From the NY Times:
Obama Announces New Jobs Programs
President Obama on Tuesday will announce three proposals intended to turn around the nation’s beleaguered job market, including strengthening investments to small businesses that have struggled to expand because of the credit crunch in America.
…
The speech, according to a senior administration official, will outline a series of steps to help small businesses grow and hire new staff. The president also will call for increasing the investment in infrastructure through building and modernizing highways, railways, bridges and tunnels. He also will propose a new program that provides rebates for consumers who retrofit their homes to become more energy efficient.“We don’t think there is one silver bullet, one plan, one speech or a singular piece of legislation that alone will solve double digit unemployment,” Mr. Obama is expected to say in his remarks, according to a senior administration official.
It is Mr. Obama’s latest effort to draw attention to the economy. In his speech, the president will outline how he intends to jumpstart the job market by spending the excess in government bailout money.
The president also will call for using some of the $200 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program to help pay down the $1.4 trillion budget deficit. One week after taking his economic message on the road, Mr. Obama is in Washington on Tuesday, offering an outline for his plan for Congress to help boost the job market next year.
“The president is absolutely committed to getting every American who is unemployed and wants a job back to work,” Christina Roemer, the chairwoman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said in an interview Tuesday on MSNBC.
Uno!
McDonald’s same store sales down! ruh roh!
From the WSJ:
House Flipping Makes a Comeback
Four years after the collapse of the U.S. housing bubble, flipping homes is back in fashion.
Jon Mirmelli, a Phoenix real-estate investor, learned late in the morning of Sept. 28 that a never-occupied custom house on the northern fringes of this Phoenix suburb was going up for auction around noon the same day. The six-bedroom home, built on a three-acre desert plot, has a kitchen with two dishwashers, four ovens, “antibacterial” copper sinks, and a master “spa” bathroom with space for a flat-screen TV visible from the tub.
The minimum bid, as set by a unit of Citigroup Inc., which had a $1.3 million mortgage on the home, was $379,900. After several minutes of bidding among investors and their representatives, some wearing shorts and flip-flops, Mr. Mirmelli won the home for $486,300. A week later, he agreed to sell it for $690,000 to a woman who moved in this month.
From the Record:
Ridgewood resident reports $17K in items stolen from her vehicle
A West End Avenue resident reported that items valuing $17,000 were stolen from her vehicle this past weekend.
On Dec. 5, the resident told police that holiday gifts, a laptop, eyeglasses (estimated at $1,800), a $10,000 Rolex watch, a $3,000 wedding ring and prescription drugs were removed from the vehicle, according to Detective Christopher McDowell.
The victim is unsure if the vehicle was locked or not, police said. The resident told police that she believes the theft occurred sometime between the evening of Dec. 4 and the morning of Dec. 5.
From the Star Ledger:
Corzine seeks $200M of federal stimulus money for N.J. schools
In a reversal, the Corzine administration said it would apply next month for federal stimulus money that could get more than $200 million for the state’s public schools, a report in NorthJersey.com said.
Some educators did not approve of the state opting out of competing for “Race to the Top” funds, a government program tied to major education reform, according to the report. The N.J. Department of Education had said it would not participate in the first round and instead let the Christie administration set its own agenda, the report said.
From the Press of Atlantic City:
State freezes promised funds to arts groups
The state’s budget troubles are hitting orchestras, theaters, museums and other arts organizations across New Jersey – again.
The leaders of several local arts groups said Monday they had just learned that grants they were promised earlier this year by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts are now on hold. And even though a state spokesman emphasized that this is only meant to delay promised funding, some arts officials are worried they could lose the money entirely.
“We got the award in July. … In four months, we still haven’t received the payment and we probably won’t,” said Michael Cagno, the executive director of the Noyes Museum of Art in Galloway Township. “There’s no timeline on when … this money will be released, if at all.”
Cagno said the Noyes has been waiting for payment on a $45,000 state grant to support general operations – almost 13 percent of a $350,000 overall budget.
Rutgers University to handle Dunellen police, fire calls starting next year
By Tom Haydon/The Star-Ledger
December 08, 2009, 6:00AM
DUNELLEN — Call for police in this tiny Middlesex County borough today and you’ll get someone at police headquarters. Make that same call next month, and it will be answered six miles away, at the Rutgers University police dispatch center in New Brunswick.
At a time when cities and towns across New Jersey are struggling to pay their bills and facing a temporary cutoff in state aid, Dunellen has entered into a novel cost-savings arrangement with the university, which will dispatch all police, fire and rescue squad calls for the borough on Jan. 1.
…
The deal will save the borough $100,000 a year, Dunellen officials said.
