Story Link: Courier Post

Cartoon from Sid in the City

There happens to be a lot of different things that people do no understand when it comes to getting yourself a new vehicle whether it is through leasing it or buying it, it still requires some information to know how it really does work. The thing that you should keep in mind the most is that a car dealership does not typically finance a car lease or a loan but in turn they will most definitely have some sort of impact on how much you will end up paying on your car financing.

One good thing to keep in mind is that a car dealership will always sell you a vehicle for cash in hand. These people are third party businesses that have purchased a franchise from one or multiple different car makers in order to sell the vehicles. They do not work for these car makers and always work for themselves. It is important to realize that the dealers buy these cars themselves usually through the use of a very large loan through a bank or another type of financial institution and as a result they are also charged rates of interest on these car loans. They then need to sell the cars off in order to pay off their initial loans as well as all of the other associated costs that come with running a car dealership.

Dealers will always get cash for a vehicle that they sell to someone, it could either come from the consumer himself, or some other financial institution that has loaned out the finances to a consumer in order to purchase the vehicle of their choice through an auto loan. People are usually under the misconception that they will be able to get a discount or a better deal if they pay for a vehicle in cash but this is not the case because they in fact will make more from raised interest rates and commissions if you go about financing the vehicle itself.

When a car dealership sells a vehicle to a consumer he will usually push onto them the typical bank or financial institution that they have working with them in order to get their financing settled. A lot of these dealerships will use some of the more well known and major financial institutions that have special deals with the car makers if you do not already have one and you would be paying an additional premium for that luxury. As a consumer however, you have the ability to bring on your own auto financing company if you would like to. The point of stating this is to make it perfectly clear to you that a car dealership does not finance a loan to a consumer at all. They will not process the loans or even take payments on the loans themselves, all they will do is take the application papers that you fill out and will try to arrange some sort of financing with companies that they usually work with for a small fee.

Low Rates Car Loan

Now a dealer could go about checking your credit history, but this is not for the purposes of getting you the consumer a car or vehicle loan, but is done in order to figure out quickly whether or not the consumer would even be capable of getting a vehicle or if they have any serious credit issues that are currently outstanding. The dealer is not the financial institution and is unable to approve you the consumer for a loan. The financial institution that the dealership forwards your filled out application to will do their own set of credit history checks as well as check out your past payment history and your overall debt to income ratio. This check is a lot more well done then what a dealer could possibly do so if you happen to have a dealer check out your credit and tell you that you are alright, they really may not have any idea at all so keep this in mind as well.

When the financial institution is done checking out your credit worthiness you will be classified in one of three types which are prime, near prime, and sub prime. Prime means that you have a great credit profile and have a higher score usually above six hundred and eighty, as a result of this you will be offered the best possible interest rates on your loan. Near prime usually will fall around the six hundred and twenty to the six hundred eighty mark and will usually mean that you could pay as much as four or so percent more then someone that has a prime score. If you happen to be below that and are considered to be sub prime then you are going to have some issues with finding a lending institution that will be willing to give you a auto loan and when you do end up finding a good one the rate of interest you will be paying is going to be very high.

Subprime Car Loans

You should also be aware that a car dealership has the ability to change the rate of interest that you would be paying on your car loan. One of the types of hidden fees that some shady car dealerships will try to include to consumers when they purchase or lease a vehicle is to mark it up so that your interest rate is increased regardless of your good credit score. This sort of markup can go up as much as two percent on your overall rate of interest and this particular markup of your interest rate will never be mentioned on any document that you would ever be signing. The car dealership will say that this increase can be considered justifiable because it helps them cover the cost of getting the consumer the financing they need but it is just additional profit or is used to make up for something they may have given to you somewhere else in the car deal. The most a car dealership is legally allowed to mark up your interest rate is by two and a half percent.

