Meet your new thread, same as the old thread.

[Icky Thump]

Originally posted by Spanky
I have been absent from this board because my source of income is inextricably entwined with this crisis. Property prices have dropped like a depth charge all over the country. They only places they haven't dropped recently are where they have already been dropping (like Michigan). From personal experience I can tell you Texas, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, New Mexico, Nevada and CA are in a free fall. Prices in many cities surrounding the San Francisco bay area have dropped twenty percent in the past four months. Parts of San Francisco have dropped half their value since October. Of course there are always scattered neighborhoods that avoid it, but in general the reports on how fast and hard the property prices have been dropping across the country have been way under reported. I think part of the problem is that in many cities the market has just stopped. Nothing is selling and no one is willing (or cant) to drop their listing anymore. So you can't get a good read of the crisis if you are just looking at prices listed in the paper or on the MLS. In most markets a comparable from September is worthless. It might as well be a comparable from 1752.

My basic rule for buying a house from a bank right now, is looking at a comp from the previous month and offering them twenty percent below that. If there are no comparatives from the last month then I offer them thirty to forty percent below what the comps are from August and September. And I don't even buy the house, I just get a sixty day option to make sure I can flip it. And believe me, many banks jump at that sort of opporutnity to unload a home.

A bank gave me an option to buy a house in Anthem AZ that a year and a half ago sold for $750,000. Five bedroom, three bath, swimming pool, tennis court and sitting on the eight hole of a golf course. They said they would give it up for $300,000 but I couldn't find anyone who would offer me more than $250,000 for it. From what I have heard, Vegas is worse.

Of course, it's the reverse lock theory.

The market plummeted (1) on the day my offer was accepted; and (2) further on the day I signed the mortgage.

[Icky Thump]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
Is that like a scientician or technologist?

You means techmologist

[Spanky]

Originally posted by Icky Thump
Note to Hil: Make sure to include dental in that nat'l health care proposal . . .




December 24, 2007
In Kentucky’s Teeth, Toll of Poverty and Neglect

By IAN URBINA
BARBOURVILLE, Ky. — In the 18 years he has been visiting nursing homes, seeing patients in his private practice and, more recently, driving his mobile dental clinic through Appalachian hills and hollows, Dr. Edwin E. Smith has seen the extremes of neglect.

Blah, Blah, Blah

Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
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So what is England's excuse? They have national health care.

[bling trade]

Originally posted by Icky Thump
Of course, it's the reverse lock theory.

The market plummeted (1) on the day my offer was accepted; and (2) further on the day I signed the mortgage.

Icky,

if you want to make back the money, go read Barclays' papers alleging fraud by Citi. And then tally up the state and local governments that invested in securitization vehicles in a lawsuit against the sponsors.

There's money suing over these securities.

[Icky Thump]

Originally posted by bling trade
Icky,

if you want to make back the money, go read Barclays' papers alleging fraud by Citi. And then tally up the state and local governments that invested in securitization vehicles in a lawsuit against the sponsors.

There's money suing over these securities.

Other things I should have done:

Went to Europe in 2003. Was very tempted to buy 10K worth of Euros (cash) and hold onto them.

Would have been a wise investment indeed.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

My MIL and FIL are going to a party where each guest has been given the name of a political candidate and is to bring a dish or dishes appropriate to that candidate. My FIL has Ron Paul, and my MIL has Barack Obama. For Paul, fruitcake sprang to mind, but otherwise I'm short on good ideas. Any suggestions?

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
My MIL and FIL are going to a party where each guest has been given the name of a political candidate and is to bring a dish or dishes appropriate to that candidate. My FIL has Ron Paul, and my MIL has Barack Obama. For Paul, fruitcake sprang to mind, but otherwise I'm short on good ideas. Any suggestions?

Game meat. Hunted on private land. Domestically.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
Game meat. Hunted on private land. Domestically.

Whatever he brings, he should charge for it.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Whatever he brings, he should charge for it.

all you dems keep forgetting, once you guys have put sharia in place, you can't make money from money.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
My MIL and FIL are going to a party where each guest has been given the name of a political candidate and is to bring a dish or dishes appropriate to that candidate. My FIL has Ron Paul, and my MIL has Barack Obama. For Paul, fruitcake sprang to mind, but otherwise I'm short on good ideas. Any suggestions?

Assuming your ILs have politics similar to yours, Ron Paul if nominated and elected should be a bag of Taco Bell, i.e. "Run for the Border."

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Here's an interesting article about Pakistan.

[Diane_Keaton]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Here's an interesting article about Pakistan.

Interesting except that it dodges the very important fact that Bhutto looted her own country, yet she still had a huge following from the lootees themselves and authors of articles like these treat this fact like the elephant in the room that it is. A frank discussion of the state of Pakistan would include this phenomenon.

On a related note, it's hard to believe you could have a body right in front of you and one person saying there's a bullet in it and another person saying there is not. And both sources are as "official" as the other. The government has offered to exhume the body. I don't quite get the "reason" Bhutto's party declined -- did you catch it? Anyhow, why the importance of whether she died dodging a bullet or taking one?

[Diane_Keaton]

Happy New Year's and I leave you with:

Jibjab's 2207 Year in Review in case you haven't seen it. "OJ took his crap back" <====LOL.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Diane_Keaton
Interesting except that it dodges the very important fact that Bhutto looted her own country, yet she still had a huge following from the lootees themselves and authors of articles like these treat this fact like the elephant in the room that it is. A frank discussion of the state of Pakistan would include this phenomenon.

On a related note, it's hard to believe you could have a body right in front of you and one person saying there's a bullet in it and another person saying there is not. And both sources are as "official" as the other. The government has offered to exhume the body. I don't quite get the "reason" Bhutto's party declined -- did you catch it? Anyhow, why the importance of whether she died dodging a bullet or taking one?

I gather that the government is trying to minimize its own blame in failing to prevent her killing, but I don't really see why it matters. I read her husband as saying that the official autopsy would be a sham in any event, which seems like a fair point. What's needed is an independent inquest, but Musharraf has locked up most of the judges.

[Diane_Keaton]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
but Musharraf has locked up most of the judges.

Which Bhutto eventually realized was good since it allegedly allowed Musharraf to go forward with their little deal that apparently included the dismissal of all corruption charges lodges in the judiciary against her -- an act that wouldn't have been possible without certain of the judges canned.

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
I gather that the government is trying to minimize its own blame in failing to prevent her killing, but I don't really see why it matters. I read her husband as saying that the official autopsy would be a sham in any event, which seems like a fair point.

This bit seemed implausible to me but the latest info I hear is that the government is going to retract the "she wasn't shot" statement and it's because of all the Youtube coverage out there showing "close" to the final moments and b/c it's only a matter of time before someone shows up with streaming video showing the bullet actually entering her head. And if government officials really said that bit about the sunroof handle and if it's true the vehicle didn't even have one......Musharraf is going to lose all credibility (even I was holding out hope for him). I sympathized with this man and what he was dealing with but Goddamn he has fucked up so badly with the assisination aftermath. Now I don't feel guilty for having had him as a Death Pool pick for one year.