…
Rutgers is in a position to take on the additional work. A study of the 3-year-old police headquarters in New Brunswick determined the dispatch center was being used at just 29 percent of capacity.
…
Dunellen invested $32,000 for equipment, including upgraded radios, and will pay Rutgers $80,000 annually.
1 – there’s a flip going near us. its only a 1 bed house and well within the 8k bribe market so maybe there’s a chance to make some money. and the stakes aren’t so high if things don’t work out.
From HousingWire:
Mortgage Delinquencies to Decrease in 2010: TransUnion
Based on credit performance of 27m consumers, national credit bureau TransUnion projects mortgage delinquencies of 60 or more days to drop nearly 3% by year-end 2010 to 6.39%, from an expected 6.56% at year-end 2009.
Recent years marked a series of “unprecedented” year-on-year increases, TransUnion said, with delinquencies rising in the the 11th straight quarter during Q309.
…
The expected decline in delinquencies, though relatively slow across the US, will reach double digits in 22 states, with delinquency expected to decline 17.9% in North Dakota, 15% in Minnesota and 14.4% in Oklahoma. A few states are expected to see increases in delinquencies, including Florida (17.3%), Arizona (6.3%), California (0.93%), New York (0.43%) and Virginia (0.37%).
House Flipping Makes a Comeback
40% profit in a week?? where’s the recession??
grim, #1 in mod? wha -huh?
I’m not totally against govt stimulus, cause IT IS creating and maintaining jobs. a good example is Forestry Service. (fire prevention, pine beetle problems, and watershed maintenance, and erosion prevention.
so, it has merits if its spent in the real economy and not on dumb bank bailouts.
but, the question is.. good or bad, what happens when the govt check runs out? govt checks are the lifeblood of municipalities and your job (no matter where you work really).
and you think you are diversified? ha ha!!!
like i told you before, there ain’t no such thing.
and forget what knucklehead Cheny says, deficits do matter. you can only drop bombs and do false flag terrorism for so long.
sooner or later, the jig is up and its time to pay the piper.
SAS
From MarketWatch:
Treasury disappointed in loan altering results
A key administration official on Tuesday expressed disappointment at the results of a program to help troubled homeowners modify their mortgages to more affordable terms, and said the government needs to work harder to get hundreds of thousands of homeowners back on stable ground.
Lenders have converted “thousands” of homeowners participating in an Obama administration mortgage assistance program from trial three-month plans into more permanent modifications, Treasury Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability Herbert Allison told members of the House Financial Services Committee.
However, Allison acknowledged that the number of homeowners who have had their troubled mortgages converted into permanently modified home loans that they can afford has not been enough.
…
So far, over 680,000 borrowers have entered into trial modifications and mortgage servicers report that 375,000 trial modifications will have finished a three-month trial period with timely payments before Dec. 31, Allison said.
The only thing we need to stimulate
is stimulus itself.
funny how Omama got rid of that GM CEO a while back. Kicked him to the curb.
but, what not kick some of these banks CEOs to the curb?
oh yeah, forgot, omama is a puppet to wall st.
and you think were in Afgan to fight freedom? yeah right, and we never had zippos partys in nam.
keywords: money laudnering, fractional banking, Caspian Sea, pipelines, and nobid military contracts.
above wouldn’t of happen until we got rid of Glass–Steagall Act. Opened alot of doors to profit from laundering.
SAS
PS. investments in Agriculture and Goat farming would be better than having troops protect opium fields.
I never bought the pipeline theory. Who really thinks a pipeline in Afghanistan won’t get blown up every other week unlike in Nigeria two years ago where they invented explosions in the press in order to keep the price of oil high.
also, since I’m on my soapbox.
one should look into how the definition is a “solider” has been changing.
so when anyone says “solider” or “troop”..singular, you might as well add 2 “private security force” for everyone 1 real US solider.
so, when your beloved omama says 30k, its really minimum 60k with half the budget off the books (as to hide from you…the sap taxpayer).
I’m throwing out rough numbers, but you get the idea.
ok, lets talk some real estate.
SAS
“Who really thinks a pipeline in Afghanistan won’t get blown up every other week”
easy, it becomes priority #1. Safety and fair elections come last.
try walking up to a pipeline…sniper will pick a peanut off your head. They even have anti-snipers.
SAS
Next up for Nation Failure Friday – Greece.
hey, cool.
I just got an email from Meeke Zabeeke from zimbabwe.
he says, if I give him my bank account info he will put 12 million dollars in there, which then I in turn can keep half.
wow! what a swell guy that Meeke Zabeeke.
