Most Beautiful Beaches In The World!

I may be a little biased but I’d say Clearwater Beach deserves to be near the top of the list of most beautiful beaches in the world. This video is fun in that it can give you some wonderful vacation ideas. At the very least it’s relaxing to watch. Enjoy!

Alizee – J’en Ai Marre

Here is another video of Alizee. My wife and I discovered her a few years ago and love her music. Again, I apologize for her looks. I assume it is genetic. Just close your eyes and listen to the music.

Rocky Mountain High: John Denver

This is one of my all-time very favorite songs. Don’t laugh! I grew up listening to John Denver on my father’s radio and I fell in love with the music and message. Somehow I have always felt like I belonged living in the mountains. As a child I would watch Grizzly Adams, the TV show, and longed to live and wander the mountains like that hairy guy with his friendly black bear companion. Back then, to me, the fantasy was all about the quiet solitude of the forest and the streams and the serenity of a clear blue mountain lake., which is exactly what this song is about. Enjoy.

Rocky Mountain High
John Denver
Words by John Denver; Music by John Denver and Mike Taylor

He was born in the summer of his 27th year
Comin’ home to a place he’d never been before
He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again
You might say he found a key for every door

When he first came to the mountains his life was far away
On the road and hangin’ by a song
But the string’s already broken and he doesn’t really care
It keeps changin’ fast and it don’t last for long

But the Colorado rocky mountain high
I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky
The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye
Rocky mountain high

He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below
He saw everything as far as you can see
And they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun
And he lost a friend but kept his memory

Now he walks in quiet solitude the forest and the streams
Seeking grace in every step he takes
His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand
The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake

And the Colorado rocky mountain high
I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky
You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply
Rocky mountain high

Now his life is full of wonder but his heart still knows some fear
Of a simple thing he cannot comprehend
Why they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more
More people, more scars upon the land

And the Colorado rocky mountain high
I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky
I know he’d be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly
Rocky mountain high

It’s Colorado rocky mountain high
I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky
Friends around the campfire and everybody’s high
Rocky mountain high

Video of Athens Greece

My wife and I spend several days in Athens a few years ago. Our hotel had a rooftop bar with a view of the Acropolis. Each evening we enjoyed a few glasses of wine while looking down on the city and up at the ancient Acropolis. Pure magic. I highly recommend Athens Greece for your next vacation. Yes, there are bad areas as there are everywhere, but Athens is an amazing place. It’s very safe, the shopping is fantastic and the history rich and memorizing. You really feel that you have stepped back in time.

Daughtry , Home (Live on American Idol)

Chris Daughtry, in my opinion, is the best singer that has come from the American Idol show to date.

I’m staring out into the night,
Trying to hide the pain.
I’m going to the place where love
And feeling good don’t ever cost a thing.
And the pain you feel’s a different kind of pain.

Well I’m going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I’m not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don’t regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old,
So I’m going home.
Well I’m going home.

The miles are getting longer, it seems,
The closer I get to you.
I’ve not always been the best man or friend for you.
But your love, it makes true.
And I don’t know why.
You always seem to give me another try.

So I’m going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I’m not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don’t regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old,
So I’m going home.
I’m going home.

Be careful what you wish for,
‘Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all,
And then some you don’t want.
Be careful what you wish for,
‘Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all, yeah.

Oh, well I’m going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I’m not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don’t regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old.
I said these places and these faces are getting old,
So I’m going home.

Another video of beautiful Santorini

Crazy ride 909 ft above the ground

Santorini Greece

My wife and I took a vacation to Athens Greece and then the island of Santorini several years ago and it was an incredible experience on so many levels. First of all Tina is Greek and traveling to Greece was a lifetime dream for her. It was quite emotional to step off the plane and be in the country from which her entire family immigrated.

Santorini is also the most gorgeous and romantic place on this planet (in our opinion) and we highly recommend it to anyone desiring an escape from reality. Enjoy the video…

Alizee performing La Isla Bonita better than Madonna

Have you heard of Alizee? If you can get past how unattractive she is you’ll notice she has and amazing voice and is quite a dancer.

Kumba Coaster – Busch Gardens – Tampa Bay, FL

InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana Resort

I just have to see this place first-hand.

Gus Bilirakis responds to my letter supporting extending the $8,000 tax credit

Dear Chris:

Thank you for contacting me to express your support for extending and expanding the federal tax credit for first-time home buyers. I appreciate hearing from you.

