Why is it that the only key on my laptop my 15 month old wants to touch is the Power button?
Date Archives May 2005
Bubble article
Americans who have owned their homes for the past few years have a lot of equity in their homes: $9.62 trillion worth at the end of last year, up 13% from a year earlier, according to the Fed’s tally. Even if house prices fall a bit, homeowners still will have significant equity — except for those who have hocked nearly all the increase in home values with frequent refinancing or large home-equity loans.From the Realestatejournal…. Short-term interest-only mortgages and the like can be very good vehicles for those who plan for the seemingly-inevitable rise in rates accordingly.
“Envy” fuels real estate bubble talk
With all the bubble talk of late, this was a refreshing analysis from Lou Barnes at Inman News.The financial press is now on official Bubble Watch; CNBC might as well have a bubble ticker scrolling along with stock prices, and the Wall Street Journal last week ran four prominent Bubble-related stories…. The bubble is in commentary coming from the financial markets, and the gas inside is envy.After foolish lending and borrowing, the market types’ critique of housing: too many investment and second-home purchases…. Millions of American families are taking advantage of an epic demographic mis-match of land versus 3 million new Americans every year; you call them irresponsible Bubbleheads, while the exact same behavior among yourselves is called “value investing.”
iPods’ effect on society
“It can drown out noise and allows them to control their office space…. It cuts out the chit-chat.”On the street, or underneath it in a crowded subway, iPods let users carve out at least a sense of privacy, Bull said…. Women reported using their devices to ignore–or appear to ignore–unwanted attention.My iPod allows me to go to Greenberry’s, my favorite coffee shop, as most of my friends and clients know, and get work done without much distraction.
St. Joseph Statue helps sell houses?
Joseph would speed the sale of a home?Who knew that a little plastic or ivory statue could possess such power?Evidently, real estate agents and homeowners throughout the country have known of the figurine’s magical powers, and have been trying to keep the secret to themselves.From the Canton Repository (link requires subscription, so go here first.This is about the nuttiest thing I’ve ever heard of. I am a Christian, but this seems much more like a superstition than a devout belief…. Wonder if the statue remediates mold and termites too?If God was going to speak or send a message through intangible objects, it seems more likely He’d use something above ground, that people could see, rather than an upside-down, buried figurine.But if that’s what God wants to use, who’s going to argue with Him?
Sunday’s WSJ
If you’re moving this summer, get enough insurance in case the truck hits a pothole along the way.There’s a pretty good chance it might. One in five consumers moving across state borders files a loss or damage claim with the mover, according to the American Moving and Storage Association.Under federal law, movers must automatically give 60 cents per pound of replacement coverage to any customer moving between states. But this means your $100 stereo that weighs 10 pounds would collect only $6 in coverage.
Letter from Director of RWSA
RWSA has stated publicly several times that the South Fork will remain in use regardless of the outcome of dredging as a water supply option, and has publicly advocated a scientifically based study of the reservoir to determine the most cost-effective means or combination of methods to preserve and maintain its continued use.3) The article states that the Environmental Protection Agency requires that planners choose the “least environmentally damaging, most practicable†water supply option…. There is no requirement to choose the “most†practicable, only the least environmentally damaging of all alternatives that are considered practicable.4) The article states that a James River pipeline “would, after all, provide a virtually unlimited supply of water to areas whose development potential is currently limited by groundwater supplies.  Further, in April 2005 it was reported to the RWSA board that an Environmental Management System (EMS) had been successfully established at the Moores Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility after two years of intense work with the Environmental Protection Agency, and that an EMS is also under development at the South Fork Rivanna Water Treatment Facility.6) The article states, “Ellis claimed to be speaking on behalf of the environmental regulators.â€