Something that a lot of people will ask when they go about getting a new car or vehicle is whether or not they are able to negotiate for their own rate of interest. In a lot of these situations you will not be able to negotiate the base rate of interest that a lending institution gives to you but you will be able to try and haggle down the markup that a car dealership tries to give to you. You should know that though some car dealerships practice this shady act not all of them take part in it. You should also realize that the better credit profile that you have the better rate of interest you will receive over all from the financial institution. So knowing what your credit profile looks like and shopping around on the internet is of the best things you can do for yourself before even ever walking into a car dealership.

Student Car Loans

Even if a car dealership does check your credit it really does not matter and this is a mistake that most people think occurs. Just because they said it looks good on their end it does not mean it is a done deal for you. When a consumer buys or leases a new vehicle with a car finance they will usually sign papers that state that they agree to purchase the vehicle using funds that are provided to them through a financing company and if they are not approved by the company the deal itself is considered nulled and voided unless they are able to secure another way of financing. Once this is done the car dealership is in no way again involved in the monthly repayment of the loan itself and is no longer responsible for it.

If you happen to have poor credit and come across problems trying to get approved for a vehicle because of your past payment history or debt to income ratio there are still a couple of things that you can do in order to get yourself that car of your dreams. Often times a co signer will allow you to get a vehicle without much of a problem. Other times a financial institution will ask for a large down payment to off set the high amount of risk that you have shown to them through your credit history. This will usually allow you to keep the same monthly payments while having the overall cost of the vehicle to go up. Even if a dealer lets you drive away with the car if the bank or financial company comes back to them denying the loan application the vehicle still will legally belong to them and they will require you to return it regardless of anything that you could have signed originally.

Private Party Car Loan

So when it comes down to it you should always know what your personal credit profile and score is before even walking into a car dealership just to make sure that you will not be startled when something goes down later on. The next thing you should do is to shop around for a good car loan that is flexible for all situations online before going into a car dealership so that you are prepared with money in hand in order to make sure that the car you are buying is yours and not the dealers. There are many different places to do this online and getting multiple quotes from different companies will allow you to find the best possible deal regardless of your credit history and situation.

ANNUAL PRMP-A-THON $35.00 HAIRCUTS, $35.00 1/2 HOUR MASSAGE, AND $35.00 1/2 HOUR FACIALS SPACES LIMITED CALL NOW TO RESERVE YOUR APPOINTMENTS!!!!!

News Item:
Catholics, Muslims, ink pact

Catholic and Muslim leaders in South Jersy signed an agreement yesterday, pledging cooperation and understanding of each other. It was the second such signing in the US. The first occured in 2003 in Rochester, New York. If the effort will now migrate to other states across the nation, and what impact, if any, it will have, remains to be seen. It is an effort, however, so that's a good thing, but radical factions from either side were notably absent.

News Link: Courier Post

Cartoon from Sid in the City

News Item:
Foul odor over South Jersey baffles officials

Last week, something smelly drifted over a few South Jersey towns, and it was strong enough to permeate some homes. One resident of Glendora said it smelled like a dozen dead skunks. Now wouldn't that be nice to wake up to...

The stench was first noted about 7:00am, and HazMat crews were in the area by 8:45. Even with the use of chemical sniffers, the components of the odor remained unidentified. The smell wasn't just an isolated incidence in the 'dozen dead skunks' neighborhood. Reports came in from Clementon, Pine Hill, Voorhees, Lakewood, Tom's River, and Manchester. That covers a whole lot of real estate. The straight line distance from Clementon to Tom's River is about 50 miles.

The odor lasted about a day, and then it was gone, with still no clue where it came from. Historically though, events of this kind tend to emanate from one central location.

News Link: Courier Post

Cartoon from Sid in the City

News Item:
State seeks snappy symbol

Despite all its history and sometime notoriety, New Jersey is looking to firm up its identity, and a group named Celebrate New Jersey is taking on the task. They want to come up with a symbol to place on highway signs that would confirm without a doubt where a visitor is. Has that ever been a problem? Being sandwiched between two of the largest cities in the country, New York and Philadelphia, how many folks are out there, really, who don't know where Jersey is?