I support lowering taxes on home purchases. As you may know, H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, was signed into law in February of this year. This legislation provided an $8,000 refundable credit for all first-time homes brought between January 1 and November 30, 2009. Several bills have been introduced in the House and the Senate that would extend the tax credit from anywhere from six months to one year, expand eligibility of the credit to multi-family properties used as the borrower’s primary residence, and eliminate income caps of $75,000 and $150,000.

I am reviewing these bills to determine how best to make home ownership more affordable and stabilize prices in the housing market. Your comments have provided a valuable perspective as I evaluate these bills. You may be certain that I will remember your support for expanding and extending the tax credit for first-time home buyers should I have the opportunity to consider relevant legislation in the future. I will also share your comments with my House colleagues, who will benefit from your views.

As a resident of Florida’s Ninth District, your comments and opinions are an important source of information to help me carry out my duties as your federal representative. In hat regard, please do not hesitate to contact me in the future on any issue important to you. Also, if you would like to be informed more frequently about my work in Congress and in Florida’s Ninth Congressional District, please visit my website at http://www.bilirakis.house.gov to sign up for regular email or to send me a message.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.

Sincerely yours,

Gus M. Bilirakis
Member of Congress

I’m aware that this letter was probably sent out to 23,000 other people that sent similar letters expressing support for expanding and extending the tax credit.

Paradise Island

Although this video doesn’t mention the specific location of this resort I believe it is Bora Bora. They have hotel rooms with glass bottom rooms where you can see the fish swimming below your feet. Bora Bora is one of my dream vacations….someday. Enjoy.

Riding Gwazi at Busch Gardens in Tampa

Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL – Shikra Rollar Coaster

Charles Rutenberg is rated #1

If you’ve been paying attention as you drive around Tampa Bay neighborhoods you’ve undoubtedly noticed an abundance of Charles Rutenberg Realty signs dotting the yards. There are good reasons for why we’re dominating the real estate market, but this blog post isn’t about the why of our success. It’s simply to note that we are successful and significantly more so than every other real estate brokerage in town.

Charles Rutenberg has 3x as many listings as the 2nd place real estate company. With 1997 total listings we have more listings than the next 4 brokerages combined. We control an impressive 19.46% of the market for active listings.

But active listings are only one indicator of success. Even more important than what we have for sale is what we actually have under contract. According to the Kenst Report, the industry ratings guide for the Tampa Bay area, Charles Rutenberg Realty is outperforming all other real estate brokerages. Our share of the market is just under 25% at 24.83%. Our nearest competitor comes in at 10.43%.

And even more important than active listings and listings under contract are listings we’ve actually sold. So let’s take a look at those numbers now. From January of 2009 through the end of September 2009 Charles Rutenberg Realty sold more than 2x as many listings as the 2nd place real estate brokerage. And to show this isn’t some sort of fluke we can look at the same statistics for 2008 and see a similar level of dominance.

Why share these statistics with Tampa Bay area home buyers and sellers? The time will come when just about everyone will need to buy or sell real estate. And at this point a decision needs to be made. Will you hire the best or one of the rest? Yes, that rhymed. I couldn’t help it. I feel like a cheerleader right now, but trust me, you don’t want to see me in a cheerleader uniform.

Are you in need of home care for a senior or loved one in the Tampa Bay area?

We all know a senior citizen or loved one in need of some assistance in the home. Finding someone we can trust is never easy. I’m making this post to hopefully help some of my past, present and future clients in their search for a dependable, caring and trustworthy home care provider.

I’ve known Marie Klus for over 5 years now. I highly recommend you give her a call if you’re ever in need of some help. She goes above and beyond the call of duty and actually cares about her clients as if they were her own family.

While my own father was living at the VA Nursing Home, dying of lung cancer, Marie came and visited him several times. She wasn’t on the clock or being paid. She came as his friend after helping him with home health care in the past. And she baked for my father the most delicious rum cake I’ve ever had. Come to think of it…it was the only rum cake I’ve ever had. But it was very yummy.