SAS
I wonder if the SEC is considering such action to combat insider trading:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091208/ts_nm/us_china_execution;_ylt=Aja7mEBYiZwO1vyuinihbr5H2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTM3YmIyazViBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMDkxMjA4L3VzX2NoaW5hX2V4ZWN1dGlvbgRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzYEcG9zAzYEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNjaGluYWV4ZWN1dGU-
Grim,
Is that you on the right?
http://images.smh.com.au/2009/12/08/955096/waimea_bay-420×0.jpg
#21 – I heard there are 50ft breakers on the North Shore today….. tasty.
Seriously, 50ft waves.
Waimea was crazy yesterday. Thousands came out to watch the invitees practice for the Eddie. Not quite the 40 footers that were expected, but impressive nonetheless.
Should be hearing any minute now if the Eddie is running today.
Check out the “Eddie almost goes” gallery:
http://live.quiksilver.com/2009/bigwave/photos.php?btn_photos=_over
Another Weird comp killer from Union County
390 Summit Rd Mountainside
Date Sale Price
05/30/2006 $783,000
04/21/2008 $732,000
04/21/2008 $700,000
12/03/2009 $605,000
Not weird because the price came down, I can embrace that, but weird because on the same day (4/21/2008) Primacy Closing Corporation, a Memphis addressed Company organized under the laws of Nevada, was granted the property for $732k and sold it for $700k. Is this what a short sale looks like? Each transaction had over $6000 in real estate transaction fees.
Clot, Grim? Realtor expertise requested – Thanks.
I’ve got an idea for the Christmas season.
It is in the spirit of those HORRIBLE NAR commercials where every home buyer is a dope — literally sitting on a fence — because “they” told him to, until the Sainted Realtor(tm) comes along to tell them it all right to overpay for a house again.
Those dopes now fear being evicted from houses they thought they owned, and in any case they don’t have any money to buy Christmas/Hannukah/etc. presents.
How to make them feel better: new NAR ad campaign — Santa doesn’t leave presents in rented houses. You traumatize the children of renters, some of whom will run out to buy houses (wait for it..) for the children. Nice commissions in what is usually the slow season.
Some may think it is a problem that the some children of renters WILL get presents, while children of buyers WONT’T because the money’s all been spent on sales commissions, etc., but its no less divorced from reality than the commercials already running, and getting the commission is what really matters, right?
“shows the Obama/Summers Team is still carrying the Burn Rome torch.”
confused in NJ, im just curious. what do you mean by this?
Seneca says:
December 8, 2009 at 11:18 am
grim, #1 in mod? wha -huh?
the part after the Mc in McD’s
Why Facebook is fcuked up……(in a one sentence diatribe)….
Do I need to know that a conservative Jewish guy who was co-worker 15 years ago and had 5 kids by the time he was 27 and then suddenly came out of the closet some time in the last 5 years was in a bar in Chelsea last night and is posting like a 14 year-old girl because he is next to Adam Lambert and thinks he soooo hot and want his autograph?
“Check out the “Eddie almost goes” gallery”
Grim, they were great pics.
My first time surfing north shore was senior year after high school.
I almost died at sunset beach.
Wave report said 3-6 ft so i got all excited and paddled out without thinking twice. Thats when i realized that in hawaii they measure the back of the wave, not front. On Jersey shore, we would call 3-6 ft hawaii waves 10-15 foot.
And I was wondering why everyone was surfing with 8 ft guns and helmets on.
Dropping in on one of those waves is like jumping off of a 7 story building that is projecting forward at 50 mph.
And then once i ate it at pipeline i quickly realized that i would be much safer surfing the 2-3 footers in kona.
[3]:
Why just pawn it when you can pawn it AND report it stolen to cash the insurance check as well. The laptop – maybe (though the temperature change would be tough on the hardware, I can see the average person being ignorant of such). But who leaves a $10k Rolex and their wedding ring(?) in the car overnight and doesn’t even bother to be sure that it was locked?
Spouse and I had a long conversation when the habit of leaving the car doors unlocked led to our $100 GPS growing legs. $17,000 worth of stupid (if legitimate) would lead to considerable marital strife.
chicagofinance
I think you should keep following your newly outed acquaintance, write it up as a treatment and send it to FOX, they will definitely produce it. “Oy Vey, I’m Gay!” Along the lines of “I didn’t know I was Pregnant!”
McGreevey could be episode 2.
9.frank says:
December 8, 2009 at 11:06 am
House Flipping Makes a Comeback
40% profit in a week?? where’s the recession??
Internet meme to Frank: Read the Whoel thing. Even the flipped price was over $600k less than the note.
The real story is that even allowing for renovations, the bank underpriced their asset by 35% to market and noone got fired over it.
#29 – Odd that you mention Facebook.
