Quicken Loans Blog

Denny's Free Grand Slam Breakfast Tomorrow!

2010-02-08T17:33:47-05:00

Do you like pancakes?

Yeah?

How much?

If you like them a lot - enough to potentially wait hours and brave crowds - The DIFF Deal Seekers encourage you to take advantage of America's favorite breakfast deal tomorrow: a free Grand Slam at Denny's.

Check out this tidbit from Denny's press release (PDF):

“We are leveraging the power of Super Bowl once again to connect with our customers to keep Denny’s in their hearts and minds by communicating our Original Grand Slam offer, said Nelson Marchioli, CEO and President of Denny’s. We know that times are still tough and a free hot breakfast helps a lot of folks and their families. We heard from thousands last year who thanked us. This year Denny’s will even go beyond just one day of free meals by offering a number of everyday affordable programs all year."
From online and in store sweepstakes to birthday offers and endless fries and pancakes, Denny’s continues to give back all year long.

It’s more than just a Free Original Grand Slam® on February 9th. Anyone can register February 1st through February 14th, 2010 online at www.dennys.com or in store to win one FREE Original Grand Slam® every week for one year. There will be 52 winners announced, one each week. Winners will be posted each week on dennys.com.
From February 1st through 14th, the first 500,000 people who sign up for the new Denny’s Rewards program online will receive a FREE burger and fries available March 1st through March 7th, 2010.
Denny’s will provide free refills to any order of French fries or pancakes at participating locations nationwide. In addition to the Free Original Grand Slam® giveaway and the sweepstakes, Denny’s is distinguishing itself from its competitors with a limited time generous offer starting February 10th that takes refills beyond beverages and gives more everyday value to customers.
The Party’s back at Denny’s. Consumers are invited to celebrate birthdays with a Free Original Grand Slam meal at participating restaurants. The Original Grand Slam® offer is free for the birthday guy or gal dining in and who shows proof that it’s their birthday. The Denny’s birthday offer continues Original Grand Slam kindness…..there are more than 300-million Americans who celebrate birthdays.

Pretty cool on Denny's part to fill our bellies. Will you take advantage?

The Saints, the Super Bowl and Thousands of Men in Drag - The Who Dat Nation Honors Buddy D

2010-02-05T17:20:23-05:00

After Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005, hundreds of thousands of residents of Southeast Louisiana were dispersed around the nation (and even the world). Even before Katrina, a struggling economy led many to leave for jobs in other states, away from their true home.

I am part of that diaspora - as are many of my friends and family. Which brings me to the point of this post: The Saints symbolize the colorful New Orleans community and the people who still call New Orleans their home, no matter where they may live. And when the Saints play, we are united with each other - as well as those loved ones that remain in the Big Easy - through the common bond of watching our team give it their all against the odds.

It's this unity that led former Saints quarterback and sports commentator Bobby "Cajun Cannon" Hebert to dub us members of the Who Dat Nation - a scattered legion of die-hard devotees to a team of lovable underdogs.

The Saints' journey to the Super Bowl has been more than just a dark horse victory; their unlikely triumph has been a symbol of survival - a testament to the spirit and determination of the beleaguered yet buoyant citizens of New Orleans. When the Saints played the reopened Superdome for the first time since Katrina in Sept 2006, the game represented a giant step toward normalcy. And when the Saints began to actually do well in ensuing seasons, each win represented the collective triumph of New Orleanians over adversity, creating waves of celebratory healing and hope.

Of course I am rooting for the Saints this weekend...the symbol of my heart's home. And it doesn't even really matter if they win or lose, because just making it this far is a miracle and proof that God loves New Orleans (did you see how many freakish turnovers it took to make the Saints' victory over the Vikings possible?).

To honor Super Bowl Sunday this weekend, I wanted to tell a true story of zany enthusiasm, devotion and community - N'awlins Saint-style. A story that came to me through the networks of the Who Dat Nation, of which I am a proud citizen.