Marie Klus
HHA/CNA  (727) 858-9153

• ADL’s – activities of daily living
• Assistance with bathing and showering
• Assistance with grooming and dressing
• Companionship
• Meal Preparation
• Transportation to doctor appointments
• Errands and shopping
• Light housekeeping
• Medication reminders
• Assistance with pet care
• Licensed & Insured
• CPR Certified
• Hourly & 24-hour care
• Same person each visit
• Experienced caregiver with clean background
• Non-Medical home care provider
• RN (registered nurse) available in emergency

Who Owns the World?

Kevin Cahill and Rob McMahon have a fascinating new book hitting the shelves in a few months called, “Who Owns the World: The Surprising Truth About Every Piece of Land on the Planet.” If you’re even remotely interested in real estate and land ownership this books is a must read.

You don’t have to be a student of geography or cartography to have an interest in the world around you, especially with globalization making our planet seem smaller than ever. Now you can IM someone in Alaska, purchase coffee beans from Timor-Leste, and visit Dubai. But what do we really know about these lands?

WHO OWNS THE WORLD presents the results of the first-ever landownership survey of all 197 states and 66 territories of the world, and reveals facts both startling and eye-opening. You’ll learn that:
–Only 15% of the world’s population lays claim to landownership, and that landownership in too few hands is probably the single greatest cause of poverty.
–Queen Elizabeth II owns 1/6 of the entire land surface on earth (nearly 3 times the size of the U.S.).
–The Lichtenstein royal family is wealthier than the Grimaldis of Monaco.
–80% of the American population is crammed in urban areas.
–The least crowded state is Alaska, with 670 acres per person. The most crowded is New Jersey, with .7 acres per person. –60% of America’s population are property owners. That’s behind the UK (69% homeownership).
–And much, much more!

With its relevance to contemporary issues and culture, WHO OWNS THE WORLD makes for fascinating reading. Both entertaining and educational, it provides cocktail party conversation for years to come and is guaranteed to change the way you view the U.S. and the world.

About the Author
Kevin Cahill was born in the Irish Republic, and now lives in Devon, in the UK, with his wife. They have three daughters. A former army officer, Kevin has worked in the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the Irish Parliament, and the European Parliament as an adviser and researcher. He is the author of a number of books on business, trade, and landownership and was a researcher on the original Sunday Times Rich List.

Rob McMahon is a freelance writer and editor with more than fifteen years experience in book publishing.

Housing indicators are pointing in a positive direction

A recent Washington Post article pointed out that many of the housing indicators are pointing in the same positive direction. Several analysts attribute the improvements to the soon to expire $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers, historically low interest rates, and rock bottom prices in many areas.

Lily Allen performing “Smile” on Ellen Degeneres

This song is addicting. Lily Allen has such a beautiful voice. And I know this video doesn’t have anything to do with real estate. But that’s the cool thing of owning your own web site and blog. I’m sharing things I enjoy, which isn’t restricted to buying and selling real estate. I’m a bit of a music nut and when I hear a song that makes me smile, like Lily Allen’s “Smile,” well, I want to share it with people.

Allstar Lodging Cabin Rentals

Many of us here in Florida grow tired of the hot weather, beaches and muggy air. If you need to get away and see a different area of our amazing country then check out this video. There are cabins that can be rented about 10- 12 hours north of the Tampa Bay area.

Chris Daughtry, of American Idol, and “It’s Not Over”

My favorite Daughtry song.

I was blown away.
What could I say?
It all seemed to make sense.
You’ve taken away everything,
And I can’t deal with that.
I try to see the good in life,
But good things in life are hard to find.
We’ll blow it away, blow it away.
Can we make this something good?
Well, I’ll try to do it right this time around.

Read more

Sarah Brightman – Eden

My father and I saw Sarah Brightman in concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall years ago. It was like a religious experience: powerful, moving and emotional. She is one of the best female singers on Earth. This video and song don’t adequately demonstrate the broad spectrum of her voice.

Time To Say Goodbye Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman

In my opinion this is the most beautiful song ever written or performed. Turn up your speakers and pay attention because you’re about to experience perfection. Listen to the entire song because it builds and builds. Watch when Andrea joins Sarah Brightman.

Barbra Streisand – Memory

If you can watch and listen to this and NOT get goosebumps I strongly suggest you call 911 pronto. I love all types of music and this video is far from some of the others you may have seen me post on CallChrisToday.com, but there is no denying that Barbra Streisand has one of the very best voices on this planet. Even if the genre of music isn’t your favorite, just turn up your speakers and listen to her mastery of the human voice. It truly gives me chills.