UCAN

 This little trick forces a mortgage lender to respond quickly.

 If you are having trouble getting a response from your mortgage servicer (the people you send your mortgage payment to) you may need to try sending an old fashioned letter. Not just any letter however, but a RESPA "qualified written request" letter. Under federal law (12 USC 2605e). Within 20 days of receiving a written correspondence a loan servicer must acknowledge receipt of the letter and within 60 days must take such action as appropriate, meaning that they either have to correct your account, respond to your inquiry, or provide you with a written explanation as to why they are not going to answer your inquiry or take any action.

The key to sending this letter is that it has to be considered a qualified written request. A qualified written request is a written correspondence that includes the borrower's name, the borrower's account number, and a statement detailing either the information sought or giving the reasons for believing the account is in error.

For help constructing the letter see our template.

Miracles don't happen often enough in our world. But when Michael starts growing his own fish and food in his garage, then you know that there's some divine intervention because Michael doesn't fish and he's got a brown thumb that makes all leafy things tremble. So how did Advocate Michael become Farmer Michael? One word: AQUAPONICS.

UCAN's fearless leader took to aquaponic home farming when he realized that he might be able to cut his water consumption by up to 90% and he could harness the excess power generated by his photovoltaic array that is pumping out over 100kwhrs each month MORE than he uses. OK, and he realized he could make some money, to boot. He's never denied being opportunistic when it comes to making money rather thanspending it.

Aquaponics is an old concept but it is using some mid-level technology in pumps and timers. The cool thing about aquaponics is that it recreates a natural biosystem without the need for any added
fertilizers, chemicals, or pesticides. And some experts have estimated that they require only 10% of the water normally needed for regular farming. Michael is carefully measuring his usage so that he can
verify aquaponic advocates' claims.
As in nature, the plants and fish sort of scratch each others' backs. The scientific term is "symbiotic". In short, the plants keep the water clean and, in turn, the fish feed the plants. Well, sort of. Actually, the waste from the fish tanks is treated with natural bacteria that converts the waste, largely ammonia, into nitrates that are used as essential nutrients by the plants. In turn, the plant roots serve to filter out this waste, so that the fish poop doesn't despoil the fish tanks. Everything stays clean and well fed.

The only regular farming activity needed is feeding the fish and that's handled by an automatic fish feeder that feeds them twice daily. Only a small amount of water is needed periodically to replace water that gets evaporated over time. And because Michael built the system in his garage, there is even less evaporation.

The entire system is powered by the electricity generated by Michael's photovoltaic system. So the sunlight powers the pumps and lights that grow the plants and keep the closed system water circulating. And if that isn't cool enough, Michael can contract with companies who will buy the fish and vegetables that he grows, pay him for whatever he doesn't use personally, and then sell it as organic, locally-produced product. No trucks importing the food from other states. No oil-based fertilizers or pesticides. The only non-solar energy required is the effort by Michael to harvest the fish and plants. (which he's not all that happy about, but is sated by the money he'll be making).

While it sounds complicated, it really wasn't. Michael contracted with Grow Foods, a local installer of aquaponics systems. None of the equipment is patented so anyone can do it. For about $2000, they shipped and assembled:

* Two seventy-gallon tanks for the fish:

* Gravel - 2.5 lbs./gravel for every 5 gallons of water in the fish tank

* Water pumps - 3-4 watt pump capable of lifting 18" - 54" at 30 - 100/gal/hour (small circulation or fountain pump is ideal)

* Aquarium air pumps sized for the number of gallons in the fish tank

* Two large grow bsed that sit on top of fish tanks

* Growing Medium - they used expanded clay pebbles. A bit more expensive but great for growing tubers.

They also provided the tilapia and shrimp that will grow in the tanks. As for the plants, Michael chose to grow assorted lettuces, basil, tomatoes, peppers and french green beans. The high-nitrogen fertilizer generated through fish waste promotes especially lush foliage. And the special full-spectrum grow lights give all of the light that the plants need to thrive, while giving bugs nothing to live upon. So no pesticides should be required as there's no soil.

Aside from plants and fish, the other major component of aquaponics is the water itself. That said, carefully monitoring the water's pH, which determines acidity, is of the upmost importance to ensure safe levels for the fish. Water quality testing equipment is very important to ensure that both fish and plants remain healthy. Michael also has to keep an eye on dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and chlorine. Within the first two weeks, the beneficial bacteria stabilize and little additional maintenance is needed thereafter.

