The gem of Newark

From the NY Times:

The Suburban Side of Newark

PRETTY much as in any suburb around northern New Jersey, prices in the Forest Hill section of this city are down, the sales pace has slowed, and short sales and foreclosures have increased.

The intriguing part of that situation, of course, is that Forest Hill is not suburban. It is a highly unusual neighborhood in the state’s largest city, and one of its poorest.

Newark at large, real estate professionals say, has about 18 months’ worth of inventory on the market right now; last year, at some points, there was more than two years’ worth.

“But Forest Hill is not Newark,” said P. J. Calello of the Calello Agency, a family company that has owned and managed property in the neighborhood for 25 years. “It’s part of Newark, but not in the real estate sense.”

One house on Lake Street here, a seven-bedroom five-bath Georgian colonial built in 1920, sold for $849,900 last year, having gone into contract four months after it was listed. In May, the six-bedroom brick colonial at 514-516 Highland Avenue, priced in the high $400,000s, went into contract after just four weeks.

Other houses — especially those at the fringes of the state-designated historic district in Forest Hill, and those priced above $500,000 — took longer to sell, or did not sell at all, even after a year or more, multiple listings show.

“The point is not that this is what always happens,” said Kenneth M. Kroll, who bought the Lake Street house with his partner, David Johnstone, moving into Newark from Rutherford last fall. “But it does happen that bigger, more expensive homes still sell here. Even in a recession, or an economic malaise, or whatever we are calling it, this place is special.”

Chockablock with Victorian architectural gems that coexist in close proximity to midcentury ranches and aluminum-sided two-family houses, the neighborhood is not gated or marked off in any way; yet it has always stood apart.

“ ‘Where are we?’ people always seem to ask when they drift over from the cherry blossom festival in Branch Brook Park, or come through on a tour bus,” said Rolando Bobadilla, who moved to the neighborhood from Brooklyn with his wife and children.

Frederick P. H. Cooke, an architect who rents a place in Forest Hill and is looking to buy, agreed. “Most people don’t know the neighborhood exists,” he said, explaining that he had first become aware of it when he was renting in downtown Newark and joined a book club in Forest Hill.

Most of the mansions in Forest Hill, so called because it sits on a ridge between Branch Brook and the Passaic River, were built by factory owners and other prosperous citizens from 1870 to 1920.

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257 Responses to The gem of Newark

  1. Mike says:

    Good Morning New Jersey

  2. Mike says:

    Good Morning NJ

  3. grim says:

    From Seeking Alpha:

    New York City Home Prices Are Headed for Collapse

    New York City is the largest city in the U.S. with roughly eight million residents. The metro area encompasses 18 million people. What occurs there has national ramifications. Now is a good time to take a look at why the entire New York City market is headed for collapse.

  4. grim says:

    From CNBC:

    Don’t Believe the Doom on US Housing

    Data from the US housing market has not made for nice reading in recent months but one analysts believes the worst could well be over and that if you take a closer look at the data prices are stabilizing.

    “The decline is mainly because the mix of homes sold has changed in favor of distressed sales, which typically sell with a ‘foreclosure discount.’

    Non-distressed properties (sold by voluntary sellers) have already started to stabilize,” said Ajay Rajadhyaksha, the co-head of US fixed income strategy at Barclays Capital said in a research note on Friday.

    “As voluntary sales pick up in the summer, the mix of homes should change again in the next few months, in favor of non-distressed sales. As a result, the aggregate index of home prices should stop declining and could even go up,” he added.

    As a result Rajadhyaksha dismisses fears that recent drops in prices indicate a double dip for the housing market and predicts national valuations have reached a point where downside risks are limited.

    “For investors who look to the home price indices for clues to the macro-economy, we recommend focusing on the index of voluntary sales, since non-distressed borrowers will increasingly determine the true health of the housing market,” he wrote.

  5. grim says:

    Uncertainty at the bottom?

  6. serenity now says:

    OK Grim are you trying to confuse us?? Which is it # 3 NYC prices collapse OR
    #4 Dont believe the doom?

  7. NJ Toast says:

    If a home sits in pre or foreclosure to the point where it deteriorates so it cannot be sold or has to be sold for less than say .20 on the $, is the bank / lending institution able to write it off in some way and is the bank somehow able to sidestep capital requirements or reduce them under this scenario? Does this situation somehow produce more favorable outcomes to their P&L / balance sheet than a home in foreclosure but in saleable condition?

  8. 30 Year Realtor says:

    #4 – Just because 30% to 40% of the sales nationally have been some type of distress sale doesn’t mean you should ignore those well located homes in excellent condition which make up a fat chunk of the arms length transactions. If you only look at those comps, it’s a great time to buy! Shadow inventory? We don’t need no stinking shadow inventory!

  9. NJ Toast says:

    As a follow up to my #7, is there any data to indicate how many homes in foreclosure have fallen into such an advanced state of disrepair that their only value, if any exists would be for the land. Natural selection if you will.

  10. 30 Year Realtor says:

    #3 – Lot of truth to this article. I know REO brokers and guys who make their living buying at foreclosure sales in NY and they say there have been almost no sales since October of 2010.

    This flies directly in the face of what the article at #4 is trying to say!

  11. Jets12 says:

    > 3b says:
    June 2, 2011 at 3:28 pm
    01 NJ Guest: That house I believe has some ugly property taxes; north of 10K I believe. Also FYI, if it matters to you, east of Kinderkamack Rd is considered less desirable, as you have to navigate Kinderkamack Rd to get to the local schools.

    That house referenced yesterday went under contract over the weekend (despite all of these points above, in less than 60 days on the market). It’s not popular to say here but River Edge motors along nicely through NJ & the nations housing crisis and the numbers don’t lie. This constant complaint of the taxes is a non issue.

    And contrary to the credo that in this market buyers are not buying properties with problems and extensive needed fixes and repairs, well in River Edge, they apparently do. This property needs total renovation, yet it is under contract, in less than 60 days on the market.
    http://www.weichert.com/37392149/

    River Edge. The little engine that could, and does, if you care about numbers.

  12. Prices have hit bottom?

    Yeah, if all of a sudden the US Corps of Engineers decides to bulldoze 40% of the existing housing stock in the US.

    Stench of death and writhing maggots. Perfect together.

  13. 30 Year Realtor says:

    #11 Jets – Are you seriously attempting to argue the strength of the River Edge market on the sale of a $285,000 listing? I think this says it all! If the market were so strong and unaffected by the real estate bust there would be no $285,000 listings in River Edge!

  14. Mikeinwaiting says:

    Grim 5 Yes, although not in my mind. The bottoming process will be a long slow bleed as different areas get hit more or less dependent on location & economic factors. Gas prices will affect my area more than train towns while a stock market heading down may be more detrimental to them. The 500 lb gorilla of unemployment will weigh on all, till this number gets better prices will continue their slow bleed.
    I was reading an article I should have saved on bad retail numbers but the authors thoughts ran like this & I agree. With these company paying slave wages (why not 5-6 people for every job right, we are capitalist!) there is not enough people with the income to afford their goods. His snip which I remember “how is that working out for you”.
    Doesn’t look good out there no matter what number you look at. Housing dead in the water for years, how long who knows down to flat for 5 is a very safe bet. If you can’t move them in spring with a 30 yr fixed at what 4.5%, you are f**ked.

  15. Al Mossberg says:

    14.

    “If you can’t move them in spring with a 30 yr fixed at what 4.5%, you are f**ked.”

    Bingo

  16. Mikeinwaiting says:

    Jets used your link have to echo 30 year 285 in River edge! It is not a knock down looks like it has solid bones. So if I get it at 275 put 70k into it I have a nice brick home in RE
    for around 350k. Don’t hang your hat on that one, thanks for making our case.

  17. Mikeinwaiting says:

    Al “If you can’t move them in spring with a 30 yr fixed at what 4.5%, you are f**ked.”
    Channeling Gary “any questions”

  18. Want to know about retail? Howard Davidowitz has called every shot for the past four years. Here’s his latest.

    Watch the video. Compared to most of his performances, he seems like he’s on tranquilizers for this one.

    http://www.businessinsider.com/howard-davidowitz-dollar-crisis-dow-6000

  19. Mikeinwaiting says:

    3b is going to have a field day on that listing.

  20. Jets12 has to be a troll. Not as funny as ReTard, but troll nonetheless.

  21. Mikeinwaiting says:

    Green shoots.
    “Mazda (MZDAF.PK) reportedly plans to end its JV with Ford (F) and stop producing cars in the U.S. by 2013. Poor sales have led to output remaining below half the capacity available to Mazda”

  22. The only cars of value being produced now are the ones that will lend themselves to Mad Max-type conversions.

  23. Mikeinwaiting says:

    Downward spiral continues. Less jobs less buying less buying less jobs, jobs out there part time & or low paying full time.
    “Brother can you spare a dime” coming to a state near you.

  24. Neanderthal Economist says:

    Jets, asking $285k on a decent home like that is more of a sign of the apocolypse than market strength. I certainly wouldn’t use that comp to convince everyone that ‘everything is okay’.

  25. Neanderthal Economist says:

    I’m jonesing for a new round of ‘njrereport comp killers’… I bet someone can find a handfull with 50% discounts from peak.

  26. scribe says:

    30 year

    #10 … but *why* are there so few REO sales in NYC?

    I live in Queens. Why sit on Queens REOs?

    Part of the national trend where the author focused on Queens, or is there some specific reason why NYC REO is more stuck in the mud?

    By the way, there was a sheriff’s sale down the block from me, but that was a while ago – maybe 3 years ago.

  27. gary says:

    Jets12,

    It’s only a flesh wound! LOL!

  28. It’s a Lee Harvey-quality head shot.

  29. Shore Guy says:

    Bubble, anybody:

    http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/06/02/if-it-looks-like-a-bubble-and-walks-like-a-bubble/

    FORTUNE — Marc Andreessen reportedly said this today at the AllThingsD conference: “A key characteristic of a bubble is that no one thinks its a bubble … If everybody’s upset, it’s a good sign . . . I hope there are lots of bubble stories.”

    The trouble with his declaration is that it’s the precise opposite of the truth. Seconds after I read that quote in TechCrunch, I logged on to Facebook, where I saw this status update: “A universal rule of financial mania. If there’s widespread, worried speculation about whether there is a bubble — then it’s a bubble.”

    That far more sensible, historically accurate statement came from Jason Pontin, editor and publisher of Technology Review.

    Andreessen’s idea that “no one thinks it’s a bubble” is a persistent myth surrounding all bubbles. This myth is spread both during a bubble’s expansion and, especially, after it has popped. That’s when people start asking “How did we not see this coming?” and “Where were the watchdogs?” But in all cases, plenty of people saw it coming.
    snip

  30. Shore Guy says:

    Nothing like living in a country with no annual rainfall:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/opinion/02Brown.html

    snip

    Egypt is a nation of bread eaters. Its citizens consume 18 million tons of wheat annually, more than half of which comes from abroad. Egypt is now the world’s leading wheat importer, and subsidized bread — for which the government doles out approximately $2 billion per year — is seen as an entitlement by the 60 percent or so of Egyptian families who depend on it.

