How to Get Ahead in Advertising After the release of Withnail & I, British writer-director Bruce Robinson continued his satirical assault on British culture with this fiendishly funny rant, the title of which can be taken figuratively and literally as an object lesson in the art of consumer manipulation. Nobody dupes consumers better than Dennis Bagley (Richard E. Grant); his genius in crafting seductive ad campaigns has earned him a country estate, countless awards, an admiring boss, a loving wife (Rachel Ward), and, well, a gigantic boil on his shoulder that’s like a throbbing zit from hell. Dennis is so tormented by a difficult campaign for pimple cream–and so filled with self-loathing after years of promoting dubious products–that his inner demon, the media-savvy and profiteering side of himself, has manifested itself as a talking pustule with a mind (and a face and a voice) of its own.

Robinson’s scathing critique of mindless consumerism begins with one of the funniest monologues ever written, and Grant instantly claims his role with manic perfection. A time bomb of repressed anxiety, Dennis blossoms in righteous protest against his profession, only to find his evil boil growing dominant, worrying his wife (Ward’s performance is charmingly sympathetic), and inevitably seizing control. The movie’s message is obvious and heavy-handed, and Robinson’s blazing wit grows increasingly bilious and urgent, but you can’t blame him for sniping at easy targets. As corporate synergy and rampant commercialism reach insane proportions, How to Get Ahead in Advertising grows more relevant than ever, holding a mirror to the grotesqueries of capitalism in extremis. –Jeff Shannon

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Tonight I spent the evening cruising through some of the photos from our vacation in December.  Dad sent me copies of his photos on CD today and it really brought back that week just over a month ago.Our vacation was wonderful, Mike and I have very little time together we only have the opportunity to dine together about twice a week, we only sleep in the same bed twice a week and we talk on the phone a lot but nothing takes the place of the time we spend on vacation.On vacation we try and spend as much time just hanging out together.  We really like each other, we obviously love each other but always tease that we like each other even more.  You see, we took a vow to always love each other, it said nothing about liking each other.  Ok, back to the photos - this one photo really struck me and will most likely sit on my desk for a long time to come.  This vacation, we took a cruise on Royal Caribbean, I am sure most of you have heard their tag line "Get Out There." Tonight between photos I cruised through a few blogs and came across Margaret Woda's post about the card with a bike, then moments later hit this photo - Get Out There.  Tonight has been a constant message - Get Out There - To Make It Go You Gotta Pedal - wow - I am pedaling faster now and am going to Get Out There!Ok… I am heading to bed - So tomorrow I can Get Out There!Maybe we should all pedal and get out there!

Sunriver Memories Waiting To Be Made!
Sunriver is a resort community located in the heart of Central oregon. Sunriver is known for vacations, skiing at Mt. Bachelor, fishing the Big Deschutes and great family memories. Buying a home in Sunriver is not just a great investment but it is also a place you and your family will always reflect back to the days when you rode on the bike trails, golfed on the Meadows or Woodlands golf course. Had pizza at Blondies or just hung out in the hot tub as the snow fell.Today, we have a home that is perfect for you and your family to start building your own Sunriver memories at. Updates and furnishings were just recently completed, making this home a new Sunriver classic.With 5 bedrooms 2 of which are master suites, a bunk room and a family style bedroom there is truly a place for everyone. Huge great room is the perfect place for gathering after enjoying a sun filled day in Sunriver.This beautiful home is located at 9 Conifer, just around the corner from Ft. Rock Park and right off the bike path. The rear of the home backs to a huge common area which gives a privacy that is not easily found in Sunriver.View this tour and then call to set up your personal showing of the fabulous home! Be sure to click on the additional photos and the related shows for more about Central oregon and Sunriver!

Need TONS of Traffic, More Sales, and More Profits, Read On
http://www.shoponlinefind.com/traffic/ Have you got a great product or service, plus an effective website that’s professional and attractive, but you still can’t generate the sales volume you know should be yours? If so, then your business is probably missing the one element that’s at the foundation of ALL successful websites: TRAFFIC! But what can you do […]