The progress and details of Michael's new aquaponic miracle garden will be charted and provided on these pages, so keep checking in so that you can follow the progress of this living laboratory in his garage.

In the meantime,  here's lot of information about this installation that might help you decide whether and how to create your own aquaponics miracle. 

Vendor:   John Choisser
Grow Foods, Inc.
17005 Castello Circle
San Diego, CA 92127
jchoisser [at] growfoodsinc [dot] com
www.growfoodsinc.com
858-414-1007

To see the specs for Michael's project,  click on the 4 X 4 specs attachment below. 

To see the owners manual (8-pages),  click on the 4 X 4 manual attachment below.

If you've got an outdoor pool that is just too expensive to maintain and you are thinking of getting rid of it,  THINK AGAIN.  It could turn out to be the perfect aquaponics site.   Just fill with fish and place growing pans over it for the plants.  Your old pool can become a serious money-maker!

If you're one of the increasing number of residential phone customers who have dropped your good ol' landline phone for your cell phone, perhaps even exceeding your comfort zone a little like many Boomers (including me and Mrs. Telecom) who still like the idea of wires (younger readers are saying "...and silent films, 8-track tapes, and chain mail..."). you probably saw the fiscal advantages. Particularly if you're not a hefty household with a passel of persons waiting in line to chat, you decided "Why pay for a cell phone AND a landline?". Mrs T. and I saved about $30 a month, particularly since our Verizon plans have unlimited long distance. There's just the two of us empty-nesters and we don't yak a lot so, as long as we keep an eye on those peak minutes, we can talk all we want at night and on the weekend.

But there is a downside from a functional standpoint: ever tried to have two people on a cell phone at the same time? Even the speakerphone in a mobile phone is tinnier and weaker than one in a desk phone. If we want to talk to her Mom and Dad, we either have to use the speaker in one of our cell phones or we pass the phone back and forth like a hot potato. Something gets lost in the transition...

ADD AN EXTENSION TO YOUR CELL PHONE
Enter Cell Fusion Gateway (Model 21518EE1) made for GE by Thomson. This little box goes for $30 at Fry's and was quite easy to set up. It's fairly easy to use but not transparent. In essence, it connects your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone to any analog phone - now you can pick up your good old phone to get and take calls just like back in the old "Number Pleuhs" days.

I tested it with my LG Voyage Cell Phone. Your experience may vary. Pairing it was a snap - you just press the Line 1 button on the Cell Fusion box (which is only a few inches square and can be hidden out of sight" then turn on your phone's Bluetooth being sure the phone is configured to allow itself to be found (if you're not intimate with your cell phone's Bluetooth use, RTFM). Once your phone says "OK, I'm paired" the blue flashing light on the Cell Fusion box turns solid blue. All you have to do is keep the phone within 30-ish feet of the Cell Fusion box because Bluetooth is a "personal area network" protocol and isn't made for long distances.

IT'S FOR YOU...
Now, plug your phone(s) into the jack on the Cell Fusion box. The connection provides "battery", dialtone, and ringing voltage for your phone - i.e., it looks to the desk phone like the jack on the wall (that's now dead and full of cobwebs - sniff sniff, so sad...) and the phone company. When your cell phone rings, don't answer IT. It will make a Bluetooth connection to Cell Fusion which will then ring your desk phone. Pick it up and start gabbing.

MAKE THE CALL
Placing a call from your desk phone takes a little more thought. You have to dial a 3 digit code to tell Cell Fusion which cell phone to use (you can have two if you want - I do not so I find this a minor nuisance). Once done, you get dial tone and dial away.

If you have a 2-handset cordless-plus-speaker phone like I have from my landline days, this works great. The Panasonic cordless phones have no idea they're not connected to Grandma Bell. Mrs. T and I can both pick up a cordless phone and talk. One can use a cordless and one can use the speaker. If you like the "extension" concept but don't have cordless phones, just plug a 2-phone coupler into Cell Fusion then connect two desk phones. If you're handy, you COULD connect the jack on Cell Fusion to your existing house wiring to feed all the existing extensions.  NOTA BENE!!! If you're not truly familiar with phones and electricity, you could damage your Cell Fusion if anything else, like telco's BATTERY (48VDC) or 90 VOLTS OF RINGING SINGALLING is on that wire, too!!! Also, I have no ideas what the REN is for this product - that means, I don't know how many phones the Cell Fusion can feed at once without croaking. Don't gripe to me or GE or your retailer if you try this and the smoke escapes from the little doodads in the box.