    As Egypt tries to fashion a functioning democracy after President Hosni Mubarak’s departure, land grabs to the south are threatening its ability to put bread on the table because all of Egypt’s grain is either imported or produced with water from the Nile River, which flows north through Ethiopia and Sudan before reaching Egypt. (Since rainfall in Egypt is negligible to nonexistent, its agriculture is totally dependent on the Nile.)

    Unfortunately for Egypt, two of the favorite targets for land acquisitions are Ethiopia and Sudan, which together occupy three-fourths of the Nile River Basin. Today’s demands for water are such that there is little left of the river when it eventually empties into the Mediterranean.

    The Nile Waters Agreement, which Egypt and Sudan signed in 1959, gave Egypt 75 percent of the river’s flow, 25 percent to Sudan and none to Ethiopia. This situation is changing abruptly as wealthy foreign governments and international agribusinesses snatch up large swaths of arable land along the Upper Nile. While these deals are typically described as land acquisitions, they are also, in effect, water acquisitions.

    Now, when competing for Nile water, Cairo must deal with several governments and commercial interests that were not party to the 1959 agreement. Moreover, Ethiopia — never enamored of the agreement — has announced plans to build a huge hydroelectric dam on its branch of the Nile that would reduce the water flow to Egypt even more.

    Because Egypt’s wheat yields are already among the world’s highest, it has little potential to raise its agricultural productivity. With its population of 81 million projected to reach 101 million by 2025, finding enough food and water is a daunting challenge.

    Egypt’s plight could become part of a larger, more troubling scenario. Its upstream Nile neighbors — Sudan, with 44 million people, and Ethiopia, with 83 million — are growing even faster, increasing the need for water to produce food. Projections by the United Nations show the combined population of these three countries increasing to 272 million by 2025 — and 360 million by 2050 — from 208 million now.

    snip

  31. Shore Guy says:

    Potential for a different type of Nompound, if one can handle the stench:

    http://outsideonline.com/magazine/0997/9709under.html

  32. Shore Guy says:

    Too bad his wife did not live long enough to see this:

    http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/john-edwards-face-indictment-today/story?id=13750805

  33. Shore Guy says:

    Ooops! Next time, maybe he should send the photo to his wife.

    http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/56172.html

  34. Joeycasz says:

    Chris’s Hotdogs are some of the best around right there on Heller Parkway. Always dug Forest Hills. My parents almost bought a house there 30 years but decided not to. Instead they bought in the not so desirable section (was desirable then) of Bloomfield (near Clara Mass). That was a hard house to sell.

  35. gary says:

    Job numbers look great! :o

    Yes… We… Can!

  36. gary says:

    And on cue, Rick Santelli guts the panel with one question: How much government money did Groupon receive?

  37. The wheels are coming off, folks.

    Stench of death is everywhere.

  38. gary says:

    I just raised the price on my house by 5% for two reasons: a) proximity to Manhattan and b) my house is special. A realtor once told me that people are very competitve around here.

  39. Al Mossberg says:

    Heres a look at the future home buyers.

    “NEW YORK — Economic timing and the vagaries of the job market overshadow Caroline Cutter and Brad Miller’s relationship.

    Cutter, 28, graduated last year from Montclair State University in New Jersey with a degree in art education and struggles to manage more than $50,000 of student loan debt. Contending with the fallout of one of the worst financial downturns in generations, she has yet to find a full-time job.

    Miller, 27, graduated in 2006 from the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, two years before the crisis erupted. He works as a civil engineer. He makes about $65,000 a year.

    Cutter and Miller finish each other’s sentences while talking about the wedding they’re planning for next month, their budget a constant reminder of their financial challenges. Current wedding theme? Do-it-yourself.

    While they know they could elope to save money, neither of them wants to sacrifice their dream of a formal ceremony and reception. So that means homemade invitations and place cards, lanterns instead of flower arrangements, a dress on sale, a pared down guest list and a wedding date on the cheapest night their venue could offer them.”
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/01/despairing-college-graduates-jobs-future_n_870021.html

  40. 3b says:

    #11 Yeah jets, the little town that could, and yet there are over 80 houses for sale and most are sitting. The one you referenced, probably sold in the low 200’s, a far cry form the days when any piece of krap sold at a minimum of 300k, and when a Realtor told me you would never see any house again in RE for under 500k. Yeah the little town that could, that went from one of the lowest taxed towns in BC, to now one of the highest.
    Taxes are a non-issue??? Are you a moron, or just a simpleton?? They are a huge issue? Why do you think so many houses are for sale. Many of them recently renovated, or recently built? Taxes are a non-issue?? Well why was a the town in such an uproar during the recent referendum which would have changed the funding formula? If taxes are no an issue than residents should be happy to shoulder the burden, and stop having Oradell subsidize all the extra students that RE sends to the regional schools. Again ,if you think 12k a year taxes on a ancient cape or ranch is not an issue, than there is soemthing seriously wrong with you

    Yes Re the little town that based all of their decisions, on some pie in the sky redevelopment scheme, that never happended,and never will. The only new rate ables that may be coming are condos/rentals, with the prospect of even more students, and even higher taxes?? Again whey do you think after all these years Oradell is fighting the funding formula?? Are you dense?? Yes RE the little town that could have silly residents like jets that have buried and continue to bury their heads in the sand and live in denial. It is precisely because of silly residents like jet that the town is now in the shape it is in. Meanwhile those who know are planning accordingly.

  41. gary says:

    There is some labor union activist (Mary Kay) on CNBC blurting how we need to “invest” in education to get the economy moving. I want to know if she’d be saying the same thing as she’s taking her last breath while some Mad Max character is slicing out her kidney to use as barter for some potable water.

  42. gary says:

    We all know it’s Bush and Haliburton’s fault.

  43. gary says:

    Bitch!

  44. 3b says:

    #13 30 year Precisely?? Do you feel my pain?? Can you see how embarrassing it is tohave this person set him or herself up as the town cheerleader? Do you see the mind set? Do you understand how scary it is that he may be just one of so many more clueless residents living in the town?

  45. Stupid ginch on CNBC just floated the QE3 question.

    As if.

  46. Al Mossberg says:

    What do you guys hate worse? A POS Cape smaller than Abe Lincoln’s cabin or the circa 76 bilevels that pollute the state?

    I have to go with the circa 76 bilevel. Dam they are ugly.

  47. 3b says:

    #38 gary You should raise it another 5% because it is close to that special place that adorns the banks of the Hackensack.

  48. Al Mossberg says:

    Gold $1,544.80 $1,545.80 $12.60

    Pricing in QE 3?

  49. chicagofinance says:

    got some quality real estate soap-opera material from Colts Neck on tap…will post later…

  50. chicagofinance says:

    clot: your options have been made fewer…

    Assisted-suicide advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian dead at 83

    DETROIT — Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the longtime champion of assisted suicide, died early Friday after being hospitalized with kidney problems and pneumonia.

    The 83 year old passed away at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., according to his attorney and friend, Mayer Morganroth.

    Kevorkian, who was nicknamed “Dr. Death” for his role in the deaths of more than 130 people through assisted suicide, died from natural causes, Morganroth said. Kevorkian had been hospitalized several times with similar ailments.

    He first became a polarizing public figure in 1990, the year he performed the first public “physician-assisted suicide” when he helped an Alzheimer’s patient take her own life.

    Over the following years, he claimed to have helped many more cast aside what he termed “stone-age ethics,” helping them die via a lethal injection or gas mask.

    His 1993 book, “Prescription: Medicide,” argued that he should be called “Dr. Dignity” — rather than the more common moniker, “Dr. Death” — for allowing patients to die at a time of their choosing. He even suggested that there was a historical precedent for the practice.

    In 1991, the state of Michigan revoked his medical license. But the courts were slower to act.

    In the mid-90s, he was acquitted on charges related to five separate assisted suicide deaths. It was not until 1999 that he was found guilty of second-degree murder for administering a lethal injection to Thomas Youk, a 52-year-old suffering from ALS, a motor neuron disease.

    “We are not talking about assisted suicide here,” Michigan state judge Jessica Cooper told Kevorkian at the sentencing. “When you purposely inject another human being with what you know to be a lethal dosage of poison, that, sir, is murder.”

    He was released on parole in 2007, having served eight years in jail.

    To the end, however, Kevorkian remained unrepentant. “I have no regrets, none, whatsoever,” he said last year.

  51. 3b says:

    #49 Are prices in Colts Neck up 26% from last year?? I don’t tyhinks so!!! Colts Neck, the little town that could not!!!

  52. Painhrtz - Salmon of Doubt says:

    Al 39 the one thing that stood out how in holy hell do you pick up 50K of debt at Montklair U

  53. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [40] 3b

    “Meanwhile those who know are planning accordingly.”

    As in call the realtor and the Bekins moving van?

  54. 30 Year Realtor says:

    Dr. Jack Kevorkian dead? Now who will euthanize the real estate market?

  55. NJGator says:

    Shore 32 Amen! I hope someone’s dancing a happy jig in heaven today.

  56. A.West says:

    Shore, (30)
    This ties to a comment yesterday about poverty (recession/depression) thinning people down. People are poor but obese in Egypt, because the government feeds people with subsidized bread.
    Cat food is healthier than bread, assuming it contains mostly animal offal and not grain based fillers.

  57. 3b says:

    #53 As in call the realtor and the Bekins moving van?

    Correct.

  58. A.West says:

    Al,
    Interesting that gold has held up with fairly low volatility during a time that silver and some other metals have been swinging around.

  59. 30 Year Realtor says:

    From the Times article on Forest Hill – ““The point is not that this is what always happens,” said Kenneth M. Kroll, who bought the Lake Street house with his partner, David Johnstone, moving into Newark from Rutherford last fall. “But it does happen that bigger, more expensive homes still sell here. Even in a recession, or an economic malaise, or whatever we are calling it, this place is special.”

    Why is it that gay people have a desire to renovate white elephant homes in decaying urban areas of NJ? By now most must realize that these neighborhoods don’t all rebound into “special” areas. Take for example Paterson’s East Side Park section.

  60. Al Mossberg says:

    58,

    Yeah, seems like gold is more widely seen as a safe haven than in 2008. The collapse of gold prices in 2008 was largely due to hedge funds liquidating. That wont be the case this time around.

    It will be real interesting to see how long the Bernank lets this thing go. Everyone knew it was coming as is QE 3.

  61. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [54] 30 yr

    Post of the Day!

  62. In further support of 30 Year’s Theorem, I give you Rainbow Row in Asbury Park. Living Proof that Interior Decorators have vision far superior to normal folk. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

    That seciton of Asbury Park is one drive-by shooting away from a mass exodus.

  63. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    This got me thinking of JJ’s friend, the one who is always right, and who is now going completely into cash and selling his Manhattan apt.

    ” Horror for US Economy After Data Falls Off Cliff

    The last month has been a horror show for the U.S. economy, with economic data falling off a cliff, according to Mike Riddell, a fund manager at M&G Investments in London.

    “It seems that almost every bit of data about the health of the US economy has disappointed expectations recently,” said Riddell, in a note sent to CNBC on Wednesday.

    “US house prices have fallen by more than 5 percent year on year, pending home sales have collapsed and existing home sales disappointed, the trend of improving jobless claims has arrested, first quarter GDP wasn’t revised upwards by the 0.4 percent forecast, durables goods orders shrank, manufacturing surveys from Philadelphia Fed, Richmond Fed and Chicago Fed were all very disappointing.”