I’ve avoided all the social networking sites basically because there are lot’s of people I just don’t want to talk to anymore. Nothing personal (well, maybe) but I just don’t have anything to say to some people anymore and would rather not keep up the charade that I do. Why don’t we just let the relationship be what it was and move on?
So finally I break down, largely at the prompting of my cousin, and get a Facebook account. Within 45 minutes of setting up the account I’m being messaged by an ex-girlfriend (i”OMG! How are youoooo!!!!”)that I was pleasantly not in contact with. This does not bode well.
So, yes, Facebook is f-ed.
[35] tosh
My experience exactly. I finally signed up after being bugged incessantly by a friend to do so. Within a month, there is a friend request (through mutual friend) and I accept it. Looking at the name and picture, thinking “how do I know her?”
Finally dawns on me. Ex from high school.
Now I did friend some very close friends from H.S. and left it at that. But now everyone is coming out of the woodwork.
I didn’t like (or even know) a lot of them then. Why do they think I want to friend them now?
29, 35, 36: They really don’t want to be friends either. They’re bored and haven’t found this site yet.
You guys need to disable the “add me as a friend” link to anyone who isnt already a friend.
Facebook is fine, i suggest you spend some time poking through the privacy options. There’s a lot you can do, if you can learn to use it.
Facebook.
you cannot blatantly ignore someone in real life unless you are a complete jerk or you really want the person to know you dont like them.
On Facebook when someone sends a friend request, just dont respond to it. Thats what i like about the site. you have that option.
If you see them at the grocery store and they ask you about it, tell them that you never check your fb account. Problem solved. Nobody’s feelings get hurt.
I find that these new social networking sites are creating a new form of invasion of privacy and needs to be managed. You are not obligated to allow hs acquaintences into your close circle of friends, especially if you have personal or family pictures up and they are not close friends, or family members.
People get wayyy too personal on those sites and use them to vent their inner most emotions to the world wide web. Scary.
So, when your ex sends you a friend request, just send her back a message that says ‘glad you are well. good hearing from you. im busy busy busy these days.’ and obviously dont accept her friend request.
What is the worst she can do? she already dumped you in hs. It doesnt get worse than that. ha.
#28 chifi, thanks! I forgot about the duck. hmm, I wonder if this will go into mod as well.
time for a McGriddle.
“You guys need to disable the “add me as a friend” link to anyone who isnt already a friend.”
Sync has the right idea but it prob goes too far in my opinion. You guys have to ask yourself… “If i dont want to network, or keep in touch, then why do i even have a fb account?”
#41 If i dont want to network, or keep in touch, then why do i even have a fb account
I only set up my account yesterday. I may not be keeping it.
“facebook”
I don’t want my face on any book.
next thing you know, you will be on a billboard or pin up on the side of a bus in Belarus.
SAS
not too mention the pedophile pic collectors.
speaking of pedophile, thank goodness M Jackson is 6 feet under.
SAS
Another strategy that can be applied is to accept their friend request and then a week later disconnect them as a friend. Nobody gets a notice that you have disconnected them so this saves face and allows you to keep your privacy.
If anyone gets pushy, there is a great response that nobody can produce a rebuttle for… “Something is wrong with my computer. I think this stupid facebook gave me a virus.”
If Nom De Plume is master of tax evasion.
Veto That is master of fb friend request evasion.
re: FaceBook
One could always start a new venture – a social site where your profile is linked to people with whom you don’t want anything to do (except maybe insult) so they know better than to contact you on FaceBook.
I think a fine name for this site would be
AssBook
Is LinkedIn really so much different than facebook?
“AssBook”
Buds for Duds?
SAS
“Is LinkedIn really so much different than facebook?”
yes. facebook is for idiots.
Linkedin is for idiots who think they are smart.
ha ha.. just kidding, don’t take me to the woodshed.
:P
SAS
Is LinkedIn really so much different than facebook?
No. It’s almost a requirement to have a LinedIn account though.
[39] veto
Actually, I dumped her. And it was for the best.
Ray (25)-
That’s a corporate relocation.
51- ha. i thought so.
Screw real estate. Juventus v Bayern Munich today…CL advancement on the line.
[45] veto
master of tax evasion???
On this site maybe. In reality, I’m a poser when it comes to evasion.
Most of what I post is hypothetical, theoretical, and were I a revenue agent, I’d know exactly how to attack such devices.
And to be clear, legal tax saving maneuvers aren’t evasion, they are avoidance, which is permitted and protected (though some of the rhetoric from the left, including the admin. scarily sounds like they want to make the two synomymous).
Nom, my mistake.
To clarify,
Nom does not evade taxes.
But sometimes post articles about people who do.
How is that?
Tosh,
I read that law abstract on why people don’t strategically default on their underwater mortgages.