We're guessing that even if you surveyed a nomadic tribe in some far off desert, someone in the group will recognize the home state of Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, or Tony Soprano. It's even been noted that a trip along the Jersey Turnpike, probably through Newark, prompted Dorothy of The Wizard of Oz to utter "We're not in Kansas anymore..."

Even so, in the interest of pride in the state, we'd like to offer a few suggestions below.

News Source: Courier Post

Cartoon from Sid in the City

News Item:
Scam grabs couple's cash

There should be a certain kind of slime that fills a deep dark hole for those who commit fraud under the guise of helping our troops. One such individual is named Glyn Richards, who set up a dummy corporation called All-Freight Logistics, based in Audubon, NJ.

The purpose of All-Freight, according to reports, was to ship materials to US forces in Iraq. The sales pitch to investors was that they would be helping to supply our troops with much needed goods, and make quick profit in return. All-Freight, it turns out, was a classic Ponzi Scheme, along the lines of a cash pyramid. There were no shipments, no supplies, nothing sent to our GI's, but investors were paid early on. Not from government contracts to All-Freight Logistics, but with money from other investors.

As with any pyramid scam, it was bound to collapse, but Richards kept it running longer than most, and made a bundle at it too. Since 2005, authorities estimate, $20 million dollars managed to change hands.

There's an in-depth report in the Courier Post, but even better than what was in the newspaper, is a website one victim set up for revenge. Both are a good read, all the way through, and both are linked below.

News Source: Courier Post
Web Based Revenge: Glyn Richards Scam

Cartoon from Sid in the City

News Item:
Bogus Narc Busted

A man walked into a store at a farmers market in Berlin, New Jersey, the other day, and flashed a badge, claiming to be an investigator for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics Strike Force. The merchant probably asked, as most of us would, what the visit was about.
[So far, situation normal, more or less.]

The presumed narcotics agent then demanded from the business owner a quantity of the prescription drug Oxycontin.
[Maybe the situation is not so normal.]

The presumed narcotics agent also demanded that the merchant hand over all his cash.
[Situation definitely out of the ordinary at this point]

The merchant, in reply to the unusual requests, opted to call the police instead. The presumed narcotics agent, rather than wait for, uhm... let's say 'backup', decided to leave the store, rather quickly.

Up till now this appears to be just another run of the mill police impersonation story, but it gets better. After police arrived, and got a description, they canvased the premises. Standard procedure, we're guessing. Had the presumed narcotics agent already fled the scene? Not exactly. He was apprehended still wandering through the market, as if he had done nothing wrong.

This guy gets one of two Sidiots [Sid's Idiot Awards] we're offering. The second? Wellllll... that merchant in the story. There was no mention in the news report of what happened to him, but the Berlin Farmers Market doesn't list a pharmacy in the store directory, so why did the presumed narcotics agent demand Oxy's from him? And if the merchant was dealing under the counter, was it all that bright of him to call the police? Wouldn't they ask the same question?

News Source: Courier Post

Cartoon from Sid in the City

News Item:
FBI arrests NJ officials in corruption probe

A couple of days ago the FBI hauled in 11 elected officials in New Jersey and charged them with taking bribes. Now there's a shocker for you... corrupt politicians in Jersey... who woulda thunk it.

Truth is, politics and bribery go hand in hand in The Garden State, and it just doesn't seem to faze the populace. If you want to get elected in New Jersey, campaign on social issues. Promises to cut taxes are seen as a joke, and never materialize, but promise big budget programs to cure social ills, and it's almost automatic, you're in. Never mind that everyone knows you'll be skimming some off the top, it's almost expected. If you don't know that, as a voter, you'd better take a look again. It's basically standard procedure. These 11 are just the latest in a long long line. It's becoming the stuff of tradition. In the past 5 years alone, 100 NJ officials have been convicted of taking bribes and kick-backs.