    “And that’s just in the last week and a bit,” said Riddell.

    Pointing to the dramatic turnaround in the Citigroup “Economic Surprise Index” for the United States, Riddell said the tumble in a matter of months to negative from positive is almost as bad as the situation before the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008.

    “The correlation between the economic surprise index and Treasury yields is very close, so the lesson is that whatever your long term macro views are regarding hyper inflation vs. deflation or the risk of the US defaulting, the reality is that if you want to have a view about government bond prices, the best thing you can do is look at the economic data to see what’s actually going on,” said Riddell.

    “And right now, the economic data is suggesting that however measly you may think a 3 percent yield is on a 10-year Treasury, the yield should probably be a fair bit lower given what’s going on in the US economy,” said Riddell.

    “You’ve also got to wonder at what point the markets for risky assets start noticing, too.”

    “QE3 anybody?” asks Riddell.

    http://www.cnbc.com/id/43239586

  64. Shore Guy says:

    In case folks are looking for something to do later this month:

    Last year, on the summer solstice, Make Music New York organized one of the biggest musical events in the city’s history: over 1,000 free outdoor concerts in an incredible array of genres and locations. Thousands of musicians entertained New Yorkers on sidewalks, streets, parks, and gardens throughout all five boroughs of NYC in “an eleven-hour escapade of musical creativity” (New Yorker).

    Make Music New York returns on Tuesday, June 21, 2011. This year, hundreds of parks, sidewalks, and streets are available for musicians — including 88 locations with upright pianos!

    Enroll in the free program today, and Make Music New York will coordinate your concert with others in the neighborhood, secure all necessary permits, and promote your event through Time Out New York, Metro New York, and WNYC.

    To get started, just go to (ling removed). All concert arrangements must be finalized by April 21.

    Last year’s festival drew tens of thousands of listeners and international media coverage. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with New Yorkers from all walks of life.

    For more information, visit http://www.makemusicny.org.

    Send me an email reminder about this event

    Back to ASCAP Events

  65. NJGator says:

    30 Year – I have gay friends that bought a home in the “Estate Section” of Paterson. They don’t care about the schools and in 2005 they got an amazing house 4500 SF with incredible views for $500k.

    I have another gay friend who has frequently espoused that he has no desire to ever live in an area that is overrun with Starbucks, Bugaboos and women nursing 3 year olds.

  66. 3b says:

    #63 We were talking about QE 3 here, before it became fashionable.

  67. 3b says:

    #65 I have another gay friend who has frequently espoused that he has no desire to ever live in an area that is overrun with Starbucks, Bugaboos and women nursing 3 year olds.

    Sounds like Tribeca.

  68. Shore isn't enough latex in the world Guy says:

    Hard news from the BBC:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9502367.stm

    Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.

    I had been told just to pitch up – it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.

    What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.

    The pr0n shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation – a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.

    Performers in body-hugging Star Trek outfits, some with prosthetic noses to resemble aliens, wandered around looking slightly bored as a weary crew worried over lighting arrangements.

    This morning was devoted to dialogue, I was told, although – as Sam, the film’s artistically minded writer-director, explained to me with clear regret – there was not too much of that to be had.

    Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sxe film would involve plot, he sighed.

    snip

  69. ShoreGuy says:

    The industry must have some unusual OSHA regulations.

  70. Mike says:

    Chicago Number 50 Kevorkian will be nominated for Sainthood

  71. NJGator says:

    Comment just posted on Patch…

    “Montclair is a highly unique, attractive, geographically and culturally desirable town, that with the exception of marginally higher taxes warrants current owners not to lower their pants because the systemic decline in residential properties. It is inherent in broker’s economic interest to churn markets.

    There are those who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Those who know the intrinsic value of Montclair will pay a fair and reasonable price. Montclair has “alpha.” Don’t let the “beta” of national markets deter you from your sense of worth. Unless you need to skip town fast, don’t let the brokers drive your values down in order for their economic needs for transaction velocity. Montclair has fundamental and enduring values as a community, many of which are intangible, but are well understood and appreciated by many. Be reasonable, but be sure to know your properties worth.”

    http://montclair.patch.com/articles/montclair-real-estate-market-in-the-tv-spotlight

  72. NJGator says:

    3b 67 – Or Park Slope.

  73. ShoreGuy says:

    There it is, a retirement job for John, an OSHA inspector for the alternative film industry.

  74. gary says:

    I have another gay friend who has frequently espoused that he has no desire to ever live in an area that is overrun with Starbucks, Bugaboos and women nursing 3 year olds.

    Don’t forget the pony tail pulled through the back of the RedSox cap as they trot around in their DSquared2 running shoes and Santos De Cartier sunglasses.

  75. chicagofinance says:

    The end is nigh (Colts Neck Ain’t No Briggy-Upon-Hackey Edition):

    Dear Colts Neck Committee Members, xxxx, and Neighbors of xxxxxx,

    Due to the dozens of requests for the Town to uphold the ordinances of Colts Neck over the last several years, please advise as to how Colts Neck residents xxxxxx can have our Town enforce the compliance of Township ordinances for property owners and business owners. Complaints haven’t been followed-up on, and phone calls aren’t returned.

    The inconsistency in what the Town “gets after”, such as businesses that have been held accountable to their sign being “4 too large, an American Flag being too large at a Golf Course, or branches in front of a house at the wrong time and being ticketed, amongst dozens of other examples, yet blatant disregard for other violations is cause for pursuit.

    1. xxxxxxxxxx has had 2 large, unregistered commercial trucks sunken in the backyard for over 5 years; requests to enforce code has fallen on deaf ear. In 2010 and 2009 the lawn was cut only 2-3 times the entire season. The homeowner runs a loud generator for utilities.

    2. xxxxxxxxxxxxlawn wasn’t cut once in 2010, and hasn’t been cut at all this year. The lawn is over 3 feet high.

    3. Although I am aware xxxxxxxxx, the condition of potholes especially in front ofxxxxxxxxxxxxxx is in such poor repair that when large trucks hit them it sounds like explosions and actually shakes the house, and wakes you up in middle of the night. Can the Town appeal to xxxxxxx to repave; the potholes have been patched and repatched dozens of times over the last five years.

    4. 6 years ago xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx was supposed to have been paved; grass is growing up through the cracks of the streets.

    5. broken down Fruit Stands and abandoned businesses have been left unkept for years.

    6. Poor condition “tacky” billboards xxxxxxxxxxx in a town like Colts Neck is also incongruent with the desired aesthetics of the Town.

    All of these conditions have adverse implications on the property value of our homes. The last two homes for sale on xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx didn’t sell and are now rental properties. I realize market conditions are the primary reason, yet the condition of our block is undoubtedly a contributing factor. It is indisputable to the condition of the neighborhood is having an adverse impact on property value.

    I am requesting a response from the Town responsible to uphold all ordinances consistently. The neighborhood of xxxxxxxxxxx will pursue legal action with the Toewn if it is necessary to protect our home values. I’m confident that no Committee Member would tolerate these conditions next door to your home.

  76. ShoreGuy says:

    Who the heck writes these headlines. This one is from CBS News:

    Probe could give Weiner more headaches:

    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/02/earlyshow/main20068221.shtml

  77. ShoreGuy says:

    Gee, Colts neck is starting to sound like Ocean County.

  78. ShoreGuy says:

    Time to feed the tax beast.

  79. chicagofinance says:

    They refer to my street as Wisteria Lane……

    To all concerned parties:

    I strongly echo the sentiments of xxxxxxxxxxx and underscore the importance of a response by the CN Twp Committee. When my parents purchased property on xxxxxx in the early 70’s this neighborhood was THE place to be. Once used as a nursery, the trees were mature, the ground rich and fertile all with a gentrified country elegance. How times have changed! The very committee that once was interested in keeping Colts Neck the envy of Monmouth County, has, over the years, turned this town into no more than a shanty stop on the way to Rumson. I realize, of course, that the composition of the committee has changed. What is disheartening is that the values and standards of that committee seem to have changed along with the membership.

    I’m confident that the residents of xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx stand united in our goal to once again make our neighborhood as prestigious as our taxes suggest that it is. My confidence is lacking however, in the township’s ability to support some if its most loyal residents. Please work with us to correct the injustice that has come to be over the last ten or so years. The residents can do only so much to keep the curb appeal of each of our homes high. The township needs to provide the basic infrastructure and support necessary for this to be so. Without a strong foundation the building will crumble. Your attention to the points outlined below, especially the condition of xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (since for some reason twp officials seem to keep falling for the “we have a buyer, so take the house off the auction block”), would go a long way in restoring our faith in our elected officials and mitigate the risk of further action on our part.

    We are prepared to do whatever is necessary to restore real estate value to xxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Please reinstate your enthusiasm to do the same by standing by us in our efforts and enforcing compliance by ALL residents and working with the public works department to prioritize xxxxxxxx repaving instead of ignoring it.

    Thanks in advance for your thoughtful consideration and immediate action.

  80. chicagofinance says:

    Note…the generator house is the one that had it hedge shaved into the shape of a phallus last summer…….

  81. Lone Ranger says:

    AW [58]

    From 2/11, silver was on a tear. The gold/silver ratio collapsed from approx 47 to 31. Around Easter silver was going up 4% a day. Simply unsustainable. Silver is poor man’s gold. When margins were raised daily, many small retail buyers were forced to sell. Longer term it prove to be healthy for the market.

    Although they do track each other, there are minor differences; gold is a currency/store of value while silver is an industrial metal/store of value. Also, gold is the world’s bullshit meter. When short term ratios get way out of whack adjustments occur. If silver pulls back to the low 30’s back up the truck. If if pulls back to the high 20’s, back up the fleet.

  82. chicagofinance says:

    Gates: WTF is this???????

    NJGator says:
    June 3, 2011 at 10:40 am
    Comment just posted on Patch…

    “Montclair is a highly unique, attractive, geographically and culturally desirable town, that with the exception of marginally higher taxes warrants current owners not to lower their pants because the systemic decline in residential properties. It is inherent in broker’s economic interest to churn markets.

    There are those who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Those who know the intrinsic value of Montclair will pay a fair and reasonable price. Montclair has “alpha.” Don’t let the “beta” of national markets deter you from your sense of worth. Unless you need to skip town fast, don’t let the brokers drive your values down in order for their economic needs for transaction velocity. Montclair has fundamental and enduring values as a community, many of which are intangible, but are well understood and appreciated by many. Be reasonable, but be sure to know your properties worth.”

  83. Newbie says:

    Am I in a NJ Short Sale Scam? Got bank approval & signed contracts with all parties on a Bergen County short where I am the buyer. The owner|seller has a month to month tenant in house and after contracts were signed intentionally delayed eviction to keep capturing rental income (despite them not paying their mortgage).

    I learned the selling agent is a sibling of the owner|seller and basically letting the owner milk and push out the process, after 2 months they finally got an eviction hearing scheduled but in the computer records it’s described already as in effect dismissed as if it’s been pre adjudicated. Huh? I the buyer feel like the straw man used by the owner to keep the bank from foreclosing. I learned a previous would-be-buyer threw in the towel on this property due to this scenario 5 months before me and it seems to be an intentional tactic by the owner to play the bank, against me, the potential buyer, to string the appearance of a pending transaction along, but never actually evict and string out buying time to collect the $3,500/mo. rent he’s getting…and hoping I eventually throw in the towel. The selling agent and seller’s attorney are aiding in the tactic.