All I’ve got to say is like, “Wow!”
Nom[55];
You forgot to mention that tax avoidance is expessly sanctioned by the Supreme Court.
Here is my impression of the main social networking sites.
Twitter – only the most artsy air heads would ever engage in such useless one-liner babble. Truly a waste of time imo – although it seems like fun for some people. Messages constantly update the world about what you are doing right now. “eating a pretzel – yummy” or “cant we all just get along – peace in the mideast!” or “Tiger is such a slease – cant believe this”.
Yeah, sounds like so much fun. As if we dont get bombarded with enough 7 second fragment garbage from the mass media.
MySpace – Extremely casual networking. Do not post your serious pic here with you in a suit. You will come off as American Psycho. Any pictures of yourself must include you wearing ripped jeans and at least the top three buttons undone. Chest hair is welcome here. The part that describes your status and work should probably say something like “i hate work” even if you dont just so you can fit in. Discussions and pictures would mainly focus around music, bands, sports and parties, dirty jokes fraternities. Think Punk rock, networking with an edge. Its like a night out on the lower east side.
Facebook – respectable casual networking. Family friendly. Discussions centered around sports, vacations, hobbies, light jokes – probably pc if possible. Do yourself a favor and keep your full resume off of this site or you will come off as uptight but it seems ok to outline the main items. Great place to share vacation and kids pics with your family and long lost cousins and good friends – maybe hs and college friends too. Dont really want your boss and co workers to friend you on here. Its a little too personal. Some FB addicts try to collect as many contacts as possible – 1,000 or more – but they obviously have a networking problem. You will know the type who shake your hand once at a party on saturday and then you will get a friend request on monday morning.
Linkedin – Professional networking. Post your resume with specific details about accomplishments, education and not profit work, etc. Not a great place to post family or vacation pics. You would use this to find a job or meet recruiters or talk industry lingo with peers. You might feel the need to link in with your brother in law as long as its understood that he can keep the discussions somewhat serious. If he has dirty jokes or obnoxious comments, you can send him to your face book page or myspace instead.
How is this? Again, just my impression. you all might have a different opinion.
#57 – It confirmed a lot of what I suspected.
Looks like the Al Gore poster here will get an early Holiday gift.
Copenhagen climate summit in disarray after ‘Danish text’ leak
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/08/copenhagen-climate-summit-disarray-danish-text
Veto,
On Linkedin, I get the part about posting one’s details, just in case someone wants to take a peek. But where is the part about meeting people or discussing issues with peers. None of my connections discuss anything, nor do I. Nothing ever seems to happen, except occasionally getting a notification that a connection’s status has changed or they updated their work history. One time a former colleague used it to find me and ask for the e-mail of an ex colleague of mine, for a job search.
Veto #41
You guys have to ask yourself… “If i dont want to network, or keep in touch, then why do i even have a fb account?”
i friend who i wanna friend… most people don’t have it disabled so it works.
I like this so I thought I’d share.
“There is a Chinese saying that one could quench the thirst by drinking poison,” said Xie, who predicted in September 2006 that the U.S. economy would fall into a recession in 2008. “Bernanke seems to be prescribing exactly this to the U.S. economy. The slower Bernanke raises interest rates, the bigger the next crisis.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601068&sid=aYVuIVpuwo4I
I get recruiter emails from LinkedIn. I used to find them annoying but now that senior managers have turned into little bi0tches I’m happy I get them :)
“But where is the part about meeting people or discussing issues with peers.”
A West,
if you are in a particular industry or sector, there are lots of trade groups with pages you can join and network. If you are rocket scientist, you can find a trade group of ny rocket scientists and start linking in with people. Its all perfectly acceptable and one of the options is to set your profile to ‘discuss industry’ or ‘seek job’, etc. Also, you can post recent projects or ppt presentations if you want and others can comment and offer their advice.
i dont do all of these things but i see others doing it.
Whitney: “I don’t think you can cut taxes enough to stimulate demand,” Whitney said. “For a 2010 prediction, which is so disturbing on so many levels to have so many Americans be kicked out of the financial system and the consequences both political and economic of that, it’s a real issue. You can’t get around it. This has never happened before in this country.”
http://www.cnbc.com/id/34325134
FB- The feature I am very leery about now is when you are “tagged” in someone else’s photos. It wasn’t you who ever even gave the person posting the photo permission to do so. What if the photo shows a part of your life that you didn’t want displayed? Now I feel that if a friend takes a photo and I’m in it that I must remember to specifically ask that he/she NOT post it on FB. What a pain to have to even think about it.
FB is fine and useful if you are selective about who you choose as friends. Also, never play Bejeweled Blitz! You’ve been warned.
