The new show will take guests on a journey where they’ll join the Blue Men as they discover, engage and explore the world’s obsession with cutting-edge technology.

New sections include Blue Men interacting with “GiPads” (think Gigantic iPads), offering the audience a funny and perceptive look [...]]]> The Blue Man Group will debut a new show at Universal’s Aquos Theater on Feb. 24 that features a brand new stage, new music and new equipment used in the audience interaction portion of the performance.

The new show will take guests on a journey where they’ll join the Blue Men as they discover, engage and explore the world’s obsession with cutting-edge technology.

New sections include Blue Men interacting with “GiPads” (think Gigantic iPads), offering the audience a funny and perceptive look at contemporary modes of communication; and a pulsating new finale featuring an original Blue Man Group music score.

“The heart of our show is, and always has been, the Blue Man, and his inquisitive, wide-eyed take on the world,” said Chris Wink, who co-founded Blue Man Group with Phil Stanton and Matt Goldman.

Stanton said many of the audience’s favorite Blue Man pieces — including paint drumming and gumballs/marshmallows — still will be part of the production.

The Blue Man show first opened at Universal Orlando in 2007 and has only changed twice since then.

The visitor count was up 4.4 percent from 2010, and topped a previous record set in the rosier economic environment of 2007, according to figures released Thursday by Visit Florida, the state’s tourism promotion agency.

But if current conditions hold, that top [...]]]>

Tourism in Florida roared to a record in 2011 with an estimated 86 million visitors traveling to the Sunshine State, a sign that the extended tourist lull from the Great Recession, hurricanes and the BP oil spill may be receding.

The visitor count was up 4.4 percent from 2010, and topped a previous record set in the rosier economic environment of 2007, according to figures released Thursday by Visit Florida, the state’s tourism promotion agency.

But if current conditions hold, that top mark could be short-lived, especially as measured by Florida’s experience so far in 2012 and in view of the upcoming weekend’s activities in Central Florida with the NBA All-Star Game and Daytona 500 race series.

Tourism officials say this winter tourism season is off to a solid start, thanks largely to warmer January temperatures compared with the extended cold snaps of the previous two years.

Higher 2011 visitor counts were tallied across the board. Domestic tourists increased 3.0 percent, Canadian visitors rose 5.7 percent and overseas travel jumped 16.1 percent — the latter two groups the result of chugging economies in Canada and South America.

The VISIT FLORIDA research department studies global consumer trends and travel patterns to learn more about Florida’s visitors and their preferences. Every year our Research Department prepares the industry leading Florida Visitor Study, in addition to many other useful studies. This Visitor Study is the premier reference guide for statistics on visitors to the Sunshine State.

All statistics provided by VISIT FLORIDA Research.

This new breed of small-scale investors likes to buy and hold properties, as opposed to the high-dollar large investment firms that once dominated the real estate market that flipped properties quickly.

For “mom and pop investors,” the strategy is to buy homes at rock-bottom prices, rent the properties out to cover all of [...]]]> NEW YORK – Feb. 17, 2012 – “Mom and pop investors” are trying to capitalize on a depressed real estate market in the hopes of cashing in one day.

This new breed of small-scale investors likes to buy and hold properties, as opposed to the high-dollar large investment firms that once dominated the real estate market that flipped properties quickly.

For “mom and pop investors,” the strategy is to buy homes at rock-bottom prices, rent the properties out to cover all of the costs of homeownership for several years, and then one day sell the homes when prices recover.

“An unprecedented number of investors are looking into this,” John Burns, CEO of John Burns Real Estate Consulting, told USA Today. Investors purchased more than 26 percent of single-family and condos in 167 U.S. markets in the first nine months of last year, according to data supplied by Burns.

For investors in the rental market, an 8 percent annual return is fairly normal, according to Burns. “That means that someone who buys a $100,000 property – and pays cash for it – makes $8,000 a year after expenses, including maintenance and taxes,” the USA Today article notes.

Of course, the threats of tenant and maintenance issues always has the potential to derail that potential profit, so investors need to be careful before jumping in, some experts warn.

Applications for unemployment benefits are near a four-year low, raising expectations of further hiring gains. The news Thursday helped lift the Dow Jones industrial average to its highest close since May 2008.

More jobs and tame inflation are giving consumers more buying power. Their higher spending could further boost growth and lower the unemployment rate for February for a sixth-consecutive month.

Even the troubled [...]]]> WASHINGTON – The healthier job market that’s lifted the U.S. economy in recent months shows no signs of slowing.

Applications for unemployment benefits are near a four-year low, raising expectations of further hiring gains. The news Thursday helped lift the Dow Jones industrial average to its highest close since May 2008.

More jobs and tame inflation are giving consumers more buying power. Their higher spending could further boost growth and lower the unemployment rate for February for a sixth-consecutive month.

Even the troubled housing market is benefiting. Builders expect improved sales in the near future. In response, they’re planning to break ground on more homes.

“The housing starts and unemployment claims numbers add to the belief that the economy is shifting gears,” said Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisers. “The decline in the unemployment rate is real, and it should continue.”

A series of positive economic reports Thursday reinforced that message:

Weekly applications for unemployment benefits fell to a seasonally adjusted 348,000, the Labor Department said. That’s the lowest since March 2008. Unemployment applications have dropped 11 percent in four months.

Builders broke ground in January at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 699,000 homes, the Commerce Department said. That nearly matches November’s three-year high. Single-family home construction cooled off slightly after a big jump in December.

Factory activity in the Philadelphia region grew in February at the fastest pace in five months, a survey by the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank found. That followed a report that showed a third-consecutive month of factory growth in the New York region.