    This became obvious when every couple of weeks the seller’s side keeps asking us if we want to continue forward with the purchase (before they take another step toward eviction) with all the delays we’re facing. We keep saying yes and they’re hoping we say “no” to re-start the clock another 6 + months and keep the rent flowing. Ever seen this? Will I ever close? Beyond complaining to the NJ Real Estate Commission, what else can I do? If nothing else, to pay it forward and expose this scam?

  84. gary says:

    John Edwards indicted… not an issue. The real news is that Christie used a helicopter; I’m sure Chris Matthews can get two weeks out of that story! You know, in between the Sarah Palin bashings.

  85. 30 Year Realtor says:

    Gator #65 – Do they care if they are robbed at gunpoint in their driveway?

    Don’t get me wrong, I have learned to love urban NJ. Know Paterson block by block. Take my sons to Guernsey Crest Creamery on 19th Ave for $1.25 ice cream cones all the time. Capt Cheapo would love it. Doesn’t bother me to be the only pure white people around.

    OTOH sinking more than half a million dollars into a dying urban mess isn’t my idea of a good idea. Have known people who lived there over the years and they have all been held up at gunpoint in their own driveways!

  86. Lone Ranger says:

    3b [66],

    The fed doesn’t need an overt QE3 strategy at this time. Maturing debt will be rolled over. Can we call it QE 2.5?

  87. gary says:

    30 year [85],

    See, the problem is that those people who got held up at gunpoint didn’t embrace diversity.

  88. 3b says:

    #71 I bet they loved the Realtors when prices were going up;now prices are going down,and it is the Realtors fault.

  89. 3b says:

    #86 Yes 2.5, sounds better too.

  90. Kettle1^2 says:

    Shore
    imported eqyptian wheat from the Nile was the staple of Rome and large sections of the empire. Those imported wheat prices have been used to track roman inflation as the empire debased it’s currency.

    When WWIII breaks out those dams on the Nile and giant ones like 3 gorges make for some fat juicy targtes that provide a huge return on investment. A few bunker buster cruise muddles at abot 2-3 million each and could could substantially cripple Egyptian wheat production, knock out important power production and Casie huge infrastructure damage, all before even considering the damGe done by the deluge. Imagine the consequences of a strike on 3 gorges.

  91. NJGator says:

    30 Year – When Captain Cheapo lived in LA, he wanted us to buy a place up on Mount Washington, near Downtown. The area had killer views, a good downtown commute for him and was relatively cheap. I started talking about safety issues and his friend responded “Oh it’s totally safe up there. You only have to worry about being shot or carjacked when you leave the neighborhoodf to drive to to the grocery store.”

  92. chicagofinance says:

    Gates: the unintentionally funny part of this idiot is that “alpha” is a defined range from a statistical regression line and can have positive or negative impact . Since so many use alpha in lieu of “outperformance”, it may not be well known that it can also represent underperformance. Further, what may have caused Montclair’s alpha to have positive impact from 2003-2007 is exactly what would cause its alpha to be a negative factor in 2011 and beyond……so this moron is factually correct and not making the point that they wish…..

    NJGator says:
    June 3, 2011 at 10:40 am
    Montclair has “alpha.”

  93. NJGator says:

    Chifi 92 – I just want someone to come along and overpay for my multi because the town has “alpha”.

  94. chicagofinance says:

    I guess literally?

    NJGator says:
    June 3, 2011 at 11:06 am
    30 Year – The area had killer views

  95. Kettle1^2 says:

    Shore

    assuming a strike on the upper Aswan knocks out or disables the lower Aswan then the one strike could take out 10 -20% of eqyptian electric generation and cause serious load balancing issue for large sections of the nation.

    It’s like a game of “civilization” on a grand scale

  96. jamil says:

    32 “Too bad his wife did not live long enough to see this:”

    “Name that party” is a fun game.

    So this Edwards guy is of unknown political affiliations. Perhaps he is from the same party as this pervert Weiner guy (though Al-Reuters identified Weiner as Republican).

    No bias anywhere in State Media.

  97. Painhrtz - Salmon of Doubt says:

    Colt’s neck busybodies every town has them there just seem to be more in the formerly upperhaughty villes.

    Ket a couple of Lancasters and bouncing bombs could do it cheaper. Not like egypt has a real air force anyway. Isreal could wipe it out in less than a day

  98. hughesrep says:

    96

    They really should have known better. If he was a Republican it would have been a young man instead of a woman.

    Bias or mistake?

    http://tinyurl.com/jamilstinyurl

  99. JJ says:

    There is a serious amount of debt maturing even for me. The bond bears since late 2008 have been encouraging everyone to buy one year cds, two year treasuries, I Bonds, money markets, savings accounts and the muni and corp buyers ate up 1-5 year bonds from 2008-2011 expecting maturities all to be reinvested at higher rates. That on top of longer term muni bonds that are callable now pretty much from 12-1-2010 to 6-1-2011 all partial and full calls stopped due to hostile market conditions did not allow munis to issue new bonds at lower rates to call exiting bonds.

    I have for instance 11 muni bonds with coupons between 5-6 that can be called in July. The munis can now issue new munis with a 3% coupon due to the market rally. I already have a feeling I will be called on some. Then what let it sit in money market at 1/10 of 1% for who knows how long or put it back in at a lousy 3%. That mountain of cash from partial and full calls as wells as short term paper rolling over from the likes of Bill Gross who went to all 1-2 years in 2010 as he thought rates was rising will need to be reinvested. Plus Fed has a mountain of cash and now with mortgage rates falling and refinancing taken place we will have MBS/CMO securities paying back early.

    Shocking if you go on line and enter show all AMT free munis over 5% and a hand full of bonds appear. In January I could do same query and at 5% it was pages and pages of bonds. I had to enter like 6% to make the screen managable. That is like a 150% bp drop in five months.

    This is where it gets scary. RE, Stocks Commodities in the tank and now yields at record lows with tons of paper coming due, being prepaid or called in next few months. The is no place to hide. Maybe just maybe this will eventually restart the housing market.

    We went from housing bubble, to stock bubble to bond bubble to commodity bubble. When all four bubbles burst people usually move cash back to first bubble that burst as it is usually first bubble to recover.

    Lone Ranger says:
    June 3, 2011 at 11:03 am

    3b [66],

    The fed doesn’t need an overt QE3 strategy at this time. Maturing debt will be rolled over. Can we call it QE 2.5?

  100. Kettle1^2 says:

    Pain

    the average $ value of a pilot is about 3-4 million. If you assume multiple pilots and at least one plane lost in the raid, several bunker buster cruise missles would be cheaper in the end. Of course the cheapest option is probably high altitude Carpet bombing from an old b52

  101. jamil says:

    32: anybody who voted for Edwards should voluntarily stop voting for ten years.

    Not just the worst VP pick in history, but to think that almost half of americans were ready to put this guy to Oval Office is a strong case against voting rights.

  102. 30 Year Realtor says:

    #87 Gary – Diversity isn’t the problem, reality is what needs embracing. You don’t move into the heroin capital of North Jersey, buy a home for $500,000, put more money into it and flash cash around. Typical home in Paterson in a desirable (from a Paterson buyer’s perspective) neighborhood is around $135,000. Big houses, fancy cars, nicely dressed all say ROB ME!

  103. jamil says:

    98: we just had special election in NY when it turned out that a married (GOP) congressman sent a pic of himself to a woman. Now, another congressman from NY got caught sending a lewd picture of his p$nis to a young college student.

    Where is Nancy Pelosi and State Media demanding the resignation?

    No bias anywhere.

    Nothing to see here, move along.

  104. JJ says:

    FEDERAL NATL MTG ASSN 10.35000% 12/10/2015DSM 15A
    CUSIP 313586UB3
    Pay Frequency SEMI-ANNUALLY
    Coupon 10.350
    Maturity Date 12/10/2015

    Amazing FNMA bond still around from 1985 issued at par with a 10.350 coupon. To issue bonds at 10.350 ment mortgage rates were at least 12%.

    Still imagine this is a triple AAA bond that for 30 years you were guaranteed 10.35% Nice

  105. Painhrtz - Salmon of Doubt says:

    Ket you can get a couple of cesna jockeys to pilot those old lancasters. We can also do one better speed boat with tactical nuke at the base of the dam

  106. Lone Ranger says:

    “We went from housing bubble, to stock bubble to bond bubble to commodity bubble.”

    JJ,

    Obviously, you have never witnessed a commodity bubble. The crb is a whopping 3.5% off it’s high. We have many years to go in this commodity bull market. You can’t imagine the levels you will see in 2015-2016. Just do yourself a favor, buy all pullbacks. The only game plan in town is to pulverize the dollar.

    In 1980 our debt was $900 billion and gold was $800. Present day, $14T in debt and $1,500 gold. Where’s the bubble?

  107. JJ says:

    commodities are a highly leverage asset with plenty of futures contracts on margin. 3.5% off can wipe someone out.

  108. chicagofinance says:

    albani: where are you?

    The End Is Nigh (Isaiah Edition):
    Donnie Walsh to step down as Knicks president and GM, will become consultant next season

    By MARC BERMAN

    In a stunner, Knicks owner James Dolan announced Donnie Walsh will step down after June 30th and become a consultant next season.

    Glen Grunwald, the senior VP of basketball operations, will become interim GM July 1. Dolan said a search for a new president would take place without a timetable for a hiring.

    Walsh was a supporter of coach Mike D’Antoni, whose future also could be compromised, depending on whom is hired. However, Dolan’s release mentioned Mike D’Antoni as “an outstanding coach.’’

    Walsh had told several of his associates that he planned to return next season, but it will only be in a consulting role.

    Sources said Walsh had wanted full autonomy of basketball operations without any interference, but apparently he did not feel comfortable that he could achieve such after discussions with the team.

    Kevin Pritchard has been mentioned before as a potential candidate, along with Kentucky head coach John Calipari, who is represented by CAA.

    In the statement, Dolan said, “Following a long series of discussions regarding his future role with the New York Knicks, Donnie Walsh and I have mutually agreed he will be leaving his position as president, basketball operations of the Knicks at the end of June. Donnie will remain with the team as a consultant for the 2011-12 season. In a relatively short time with the Knicks, Donnie made a tremendous impact, which will be felt for many years to come. We thank Donnie for his leadership, hard work and many contributions to the revitalization of the team.’’

    “We will now begin an immediate search for a new president and GM, but do not have a timetable for a decision,’’ the statement read.

  109. 3b says:

    #03 jamil: I will spell it out for you, simply. Both Republicans and Democrats are to blame for the mess in this country. They both are useless. I will never forgive the Republicans for for imposing on us that women from Alaska. An insult to the few intelligent Americans that still actually,can and want to think for themselves.

  110. Lone Ranger says:

    “commodities are a highly leverage asset with plenty of futures contracts on margin. 3.5% off can wipe someone out.”

    JJ [107],

    Let it wipe them out. How about leverage on a 100% gain? Who cares about futures, 99% can’t even sniff them. In 2015-2016, the public will be lining up to buy commodities. Same as it ever was.