House whine. I hear you. Thats a concern.
Go to the photo where you are grinding on the bar and remove your tag. that is an option. you will see it there.
You guys need to disable the “add me as a friend” link to anyone who isnt already a friend
I wish I knew about this when setting up the account yesterday.
68. housewhine,
exactly. this has already happened to me, but I think there is a feature in privacy that will not allow anyone to tag you in photos.
“New Jersey has $36.5 billion of gross tax-supported debt.
California has $75.2 billion of gross tax-supported debt.
New Jersey has a population of 8,682,661.
California has a population of 36,756,666.”
“Let’s do the math.
New Jersey has 23.6% of the population of California and 48.5% of the tax supported debt.”
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/
Barbara #72 is right. You can disable it.
Facebook’s privacy features are complex and powerful. Learn it, use it.
71 Tosh
You can go in and change it.
I just set up fb for the first time Saturday and I also have concerns about it. I have it set to be as private as possible. Also, I don’t use my real name so there is less of a chance of issues.
69. stu
yep, I have 4o or so “friends” and don’t plan on adding. I ignore the requests, esp from obvious “friend miners.”
Seriously, only an attention whore and braggart needs 250 + “friends.”
Also, I don’t use my real name so there is less of a chance of issues.
That’s a good idea. I may have to set up a new account under a nome de facebook and just let the old one go fallow.
[56] veto
Much better.
[58] anon
Yes, Helvering v. Gregory
“Any one may so arrange his affairs that his taxes shall be as low as possible. He is not bound to choose that pattern which will best pay the Treasury. There is not even a patriotic duty to increase one’s taxes.”
IMHO, Learned Hand’s eloquent statement is under attack. While the IRS ultimately prevailed (see Gregory v. Helvering) and the economic substance doctrine came into being, that is not even enough for the feds.
To be fair, whipsawing the taxpayer knows no administration, but the direction things are going threaten to turn Learned Hand’s idea on its head, and instead promulgate a rule that will allow IRS to negate the tax benefit of virtually any transaction, even if it had a purpose other than tax avoidance.
re: #64 make money
Just curious:
wrt Xie expecting inflation to hit hard in 2012,
anyone here keeping vested in precious metals & their industries despite the sudden drop in gold Friday?
[73] BC
I think I will propose to Christie that NJ pass a law that lets muni bondholders tender their bonds at face value as payment for their taxes.
So when NJ starts to crack and the bonds plummet in value, you can get out from under by tendering them to Trenton.
Barb,
I won’t even allow many of my nieces and nephews to be FB friends. I will tell you this. I have already a pissed off a friend or two with some risque comments I made on photos they chose to post. IMO, if you feel the need to post personal photos of yourself for the world to see, then you should be tough enough to handle any screwball comments sent your way. I risk being unfriended. Big deal!
With that said, be careful who you consider to friend.
unrelated…. but WTF?! Talk about a niche market…
”
http://www.lagangtours.com/
The mission of LA GANG TOURS is to provide an unforgettable historical experience for our customers with a customized high-end specialty tour. We will provide customers with a true first-hand encounter of the history and origin of high profile gang areas and the top crime scene locations in South Central, Los Angeles. Each tour bus for LA GANG TOURS will have a guide from the South Central areas who has gained hands on knowledge and experience of the inner city lifestyle.
SAFE PASSAGE (GUN FIRE FREE SAFETY ZONES)
5-10% of the gang population is responsible for 65-70% of all gang violence. LA GANG TOURS has access to the “5%,” those who have their fingers on the triggers. The participating gangs in the established gun fire free safety zones have agreed to allow LA GANG TOURS to operate in their areas, given our goals to hire their youth for employment opportunities and offer job and entrepreneurship training programs.
LA GANG TOURS has predetermined routes and times that are honored by each of the participating and opposing gangs. Every effort has been made, from the time of day to departure locations, to ensure a safe, pleasant and enjoyable tour experience.
“
Barbara #76
Seriously, only an attention whore and braggart needs 250 + “friends.”
Or someone playing Mafia Wars.
“anyone here keeping vested in precious metals & their industries despite the sudden drop in gold Friday?”
I cut back on my position over the last three sessions because its dropping like a rock but intend to jump back in at lower levels. Around 1,000 im hoping.
81. stu,
I also goof off on FB and had a few “marginals” get their feathers ruffled. Now its all good, small group who knows me well enough not to get offended.
Where’s Nom?
Nom,
The database shows that the case I was on .. there was a verdict for the defendant, which is what I expected.
Thanks again for the link!
Looks like the U of Arizona mortgage study is scaring some higher ups:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091204/ap_on_bi_ge/us_all_business
Where are all the US unemployed when H1-B demand is at it’s cap?