OTHER FEATURES
As mentioned, this unit can talk to two cell phones. It can also connect to a landline. So, if you're not among those of us making the switch, you can still put Cell Fusion to use and it integrates itself so that, if you pick up your desk phone you can

1. simply dial a landline call
2. dial a code and place a cellular call on cell phone number 1
3. dial a different code and do the same on cell phone number 2
4. receive calls, likewise, from any of these 3 source.

OTHER NON-FEATURES
With my Voyager, at least, I dont like the fact that, when it's paired to the Cell Fusion box, I can't use the cell phone. The cell phone DOES announce calls but it's otherwise silent. To listen to voicemail, likewise, I must use the handset. Of course, turning off the Voyager's BlueTooth or turning off the Cell Fusion's blue lighted button or simply carrying the Voyager out of range solves this problem,

I found it difficult to always get Cell Fusion to re-pair with the Voyager. Again, this could be Voyager's BT implementation and not a minus for Cell Fusion.

Many stores like Fry's have a pretty simple return policy. So, if you like the idea but are not sure if it's "too much technology" (Mrs. Telecom) you can try it out and see. Personally, I'm glad to pick up the old Western Electric 2500, a fine hunk-o-iron in my hand, and make a good old fashioned cell phone call. Myrtle, ring up Sheriff Andy for me would you? And send Otis a text message for me too, wouldja?

Does your credit card company want to keep you as a customer?

You've had that credit card for years. It has a pretty good interest rate, and you have been paying above the minimum monthly amount owed as often as you could. Yet inexplicably the company raises your interest rate and lowers your credit limit to just above your balance. The company does not even bother to give you sufficient notice they lowered your limit and you risk facing penalties for exceeding that new limit, which not so coincidently is right above your outstanding balance.

So what should one do? After deciding whether you want to continue to do business with this company, the next step may be to complain to customer service about the change. If you have been a good customer, essentially holding up your end of the agreement you should call customer service and insist they lower your interest rate back down, and restore your credit limit. You have the power to cancel the card and take your business elsewhere and that is a strong negotiating tool.

Put the ball into the credit card company's court and say you should decide between keeping a good customer or losing a good customer. As consumers we have a choice of who we do business with and maybe it is high time some of those too big to fail companies felt a little push back from their customers so that maybe they will realize customers are too important to abuse.

It is not as if it is wrong to expect the company you do business with to adhere to the terms of its contract regardless of whether it reserves the right to change those terms at any time.

The Consumerist and the LA Times are both reporting that Chase Bank is taking a new approach to charging its customers more money. Instead of raising interest fees and earning extra over the long term, Chase is raising the minimum monthly balance of loan payments. At a time when people are struggling financially is Chase trying to force its customers to default and incur fees and charge the "default" interest rate. How long before the other banks and credit institution adopt this strategy (if they haven't already) to put more of a strain on the public.

I realize the financial institutions are upset about the recent legislation but how is making credit unaffordable to the public really going to help fix the economy, sure it means more money for Chase in the short term, but even Chase must realize that harming the public in the short term will continue to have a long term impact.

WATER USE: HOSE v. CARWASH

Home car washing is the sacred cow of water regulations. The agencies that regulate water use, from supply to storm drain, really don't like letting people wash their cars at home. Everything about it is wrong: too much water used (even with a cut-off nozzle, chances are good the car's spa day will use at least 110 gallons) and dump filth, petrochemical particles and dirty water into storm sewers, where they go straight into the watersheds.
Commercial car washes use an average of 35 gallons of water - equal to a 17-minute shower, when they wash your car. If they recycle, between 15 percent and 60 percent of that water is past its first use. In fact, almost all car washes use dirty water for the first dousing of the car as it moves down the line. http://www.carwash.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/Research/Consumer%20Study/Consumer%20Study%202005%20Key%20Findings.pdf
"You can recycle up to 40 percent of the water easily and inexpensively," says Yogi Mody, who owns the Body Beautiful chain of carwashes. ""With the 20 percent to 30 percent rate increases for water, recycling becomes more cost effective and we'll be looking to recycle more."
Those that don't recycle, treat their dirty water to remove all the road grit and soap before they put it into the sewer - not the storm drains. Both recycling and the treat-and-dump methods come down to storage tanks, where the dirt settles to the bottom.
Then it's filtered and either reused or dumped.
"Rinsing requires pure or near pure water," Mody says. "But our wheel blasters- the toughest and dirtiest job - use recycled water."
Recycling water is more expensive than the treat-and-dump method, and that puts the best practices car wash at an economic disadvantage. Randy Cressall, a board member for the Western Carwash Association, says he had a reclamation system installed at his Valencia-area carwashes for more than $100,000
The International Carwash Association has launched a Wate.r Saver certification program that will certify carwashes and give them advertising tools. But, right now, they don't have a list.