  111. Libtard in the City says:

    3B,

    You are arguing with a brick wall. Jamil thought and still thinks SP was a brilliant choice for VP. This decision single handedly gave Obama his win. That Katie Kouric interview was by far, the worst political trainwreck I have witnessed in my short life. This interview single handedly gave Obama his win. And yet still, the Reps continue to give her the green light when it’s obvious to everyone but the retards running the RNP that she plans to do nothing more than collect dollars for herself. She has absolutely no leadership aspirations. Yet I fully expect the RNP to consider her to run for the oval office. And Jamil would probably take a bullet for her.

  112. Libtard in the City says:

    Wow do I need to proofread!

  113. JJ says:

    I never do, what is the point when you don’t know how to spell anyhow?

    Libtard in the City says:
    June 3, 2011 at 12:27 pm

    Wow do I need to proofread!

  114. Libtard in the City says:

    Right!

  115. 3b says:

    #111 Lib: I totally agree. The fact that she is even considering a run (even if staged), and the fact that there are people who would vote for her, and a medias outlet that gives her a platform shows how far this country has fallen.

  116. Kettle1^2 says:

    Pain

    reduce the human factor, just throw a few cruise missles. The tactical nuke scenario is fun but way too many chances for intervention based on murphy’s law. I wonder what the resulting flood would do to Cairo

  117. Painhrtz - Salmon of Doubt says:

    Lib, Conservative Barbie, though it would probably be insulting the stylish, extruded figurine by calling SP that.

    I just wish politicians would start acting like adults, and anyone calling themselves a social conservative should be lobotomized to reflect their actual inteligence level.

    bill of rights – all men created equal

    Social conservative – unless your gay, it insults the invisble sky wizard and sets my groin ablaze with desire

  118. Painhrtz - Salmon of Doubt says:

    Ket, clean it! From what I tell that place is an unwashed rat hole

  119. jamil says:

    109: “An insult to the few intelligent Americans that still actually,can and want to think for themselves.”

    Yeah, that O is intelligent crap again. He is the guy who claimed US had 57 states and how do you think he would have performed if interviewed by Rush Limbaugh for 5 hours and then edited nicely by Rush/Karl Rove?

    He was affirmative action race baby and yes, I would take SP anyday.

    Do you seriously claim that O’s policies have shown any intelligence?
    His handling of Middle East or US economy? Talk of tax increase and class warfare and Big Government and still surpised that no recovery?

    If Palin had been black and mumbled something about normative black gay rights she would be Harward/Princeton Prof, along with Cornelius West.

  120. Kettle1^2 says:

    Pain

    does this discussion increase or decrease out ranking on the watch list?

  121. Painhrtz - Salmon of Doubt says:

    Well it is discussing potential acts to foreign nations using US military and British hardware past and present neither you or I possess, Nor do we have the capabilities to obtain so I’ll say neutral to diminished status on the watch list

  122. Kettle1^2 says:

    Pain

    looking at todays news on unemployment and manufacturing, WWIII makes perfect sense. Start WWIII and unemployment dissapears overnight, manufacturing roars back to life in the US, all while we get to blow up some competing infrastructure.

  123. gator (71)-

    My reply:

    “Altamont, you are clearly smoking some of the stuff that’s being peddled on the street near your schools.”

  124. JJ says:

    Just blow up china and you can bring back all the good manufacturing jobs

    Kettle1^2 says:
    June 3, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    Pain

    looking at todays news on unemployment and manufacturing, WWIII makes perfect sense. Start WWIII and unemployment dissapears overnight, manufacturing roars back to life in the US, all while we get to blow up some competing infrastructure.

  125. NJGator says:

    Hobo (123) – That’s perfectly acceptable. Just don’t get caught dead buying ice cream from the truck idling across the street from where the Kindergarten Kids are dismissed. That might get you run out of town.

  126. Libtard in the City says:

    Jamil,

    You are so hopelessly jaded. I, nor anyone else said or insinuated a thing about Obama. As to the 57 state blunder…it’s completely taken out of context as he was referring to the 47 states he visited as he quickly mentioned the three that he did not. Funny how you and the party not covered by the main stream media forgot to point this out. Only a brainless imbecile (and that is what you truly are) who is so hopelessly biased that the he actually believes he can see a difference between the two parties, would try to make a senseless point by hiding the actual facts around the statement. To go as far as claiming he was mentioning the Arab states only goes to further prove your complete lack of credibility and your willingness to jump off a bridge when asked by anyone who merely wears an elephant button. I’ve said this before. It’s people like you who are much scarier than any Obama or Palin. You would have made a perfect soldier in the SS. Only you would have been too stupid to leave for South America when the allied bombs started dropping. You are no more than Fox News hack who one day will regret wasting so much time and focus on the ultra bullsh1t know as partisan politics. There ain’t a single person care who believes otherwise. What I can’t figure out is why you stick around here and continue to espouse political inuendo, much of little to no consequence to a group most interested in discussing real estate. Oh yeah, that’s right. You are a brainless imbecile.

  127. Libtard in the City says:

    JJ,

    I don’t think it’s like the old days any more. If you asked the populace to go into factories to manufacture supplies for the war effort, they would probably refuse and suggest we outsource those low paying jobs to China. Plus, who here even knows how to turn on a switch anymore, let alone, weld or rivet. World War III will be shown on high-definition television.

  128. hughesrep says:

    Anyone have comments on the Philly Zoo vs. Bronx?

    Philly is OK, but I was thinking of taking the kids to the Bronx Zoo Monday. Keep in mind travel time to and fro with a two and three year old from Monmouth County.

  129. Nation of Wussies HEHEHE says:

    Dealbreaker

    Layoffs Watch ’11: Barclays

    http://dealbreaker.com/2011/06/layoffs-watch-11-barclays/

  130. The revolution will not be televised.

    BTW, that song was written by a longtime crackhead. Finally caught up with him last week.

  131. Libtard in the City says:

    Hughes…I’ve never been to either, but only one of them is located near the Memphis Tap Room. :P

  132. hughesrep says:

    131

    Maybe I can talk the wife into dropping me off and picking me up on the way back?

  133. Dan says:

    Gator,

    Another reply to your optimistic Montclair housing commentor would be: “Hey, you know those articles in the fall where the Montclair realtors were asking where are the New York buyers. How about the answer is they’ve observed your town’s la la land view of themselves and are looking elsewhere. But go ahead and think your 4 br/1.5 ba is worth $539,000 because it’s Montclair and hold your ground. Maybe those New Yorkers are tired of hearing about diversity while the parents are putting their kids in private schools.”

  134. 3b says:

    #119 Again I do not like any of them, period. If I had to chose one or the other, then yes I would chose O, as SP is simply unfathomable, whether she was a Dem or Rep. But I do not, and I will not. Does that make me some kind of O supporter? No, it does not.

    If I had to chose from one of the current crop of R’s running, then it would be Romney, however, even if he were to be elected, it would make no difference, upon taking over the office.However, he will not be elected because the fringe on the right consider his religion suspect.

  135. 3b says:

    #125 Gator: You know if Montclair was nestled on the banks of you know where, than it would be absolutely perfect. And of course prices would have been up 26% in the last year, and there would have been no need for that commentary from the poster.

  136. chicagofinance says:

    Stu: sorry….basically the 7 weeks from September 2008 to the election made McCain/Obama go from slight edge Obama to pulling away……for whatever reason….maybe the “McCain is more of the same” was sufficient for enough independents….

    Libtard in the City says:
    June 3, 2011 at 12:25 pm
    3B, Jamil thought and still thinks SP was a brilliant choice for VP. This decision single handedly gave Obama his win.

  137. jamil says:

    136, don’t involve facts here. it would blow the brains out of libtard. Luckily, since he has no brains – other than hysterically going after Fox News and SP- there no danger so we are safe.

    That 57 states (few seconds after it was 55 states)

  138. chicagofinance says:

    I’m in Monmouth…..I would go to the Bronx Zoo……big driver though (no pun intended)….no Cross Bronx/GWB. Bronx is better, bigger, more expensive, better neighborhood and facilities to park. Philly is more manageable, but the physical location is kind of disappointing, wedged in between Amtrak tracks and I-76, and a cruddy neighborhood. Also, while it is less likely you will be nailed in traffic getting to the area, once there, it is a mess, so you may waste a lot of time being stuck in traffic literally staring at the entrance of the place.

    All that said, with really young kids, maybe smaller and cheaper is better, since you will only be there for 2-3 max anyway…..you know your kids…..

    hughesrep says:
    June 3, 2011 at 1:52 pm
    Anyone have comments on the Philly Zoo vs. Bronx?

    Philly is OK, but I was thinking of taking the kids to the Bronx Zoo Monday. Keep in mind travel time to and fro with a two and three year old from Monmouth County.

  139. chicagofinance says:

    2-3 hours max

  140. chicagofinance says:

    hughes: make sure to check Monday hours! We are not “in season” yet….

  141. jamil says:

    letarded:”to the 57 state blunder…it’s completely taken out of context ”

    So now there is concept called out of context?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpGH02DtIws
    “57 states, I think one more to go”

    Tell me again, why didn’t O spent 5 hours being interviewed by Rush Limbaugh so Rush could edit 10 min of “Best of Obama”? How do you think he would have looked?

    As for Palin. Incidentally, the accusations and hatred against Palin is identical to what Democratic Party made against Lincoln and Reagan, the two greatest president ever (and I would say that they highly intelligent, wise and visionary, no matter what NY Times and Letarded Inc said).

    Admiring Cuba and trying to follows its “success” may be proof intelligence in O’s and Letarded circles, but in the planet earth that is the sign of profound stupidity.

  142. 3b says:

    #41 Jamil: Surely youa re nto comparing SP to Lincoln, or even Reagan! Do you truly believe SP is highly intelligent, wise, and a visionary??

  143. hughesrep says:

    chi-

    Both are in season, and I don’t mind the drive.

    Bronx seems to nickle and dime you. An extra $5 for gorilla exhibit, $4 for the tigers, etc.

    I’ve been to Philly zoo, no problems last year getting in and out early. Most kids are still in school, that’s why I thought we would go this week. Wife needs to use up her sick days, so as not to be a burden on the community when she retires.

    You’re right about the location though, and you can get stuck on the Schuykill forever. I’ll probably end up in Philly to mitigate the hassle factor.

  144. joyce says:

    (141)
    Lincoln, the war criminal… one of the best presidents ever?
    Sounds like your liberally rewriting history, what a shocking turn of events

  145. JJ says:

    Go to the Bronx Zoo, then smell the flowers at the Botanical Gardens, then go for Lobster at City Island, then Catch a Yankee game then go for a late dinner at Arthur Avenue. Oh if you have time to kill a little sun bathing at Orchard Beach.

  146. House Whine says:

    Zoo talk: don’t discount Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange. I think they refurbished it a few years ago. It would be very manageable with such young children. Obviously, much smaller than Bronx or Philly zoo.

  147. Painhrtz - Salmon of Doubt says:

    Jamil I don’t hate SP, on the contrary she reminds me of a girl I used to date in college kind hot, slightly tarded, christian nut job, fun in the sack, and Iwouldn’t vote for her to be dog catcher.

