Purim is almost here: Costume Ready?

As Purim approaches many are still trying to figure out what costumes they will wear. How can they possibly trump what they did last year? In this photo from Mai Yesharim the parents have no idea what kind of costume he purchased for his kids. What's the funniest costume you have ever seen?

Tax Credit for first time home buyers

For those who have not taken advantage of the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit of $8000 time is running out. The federal income tax credit for home buyers has been extended and expanded to now include homeowners who wish to "move on" after 5 years of living in their current property, as well as first-time homebuyers.There most likely will be no future extensions so all qualified homebuyers should act and have a written, binding contract by April 30, 2010 (close by June 30, 2010).If you know of someone who can benefit from this credit please make them aware of it. Will the tax extension help?

According to a recent survey Zillow conducted through Harris Interactive, nearly one in five (18%) prospective first-time home buyers said extending the $8,000 tax credit would be the primary influence on their decision to buy a home before the end of 2010, potentially stimulating an additional 334,000 home sales. The caveat here is the survey asked first-time home buyers if they would purchase a home prior to the end of 2010; this bill will only go through April 2010, not the end of 2010 and it involves a different type of buyer, as well.



Visit http://bit.ly/5D6mKg and review the 2010 Homebuyer Tax Credit details.

Exploiting musicians in a bad economy

BloginDm has an excellent post where he discusses how Jewish orchestra offices  as well as organizations are using the economy as a way to exploit musicians to the point of paying them under union scale for their performances. He also discusses an office that has what he believes to be a ponzi scheme: they are not paying their musicians for jobs outstanding for almost a year. There really should never be a situation where a musician  should have to wait to get paid. The office made profit so why can't they pay out? Money management issues perhaps but that is no excuse. Yet some of the same people who are guilty of deliquincy such as this take a nice vacation or lease a fancy a car- it's enough to make you sick.

Yehuda Grean: New Release: Yearning

As per Sruly Meyer:Yehuda Green is about to release his brand new CD, Yearning. This CD will leave you amazed and inspired. The title track draws from Yehuda's childhood growing up in Eretz Yisroel. The album features 12 songs including 4 brand new songs, with compositions by Yehuda Green that will outdo the success of Nishmas. There are also 8 songs from Reb Shlomo Carlebach, including some rare gems which will leave you dancing and singing along in no time. We're proud to unveil the cover to you for the very first time. Coming in 1-2 weeks. The CD will be available through Aderet Music and will be available as  a download as well.

Credit Card Acceptance and Myths

Being in the credit card acceptance and processing industry many people don't fully understand the world of merchant services. They think it's very expensive to accept credit cards. Unfortunately many people get burned with credit card acceptance because the company they signed up with took advantage of them. Most likely a lot of fine print was there and they got stuck in a 3 yr contract. There are some reputable companies out there that offer no locked in contracts or termination fees and they are the only companies to consider. This way if they do something they should not you can just jump ship. Of course the best thing would be to find a company that offers all this with competitive rates and excellent customer service. If you have great rates but can't get someone on the phone when you have a problem then what is that company really worth? My company offers all this and more. What is the more you ask? For a limited time I will assist all new clients with a Free seo analysis and assist them with marketing their website and/or business online free of charge. This will certainly help them expand their business to gain new customers.Feel free to pass this information along to anyone who is currently accepting or would like to accept credit cards. The company: Prestige Merchant Services.

Jewish Florida Man Awaits Execution

From NCYI:

As you may or may not know, a Jewish man is slated for execution in Florida next Tuesday.
 
Martin Grossman was convicted of killing Margaret Parks, a Florida Wildlife Officer, in 1984, when he was 19 years old.

He did so while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and in an act of panic, not premeditation.

He has conducted himself as a model prisoner since his incarceration some 25 years ago and has shown profound remorse and regret for his actions.

National Council of Young Israel has joined other Orthodox Jewish groups including Agudath Israel of America and the Orthodox Union, in asking Florida  Governor Charlie Crist to grant clemency , from the death penalty to life in prison, to Mr. Grossman, and we have also requested a meeting in person with Governor Crist to discuss the matter.

But it is important that the Governor hear from the grassroots as well - certainly from people who live or spend significant time in Florida, but even from non-Floridians.

His e-mail address is Charlie.Crist@myflorida.com , his phone number is
(850) 488-7146 and he can be faxed at 850-487-0801.

Letters and calls should be polite to the Governor to take into account Mr. Grossman's youth and impairment at the time of the crime and his good behavior and remorse in the years since.

And the request should be that Mr. Grossman be permitted to serve his debt to society by serving the rest of his life in prison.

May we have happier occasions to demonstrate our achdus and ahavas Yisroel.                       

 

"Even those who strongly support capital punishment would limit it to recidivists or people who ‎commit the most heinous of crimes.  Martin Grossman fits neither of those categories.  He does ‎not belong on death row.  His crime, committed when he was a teenager, was unplanned, ‎unpremeditated and impulsive—the product of a serious mental illness, that can now be proved ‎by medical technology that was unavailable at the time of his sentencing.  He has been in prison ‎for more than a quarter of a century, during which time he has been a model prisoner who has ‎shown great remorse for what he did.  All that he is seeking now is a 60 day postponement of his ‎execution, so that his supporters can martial the evidence and present his case for clemency.  No ‎one should be rushed to execution while doubts remain unresolved.  Justice demands that he be ‎given the 60 days to prove that he does not deserve to die at the hands of the state."  ‎

Alan M. Dershowitz ‎

Tefillin Bomb: New Ad From El Al

The recent incident of mistaking tefillin as a bomb upon a plane boarding for Louisville, Kentucky from NY has made big headlines. In response to it El Al has released the following advertisement: