Or is Pulte just pushing a load of crap? From the WSJ:
Renters Really Prefer Owning, Builder Survey Says.
A survey from PulteGroup — one of the nation’s largest home builders — has found a surprising result: Many renters want to buy homes.
Given the source, some caution is in order. Still, this comes as many builders and real-estate agents say the previously moribund housing market is reviving. In some markets, bidding wars – not seen since the housing market crashed – have returned. Rising rents may also be pushing people to consider buying, particularly given low home prices and mortgage rates.
Pulte’s survey found that, among renters who plan to purchase a home in the future, 60% have “increased their intent” to do so from a year ago, meaning they are inclined to hop off the sidelines. Half of those surveyed apparently “like being able to call themselves homeowners,” while 44% “view it as a good financial investment.” (That figure seems a bit high since home values are down by a third or more from the peak.)
More believable are the survey’s findings on why people aren’t buying: More than half think they don’t have enough money for a down payment, while nearly 30% believe renting is cheaper than buying. More than 20% cite uncertainty with employment status as a deterrent to buying a home.
From NJBiz:
Survey: N.J. outpaces nation in small-business job growth
Intuit Inc. released the results of its latest Small Business Employment Index today. The survey, which is based on data from Intuit Online Payroll customers, showed small businesses added about 40,000 jobs in April nationally, for an increase of 0.2 percent. In New Jersey, small business employment grew by 0.3 percent, beating out neighboring states New York and Pennsylvania.
Laurie Ehlbeck, New Jersey state director for the National Federation of Independent Businesses, said she was a bit skeptical at the idea that New Jersey would be adding small-business jobs at a faster pace than the country as a whole.
“I think that that’s probably a stretch, considering that we’re practically the worst in the nation, as far as our tax burden,” she said. “But I’ve got to be a little optimistic here and say some of my members have been showing some optimism as far as employment.”
From Reuters:
US March foreclosures rise on month, fall on year
Slightly more foreclosures on U.S. homes were completed in March compared to the month before, though levels were still below those seen a year ago, data analysis firm CoreLogic said on Tuesday.
There were 69,000 completed foreclosures in March, up from a revised 66,000 finished in February, but down from 85,000 in March of last year.
In the first quarter, 198,000 foreclosures were completed, off from the 232,000 seen in the first three months of 2011. Since the start of the financial crisis in September 2008, there have been about 3.5 million completed foreclosures, CoreLogic said.
A home has completed the foreclosure process when it has been either seized by the lender or sold.
At the same time, there were fewer homes awaiting foreclosure. Foreclosure inventory fell to about 1.4 million homes, or 3.4 percent of all homes with a mortgage, down from 1.5 million, or 3.5 percent, a year ago.
The figures suggest alternatives to foreclosure, such as loan modifications and short sales, are being used to clear the inventory, Anand Nallathambi, chief executive officer of CoreLogic, said in a statement.
Clear Capital saying home prices are up YOY in the NY Metro area?
http://www.clearcapital.com/user_data/userfiles/file/ClearCapital_HDIMarketReport_May2012.pdf?v=1
Up more than 2% year over year?
Good Morning New Jersey
No outrage? Apparently our schools might not be as good as we thought they were..
From the Star Ledger:
N.J. high school graduation rates decrease under new federally mandated calculation method
Graduation rates among the state’s public high schools decreased an average of 9 percentage points in 2011 compared with the previous year, according to statistics released today by the state Department of Education.
The drop comes in the wake of a new, federally mandated methodology for calculating the rates which state officials say is more “honest.”
…
“The new 2011 graduation rate presents us with a more accurate picture of the true level of high school completion across the state and we encourage all districts to study the data carefully to target their investments,” acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf said in a statement.
At Millburn Senior High School, the percentage of students earning diplomas dropped by 1 percentage point, while the rate at Woodbridge High School fell by 5 percentage points.
Elsewhere, the rate fell by 16 percentage points at Dover High School in Morris County, by 14 percentage points at Franklin High School in Somerset County and by nearly 7 percentage points at Cranford High School.
Until last year, schools calculated their graduation rates by dividing the number of seniors receiving diplomas by the number of seniors who enrolled at the start of the school year plus the number who had dropped out since that class entered high school.
Because the state relied on districts to self-report their graduation rates, some school systems under-reported their dropout statistics, said Justin Barra, a spokesman for the Department of Education.
The old methodology, which the department called “flawed,” also failed to account for student mobility, Barra said. Now, schools will be required to track students using a statewide data collection system that accounts for students who leave a district.
“No outrage? Apparently our schools might not be as good as we thought they were..”
Grim surely that doesn’t apply to upper haughty-ville where Braden and Ellery live.
I would guess that about 100% of kids who drop out of high school do so to pursue a life of crime.
Another day in hell.
Meat 7 , no student loan debt, no taxes.