    Your attacks of lib are unfounded as you are just a brainwashed fox troll sold a bill a goods because you can’t think for yourself. Now Stu like most good jewish boys may have some misguided liberal leanings, he is still an equal opportunity basher of both sides. where in your case if GWB asked you would gladly felatiate him without thinking twice. Whoever said you would have made a good SS soldier was spot on, I vas just followving orders!

  148. hughesrep says:

    145

    Yankee game is next weekend. Going to watch the team with the best record in the AL.

  149. Libtard in the City says:

    Thanks Pain.

    Ask Gator, I’m actually a registered Republican and I did vote for Christie. I can guarantee you one thing though, Jamil would still vote for a Republican even if said Republican raped his wife and Democrat caught the perp. He simply can not think for himself. Very scary. Cuba…come on now. Rah, rah, hish boom bah.

    Chifi,

    You are probably right. It does tend to be the economy that determines whether the party of the president changes or stays the same. Although, it will be interesting to see if the populace feels they are better off in 2012 than they were in 2009. But to Jamil, the answer is already made up. When Obama is reelected, it will obviously be due to the lies fabricated by the MSM. Jamil’s like a broken record. Only a broken record sounds a hell of lot better.

  150. All Hype says:

    Jamil I don’t hate SP, on the contrary she reminds me of a girl I used to date in college kind hot, slightly tarded, christian nut job, fun in the sack, and I wouldn’t vote for her to be dog catcher.

    Pain, that summary is absolutely spot on!

  151. Kettle1^2 says:

    Hobo

    protestors take over Greek finance minastry and hang banners from roof

    http://www.zerohedge.com/article/mutiny-acropolis-greek-protesters-seize-finance-ministry

  152. Painhrtz - Salmon of Doubt says:

    Ket too bad they didn’t hang the finance ministers.

    Have a nice weekend everybody with the exception of Jets and Jamil

  153. Kettle1^2 says:

    How much longer can the euro levitate? I would guess not much linger if the Greeks don’t take the bailout soon.

  154. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [112] libtard

    “Wow do I need to proofread!”

    Ironic considering where you and Gator work.

  155. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [148] hughes

    “Yankee game is next weekend. Going to watch the team with the best record in the AL.”

    Whoever the Yankees are playing is my latest favorite team.

  156. JJ says:

    They also bolted the front door but it didn’t help as every one in Greece enters via the rear door.

    Kettle1^2 says:
    June 3, 2011 at 4:08 pm
    Hobo

    protestors take over Greek finance minastry and hang banners from roof

  157. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    Hate to admit it, but Lincoln arguably launched an unconstitutional war, and did suspend habeas corpus (which the Court made him un-suspend).

  158. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    Kettle,

    Did the protestors take it over, or did the Greeks hand it over?

  159. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [128] hughes

    Philly zoo is kinda small for a major urban zoo, and is located next to the Sure Kill expressway and da hood. The exit ramp gets backed up big time, so the better course is to get off for Fairmont Park, go past the Art Museum and turn right at the first intersection past the museum. Follow that up the hill and turn left and cross the river on the Zoo’s street (the street’s name escapes me. Might be Girard but check the map). You avoid a nasty wait that way. Parking is beyond the zoo, past the Amtrak tracks, and you pay for parking but I don’t recall it being obscene. There is an overflow lot a block away. Walk is safe enough.

    Inside, there are not so many amenities trying to take your money, but there are some. What you will find are scads of ill-behaved kids, and even worse parents, all of which need to be sentenced to weight watchers by a judge. Unless they changed the rules, you can bring in your own food and drink which is cool. I suggest bringing a wagon to haul the cooler and later, the kids, but check first to make sure. Plenty of picnic spots away from the main entrance.

    Animal amenities are okay. Sometimes they do cool things like let the parrots sit on you and drink nectar from little cups. Kids love that. Peacocks run wild about the place. There is also a special kids section for the real littles. I know that they renovated the big cats enclosure recently.

    There is also the balloon, a major draw. You pay extra but that may be quite entertaining. Also, they have paddleboats–I never did these so I don’t know about cost.

    How this compares to the BZ, I cannot say as I have never been there. But if the driving is comparable, the Philly zoo is not a bad way to kill a day. Just remember the driving tips I noted above.

  160. Barbara says:

    Gator 123.
    Are your fellow Monclairian parents anti snack food zealots? This may be a deal breaker for me.

  161. gary says:

    Yes… We… Can… LOL!

  162. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    A. West,

    You have mail.

  163. Lone Ranger says:

    “How much longer can the euro levitate”

    Kettle,

    How long can the greatest flim-flam in our nations history continue?

  164. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    Grim,

    Kindly unmod 159 for hughesrep? Thanks.

  165. Winstroll says:

    I love jamesbednar.com , bookmarked for future reference

    [url=http://www.buzzfeed.com/bookie/legal-steroids-prohormones-bodybuilding-supple-39dn]prohormones[/url]

  166. jamil says:

    Great economy for burger flippers. Half of last month’s jobs came from a single employer, McDonald’s (which got waiver from ObamaCare).

    State Media unavailable for comment.

  167. jamil says:

    Great economy, thanks to the Intelligent Man in White House. Half of last month’s jobs came from a single employer, McDonald’s (which got waiver from O$$amaCare).

    Any lessons learned here?

  168. chicagofinance says:

    But Cleveland is going to Boston and then to the west coast?

    hughesrep says:
    Jue 3, 2011 at 3:00 pm
    145 Yankee game is next weekend. Going to watch the team with the best record in the AL.

  169. jamil says:

    Not every country has idiots in charge:

    “China has dropped 97 percent of its holdings in U.S. Treasury bills, decreasing its ownership of the short-term U.S. government securities from a peak of $210.4 billion in May 2009 to $5.69 billion in March 2011”

  170. jamil says:

    147 “you are just a brainwashed fox troll sold a bill a goods because you can’t think for yourself. Now Stu like most good jewish boys may have some misguided liberal leanings, he is still an equal opportunity basher of both sides. ”

    This gets a bit old to repeat lines from MSNBC and Times. Yeah. liberals=intelligent and conservatives are vicious racist morons who repeat whatever Fox News says. We get it. That’s the Liberal Message.

    Maybe libs feel smart after repeating this over and over again (in the diverse environment of Montclair, where there are white middle class middle-aged liberals from every sosialist sub-group possible).

    As for Stu being equal opportunity basher: He has been claiming that he wants spending cuts etc and then, when finally a movement emerges pushing exactly that, then Stu is 100% opposed to said group. Talk is cheap. In the end, liberalism wins for Stu. It is a disease, I guess. Anyway, cure exist.

    I would recommend this to Stu:
    David Mamet: Why I Am No Longer a ‘Brain-Dead Liberal’

    There is always Hope (and it does not always mean permanent double-digit unemployment and default).

  171. GOP 2020 says:

    “he who warned the British that they weren’t gonna be takin’ away our arms, uh, by ringin’ those bells and, um, makin’ sure as he’s ridin’ his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we’re gonna be secure and we were gonna be free. And we we’re gonna be armed.”

    You Betcha!
    http://tinyurl.com/3p5t295

  172. jamil says:

    stu: This quote in NY Times, from the new Editor of NY Times is revealing how liberals like you see the world.

    “In my house growing up, The Times substituted for religion. If The Times said it, it was the absolute truth”

    There is no need to independent thought, competing news sources and commentary from people of different affiliations. If the NY Slimes says so, it is the Truth.

    I’m 100% sure there is exactly zero conservatives who takes everything from Fox News (or any other source) as an absolute truth. And certainly, if somebody like that would become Fox News editor, that would be a disgrace.

  173. Essex says:

    You betcha Jamil.

  174. chicagofinance says:

    I have no issue with anything you have written, except that your below authored sentence is patently false. There are many who only rely on Fox (e.g., related and have clients), and have concluded that no other sources can be trusted. Hence, anything else is reflexively ignored, and extremely opinions from Fox are put forward with tone deafness to social consequences.

    jamil says:
    June 3, 2011 at 5:57 pm
    I’m 100% sure there is exactly zero conservatives who takes everything from Fox News (or any other source) as an absolute truth.

  175. Fabius Maximus says:

    Jamil,

    The only way people can see the world as you do have rose colored spectacles and a very large b0ng!

    So why are these safe NY GOP seats going blue?

  176. chicagofinance says:

    extremely = extreme

  177. vodka (151)-

    Did the banners say, “brother can you spare a dime” in Greek?

  178. Fabregas and Aguero to Real Madrid?

    These guys and Barca are gonna spend themselves to Leeds-land.

  179. Fabius Maximus says:

    #178 Clot

    52mil GBP would soften that blow for me. Although like that 35mil you got for Carroll, I think I better aim my sights low. Maybe we’ll pick up Sol now that you have finished with him.

    I was down your way on Wed. I was going to stop by and paste a poster to your front door http://tinyurl.com/3rod7oc …… :*) It was hot as Hades, i was tired and just wanted to get home before the storm hit.

    Maybe next time

  180. Fabius Maximus says:

    Willwork4beer

    If you have any space to brew a quick Pilsner there might still be time to enter.I wonder if this is a spectator event.

    http://drinksnews.blogspot.com/2011/04/pilsner-urquell-unveils-master-home.html

  181. Fabius Maximus says:

    Interesting that we are two weeks away from Martin Armstr0ngs Pi cycle bottom.

    http://www.contrahour.com/contrahour/2006/06/martin_armstron.html

    Will the big selloff happen in the next few weeks or do we take off over the summer?

  182. Mikeinwaiting says:

    Fabius 181 considering the situation at present I would go with the sell off. Interesting read, thanks.

  183. Libtard says:

    Jamil,

    I can’t stand the Times as much as I can’t stand FOX and their fear-mongering BS. Nor can I read any paper besides the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal. I could get behind the tea-partiers, if they had a clue. To think they were willing to accept the support of SP to further their message supports my view of their lack of intelligence. You, on the other hand, would have campaigned for Michael Moore, if he simply said he believed in smaller government and tax cuts for the wealthy.

  184. gary says:

    50,000 McDonalds jobs to keep the proletarians fat, diabetic and hypertensive. Sounds like Michelle Oblama is in a catch 22! LMAO!!

  185. Libtard says:

    Jamil,

    Just headed over to Foxnews dot com. 24 point type: ‘Positive’ Signs or State of ‘War’ is the main headline.

    CNBC: Donor’s ‘smoking gun’ may undercut Edwards’ case

    NYT: Hiring in U.S. Slowed in May With 54,000 Jobs Added

    WSJ: U.S. Probing Tech Giants’ Patent Deals

    FT: Southern Cross chiefs netted £35m

    Glenn Beck dot com: Sad: Judge bans Prayer

    Drudge Report: China Divests 97% of Holdings in US Treasury Bills (top article), MAY JOBS: +54,000…
    MCDONALD’S hired half… (2nd article)

    We now know where you get your news from.

  186. Libtard says:

    Jamil,

    Just headed over to Foxnews dot com. 24 point type: ‘Positive’ Signs or State of ‘War’ is the main headline.