Boom lives on.
H-1B demand spike may signal improving outlook for skilled pros
Economic confidence may have spurred sudden demand for visas, college grads
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9141648/H_1B_demand_spike_may_signal_improving_outlook_for_skilled_pros
Schumpeter
Thanks for the info
Ray
New Jersey has $36.5 billion of gross tax-supported debt.
California has $75.2 billion of gross tax-supported debt.
New Jersey has a population of 8,682,661.
California has a population of 36,756,666.”
BC,
We’re close to NYC!!!!!
re: #88 Frank no need for an H-1B when your Quants can just swim across the Rio Grande.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVE7YV7OXMc
Bystander…That’s the study Tosh and I have been discussing. All here should read it and copies should be sent to all congresspeople and senator.
Even captain cheapo learned something from it.
Remembering the day
I’m sick and tired of hearing things
From uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth
“anyone here keeping vested in precious metals & their industries despite the sudden drop in gold Friday?”
I sold my gold the day after Thanksgiving. My thinking at the time was that the Dubai credit crisis would be a bigger deal than it was and that investors would retreat to relative safety in the dollar. A rally in the dollar would hit gold.
Dubai turned out to be a non-issue (so far), but my timing was lucky. I had pretty tight stops in place.
While I’m bullish on gold over the long term (and intend to buy back in), I am more concerned over the short term. The short-the-dollar/long-gold trade is very crowded. It’s only a matter of time before we see a short squeeze in the dollar.
While many of us here have been talking about gold as an inflation hedge for a few years (when it wasn’t popular), correctly predicting the printing press dollars that would result from the collapse of the housing bubble, I’m concerned that the trade is getting crowded. Every other late night commercial on T.V. is hawking gold as an investment to the proletariat. The “late to the game” masses are now self anointed experts on inflation and buying gold.
Last Friday’s positive jobs report seemed to be a turning point for the markets. Before Friday, good news was good news and bad news meant more stimuli and a weaker dollar, which was good news for gold and the markets. After Friday, good news meant the Fed might defend the dollar and gold and the markets fell.
Whic tree do you prefer?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolpda/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_8401000/8401015.stm?
“Foreclosure to Homelessness 2009”
A little light reading in a forty-page pdf file.
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/advocacy/ForeclosuretoHomelessness0609.pdf
#94 “Last Friday’s positive jobs report seemed to be a turning point for the markets.”
Only problem is that last Friday’s positive (if one can call it that) jobs report is going to be followed by less positive reports going forward. We will still see unemployment probably reach 10.5%,and many economists are expecting that level,and some as high as 11%, before we see any kind of improvement.
96: Hey Frank,what recession?
#91 sean: Once again, he did not read the entire article. Go to page 2 frank.
Speaking of captain cheapo, I just landed two round trip tickets to Colorado for my New Year’s week ski trip cost me $10 bucks by using miles.
Next up with be 4 star at half price, via Hotwire and right now angling for discount life tickets and perhaps a discount massage for the wife.
recession xmas.
don’t buy made in China.
SAS
“CHART OF THE DAY: The Amazing Spiraling Mortgage Delinquencies”
http://tinyurl.com/ydy8cyu
interesting little read.
My prediction: NHL first “big” pro sport to go bust.
“What North American cities are primed economically to host a major-league sports franchise and which ones are already overextended?”
http://tinyurl.com/y98hglq
SAS
103 sas
Don’t say that.
With all this stimulus going on, should The President be referred to as “The Fluffer in Chief”?
#103 According to the article, Honolulu can support a hockey team. I think I wasted my time on this one.
I found some old footage of Nom offering some political commentary on a democratic candidate for the White House in 2008.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7n9W7-9EEk
sas says:
December 8, 2009 at 1:15 pm
“facebook”I don’t want my face on any book. Next thing you know, you will be on a billboard or pin up on the side of a bus in Belarus.SAS
SAS: Watch it…..a good amount of my family was liquidated in Villnius…
Tage can also be removed on a case by case basis without help of the original poster.
Barbara says:
December 8, 2009 at 2:39 pm
68. housewhine,
exactly. this has already happened to me, but I think there is a feature in privacy that will not allow anyone to tag you in photos.
Since when do you invest all or nothing? suboptimal approach
RentinginNJ says:
December 8, 2009 at 4:04 pm
“anyone here keeping vested in precious metals & their industries despite the sudden drop in gold Friday?”
I sold my gold the day after Thanksgiving.
109- so are you saying that if I see myself tagged in someone else’s photos on FB that I myself can delete that photo? Or do I have to request that the person who submitted the tagged photo delete it?
I feel like I am 10 years old again, talking about tagging people! And also it sounds so silly to ask someone if they want to “be my friend”.