(We're working on getting a list for our readers.)

COIN OPS NOT REGULATED

Coin-operated car washes aren't regulated by the water or wastewater departments. But they don't appear to use much water - estimates run from 12 to 20 gallons for the 4-6 minutes that we scurry around the car trying to get the tough spots cleaned.
It isn't clear if the soapy water ends up in the storm drain or in the sewer, where it will be treated - but it's still much less water than home washing and Cressall says they're probably using soaps that are less harsh than the ones people who wash at home tend to use.

GAS STATION CARWASHES

Most aren't regulated beyond having a grease trap.  

DRY CLEANING THE CAR

There are plenty of water-less car washing solutions for home use - with varying degrees of green-ness and elbow grease. But be prepared to work. After squirting the stuff on the car, most products require two rubdowns with microfiber towels to rub out dirt and then finish the job.
The green-ness of the waterless wash products range from certified Green Logo products to petrochemical based stuff, so read the labels and pick your poison.
Freedom Waterless Car Wash products and NoWet Waterless Carwash, as well as World Klass and Dri-Guard'n Wash all get high marks from testers. (Google any of the brand names here and you'll get there quickly)

They aren't cheap - the least expensive is listed at $15.99 a bottle, though it's probably less at Walmart. A stack of microfiber towels - and the cost of washing them later - is part of the bargain.
Professional detailers have recommended a product called Poor Boy's World and they swear by many of the other waterless wash products. Mobile detailers we've talked to use a variety of approaches to cleaning from waterless spray-ons to water from the nearest tap.

But if you must wash at home, the best methods for saving water and beach life involve a hosing and a bucket - with plenty of elbow grease as well. Be sure you've got a nozzle that cuts off when you aren't using it - the average hose runs at about 11 gallons a minute.

Rocky, a pro detailer, describes his method on a Consumers Reports blog. http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2008/08/tips-for-the-do.html?resultPageIndex=1&resultIndex=1&searchTerm=car%20wash

He says:

ROCKY'S METHOD
The Green Car Wash (aka the holesbath).
Tools needed:
1- 5 gallon bucket with fresh water. (Rinse bucket)
1- 5 gallon bucket of fresh water with 1oz of soap.
4- microfiber cloths @ 16x16.
1- oz concentrated car wash soap, I only use Cherry bomb.
1- synthetic chamois.
1- 32oz dipping cup or empty coffee container for rinsing.

Preparation is the key. Use name brand car wash soap.

Starting with the roof, using 1 microfiber cloth, dip into oap bucket and wring out lightly. Using forward and backward
strokes, complete entire roof and front and back windows. Now mmediately dip your 32 oz container into the fresh rinse water bucket and rinse the entire roof and windows. Next use your synthetic chamois and dry those areas.

Proceed to the front hood and wash the entire area including the lights and bumpers. Again rinse and dry. Continue in this pattern around the rest of the vehicle. Now that same soap bucket is used to clean the tires and rims. Rinse and you're finished almost.

With 1 microfiber cloth dipped and wrung out tight, from the fresh water bucket and one dry microfiber cloth clean your windows.

Finishing Touches
Spray a microfiber cloth with Detailers spray wax, using the same pattern used to wash the vehicle. Apply to small areas and with a dry microfiber cloth wipe the spray wax off. Shazamm!
This process will give your baby a silky smooth finish with BLING.

And leave the dish soap - the car wash solution more than half of us reach for - in the house. Since it's formulated to strip off oils, it's bad for your car, bad for the storm drain and deadly for the critters at the other end. Your lawn might not like it either.