“Public pension fund files for Chapter 11. In what could be a precedent-setting case, a public pension fund – the Northern Mariana Islands Retirement Fund – has filed for bankruptcy protection. The plan is just 38.8% funded due to benefits that kept going up while funding and returns didn’t. Lawyers representing beneficiaries have filed a dismissal motion, pointing out that the fund is a governmental unit.”
Massive Layoffs Coming to Wall Street?
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/massive-layoffs-coming-to-wall-street/
Massive layoffs could be waiting around the corner for some of Wall Street’s biggest financial firms, according to some of the industry’s top analysts.
As if the markets weren’t volatile enough already.
“Consultants and Wall Street recruiters say banks could eliminate nearly 21,000 jobs from their securities divisions in New York alone,” Fortune reports.
21,000? Do you know what that means?
“That would be a bloodbath on par with the one that occurred during the financial crisis; 28,000 were eliminated in that purge, but that number included jobs lost in the collapse of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers,” writes Newser’s Kevin Spak.
Recruiters say the larger financial firms are putting the finishing touches on their downsizing plans and that the layoffs aren’t too far off.
Luckily, there’s a silver lining: even though the larger firms are preparing to fire hundreds if not thousands of employees, smaller investment banks are still hiring. This could potentially offset the major layoffs.
“Hiring is going on, it’s just not by the big banks,” says a top Wall Street recruiter Gary Goldstein, according to Fortune.
How Wall Street Layoffs Will Affect The Housing Market
http://www.forbes.com/sites/morganbrennan/2012/04/24/how-wall-street-layoffs-will-affect-the-housing-market/
So I wonder what will happen to these people if they are laid off? Will they find jobs at smaller firms?
If they don’t find work at all, that would be problematic. But, if they do find work at smaller firms, having been laid off recently, does that make them more frugal? Maybe this would most affect the high end real estate?
Quote from the article:
“The recovering economy has given us a good real estate market if you are looking at houses under $2 million; but over $2 million, which is primarily the area of the market fueled by Wall Street bonuses, sales are significantly down,” says Mark Pruner, an agent with Prudential Connecticut Realty and author of the Greenwichstreets.com blog. He calculates that sales were up 39% for homes under $2 million and down 31% for pricier properties in the first quarter of 2012.
Bulletin
U.S. private-sector payrolls expand by 119,000 in April: ADP
Is this anything? I was perusing Morris County Sheriff sales this morning and noticed ad odd break in the current trend. We all know hardly any Sheriff sales are going through, mostly all adjourned to a later date or cancelled at the last minute. Now it seems that they aren’t even going through the motions of scheduling any. Normally Sheriff sales in MC would be scheduled en masse for many months into the future. Every time I would visit the site in the past I would have to page through to page 5 to get to current sales. Now I only have to go to page 3 to get to current date. In fact, only 4 sales TOTAL are currently scheduled beyond the month of June. 3 sales scheduled for July and 1 for September and that’s it. Grim, 30 year ?
http://www.mcsheriff.org/sales/P0/
nj 13 119 that is bad with a capital “B”.
More believable are the survey’s findings on why people aren’t buying: More than half think they don’t have enough money for a down payment…
Wow! Like, you need money to buy things?
gary [16] Down payments:
I know this guy who is so far left (Republican = racist, etc.) and as the housing bubble was popping and liar’s loans, etc. were making their way into the MSM all he could say was, “These people were PROMISED houses!”. At a breakfast at our church our men’s group was discussing the situation (2008 or so) and several offered up that, sure, people were losing their homes, but they really hadn’t put any money down on them so what were they really losing? He just kept repeating:
These people were PROMISED houses!”
These people were PROMISED houses!”
These people were PROMISED houses!”
Another mainstream Nom article. I believe the other recent one didn’t mention that the expats are rich.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-01/wealthy-americans-queue-to-give-up-passports-in-swiss-capital.html
Same message, but in two distinct styles…….
Mike says:
May 2, 2012 at 6:25 am
Good Morning New Jersey
There Went Meat says:
May 2, 2012 at 7:27 am
Another day in hell.
The Original NJ ExPat [17],
In other words, where’s my f*cking pony!
[18] Expats – That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Even if all the rich leave the US it won’t matter that much, we’ll just transition to being a really sh|tty Denmark; High taxes, no celebrities, sports stars, or super-rich. The only difference will be our services and lifestyle will still be crap. The *real* expat problem won’t be evident for several more years. I think it will go like this:
1. Students escape high tuitions by going abroad for their entire college career.
2. They stay abroad, renouncing their US citizenship *before* they have any money.
That leaves the US with nothing but old people eating uneducated young people. Or vice-versa.
Clear Capital saying home prices are up YOY in the NY Metro area?
Blood from a stone… wishful thinking… lipstick on a pig…. hope and changey…. Sound bites and rhetoric are free, so what the he11.
Would this blog literally explode if I said I was legitimately in the early stages of looking? ;)
Once Mit rommney is president all our problems will be solved.