House Whine says:
December 8, 2009 at 6:15 pm
109- so are you saying that if I see myself tagged in someone else’s photos on FB that I myself can delete that photo? Or do I have to request that the person who submitted the tagged photo delete it?
House: No…the photo stays, but someone has attached your name to it through a “tag”. You can delete the tag so someone can’t find the photo by an association with you. The will still see the photo, but at least you can no longer be found through a search.
Think about You Tube. You can have a video of a bottle of Knob Creek and a bottle of Laphroaig. You can place tabs for both. If you search under Knob Creek or Laphroaig, you get a hit for the video. Delete the Laphroaig tag and you will still see the video, but you can no longer find it by searching for Laphroaig. In fact, if there is no other identification, you may not even know that it is a bottle of Laphroaig that you are viewing.
sas (103)-
“Major League Soccer (MLS) has the widest range of potential options. Forty-two open markets have income bases that are large enough to support a professional soccer team.”
Too bad the US only has enough quality players to stock about three teams.
Burger King has some holiday cards for sale that some of you will get a kick out of…
https://secure2.bk.com/en/us/campaigns/bk-dollar-holidays.html
Gotta love the recession specials.
Score! 60% off my stay in Vail for new Year’s week, 4 star resort.
Now I need discount lift tickets, and a free shuttle ride, time to call the Hotel for a pickup.
” The Fluffer in Chief”
So for the taxes he will exact he will come over and fluff our pillows for us? I’d rather keep the money.
Oh no! BHO, is high on hopium. Don’t you know:
From CBS news. Apparently, hopium not only deluded its users but it turns every dollar spent into savings. Hopium truely is amazing stuff:
Fact Check: Obama’s Speech on Jobs
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2009
In President Barack Obama’s hands, the $700 billion financial rescue fund offers a bit of bookkeeping magic: an opportunity to pay down the deficit while also spending more – thereby adding to it.
Under law, any paybacks to the bailout known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program must be used to reduce the deficit. But in an economic speech on Tuesday, the president sought to have it both ways. Increased repayments from banks to the Treasury will reduce the deficit all right, but it will give Congress the budgetary room to spend more – and the president encouraged just that.
“There are those who claim we have to choose between paying down our deficits on the one hand, and investing in job creation and economic growth on the other,” Obama said. “But this is a false choice.
snip
well, just got my dose of mercury for the year.
Juanita made a great tuna steak tonight.
I think I already feel the shakes coming on.
SAS
sounds like me we got some “ground glass opacity” going on in Copahagen.
SAS
I’ve got it! sas is Jesse Ventura!
Does anybody know how to get the bids made but not accepted on completed auctions (physical, not web) on auction dot com?
Had a swim meet, and couldn’t attend the one in DC on Sun.
Frustrated that they missed the boat on the whole healthcare thing.
It was supposed to be a jobs program, guys. Thousands and thousands of people working from their homes to set up a new way to deliver health care services. Billing, carve-out on-line consulting for many services. Think beyond the box here. Didn’t think it had to be spoon-fed.
No offense to MD’s, sl. But there’s a better way.
And it’s turned into another debacle.
You try and try and try.
BC,
Bruce, Gaslight, 1972:
http://www.youtube.com/comment_servlet?all_comments&v=kktCUIWd5Ng&fromurl=/watch%3Fv%3DkktCUIWd5Ng
A comment below the video window:
This isn’t bad. Did anything ever become of this kid?
Methinks Growin’ Up is Springsteen’s best song, and I wish the legislature would stop trying to command the night brigade and get to cutting spending.
Listen to O, Bergabe, Eraserhead…any of the criminals at the helm.
They will bleed us dry, spend it all and give whatever isn’t spent to their bankster pals.
Unless we stop it. Which, IMO, isn’t gonna happen anytime soon.
Doesn’t American Idol start in January?
Let’s try a new definition of insanity.
Two words: New Jersey
“New Jersey has $36.5 billion of gross tax-supported debt.
California has $75.2 billion of gross tax-supported debt.
New Jersey has a population of 8,682,661.
California has a population of 36,756,666.
Let’s do the math.
New Jersey has 23.6% of the population of California and 48.5% of the tax supported debt.”
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2009/12/coming-collapse-of-municipal-bonds.html
Clot,
We’re number one?
BC and NJC,
Here is a REAL treat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io-cCAM-fJw&feature=related
Unemployed Game Show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulu3SCAmeBA&feature=player_embedded
Shore,
Not pillow fluffer. In the adult film industry, the fluffer keeps the talent stimulated and firm, like our economy.
A.W,
Doh!
With as soft as the economy has gotten, he has a lot of work ahead of him.
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