END

Every day you are likely hearing advertisements for loan modifications, but there are other options available that you should at least consider depending upon your situation.

Forbearance: a written agreement between you and your lender allowing you to either suspend or reduce monthly payments for a period of time until you are able to make payments to bring the loan current.

Ask your lender if interest will continue to accrue during this period. The answer is likely yes. It means you will owe more money over the life of your loan, but will get a bit of a reprieve until you are able to make payments again. If you are behind on your mortgage it may be worth asking if you can forbear your current monthly payment while you catch-up on your late payments. However, your monthly payment will likely be hirer over the remainder of your loan because of the accrued interest.

Repayment Plan: A repayment plan is used after you fall behind on your monthly payments. You and your lender agree that you will pay the past owed amount in monthly installments in addition to your monthly payment.
However, you have to ask if I fell behind in my monthly payments will agreeing to pay more per month really get my caught up on my payments.

Short Sale: A short sale is an agreement between you and your lender where you sell your home and the lender agrees to accept the amount you sell it for (assumed to be less than the amount owed on the mortgage).
There may be tax consequences to engage in a short sale, both for selling your property and for the loan forgiveness.

Deed-In-Lieu/Walking Away/Jingle Mail: You voluntarily give up title of your home to the lender in exchange for loan forgiveness. Thereby saving you and your lender (more your lender) the burden of going through the foreclosure process.

Military Relief: If you are a member of the military you have additional rights and protections under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act and/or the California Military Families Financial Relief Act.

There are still a few other options available if your mortgage is an FHA loan or a Frannie or Freddie owned loan. 

Regardless of who you talk to about your mortgage ask to hear about all the available options to you so you can make an informed choice.

Be careful in researching the new "Cash for Clunkers" program. A lot of sites are popping up with a lot of information and some of them are trying to get your information. When in doubt use the official government site http://www.cars.gov/ to learn about the program and see the list of car dealers registered to participate in the program.

San Diego County has applied for at least another $5 million from the Federal government to implement a second Neighborhood Stabilization Program

The Neighborhood Stabilization Program is intended to make funds available for homebuyers, nonprofit agencies, and developers to buy and rehabilitate foreclosed and abandoned homes.

As part of its recent proposal the plan is available for public comment between June 26, 2009 and July 5, 2009. You may review the entire plan at http://www.co.san-diego.ca.us/sdhcd/docs/nsp2_application_final.pdf

If the funds are awarded an application should be made available on the county's website for Housing and Community Development.

Want a new iPhone? You can only go through AT&T. If you instead want a new Palm Pre, you can only go through Sprint. You can choose the handset you want, but you sacrifice your freedom to choose the wireless carrier. If you want a specific carrier, you then are limited to the handsets they provide.This past week, the FCC acknowledged that they will investigate exclusivity arrangements between the wireless carriers and the cell phone manufacturers. These was in response to a written request by four senators (John Kerry of Massachusetts, Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Roger Wicker of Mississippi). Consumers have complained that exclusivity decreases competition and only benefits the carriers and manufacturers. When a wireless carrier is the sole vendor of a specific handset, it can set its own prices and services. This exclusivity increases its customer base and people switch carriers to purchase the newest gadgets. The exclusivity also benefits the manufacturers. It prevents their products from flooding the market and becoming too common, thereby decreasing their value. Both carriers and manufacturers benefit and there is no incentive for them to change.Consumers argue that the exclusivity leaves markets without choices. People are limited to what phone their carrier provides. In rural areas, the choice of carrier is limited. Some areas have poor service for certain carriers, or there is an increased risk of roaming. Many people are also reluctant to switch because they've enjoyed their service with a specified carrier or do not want to pay early termination fees. Consumers also argue that this exclusivity puts limitations on new technology. For example, the new iPhone allows for multimedia messaging and tethering. Multimedia messaging allows people to send pictures or videos as they would a text message. Tethering allows your computer to connect to the internet using your cell phone, giving you internet access wherever your cell phone gets service. However, at the time of the release of the new iPhone, AT&T did not allow these features to be used by its customers. These features will be enabled but not until the end of summer. With exclusivity, then, a company can set their own prices and service, without giving the attention to the consumer that comes with real competition.The FCC is meeting this week to discuss the issue.