It must take quite some work to be a "femme fatale" these days. The BBC have reported that will face charges of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the U.S. attorney. I have to ask myself, what kind of spy would notify the U.S. attorney? I also think this is a cool picture of her wearing a tiara. Not enough women wear tiaras these days (other than the guady plastic ones that drunk birthday-girls wear to the bar).

This fellow is quite interesting too. Robert Metsos. He was arrested in Cyprus. He's the alleged "money man" for the operation. He's the fellow that supposedly supplies everybody else with the funds they need to carry out their activities. The judge in Cyprus released him on $32,500 bail (I suspect he had no trouble making bail) and he immediately disappeared. I guess he can't be bothered with this whole "extradition to the U.S." business. Can't say I blame him, it promises to be a tedious affair. I'd blow the scene if I could too. I get impatient just waiting on hold for government people to answer questions. The judge now thinks that maybe granting bail was a mistake. I tend to agree with him.

Ann Foley is another real estate agent. I guess real estate is a good business to help you blend into the community while you are a top secret spy. Instead of spending my time blogging, I could be transmitting secrets to foriegn governments. It sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Next time I'm at a real estate convention or some such bore function, I'll have to take a good look around me to figure out who's a spy and who's not. I'm going to have to keep my eyes open.

Red Sparrow out. End Transmission.