Bernard "Buddy D" Diliberto was a sportscaster in New Orleans for 50 years. Disheartened by the Saints' abysmal seasons of continual losses, he coined the term "The Aints." After years of frustrated devotion, Buddy D made an infamous promise that if the Saints ever made it to the Super Bowl, he'd parade down Bourbon Street in a dress.

Well, as fate would have it, Buddy D passed away in January 2005 - perhaps mercifully before Katrina devastated the city - and never lived to see his team reach this unlikely height. But in the spirit of fraternal allegiance, the promise would be fulfilled by proxy. This past weekend, Bobby Hebert led a second line of thousands of men in dresses down Bourbon Street to pay tribute to the Saints' victory and the memory of Buddy D.

Now I know what you're thinking: Men in drag in New Orleans? That's unusual? Good point. But I swear this was different! I am willing to bet this is the first time - and probably the last - you will see these particular guys in women's clothing! This New Orleans-style celebration embodied the commitment of fans who would do just about anything to prove their devotion to their team and their community.

The truth is, under most circumstances I could care less about sports. Sure, I love to go see the Tigers play a game of baseball at Comerica Park on a sunny afternoon with my friends - but it's more for something fun to do downtown that a real passion. But the New Orleans Saints are more than a sports team to me...they are the glue that holds the Who Dat Nation together. And I could not be more excited to see a team run out on the field on Super Bowl Day.

GEAUX SAINTS!

PBS to air special Blueprint America: Beyond the Motor City featuring one of our guys

2010-02-05T16:55:01-05:00

by Victoria Araj

Detroit’s transportation system of yesterday and tomorrow will be featured in a PBS special airing on Monday, Feb. 8 at 10 p.m. on Detroit Public Television. “Blueprint America: Beyond the Motor City” features the M-1 RAIL Project -- the light rail line that will connect the City of Detroit’s riverfront, downtown business district, leading educational, cultural and medical institutions, and key neighborhoods -- and includes an interview of Rock Enterprises’ (Quicken Loans parent company) President and Chief Operating Officer Matt Cullen.

As President and CEO of the M-1 RAIL project, Cullen discusses the opportunity for Detroit to be more globally competitive and how a regional transit system is just one way to drive economic development by connecting cultural, employment and entertainment centers in Michigan.

Dan Gilbert and Roger Penske serve as co-chairmen, laying the groundwork for construction which is scheduled to begin later this year on Detroit’s Woodward Avenue. The 3.4 mile light rail line will pass Quicken Loans’ future home at the Compuware Building at Campus Martius.

The “Blueprint America” series undertaken by PBS is a collection of TV, radio and Web stories that explore our nation’s infrastructure and how the government can help improve this decaying part of our landscape.

Volunteer From the Comfort of Your Own Phone

2010-02-05T16:40:57-05:00

There are a lot of iPhone apps out there, some being more useful then others. Some apps help with productivity, some let you be creative, others are games, and many help you get from place to place. But the other day I came upon a completely different kind of app. It’s an app that lets me volunteer, right from my phone!

The Extraordinaries is an app that gives people an opportunity to help others while they’re going about their daily lives. While you’re riding the subway to work, help AmeriCorps by tagging images in their archives. Look at the photo and describe what you see. Or when you’re walking with your kids in the park, take a photo of litter to help DoSomething.org raise awareness about pollution. The Natural Area Preservation in Ann Arbor, Michigan just needs people to turn GPS on through the app when they walk down a trail in Ann Arbor. And with the recent earthquake in Haiti, there are a lot of missing and displaced people. You can look at some photos and describe the people in them so their loved ones can find them.

From the BeExtra.org website: “The Extraordinaries allows people to complete micro-tasks for organizations, causes or people they're passionate about, using a mobile phone or web browser, in a few minutes of spare time.”

We’re really busy people. We have work and school and football games. We spend time with our friends and our families. We clean our houses and mow our lawns. We want to help others and do more than just give money, but where do we find the time? Luckily the guys over at BeExtra.org make it easy for us with the Extraordinaries iPhone app. Of all the cool apps out there, I think this is one of the coolest. And these guys are certainly doing something extraordinary.