Wholesale prices were largely unchanged in January, Commerce said. While gasoline prices are rising, they’ve been offset by falling costs for electricity, home heating oil and natural gas. Most economists see inflation as little threat.

Many analysts expect more good news in next month’s jobs report for February. Some say the net job gains could match or top January’s 243,000. For the past three months, the economy has gained an average of about 200,000 jobs.

The current list was developed based on market rankings on year-over-year median price appreciation, reduction in year-over-year median age of inventory, and inventory reduction levels from Realtor.com, as well as unemployment rates on a year-over-year basis, according to a release from Move.com

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The 30-year average has also managed to remain below 4 percent for the past 11 weeks, and below 5 percent for the past 52 weeks dating back to February 17, 2011, according to the survey.

The 15-year rate this week averaged at 3.16 percent (0.8 point), maintaining [...]]]>

The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is still at an all-time low of 3.87 percent, and it’s been there since the first week of February, according to the Primary Mortgage Market Survey released by Freddie Mac.

The 30-year average has also managed to remain below 4 percent for the past 11 weeks, and below 5 percent for the past 52 weeks dating back to February 17, 2011, according to the survey.

The 15-year rate this week averaged at 3.16 percent (0.8 point), maintaining the same average as last week. The

Guaranteed Leaseback Program – 24 Months

Chief administrative officer for Nemours, Randall Hartley, sees a positive economic effect on the horizon. “We are putting approximately 850 new full time equivalent positions into the economy,” said Hartley. “That’s a lot of jobs, and for Central Florida particularly, with the economic challenges it’s facing, 850 jobs is [...]]]> Nemours Children’s Hospital is projecting to hire 596 positions with an additional 100 supporting jobs and estimates that by the end of 2013 it will contribute $83.5 million in salaries and benefits.

Chief administrative officer for Nemours, Randall Hartley, sees a positive economic effect on the horizon. “We are putting approximately 850 new full time equivalent positions into the economy,” said Hartley. “That’s a lot of jobs, and for Central Florida particularly, with the economic challenges it’s facing, 850 jobs is welcome news indeed.”

The children’s hospital has already received more than 10,000 applications for jobs in the general fields of facilities, nursing, pharmacy, IT and mental health, and will be posting specific positions within those categories this upcoming weekend up until Monday, February 20.

In addition to positions relating to medical care, Nemours will also be looking for employees to fill roles to support the hospital’s operations, including jobs in security, housekeeping and food service.

“There’s clearly a multiplier effect,” says senior human resources business partner, Rick Kennedy. “There is a direct benefit to those that are employed in Medical City and clearly there’s an affect on the services around it needed to support those individuals.”

Contributing to the total economic impact of the new hospital is the construction of the building itself, which at completion will have created more than 5,000 jobs at a cost $166 million in wages.

With the specified job postings going online this weekend, challenges in hiring are evident. “When you have that many candidates we have to make sure that we don’t overlook a quality candidate and that we are getting the very best,” said Kennedy.

While the applicant pool is large already, adding to the difficulty of the hiring process is the need to fill positions in highly specialized medical areas. “We may need to expand our scope beyond Central Florida to find candidates who really have the right pediatric experience,” said Kennedy.

For more information on Nemours job opportunities, visit: http://nemours.hodesiq.com/job_start.asp

TICKET INFORMATION Thursday, February 23 & Friday, February 24 Adults $20 Kids (3-12) $12 Kids (2 & Under) FREE Seniors/Military (with valid ID) [...]]]> NBA All-Star Jam Session is nonstop basketball action for all ages! Fans can shoot, slam, dribble and drive all day, compete against their friends in skills challenges and collect FREE autographs from NBA Players and Legends. Young fans can hang out in the Kids Zone, with hoops and interactive activities that are the perfect size for kids’ slam dunks, three-pointers and jump shots.

TICKET INFORMATION
Thursday, February 23 & Friday, February 24
Adults $20
Kids (3-12) $12
Kids (2 & Under) FREE
Seniors/Military (with valid ID) $12

Saturday, February 25 & Sunday, February 26
Adults $30
Kids (3-12) $20
Kids (2 & Under) FREE
Seniors/Military (with valid ID) $20

Been looking for a US investment option?

Here’s an opportunity where you can have both – a desired South Florida location, with immediate cash-flow, minimum net yields of 8% and delivered pre-packaged with tenant and management company already in place. Take advantage of the widely advertised economic downturn in Miami, with prices of properties still 40% less than rebuild cost and less than 30% of original pricing.

Limited units available – More details [...]]]> Want to impress your friends with a glitzy Miami address?

Been looking for a US investment option?

Here’s an opportunity where you can have both – a desired South Florida location, with immediate cash-flow, minimum net yields of 8% and delivered pre-packaged with tenant and management company already in place. Take advantage of the widely advertised economic downturn in Miami, with prices of properties still 40% less than rebuild cost and less than 30% of original pricing.

Limited units available – More details are waiting for you here!

This incredible gated community features 3 unique floor plans and is centrally located in South Miami, Cutler Bay near the Florida Turnpike and US-1.

The Courts at Bayshore offers manicured landscaping, excellent customer service and maintenance, a tranquil community, and beautiful residences at an affordable price.

Standard Features include impact glass, window treatments, complete Whirlpool appliances with Washer and Dryer, walk-in closets, balconies, and courtyard views/accessibility among many other features.

Floor plans include features such as open kitchens, , Vaulted Ceilings, Decorative Windows, Balconies, Spacious Walk-In Closets, and much more!

Limited units available, Real Estate taxes and Property Insurance paid through the end of 2012 – put an extra $625 in your pocket monthly and don’t forget to tell your friends!