    CNBC: Donor’s ‘smoking gun’ may undercut Edwards’ case

    NYT: Hiring in U.S. Slowed in May With 54,000 Jobs Added

    WSJ: U.S. Probing Tech Giants’ Patent Deals

    FT: Southern Cross chiefs netted £35m

    Glenn Beck dot com: Sad: Judge bans Prayer

    Drudge Report: China Divests 97% of Holdings in US Treasury Bills (top article), MAY JOBS: +54,000…
    MCD0NALD’S hired half… (2nd article)

    We now know where you get your news from.

  187. Essex says:

    What I like about life is that it cannot be summarized in one sentence. So the more sources of information you have the better to live. Jules Verne read something like ten dozen different papers every day of his life. He could see the future. So to speak.

  188. gluteus (179)-

    Bring around some Scouser bitch pictures to my house, and I’ll boot you all the way back to your pissant Merseyside dungeon.

    That being said, Souness was a great player…and your team would be well-served to take Sol back in a heartbeat.

    My Magpies finished midtable, got a nice piece of cash for Carroll and are ready to move up the table next year.

  189. gluteus (181)-

    Ignore Martin Armstrong at your own peril. He’s pretty much nailed the crashes to the day.

    Of course, this time around, the inevitable crash that’s coming will have been 100% preordained and manipulated.

  190. lib (183)-

    This dolt will be raptured. Accidentally.

  191. Screw it all. Why even bother to keep living in times like this?

  192. Drove to the ghost town aka Montklair today. Place looks like a mini-Paterson, and some bitch with a stick crammed up her arse wants to bust my chops about wine.

    Wine? You have to be kidding me. Call me when you have to steal a couple of eggs to keep your kids alive, bitch.

  193. If I had any real friends, they’d kill me.

  194. Barbara says:

    Sumbuddy needs a trip to ColdStones!

  195. Lone Ranger says:

    Fab [181],

    In 1999 do you think Armstrong knew that the fed would be buying 1.25T of dog meat under the guise of supporting the housing market and putting Amerika back to work? He probably has it nailed, just the timing has been altered.

  196. Al Mossberg says:

    193.

    Martin Armstrong was in prison for a reason. I like to listen to those who have been jailed for speaking the truth. If gold hits his trough in June then 12000 is on the way.

  197. Al Mossberg says:

    Lone,

    Its a dangerous business. Some of the brightest minds have been imprisoned for BS charges and beaten to near death because of it. I have no problem placing a few grand on the horse they ride.

  198. sas3 says:

    Wow… thanks to really painful deadlines, I missed all the wisdom of “SP is like Lincoln/Reagan” and “O said fifty…… seven when he meant to say 47, so he’s an idiot” —

    Though I am sure SP would have once said a number correctly without writing it on the back of her hand, so she must be a genius.

  199. chicagofinance says:

    What should I think of a guy who breeds harness racing horses?

  200. A.West says:

    CNBC special report on China was worth watching. Next rerun Sunday 8pm.

  201. me@work says:

    A. West can you send email address via grim?

    Thanks!

    sl

  202. me@work says:

    chifi, ditto. Email via grim?

    Thanks!

    sl

  203. me@work says:

    Fab/Max email via grim (i lost your address)

    Thanks,
    sl

  204. me@work says:

    MIWaiting, can you email via grim (or gary?)

    Thanks,

    sl

  205. Stench of death…writhing maggots…just another day.

  206. NJGator says:

    Barb 163 – don’t worry, you can bring cupcakes to school for birthdays. They may have to be peanut free, but you can bring them. Check out the Patch and Baristanet. There are some interesting threads about improving school lunches and ice cream trucks.

    My snark about the ice cream relates to the last town council meeting. A Bullock parent stood up to complain about this ice cream truck that parks across the street from where the kindergarten kids are let out at dismissal. The truck isn’t parking legally and the parent felt it was a safety issue because the little ones might run across a busy street trying to get some ice cream. He felt it was a big safety issue and was asking the Mayor and Council to do something.

    Now this school is in a rough hood and people are being arrested just about every week for selling any number of illegal substances just outside of it. I have yet to see a Bullock parent speak up in public session begging the town to clean up that.

  207. Shore Guy says:

    Since NJ is getting so developed, many of the small farms that gave us the moniker the Garden State are gone and over regulation and fleeing corporations are killing the economy thus putting to the lie our motto of Liberty and Prosperity I suggest the folliwing changes:

    The Survival Garden State (sort of like ND, the Peace Garden State)

    The State of Insolvency (sort of like NM, the land of enchantment).

    Land of Graft works too

  208. Shore Guy says:

    204 Clot,

    All of those could be band names.

  209. NJGator says:

    If this passes, maybe we can get something on the ballot to change SF to Sm*gmaland.

    Literature for SF’s anti-circ*mcision measure stars “monster” rabbis and blonde superheroes

    San Francisco’s anti-circ*mcision measure will be decided by voters in November, but the literature for the movement aims to sway them with some disturbing images — including dark, evil-looking rabbis and a blonde superhero saving babies from their clutches.

    The measure, supported by self-described “intactivists,” would make circ*mcision performed on anyone under 18 a misdemeanor, even if it is done for religious purposes.

    It would be punishable by a $1000 fine, or up to a year in jail.

    But that’s not the half of it: check out the eye-opening “F*reskin Man,” the comic book for this anti-circ*mcision movement that uses images critics are calling blatantly anti-Semitic.

    It was reported this week by Chronicle comrade and op-ed columnist Debra J. Saunders.
    Saunders interviewed Matthew Hess, author of the upcoming anti-circ*mcision referendum this week.

    His website, mgmbill.org — which pushes “a bill to end male g*nital mutilation in the United States” –also pushes his literature and merchandise starring “F*reskin Man,” shown here at right.

    The star cover image of his comic book shows a dark, bearded rabbi looming over a n*ked baby laying on a pool table, as a superheo appears ready to save the child.

    Saunders asked Hess if his comic is anti-Semitic. His answer: “A lot of people have said that, but we’re not trying to be anti-Semitic. We’re trying to be pro-human rights.”

    He told her the “next issue will deal with a different kind of circ*mcision.”

    Meantime, Hess is pushing his political effort with other dark, threatening images of Jewish characters.

    His “F*reskin Man” card set being sold through Cafe Press feautures the terrifying-looking “Monster Mohel.”

    The astounding description of a person qualified to perform the Jewish rite of circ*mcision:

    “Nothing excites Monster Mohel more than cutting into the infantile p*nile flesh of an eight day old boy.”

    Of course, there is a real political debate going on here: supporters of a ban on circ*mcision say that it’s an unnecessary and outdated practice. Opponents of a ban note that centuries of religious practice support it, and vow to mount legal challenges.

    However the voters of San Francisco decide, the incendiary literature at use to support this measure is sure to add fuel to the fire.

    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=90251

  210. Lone Ranger says:

    Al [195],

    It’s one thing to call the 10/87 crash and the mini crash in 10/97. MA wrote to Rubin in 7/97, warning about the Asian flu. Rubin had his lap dog, Timmy, respond with a FU letter. (Kettle, you still have the link for this).

    Now, when you predict the fall of Soviet Communism, 20 years in advance, to the exact day, and the CIA knocks on your door, to recruit you, maybe you should at least entertain their offer?

  211. A.West says:

    Sl, sure, grim can send you my email.

  212. Kettle1^2 says:

    Ranger

    if you can make calls like that you best keep a very low profile otherwise you are painting a big fat target on your back. The big dogs don’t like competition and play hardballl

  213. Kettle1^2 says:

    Al 195

    Au @ 5000+ is a fair bet at this point 3000 is bare minimum.

  214. hughesrep says:

    159 Nom-

    That is roughly the way I went last year. Feel about the same about the Philly Zoo, was thinking about Bronx as an alternate. For a couple of hours I’ll just stick with Philly. When they are older and can handle a full day we’ll go to the Bronx.

    Chifi-

    168- The Tribe is in New York next weekend. Although the way they are playing lately they may not have the best record in the AL when they get there. I may take the Seastreak up on Saturday.

    197- Harness racing is the most crooked “sport” I know of. It’s outcomes are mostly decided in the barn between the owners, trainers and drivers before the race. I knew some people who ran a track in the midwest when I was in college. I used to pay my rent with the winnings.

  215. Yikes says:

    Been out of the loop the last few months after our little baby arrived, but have been thinking recently about MAYBE buying a townhouse as an investment property (not in NJ – in PA). [been commenting on this site since about 2006/2007]

    the target would be this winter, when I figure prices will be very depressed after nothing sells this summer.

    I’d only be targeting a townhouse under $175k (tough to find in the area of PA I’m looking in, but we’ll see), and the thought is if I only put a little down (not even sure if this is possible since it’s a 2nd home), I could turn a decent monthly profit since rents in the area are going up.

    anyone else thinking about buying real estate as an investment yet?

  216. Lone Ranger says:

    Kettle [211],

    Tks. Classic stuff

    Yikes [215],

    Congrats and welcome back.

  217. scribe says:

    Yikes,

    Congrats on the little one!

  218. Fabius Maximus says:

    Still,

    grim and a few others have my main emails I also have “fabiusmaximusnj” at gmail

  219. Dissident HEHEHE says:

    Shoe is on the other foot now m’f’er:

    Florida: Deputies and Movers Show Up at Bank to Seize Property for Homeowner

    http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2011-06-03/Tables-Turn-Deputies-and-movers-show-up-at-bank-to-seize-property-for-homeowner-

  220. Pat says:

    Yeah, Yikes, where you lookin? I got dibs on no bad school districts; decent crime rate and near major highways.

    I have two zips with zero school factor/high commutability I watch. Both are Philly/NY tweens w/ 3/2’s under 200k.

  221. Qwerty says:

    http://www.digtriad.com/news/watercooler/article/178031/176/Florida-Homeowner-Forecloses-On-Bank-Of-America

    Instead of Bank of America foreclosing on some Florida homeowner, the homeowners had sheriff’s deputies foreclose on the bank.

    It started five months ago when Bank of America filed foreclosure papers on the home of a couple, who didn’t owe a dime on their home.

    The couple said they paid cash for the house.

    The case went to court and the homeowners were able to prove they didn’t owe Bank of America anything on the house. In fact, it was proven that the couple never even had a mortgage bill to pay.

    A Collier County Judge agreed and after the hearing, Bank of America was ordered, by the court to pay the legal fees of the homeowners’, Maurenn Nyergers and her husband.

    The Judge said the bank wrongfully tried to foreclose on the Nyergers’ house.

    So, how did it end with bank being foreclosed on? After more than 5 months of the judge’s ruling, the bank still hadn’t paid the legal fees, and the homeowner’s attorney did exactly what the bank tried to do to the homeowners. He seized the bank’s assets.

    “They’ve ignored our calls, ignored our letters, legally this is the next step to get my clients compensated, ” attorney Todd Allen told CBS.

    Sheriff’s deputies, movers, and the Nyergers’ attorney went to the bank and foreclosed on it. The attorney gave instructions to to remove desks, computers, copiers, filing cabinets and any cash in the teller’s drawers.

    After about an hour of being locked out of the bank, the bank manager handed the attorney a check for the legal fees.

    “As a foreclosure defense attorney this is sweet justice” says Allen.

  222. They should’ve set fire to that bank after they got all the stuff out of it.

  223. Hmmm…

    “Is it ethical for the American homeowner whose mortgage has been securitized to default, even If they are not financially distressed?

