Emergency Alert System Test November 9 at 12PM AZ Time

On Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 2:00 p.m.(EST), the federal government will be conducting the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The test will last up to three and a half minutes. During this period, regularly scheduled television, radio, cable, and satellite shows will be interrupted as the system is being tested. Please inform your staff and visitors that this event will be just a test, and not a real emergency alert.

The national Emergency Alert System is an alert and warning system that can be activated by the president, if needed, to provide information to the American public during emergencies. NOAA's National Weather Service, governors, and state and local emergency authorities also use parts of the system to issue more localized emergency alerts. The test is an important exercise in ensuring that the system is effective in communicating critical information to the public in the event of a real national emergency.

Under the FCC's rules, radio and television broadcasters, cable operators, satellite digital audio radio service providers, direct broadcast satellite service providers and wire line video service providers are required to receive and transmit presidential EAS messages to the public. A national test will help federal partners and EAS participants determine the reliability of the system, as well as its effectiveness in notifying the public of emergencies and potential dangers both nationally and regionally. The test will also provide the FCC and FEMA a chance to identify improvements that need to be made to build a modernized and fully accessible Emergency Alert System.

Visit the FCC website for more information about the test, including additional answers to some frequently asked questions.

Additional links:

http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/eas_info.shtm

http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/eas_info.shtm

Running of the Bulls in Cave Creek

RUN WITH THE BULLS – October 14 & 15, 2011 in the town of Cave Creek, AZ , the 4th Running of the Bulls in America will take place. Join over 1,000 thrill seekers and experience an adrenaline rush of a life time by running a quarter mile in front of forty 1,500 lbs. raging bulls. Also at the event will be live music, vendors and food booths.

To Learn more click here... BULLS IN CAVE CREEK

Sliding Into the Market

The real estate business is definitely not the same as it used to be. It is now multi-faceted more than ever, even beyond the ever changing rules of short sales and REO’s. The uncertain economy must be bringing out the “creative financing” side of people. My most recent transactions have not been the traditional experience. But then again, what is traditional these days? I have had to do much research on a variety of topics for my clients including: lease purchase/option, seller carry back, model home lease back, home auctions. Good thing I enjoy learning and passing that information on to my clients! People see that interest rates and home prices are low and they want to get into the real estate game again but because they may be struggling with their credit as a result of a loss of job, foreclosure on their home, bankruptcy, etc…, they can’t jump in as they did before. Instead, they are trying to slide in. I believe that we will be seeing more uncommon types of real estate deals as a result. What do you think? And what is your experience? Feel free to post your comments here!

Empty Bowls Project-Carefree Town Center

The Tenth Annual Foothills Empty Bowl Event will take place Friday, October 22, 2010 from 11 am to 1:30 pm at the Carefree Town Center. For a minimum $15 donation, lunch guests will enjoy a delicious meal prepared by Carefree Resort & Villas and also take home a unique bowl of their choice which is hand-crafted by members and friends of the Sonoran Arts League.


The Empty Bowls Project, an international effort to fight hunger, was started in the fall of 1990 by two potters in Michigan to help raise money for a Thanksgiving fund drive for a local food bank. Since then, the idea has spread around the United States and all over the world.

This is a great way to get the local community involved, by making bowls and then coming together to share a meal. It’s a reminder of how many people are struggling to put food on their table. Taking home one of the bowls will serve as a lasting momento of world hunger - which starts right here in our community.

100% of the proceeds from the lunch will be donated to the Foothills Bank & Resource Center and will be used to support their ongoing effort to provide emergency food and services to area families in need of assistance.

Have lunch, feed the hungry and keep the bowl!

Celebrating Over 50 Years of History, Carefree AZ

Carefree, Arizona is a peaceful and serene town located in the high Sonoran Desert -just minutes north of Scottsdale and the Phoenix metro area - amid lush desert terrain and ancient granite boulders.
It was over 50 years ago that two gentlemen, KT Palmer and Tom Darlington met in a Phoenix hotel and began their dream of creating a town called Carefree. Kt, a lawyer and owner of the largest second-hand merchandise and gun store in Arizona and Tom, VP of AiResearch in Phoenix, melded their unique skills and developed one of the most sought after cities in the Valley. Their vision was to protect and preserve the pristine indigenous desert growth while incorporating extreme mountain architecture and construction. This led to unique homes designed with interesting lines, textures and shapes which are strategically placed among the large boulders of Black Mountain.

Carefree was intended to be “your insurance against obsolete areas and crowded and frantic ways of living” as quoted from co-founders KT’s and Tom’s primary vision. Preserving the open space by developing one to five acre building sites was unusual at the time yet rapidly became sought after.

Carefree was incorporated in 1984 and today consists of nearly 4,000 individuals enjoying the peaceful lifestyle originally envisioned over a half century earlier.