Blogage
Ted Klumb is a Commercial and Residential Real Estate agent with First Weber and CEO/Founder of TKOR, LLC property management (www.tedklumb.com). He lives and works in Menomonee Falls, is a graduate of UWM, and is married with two children. Ted is also a former member of the Menomonee Falls School Board, a faith development music teacher, and musician who’s enthusiasm far exceeds his talent.
Beautiful Nativity World
There is a wonderful Nativity collection from all every part of the world on display at Holy Cross Lutheran Church on Pilgrim Road, about a quarter mile south of Appleton.
Christmas Gifts Remembered
When buying gifts this year I reflected upon the gifts that made the greatest impact on me as a child and as an adult. There was a strong connection between the best gifts and my favorite Christmas memories.
- As a child, my sister and I woke up at 5am to discover that our father had returned home Christmas Eve after being in the hospital from a near fatal accident the week before. We were fast asleep when my grandparents brought him home. Apparently he was released at 10pm by a sympathetic nursing staff. We were the first house in our neighborhood to have our lights on. I don't remember what present I received that year other than an appreciation of being a family.
- On Christmas 1994 when it appeared that we had to look at alternatives to have a child we got the news that our prayers were answered and our next Christmas would be with our own baby-God willing.
- On Christmas 2006 we were in China holding our miraculous baby girl. After years of paperwork, waiting, starts and stops, we were sitting in the hallway of our hotel with 12 other couples celebrating the same event.
- In the spring of this year, after a year of other health problems, my mom was diagnosed with Leukemia and things did not look promising for her survival. Fortunately with more lab work and a very dedicated doctor the prognosis was changed to a rare, but not dangerous, blood disease. We will have mom for another Christmas this year.
Predictions 2008 How Did I Do?
Below are my predictions published in December 2007 and the results. http://blogs.waukeshanow.com/blogage/archive/2007/12/31/predictions-2008.aspx
Note: I need to stop adding predictions in my predictions.
- Milwaukee will loose SAB Miller/Coors as the corporate HQ to Golden Colorado. There are too many reasons to state here/now but I will have a whole entry on this in about a week. Hint: Taxes are a factor.
Predictions 2009
Predictions 2008 was my first year for making predictions on blogage. If you want to know how I did, click here: http://blogs.menomoneefallsnow.com/blogage/archive/2008/12/26/predictions-2008-how-did-i-do.aspx
I made the mistake of embedding other predictions into my main predictions taking my accuracy way down. My first prediction of 2009: I will not make that mistake twice.
- The next shoe to drop in the financial crisis will be the day of reckoning for the credit card companies. This will peak in 2009. We should begin seeing hysterical headlines about May of this year. Side note: The impact of credit derivatives on the collateralized debt obligation will totally wipe out all of the equity the investors put in. This includes SE Wisconsin school districts (not Meno. Falls or Sussex Hamilton).
- The dollar will fall below its lowest value in 10 years. It fetched a record-low US$1.3912 against the euro in 2008.
- Ethanol will pretty much be discredited, by those who have the mental ability to make change from a nickel, as a viable alternative natural fuel in 2009. If there is a low yield corn crop it will expedite the awakening from this fad binge.
- In spite of all the deaths caused by seven to eleven time convicted drunken drivers, the state legislature will still ponder what we can do to stop the carnage. Maybe they will consider lowering the legal limit. Maybe they will consider raising the drinking age to 25. Maybe they will sue alcohol companies for millions, so we can run more MADD advertising (or spend the money on budget shortfalls when we overspend). It will never occur to them to lock up 5th time offenders where they can never get behind a vehicle and kill your children. My prediction: They will do nothing to ensure mandatory prison for +3 time offenders.
- The smarter municipalities will be far more reasonable when dealing with developers in their communities. The smarter communities will realize there are far more limited development dollars and will be more accommodating instead of changing deals at the last minute or asking for more gingerbread and greenery at the 11th hour of a deal. TIFs will grow in usage. Alternatively, developers will more readily walk to the next community when faced with unreasonable demands.
- Israel will attack Iran in an attempt to destroy the nuclear program there. Other Arab countries will huff and puff, do nothing, and secretly sigh relief that someone finally did something to stop Iran. In my opinion, Iran has sponsored the Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel to divert Israeli military resources away from them. Israel will be an incapable of fighting a two front war.
- A power play, to take over MPS, will be attempted in 2009. It may be the state or it may be Milwaukee, but someone will try, and fail, on their first attempt.
- Beyonce Knowles will be the number one revenue-generating music artist in 2009.
- Gold will break $965.00 per ounce in 2009.
- Brett Favre will retire after the 2008 season and un-retire in 2009. I'm not kidding.
- Thinking that America is on the brink of financial ruin, Al-Qaeda will hasten an attack on the U.S. to send panic into financial markets. That attempt will be unsuccessful.
- The $50 billion Bernie Madoff ponzi scam will get the average and high end investor to reconsider their investment strategy. The desire to put full faith and confidence in stocks will wane and drive demand for real estate, specifically commercial real estate and raw land. Demand will grow in 2009 for a revenue-producing asset that won't vaporize to absolute zero, like Bernie's fund or GM stock.
- The religion of global warming will be scientifically discredited in 2009. However, "global warmbies" will claim that the scientific data actually proves their theory. In other words they will use highly developed logic based on jujitsu: I know you are but what am I? It is my fervent hope that people in this country awaken to the dangers of the environmental movement. The "environmental" movement that tried to stop a solar energy plant in the Mojave Desert because of an endangered snake. It is a movement of dangerous hypocrites.
- The New England Patriots will pull themselves up from the ashes and win the Super Bowl in 2010.
- The threat of the looming sick pay mandate in Milwaukee County will be a growth benefit to surrounding counties.