News Source: MSNBC

Cartoon from Sid in the City

News Item:
It's cats vs birds in Cape May

The bird sanctuary in Cape May, NJ, is well known to the bird watching community, and is the home of the World Series of Birding. You didn't know there was a World Series for birds? Well neither did we, but it's a big deal for the state. It's estimated that bird watching activities bring about $2 billion into the New Jersey economy each year, so yeh, we'll give 'em that, it's a big deal.

Folks who live in Cape May, have this thing about cats. They like their cats, a lot. Just about any postcard you see with a Victorian setting has a cat lounging around in it somewhere, and Cape May is a Victorian town.

Cats have kittens, lots of kittens, lots and lots of kittens, and more and more of those kittens aren't finding a home. So you have this small town, with a booming stray cat population, and in this town you have a haven for birds. Are you getting the picture yet? Stray cats on the loose with no place to go, and lots of birds all around. You got it, the feathers are flying, and the birders are getting upset. It's rumored the federal government may step in on the side of the birds, to protect the habitat. To the cat people that means euthanasia for captured cats, and that has the cat folks fuming.

Local officials say it can all be worked out, the cats and birds can live in harmony. If not, a real feud could be brewing. Imagine tree lined streets, horse drawn carriages, and gingerbread houses, then throw in the Hatfields and the McCoys, just for grins.

News Source: Philly.com

Cartoon from Sid in the City

News Item:
Arrests made in Atlantic City poker scam

Four out of state cheats, holding private high-stakes poker games at the Borgata in Atlantic City, have taken video surveilance to heart. The four are accused of using hidden cameras in the room where the games took place, to get a look at the cards being held by the other players.

No need to go in to the odds advantage here. If you know what the other guy is holding, well hey... The twist in the story comes with the revelation that one of the cheats owns a company in Las Vegas called International Gaming Specialists. What does this company do, you ask? They hire themselves out as consultants to casinos and law enforcement to catch [you guessed it] cheaters.

News Source: Courier Post

Cartoon from Sid in the City

In celebration of the 15th Anniversary of Grounds For Sculpture, Music & Motion Dance will return for its third year to present a new work entitled RED on July 15, 2007 from 12 – 3pm throughout the grounds.

Set to premiere at the Philly Fringe & Live Arts Festival 2007 in September, visitors to the Grounds For Sculpture will have a chance to preview the new dance work, RED by Music & Motion Dance on Sunday, July 15th. Music & Motion will be offering selected excerpts, from 12pm – 3pm, at various locations throughout the 35-acre sculpture park, located at 18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton, NJ. The performance is free to the public with admission to the grounds

Music and Motion Dance's new work RED, offers us an intimate look at relationships through the medium of movement, luscious visual imagery, differing human temperaments and undeniable beauty of self-discovery.

A single color, RED, becomes the defining point of a relationship, as one is caught up in whirlwind of seduction, passion, anger, romance and joy. Ultimately this color journey leads us to an empowering view of who we are and what is truly possible.

Dance pieces have been carefully chosen to blend with both the contemporary sculptures offered and the beautifully landscaped grounds. This strolling program will offer guests a unique mixture of sounds, colors, textures and movement… creating a sense of place in astonishing and unforgettable ways.

As part of the 15th Anniversary celebration, the Grounds for Sculpture will be offering a Free Poster to every car (1 per car), a Free Guest Pass to the first 15 cars entering the park. (1 per car to be used on the next visit), 15% Discount at Rat’s Restaurant (for parties up to 13 – may not be combined with any other offer) and 15% Members Discount in the Museum Shop (may not be combined with any other offer).

Music & Motion Dance Productions is a non-profit corporation, which is both owned and operated by teens with mentoring from outside corporations and individuals. It is a group of pre-professional dancers ages fourteen thru nineteen, who have expressed an interest in pursuing dance and the performing arts. Under the artistic direction of Steven Weisz, this group’s mission has been to empower young people through dance and creative collaboration in the performing arts, building self-esteem and inspiring self-expression and community action.