The Numbers Don’t Lie - homes Are Selling - Buying Now is a Great Idea!
Yesterday I wrote about the market for first time home buyers in La Pine and Three Rivers South, oregon. I was a little surprised to have a few locals chime in and basically disagree with me about the current market. The numbers do not lie - La Pine and Three Rivers South are showing signs of a down market - which I did not dispute, but what I did find is that neither are in a “declining” market.A declining market is when the sales prices fall below previous sales. La Pine and Three Rivers South are showing a slow market but not a declining market.The proof is in the numbers - check out these CMA’s and you will see - we are doing a lot better than a lot of markets across the country.La Pine homes Under $200,000La Pine homes From $200,001 to $250,000Amerititle Report of Third Quarter of 2007You can still have your new home before the winter holidays - with the inventory to choose from and the snow starting to fall now is the perfect time to get packing and into your new home. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thesa Chambers Broker Sunriver Realty 541-771-7064 Mailing Address PO Bo x 3650, Sunriver, OR 97707 Physical Address 57057 Beaver Drive, Sunriver, OR 97707

home Warranty - Update - Help Appreciated!!!
About a month ago I wrote about a home warranty and how one failed my buyers.  Many people have contacted me asking for an outcome of the situation.  This has been a big lesson and one I hope some of the agents, buyers and sellers can learn from this post rather than having to go through the troubles we have. It is common in Central oregon to find a home with a heat pump.  It is also common to find REALTORS® and sellers offering a home warranty as an incentive to purchase one home over another.  One of the most common home warranties is AHS (American home Shield).  I know a lot of us use this program and many of us have had good service and representation with this company.  Did you know that AHS does not cover geothermal heat sources or any of the components of such a system?  Did you also know that you can not receive a copy of the actual policy until it is paid for, which here is typically a week and sometimes two from the close of escrow?  At that point they mail -  yes snail mail the policy and the option to add additional coverage to the policy - that option is only good for 30 days from closing - so 2 weeks have been eaten up with the company processing paperwork - then a third week in getting the policy to the new owner.  If the new owner does not intend to live at the residence full time - you might want to call the company and confirm the proper mailing address.  AHS assumes that the new home is where the policy should be mailed - can you see a problem with this system?So, I represented a buyer that purchased a beautiful second home on The Deschutes River.  We wrote the offer that included a water test, a septic pump and inspect and a home inspection and verification of zoning for a portion of the land which we though to be wetlands.  The buyer attended the home inspection, and the septic pump and inspection, keep in mind that the buyer lives 4 hours away when the roads are not covered with snow.We received a copy of the property disclosure and saw no issues.  The home inspection showed a few items that the seller quickly agreed to have repaired.  The home inspection also reveled that the heating system was "complex" it is what is called a water furnace.  The inspector inspected the furnace to the best of his ability and explained to the buyer that the furnace was beyond the scope of his inspection and that he was not familiar with this particular type of furnace.  His report indicates it may be a good idea to have a qualified HVAC specialist look at they system if he had questions, but that the furnace was putting out adequate heat at the time of inspection.The transaction is not the smoothest I have ever completed, but we are able to work through several issues, a leaky septic tank, and some electrical issues and so on.  In the end we work our way through them one by one and all is done prior to the closing.  We close escrow on November 1 and the buyer has allowed the seller an additional 20 days rent back to make moving easier.  Thanksgiving weekend comes and the new home owner arrives late that evening to find the home extremely cold, they turn up the thermostat and you guessed it nothing.  The buyer is not worried - he has a home warranty and an agent that has assured him that the relationship does not end with the close of escrow.  The next morning he calls me and we call AHS only to find the warranty which we do not have a copy of does not cover any geothermal heating systems.  GREAT!  I call a trusted local HVAC company that agrees to go out on the holiday weekend for a very reasonable cost to check the system.  They arrive, and presto a few wires have burned through they are replaced and we all think - wow that was easier than we thought it would be. Did you get the date there - November 20 -Today is December 31, and guess what - yep you guessed it the furnace is still not working correctly - HVAC costs are up over $2000 a plumbing bill of $550 and now possibly a well re-drill estimated to be $2,500. Had we known the heater would not be covered on a home warranty or that the seller had had these same issues in the past do you think this would have been the home my buyers chose? If any of you know of a home warranty that covers geothermal systems please let me know - because once this issue is completely resolved, I am fairly certain this home owner will want a warranty.To make this even more frustrating it appears the seller's agent may have known of this issue, because when I contacted him about these issues back in November, his response was, "your buyer may be SOL" makes me want to deal with him again for sure.Any suggestions on a better home warranty for heat pumps are appreciated.additional information added -warranty companies feel that any heat pump is geothermal - in the Pacific Northwest it is common to have a heat pump that provides heat in the cooler months and AC in the warmer.  These units use the heating and cooling of water to create heat - hence they are geothermal

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