Archives

June 2007

Summer Begins - June 21

Posted at 8:24 PM, Jun. 20, 2007

With the tempatures in Las Vegas already hitting close to the 110 mark it's hard to believe that summer is JUST beginning.  Here's some interesting pieces of trivia for you:

• Furnace Creek in Death Valley CA holds the record for highest recorded temperature ever measured in the U.S. - July 10, 1913 - a sizzling 134 degrees!
• To beat the desert heat, the ancient Egyptians circulated water through the walls of homes to cool them, and ancient Persians cooled buildings using wind and pools of water.
• The 'year without summer" occured in 1816  when the northeastern  U.S. and Canada experienced snow and cold through most of the summer. An erupting volcano in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) was probably the cause of this.
• Average number of days per year the therometer breaks 110 F in Las Vegas is 9
• Hottest summer on record in Las Vegas had 29 days of 110+ temps (but I can't remember which year)

   

Foreclosures in Las Vegas

Posted at 8:16 AM, Jun. 17, 2007

The other night on the news they were talking about how percentage-wise Las Vegas has a large amount of foreclosures and leads the nation in foreclosures.  It's all doom and gloom, according the the media.  I received this from my lender this morning...

Here is a point that you might find interesting to know the truth.  The Foreclosure rate in the state of Nevada through 2006 is .45% & the national average is .99%*.  In other words, our foreclosure rate is actually less than half of the rest of the Nation.  The fact that our foreclosure rate is "up 200% from last year" is really negligible.  That just means that our rate a year ago was REALLY LOW.  Interesting how the media can make you believe something huh?  *Source: Mortgage Bankers Association

Mark@MarkABaker.com

Flag Day 2007

Posted at 9:32 PM, Jun. 14, 2007

As I left the house this morning I noticed little flags planted in the ground at the edge of all the lawns up and down the street.  My complex, Braewood Heritage Square, sets these little flags out on many of the holidays during the year...I'm thinking "hmm, this isn't the 4th of July, this isn't Veterans day, this isn't Memorial Day, I wonder why the flags are out today"...then it dawned on me...today is a one of those 'minor holidays'....it's Flag Day!  What a beautiful jester this is to to honor our flag in this way.  How sad it is that June 14th means nothing to us anymore.  

On June 14, 1777 the Second Continental Congress adopted the flag of the United States.  On 1916 President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation making June 14 Flag Day.  Flag Day is not a national holday but in some states it is a state holiday...hurrah for those states for making it a holiday! 

Las Vegas - The Last Hurrah Before Summer

Posted at 10:46 AM, Jun. 6, 2007

As summer quickly approaches (2 weeks from tomorrow) Las Vegas has already felt a taste of what's to come...the temperatures the last week have broken the 100 degree mark, although just barely...but it's a sign of what's to be this summer.  Yesterday...we started the ‘cool down' that the weather people here often talk about... a high in the mid-90's, but very strong winds helped make it seem a little bit cooler.  This morning I woke up at 7 a.m. to 65 degrees...it's BEAUTIFUL outside...this is what Las Vegas is all about!  Our high today is expected to be in the low to mid 80's.  According to my friend the weatherman, Brian Scofield on channel 13, it should stay this way through the end of the week and then the warm up will begin again.  God is so good to have given us this little reprieve before we get full force into summer!