To that end, Music & Motion performs locally and in surrounding communities throughout the year, as well as performances in a fully professional atmosphere presented for corporations, museums, gardens, and live arts related venues. Music & Motion fulfills the need for providing young dancers with performing experience in a nurturing environment, while continually exciting audiences wherever they perform. The collaborative efforts of the entire company create a synergy rich in imagination, celebration and spirit.

2007 Cast Members are: Julie Ann D'Angelo, Bristol, PA; Stacey Folks, Pennsburg, PA; Grace Harman, Philadelphia, PA; Christina Heupel, Newtown, PA; Lauren Mulholland, Aston, PA; Ashley Klemmer, Whitehall, PA; Kristen Konski, Bristol, PA; Jennifer Laucella, Horsham, PA; Kate Lubenetski, Quakertown, PA; Melissa Martin, Schwenksville, PA; Andrea Piovane, Bensalem, PA; Alexandra Ruch, Horsham, PA; Noelle Tolbert, Harleysville, PA;

Additional Information:
http://www.Music-and-Motion.com

Grounds For Sculpture, a 35-acre sculpture park and museum, has captivated visitors since 1992, and has only gained in popularity as more of the public discovers its tranquil setting and engaging sculpture.

Indoor Exhibitions of emerging and well-known artists are shown throughout the year in two expansive, glass-walled buildings that were once exhibit halls for the New Jersey State Fair. Over 200 contemporary sculptures, from monumental to smaller scale, can be found on the beautifully landscaped grounds. Grounds For Sculpture also offers gardens, water features, an exciting restaurant—Rat’s, a Café, Museum Shop, Toad Hall Shop & Gallery, and a seasonally-open Gazebo Café for visitors. Special Events and educational programs are scheduled throughout the year offering music and entertainment, lectures, hands-on art activities, tours, and more.

For more information about the Grounds For Sculpture
http://www.groundsforsculpture.org/

News Item:
New Jersey no-no's at the beach

The first big weekend of the summer has come and gone. If the weather in your neck of the woods was nice, chances are you were outdoors. If you live in the Philadelphia / South Jersey area, you may have gone 'Down the Shore'. That means you went to the beach, for those who don't live here.

Some things you used to do, you couldn't do at the shore this weekend. The kiddies couldn't dig in the sand at Long Beach. Seems when they pumped sand from the ocean floor recently, to replenish what was lost through beach erosion, the beach became littered with a slew of World War I type munitions. Quite a bit of work went into removing the mortar rounds and artillary shells, but Long Beach couldn't guarantee that they got everything. It was assumed though that the top 12 inches of sand were clear, so you could open the beach chairs, spread out the blankets, and relax. True, the kids had to leave the buckets and shovels at home, and you had to poke that umbrella pole into the sand somewhat gingerly, but hey, it's summer, who wants to stay home just because some rusted old piece of metal might go boom.

Elsewhere along the shore, at Ocean City for example, it's against the law to feed the seagulls. We wonder if the town fathers realize that these are Jersey Gulls, that don't really wait for an invitation. Just ask anyone who's tried to eat french fries on the boardwalk. The gulls swoop and snatch them right from the cup. You didn't intentionally feed them, but the result is, they ate. Does that make you an accessory before the fact?

In Belmar, you can't draw dirty pictures in the sand, but isn't sand really a kind of dirt? Guess they're talking about 'erotic art'. You can't smoke on the beach there, or gamble, or curse, and changing clothes is something you should have done at home.

Brigantine likes it quiet, very, very quiet. The like to hear the breeze rustle through the dunes. The law there stipulates that if you're going to revel, disport, or behave in an annoying boistrous manner, emitting loud cries, you're going to get busted. The world's quietest beach volley ball games are probably played in Brigantine.

Sea Bright doesn't want any visitors who are sick, or have been within the past week or so. If you are experiencing or recovering from diarrhea, or have had any signs of gastrointestinal disease, go back home and swim in your own pool, or your neighbors, if you don't like them.

