22. November 2007 by Ana Connell.

Ever wonder about turkey pardons? Well, I did and thought I would do some research on the subject.

Some think the tradition started with Abraham Lincoln pardoning his son’s pet turkey, others believe it started much later with Harry S. Truman. Although both of these versions have been referenced in many places there really is no firm proof of either story’s veracity.

It’s believed that sometime around 1947 the National Turkey Federation gave the President of the United States one live turkey and two dressed turkeys. The live turkey is pardoned and is supposed to live out the rest of its days on a peaceful farm.

More recently it was thought prudent to have two turkeys pardoned, in case the original turkey becomes “unavailable” for presidential pardoning. I took that to mean a more pressing engagement.

In 2003 we were all asked to vote on what the names should be for these two turkeys and the voting has become an annual tradition.

Past names have included:

Stars and Stripes (2003)

Biscuit and Gravy(2004)

Marshmallow and Yam (2005)

Flyer and Fryer(2006)

May and Flower(2007).

The two turkeys are then flown first class, yes, first class(we pay for this folks) on United Airlines from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles where they become the Grand Marshals of Disneyland’s annual Thanksgiving Day parade down Main Street.

The two turkeys then live out the rest of their lives in Disneyland’s Frontierland ranch.

On that note, I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

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4. July 2007 by Ana Connell.

Ok, this is an update on my last post! I went by the Kwik E Mart and shot these pictures! It was a very funny experience as there were families taking pictures of themselves in front of the Kwik E Mart sign and putting their children in front of the graffitied walls for pictures!!!

Although there was a line, I was lucky as the line had died down to 5 people when I got there, when I left there were about 10-12 in line. They had sold out of everything except for the pink donuts and the Squishi slurpees!

I was told there will be a new shipment of goods arriving tomorrow! In case you can’t read it, the small white sign says 5 Minute parking, violators will be executed!

Happy 4th everyone! Given that there are no fireworks here in Burbank, Kwik E Mart seems to be the thing this year!

For your Burbank Real Estate needs please visit my website at anaconnell.com!

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30. May 2007 by Ana Connell.

A 1031 Exchange can be a very useful tool for the property owner who wants to defer capital gains on the sale of a real estate property.

Recently the Wall Street Journal and today Realtor Magazine had a great article about investors running into trouble with the IRS because of misappropriation of funds by the qualified intermediary or QI the investors used to manage the 1031 exchange funds!

If you know of any clients who utilize this tool, you may want to alert them to this situation! In the last year two QI’s have misappropriated client funds and the IRS is looking at the investors as well as the QI’s.

It is unclear, other than losing the tax deferral, if the investors will face any other penalties.

Your thoughts and comments are welcome!

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15. May 2007 by Ana Connell.

They have been telling us that sometime in the not too distant future Southern California will be experiencing an earthquake of some magnitude.  If this or any other disaster strikes will you and your family be ready?

Here are some great tips:

Before the disaster:

Make sure you have a communication plan in place……what will you do if family members are at work, school, home and who will you call first?  Out of state contacts are recommended as it’s often easier to call long distance.

Have a plan in place for where and how you will reunite the family.

Learn what things to stay away from during an earthquake, how to turn off your gas and that you have the proper wrench to do it with!

Assign specific duties to each family member so each person knows exactly what to do.

Keep one gallon of water per person per day for 7 days(three weeks is recommended).  You should also have at least a week’s worth of food for you and your family, again three weeks is recommended.  Purchase canned, instant and dried foods along with grain items, snack items etc. that will be easy to store.  You should also have plastic utensils and paper plates on hand.  For more information on what foods to buy, check out the Los Angeles Fire Departments guide at http://lafd.org/eqfood.htm

Don’t forget about your pets!  Make sure you have food and water for them.

There is so much more information on this subject and I encourage you to check out the great websites listed here as they provide much valuable information.

USGS- http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/preparedness.php

Earthquake Preparedness Guide- http://www.disastercenter.com/guide/earth.html

American Red Cross Disaster Guide- http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_583_,00.html

For your Burbank Real Estate needs please visit my website at anaconnell.com!

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