IKEA's Take on Time Machines

If you've ever purchased anything from IKEA, then you are familiar with their [usually] difficult owner manuals. You know, the ones with 184893085950 steps and pictures of parts that weren't included in the box. Well, here's IKEA's take on building the Djloriann (for those of you who've been under a rock, it's the time machine from the "Back to the Future" movies). Surprisingly, it's easier to put together a time machine than it is to put together a chest of drawers.

Best Cities for Jobs

Today, 8,500 Temple University Graduates will turn tassles and enter the "real world." As they sit and listen to Bill Cosby's inspiring words of wisdom, many are left with the question, "What do I do next?" Forbes most recent list strives to give direction to those who are unsure of future plans. Ranking the Best Big, Mid-size and Small Cities for Jobs, the list ranks the "398 current metropolitan statistical areas, based on employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported from November 1999 to January 2011." Hopefully this list will help some of you decide on a place to start a new chapter of your life. Congratulations Class of 2011, you did it!

Top 5 Big Cities for Jobs:
1. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas
2. New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, La.
3. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas
4. San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas
5. Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas

Top 5 Mid-Size Cities for Jobs:
1. El Paso, Texas
2. Corpus Christi, Texas
3. Anchorage, Alaska
4. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas
5. Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.-Mo.

Top 5 Small Cities for Jobs:
1. Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Texas
2. Bismarck, N.D.
3. College Station-Bryan, Texas
4. Midland, Texas
5. Dubuque, Iowa

Well that's one way to do it

With summer vacation quickly approaching, many people will be moving in/out of their apartments. Some hire professionals, some employ an army of friends and a box of pizza as repayment, others are a bit more creative. Check out this group of guys and their less than convential way of helping their buddy move into his new place. Maybe that's how they do it Russia?

If this your house, it's time to reevaluate your living situation!!

Did Osama win the war on terror?

Upon news of Osama’s death, Americans were rowled up to a new degree. Crowds took the streets, rejoicing in the death of the one man we fought triumphantly to capture, Osama Bin Laden. In a valiant operation in Pakistan, Navy Seals took out the militant leader in a fury of gun fire. He, along with several “unarmed” family members (all of whom resisted arrest) and members of his regime, were killed in a covert night mission. CNN reports that the seals arrived on two helicopters attacked the compound and proceeded to clear the house, moving methodically from room to room.

Although the militant leader is now dead, the question on everyone’s mind: Did we really win the war on terror? Washington Post reporter Ezra Klein cites that Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a counterterrorism expert who specializes in al-Qaeda, believes that Osama was “enormously successful.” Gartenstein-Ross stated in a foreign policy article that Bin Laden’s true intentions were to bankrupt the United States, a tactic previously used to take down, then superpower, The Soviet Union.

The counter-terriosm expert contended, “He has compared the United States to the Soviet Union on numerous occasions — and these comparisons have been explicitly economic.” He continued, “For example, in October 2004 bin Laden said that just as the Arab fighters and Afghan mujaheddin had destroyed Russia economically, al Qaeda was now doing the same to the United States, ‘continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy.’ ”

Don't believe him? Here are some facts about our spending habits over the past decade that have been attributed to Bin Laden and the "War on Terror":

• The war in Iraq will surpass $3 trillion dollars.
• Afghanistan war effort likely amounts to another trillion or two.
• Beefed up home land security since 9/11 will amount to over a trillion dollars.
• Taking into account the slew of indirect costs and measures taken by the U.S. government (i.e. loose monetary policies, the post 9/11 slowdown in the economy, etc.)

Klein contends that all measures taken were made on our part. A point to which I agree. We chose to increase security, we chose to slash taxes, we chose to invade Iraq and Afghanistan (I'll leave to you guys to decide whether or not these decisions were necessary). It'll be hard to prove whether or not Bin Laden's intention was to bankrupt the United States, but in the end, I feel the U.S. government acted accordingly given the circumstances.

McGonigle Pearson Hall Update

As part of  Temple University's expansion plans, a renovation of McGonigle Pearson Hall was needed to house Division 1 Basketball practice facilities, intramural and recreational sports facilities, exercise/yoga rooms, contemporary weight/workout rooms, classrooms, retail and street level, offices and other programatic areas.  The activities now located in the Student Pavilion will be relocated to the new complex.  The renovation and additional 140,000 SF to the existing 225,000 SF will cost the university over $48 million.  As of now, foundation construction has been completed and steel is being erected.

Temple Nest Apartments

To celebrate the growing rate of residential development in and around Philadelphia, we at Rentcampus have decided to track down recently completed projects and those under construction around Temple University.  We believe that awareness and exposure are key to fostering excitement and enthusiasm in a growing development market. Last week we featured Beech International Apartments, this week and every following week we will feature 2-3 new projects.

Next up is Temple Nest Apartments located at 1509-1511 N 15th Street.  The project features new construction 2&3 Bedroom Luxury Apartments, with a building area of over 9,000 sqft.  The original lot size at purchase was 1400 sqft each.  The owners, Temple Nest III LP have several properties in the Temple neighborhood and are dedicated to provided quality housing in North Philadelphia. Check it out at templenestapts.com