For more ideas on "ways to make a DIFFerence", check out this article on Time.com.

Perhaps the greatest blog post ever

2010-02-03T18:11:19-05:00

Ok, this is a GREAT post and we wanted to share it. Originally posted on Coyote Crossing, it was sent to us by our own financial guru and Capital Markets genius, Bill Banfield. It tells you what a blog post really is all about. Here it is in it's entirety:

This is the title of a typical incendiary blog post

Posted by Chris Clarke on January 24, 2010

This sentence contains a provocative statement that attracts the readers’ attention, but really only has very little to do with the topic of the blog post. This sentence claims to follow logically from the first sentence, though the connection is actually rather tenuous. This sentence claims that very few people are willing to admit the obvious inference of the last two sentences, with an implication that the reader is not one of those very few people. This sentence expresses the unwillingness of the writer to be silenced despite going against the popular wisdom. This sentence is a sort of drum roll, preparing the reader for the shocking truth to be contained in the next sentence.

This sentence contains the thesis of the blog post, a trite and obvious statement cast as a dazzling and controversial insight.
This sentence claims that there are many people who do not agree with the thesis of the blog post as expressed in the previous sentence. This sentence speculates as to the mental and ethical character of the people mentioned in the previous sentence. This sentence contains a link to the most egregiously ill-argued, intemperate, hateful and ridiculous example of such people the author could find. This sentence is a three-word refutation of the post linked in the previous sentence, the first of which three words is “Um.” This sentence implies that the linked post is in fact typical of those who disagree with the thesis of the blog post. This sentence contains expressions of outrage and disbelief largely expressed in Internet acronyms. This sentence contains a link to an Internet video featuring a cat playing a piano.
This sentence implies that everyone reading has certainly seen the folly of those who disagree with the thesis of the blog post. This sentence reminds the reader that there are a few others who agree. This sentence contains one-word links to other blogs with whom the author seeks to curry favor, offered as examples of those others.
This sentence returns to the people who disagree with the thesis of the blog post. This sentence makes an improbably tenuous connection between those people and a current or former major political figure. This sentence links those people and that political figure to a broad, ill-defined sociodemographic class sharing allegedly similar belief systems. This sentence contains a reference to the teachings of Jesus; its intent may be either ironic or sincere.
This sentence refers to a different historic period, and implies that conditions relevant to the thesis of the blog post were either different or the same. This sentence states that the implications of the previous sentence are a damned shame. This sentence says that the next sentence will explain the previous sentence. This sentence contains a slight rewording of the thesis of the blog post, a trite and obvious statement cast as a dazzling and controversial insight.
This sentence contains an apparent non-sequitur phrased as if it follows logically from the reworded thesis of the blog post. This sentence is a wildly overgeneralized condemnation of one or more entire classes of people phrased in as incendiary a fashion as possible which claims to be an obvious corollary to the thesis and non-sequitur.
This sentence proposes that anyone who might disagree with the wildly overgeneralized condemnation is, by so disagreeing, actually proving the author’s point. This sentence explains that such people disagree primarily because of the author’s courageous and iconoclastic approach. This sentence mentions the additional possibilities that readers who express disagreement with the wildly overgeneralized condemnation are merely following political fashion or trying to ingratiate themselves with interest groups. This sentence is a somewhat-related assertion based in thoughtless privilege and stated as dispassionate objective truth. This sentence explains that if the scales would merely fall from those dissenting readers’ eyes, they would see the wisdom and necessity of the author’s statements.
This sentence invites readers to respond freely and without constraint as long as those responses fall within certain parameters. This sentence consists of an Internet in-joke that doesn’t quite fit the topic.
[This parenthetical sentence was appended some time after posting as an expression of gratitude for the post’s many visitors and an apology that server overload has prompted the owner’s closing of comments, at least for the time being.]

Love it!