    First, consider it is unlikely that marketable, fee simple, insurable title can be obtained as a result of fulfilling the obligations of the related promissory note. On the contrary the titles to some 60 million homes in America are badly clouded. Secondly, encouraging investment in an asset class that has been artificially inflated, then deliberately destroying the price of the asset, as part of a separate profit making scheme is unethical, and any agreement based on this type of fraud is grounds to consider the original debt instrument used in the agreement null and void. Fortunately these grounds are unnecessary, as increasingly US courts are ruling that these mortgages are already invalid for numerous other reasons.”

    http://www.zerohedge.com/article/guest-post-ethics-mortgage-loan-default

  224. More from #224:

    “In every transaction there is a buyer and a seller – no matter what monetary instruments are used in the consummation of the transaction (debt, equity, currency, etc.) Your home is no different. It may help to not think of it as shelter for a moment or as “the American dream” (needless to say the dream needs to be elevated). Try for a moment instead to think of it first as just 2 x 4’s and drywall. If this is hard to do, consider thinking of your American dream as being fortunate enough to live in a still largely free country of plenty, to have had a mostly good life, reflect on your positive memories – and let your house just be an object (last time we checked there were no shortages for future reacquisition) – that is what it is after all, it’s just an object.

    Once you arrive at this moment of honest detachment, then you might want to consider how those who are interested in your home, see the world. Humans are animals in a way, and they are also far more. Through our choices we move closer to the animal kingdom of primal instincts or closer to another kingdom that is very different than that of mere animals. Let’s just say that your bank, your servicer, the trusts, the depositors, the trust administrators, the investors, the engineers of derivative products, the CDO salesmen, the ratings agencies, the intermediaries entities, and certainly their lawyers, have made choices (not that it can’t be undone) to be a little closer to the animal kingdom – keeps this in mind when speaking to them – it’s important. To this group your house has nothing to do with dreams– it has to do with one thing only; little sheets of green paper. Now think of money for a moment as a redemption slip on society, and if you have many of these “redemption slips”, you in affect have much you can ask of society if you so choose.”

  225. LWG says:

    Hey…I am here reading all the time so today I am off topic…it’s MY turn…anyway, we need to spend a night in Asbury pk this next weekend. Since we don’t DO the Jersey Shore (except on TV …thanks MTV) anyone have any ideas where we could stay for a night? Moderate, unknown, under appreciated little gem? Location? IDK…my son is running in the state track finals which take place over 2 days down there and it is too far to drive each day and back.. having 4 sisters taught my son to run fast and long…otherwise they WILL find you..aahh…how’s that for motivation all you Tiger Moms. Thanks

  226. Lone Ranger says:

    “Try for a moment instead to think of it first as just 2 x 4’s and drywall.”

    Hobo [225],

    4 walls and a roof.

  227. kettle1^2 says:

    Hobo 224

    “Is it ethical for the American homeowner whose mortgage has been securitized to default, even If they are not financially distressed?

    Absolutely! Your a dope not to play by the banks & corporations own rules at this point. It’s just business after all and your utilizing existing law.

  228. Shore Guy says:

    LWG,

    Check out one of the small hotels in Ocean Grove. It is nicer and quieter than Asbury, and close enough to walk up there.

  229. Shore Guy says:

    If Forest Hill is the gem of Newark, what is the Germ of Newark and is it contagious?

  230. LWG says:

    Thanks Kettle, it’s a start

  231. Fabius Maximus says:

    Heres one for the Randheads!
    http://swampland.time.com/2011/06/03/paul-ryans-ayn-rand-problem/

    This could actually be a silver lining for the GOP if they played it right. They can hold on to the christian right while pushing Ryan and his budget way off to the side. But I suspect this will turn into a wedge issue and fracture the GOP even further.

  232. sas3 says:

    Tax rates perspective… But may be that guy was born in Kenya, so it’s all OK.

    When Joe Louis became successful, the top income tax level was 79%, and then during WWII, it rose as high as 90%. Louis donated money from two fight purses to the Navy Relief Fund and the Army Relief Fund, but those contributions were unable to be deducted, further complicating his tax problems.

    After his initial retirement, Louis’ debt forced him to attempt a comeback in 1950, but with a 90% tax rate, the comeback would not solve his financial woes. By the end of the ’50s, Louis owed over $1 million in back taxes. In attempts to make money, Louis turned to professional wrestling and appearances on quiz shows. Finally, Louis even took a job greeting tourists at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to try to pay down his debts.

  233. A.West says:

    Big Fabian,
    It’s about time the religious conservatives started pondering the inconsistancy of their ideas. Ayn Rand identified that Christian altruism was incompatible with reason and individual rights, which are the foundation for capitalism. She repeatedly criticized the conservatives as even more dangerous than the left (see e.g. “Conservatism, an Obituary”). They claim to be pro-free markets, but defend it with faith and tradition. This is one reason why Republican presidents boost spending so much. Ryan will probably eventually say that he only read some of Ayn Rand’s work, and is appalled to find out how anti-religious she was, and will cozy back up to the Republican religious right power base. Any politician who understood and advocated Ayn Rand’s ideas consistently would be political dead meat in the Republican party. Pro-reason, pro-choice, pro-open borders, pro-individual rights, pro-capitalism, anti-welfare state. Only a small number of Republicans agree with Rand on even a majority of those positions. The vast majority of Republicans are totally compfortable working the levers of a welfare state, and I haven’t come across one against the welfare state that wasn’t also a mystical pro-lifer.
    Republicans prefer their fairy tales to a hard look at reality. Leftists prefer their fairy tales too, but they come from different combination and interpretation of books.

  234. sas3 says:

    #233… and there was this horrible practice of actually raising taxes to pay for wars!

  235. A.West says:

    Sas3,
    Sad story. This is related to what?
    Are you conceding that a 79% tax rate is too high?
    Were you excited to see Kristoff’s essay in the NYTimes today, claiming that Pakistan and Columbia are low tax, laissez-faire havens to which your “tea-baggers” aspire? I guess he doesn’t comprehend how individual rights, rule of objective law, and limits on arbitrary government power are more relevant concepts for differentiating countries.

  236. chicagofinance says:

    LWG…..if you need to go conventional…the best cluster of mainstream hotels is around where the GSP/NJ Route 18 cross fka Eatontown…also look to a less extent at Western Neptune/Wall or where 33/66 cross the GSP…the Ocean Grove B&B’s can get a little pricey and/or restrictive in the summer, because they have such a short season and need to grab as much cash as possible…..

    Also Oyster Point and Molly Pitcher in Red Bank would be a unique (i.e expesnive) thing to do, topped off with going to the restaurant Nicholas….

  237. sas3 says:

    A. West, never thought I’d say this, very thoughtful post…

  238. sas3 says:

    West, it is one piece of evidence to disprove the theory that during high tax rate times, there were numerous loopholes, and so the current low tax rates aren’t really low…

    That, and to highlight that people in past generations have paid high taxes that resulted in some goodies the boomers and their kids had. It is not ideology but math that if Gen(N) paid a lot of taxes that helped Gen(N+1), and then Gen(N+1) turns and lobbies for low taxes, and spending more on wars, etc., that will hurt Gen(N+2), there is something wrong with the priorities of Gen(N+1).

  239. Shore Guy says:

    “Ocean Grove B&B’s ”

    TRhere are those too, but, I was thinking some of the small hotels. A google search will turn up the names. If you concentrate oceanside, you will aviod the prospect of getting booked into what is really more of a “guest house,” which you do not want.

  240. Shore Guy says:

    There are too affordable houses out there:

    http://www.pbase.com/dhlow/image/106079248

  241. Shore Guy says:

    Hey BC,

    Here in Youngstown, in Youngstown:

    http://www.coalcampusa.com/rustbelt/oh/oh2.htm

  242. kettle1^2 says:

    Green shoots!

    The folks at Capital Economics write in with this gloomy tidbit: “The further fall in house prices in the first quarter means that, on the Case-Shiller index, prices have now fallen by more than they did during the Great Depression.”

    By their calculations, prices are now down 33% from their 2006 peak, compared with the 31% decline during the Depression.

    http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2011/05/31/housing-shocker-home-prices-still-falling/

  243. Shore Guy says:

    Yea but,before the GD they did not have the same proportional increase, right? So we still have room to drop.

  244. NJCoast says:

    LGW-

    Want to experience Asbury Park? Stay at The Shining…I mean The Berkeley Carteret. Bring your Ouija board.

  245. Kettle1^2 says:

    Pain, shore

    who lost the bioweapon??????

    http://www.larouchepac.com/node/18356

    China Tracks Down Europe’s Killer E. Coli BacteriaJune 5, 2011 • 9:17AM

    Various reports over the recent period have stressed how China is seriously entering the commercial biological world market. The success of Beijing Genomics Institute (whose main lab is actually in Shenzhen City near Hong Kong) in sequencing the DNA sequence of the E. coli bacteria that is responsible for the outbreak of enterohemorraghic E. coli. (ENEC), which has caused serious disease and deaths in Europe, confirm this.

    Late June 2, the institute announced that the E. coli spreading through Europe was “a new strain of bacteria that is highly infectious and toxic.” The researchers managed to fully sequence its genome in three days – becoming the first in the world to do so and lodge its full sequence on the Internet.

    They also identified genes in the bacteria that gave it resistance to at least three major classes of antibiotics, which helped explain why doctors in Europe have had such a hard time fighting the bug. “We have done further analysis and see even more antibiotic-resistant and toxic genes. Our work is still ongoing,” said team member Qin Junjie.

    The institute later found genes in the bacteria that gave it resistance to eight classes of antibiotics. The newly identified 0104 strain of E. coli bacteria is resistant to major classes of antibiotics including sulfonamide, cephalothin, penicillin, and streptomycin. The researchers are developing a diagnostic kit to detect the bacteria and prevent the epidemic from spreading further.

    BGI has more than 180 sequencing machines, giving it the biggest DNA sequencing capacity in the world, and a total workforce of over 4,000.

  246. Kettle1^2 says:

    The Russians are known to have weaponized e.coli in a similiar manner in the late 80’s and 90’s

  247. Kettle1^2 says:

    Pain

    you better start working on that macroPhage treatment

  248. Kettle1^2 says:

    I thought there wasn’t a municipal debt bomb ticking?

    JP Morgan’s “Jamie Dimon” says 100’s Municipalities in U.S. Won’t ‘Make It’ Out of Debt Crisis “Bloomberg” http://bloom.bg/gDo4Wb

  249. Shore Guy says:

    Hey, NJC,

    All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

  250. Shore Guy says:

    Debt, schmet. The municipalities have taxpayers. If they don’t payup, the overspenders just take away the asset. George III would be proud.

  251. Fabius Maximus says:

    #234 Awest

    We should sit down at some point to discuss Rand. Its an interesting concept that is is totally unworkable in the real world. It will be interesting to watch as, while Paul Ryan may have a chance of escape, Rand Paul can’t throw her under the bus. The conservative right and for most people of faith, will take G0d over anything as its hard to hedge eternal damnation.

    Reagan is a great example of your point on GOP presidents. The reality of his presidency was tax cuts for the rich, followed by a massive tax increase on the middle class. The economy was juiced with massive defence spending and all funded on the deficit dime.

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