Wildwood is the golden child of Mother Nature, it seems, when it comes to beaches. Every year, towns to the north lose beachfront to storms, and that sand all winds up on Wildwoods shores. Their beaches, on average, are 1/4 of a mile wide. Along some stretches, it's 1/2 a mile to the water, and that is no exaggeration. Traversing the expanse from the boardwalk to the surf can feel like crossing the Sahara, especially when lugging all the stuff people take to the beach with them. A couple of years back, an enterprising businessman, wanted to rent camels to folks [seriously] to get them across. Wildwood now has an anti-camel law on the books.

News Source: CNN

Cartoon from Sid in the City

I thought this is as better time than any to start blogging about South Jersey...
and why not start with my South Jersey town.
This week was a banner week for the South Jersey town that I live in called Lumberton, NJ.

Ebay determined that Lumberton, New Jersey has more buying and selling activity on a per-capita basis
than any other town in the United States of America...and they threw us a big party on Tuesday Night May
15th to thank us.

Here's the story.

The town has approximately 12,000 people in it and that number includes mothers, fathers, children and grandmothers. Out of that 12,000 about 3000 are eBay members.
So 1/4th of the town is on Ebay.

No. I'm not joking.

My son is on Club Penguin.

Again. But it is all right.

If you haven’t heard about it and you are a parent of a k-6th grader you will. It’s an online virtual icy world It's an animated island where kids take penguin identities and waddle around and talk to each other. They don’t say very much (except for my son). They walk about, clumsily bumping into other penguins until one decides to dance or pass gas or invite you to eat virtual pizza at the island’s hot spot.. In short it’s a suburban boy’s dream-- It's socialization. It’s tag line “Waddle around and meet new friends” is just a start to the fun that can happen.

So, of course that one “Alternative to TV week” that took place in our South Jersey town had turned him into an avid social networker since TV was out of the question that week and therefore among many of my son’s friends and my friends.

Regardless if for over two years I had been trying to get him to use a computer more, start learning to type with 10 fingers and use the internet for research. In less than two weeks Club Penguin has succeeded where I have failed.

Oh Lord of virtual arctic blizzards where have you been?

As I type this he is urging me to look at something he can do with his personalized red penguin like press capital “ET” for a singing gas pass.

I spent some time looking over his shoulder initially and still do occasionally ---sometimes while he watches, sometimes not, just to make sure that he safe online.

“You’re not the boss of me” he messages to a girl penguin that has been telling what to do.

I just shake my head.

“Isn’t that the girl you were sitting at a pizza shop with just the other day?” I ask

“Yes”
“She is following me around everywhere and telling me what to do,” he says.

I smile and think to myself: I thought he would be about 13 years old before I heard that one.

“Okay, just play nice,” I say.

“Okay Mommy,” Matth says.

Earlier that week he ASKED to do the SpongeBob typing tutor we got him for Christmas and he hadn’t opened yet. You couldn’t have made me happier if you said YOU just won a free ticket to Ladies Night Out. Practically leaping for the CD to get it out of the case I put it in and he worked on it for almost 1 ½ hours.

Did I mention that as of today Club Penguin has no advertising. Yeeeahh and… The site has been granted The Better Business Bureau’s Kid’s Privacy Seal of Approval.

Yes I can hear your jaw dropping now….Yes very cool. Almost as cool as getting forty one snow balls to lob at your new online buddy, but I have to admit the negative now.

It’s addictive. I’m convinced after two weeks my son is addicted to this island paradise.

My son is 8 years old and it looks like some of the kids online with him are about 7 to 13 years old.

As I watch him waddle from ice rink to pizza place to sled hill defrosted tears just well in my eyes.

I sigh and say --All this and its kid-friendly? Just to be on the safe side I limit his time to only 25 minutes each day.

Okay I say ..Being Catholic and knowing that too much of a good thing is not good for you I say Okay only 5 more minutes then you need to log off.

“But I’m looking for Ben. He’s playing in the ski-lodge,” he says.

"I’m sure that you will be able to see him in class tomorrow,” I say and watch my son with one eye on his computer etiquette and one eye on the weather. It's finally starting to get warmer outside. His interests will change so quickly just as the seasons do.