From LPS:
March 2012 Mortgage Monitor
[21] I fully expect my 8 & 10 year daughters will probably attend Yale. Singapore Yale, that is. (Unless a Malaysia Harvard opens):
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/education/singapore-partnership-creates-dissension-at-yale.html?pagewanted=all
[18] pete,
Fabius took exception to the notion that all expats are rich, and in fact that is correct. People expatriate for all sorts of reasons. But until recently, the wealthy had not been leaving in droves. And by wealthy, I don’t mean uber-wealthy although there have been cases of extremely wealthy US citizens renouncing. I mean the 1 and 2%ers who are not anywhere near Buffett territory.
Where Fabius and I disagree is over the Section 6039G reporting; he maintains that the list includes folks that are not wealthy “covered expatriates” and I feel that it doesn’t. You can look at my response to him on this.
He also maintains that people aren’t expatriating largely for tax reasons, but for compliance burdens. But I point out that the compliance burden is driven by tax law requirements. Further, he doesn’t, because he can’t, see into the minds of the expats to determine if they are or are not considering current and future taxation. You don’t wait until it is raining to fix the roof.
Whether the list does or doesn’t have only wealthy expats, one thing is clear: Since Obama was elected, the number of expats has increased exponentially, by a factor of roughly 5 to 1 over prior years. Further, the trend is for a higher number in 2012, and if Phil Hodgen is to be believed, that number will spike further in 2013 as the 2012 expats report.
Now consider this: the Obamunists want to make our tax structure, already one of the most progressive in the world, into a more steeply progressive structure (e.g., 80% of tax revenues from the current top 10%). Meanwhile, the pool of people in the top 10% (as defined by current rates and revenues) is likely shrinking, through expatriation, tax planning, estate dispersal or other reasons. Taken to its logical (yet admittedly absurd) extreme, there could come a time when nearly all federal revenues would come from Buffett, Gates, and Romney.
That doesn’t strike me as “fair” or even rational.
Looks like mortgage delinquencies are down to 7%, from a peak of almost 11%. Looks like the “normal market” delinquency rate was between 4 and 5%.
Chicago 19 Once Meat finds the right prescription like I did he will be a happy camper. Talking about happy whatever happened to Captain Sunshine?
[23] gary
The NYT would do a story on you if you bought a house, just as they did for Grim.
The Expats in the bloomberg article are US citizens living and making money abroad refusing to be taxed on foreign earning by US soil.If you live more than 6 months of the year away from your mother country,should you still be considered citizen of that country? Does it make much difference if you renounce the citizenship?
#23 gary: I am looking, so you can join me However, I still believe prices will continue to decline.
#23 gary: Do you like Unicorns??
[21] expat
The students don’t even need to go abroad. They can study here, go abroad and create their start-ups or hedge funds, renounce before they start to make decent money, get their tax clearance, and then default on their student loans.
[5] grim,
“Apparently our schools might not be as good as we thought they were.”
So can we look forward to another round of NJEA commercials, telling us how good they are and how lucky we are to have them?
[30] yo
1. Yes
2. Yes
Happy to have been of service. I will send my invoice forthwith.
Orlando has 17.7% mortgage delinquency rate. Article from 2 days ago:
http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2012/05/01/orlando-has-177-mortgage-delinquency.html
If there was a trend reversal emerging, shouldn’t the “Sand States” be leading it?
Looks like mortgage delinquencies are down to 7%, from a peak of almost 11%. Looks like the “normal market” delinquency rate was between 4 and 5%.
[21] expat
To wit:
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-04-17/news/31355364_1_brain-drain-brain-circulation-immigrants
From the Orlando article:
“Florida reported a 12.1 percent foreclosure rate, well above No. 2 New Jersey’s 6.6 percent”
Nom, hold off on the invoice.I disagree on #2.Hesitant on #1.
On #1.Immigrants and foreign workers that come to the US are required by motherland to file for income tax to renew their Passports abroad.No difference on US requiring to file taxes on income abroad.
Nom [29],
I’d tell the NYT that I already interviewed with the WSJ. ;)
Amazing that Plainfield High reported a 91% graduation rate last year.
Under the new model?
70%
How do you go from less than 1 in 10 kids dropping out, to 3 in 10.
Boggles the mind, did you all see the NJEA statement? “You can’t compare the numbers from last year to current, because the methodology changed”.
Oh bother.
Even better, Hillside, 91% to 66%
3B [32],
I’ll shoot the unicorns! :)
Elizabeth, 95% to 60%
JFK in Paterson, 57%
Why bother even having a high school?
grim [42],
We need more tax money for the schools. You know… it’s for the children.
http://www.fiercefinance.com/story/ex-ceos-real-estate-woes/2012-05-01?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
Ken Lewis of BOA may have to do a short sale?
[33] Nom – That’s how I think it will begin, but that loophole will likely close if too many start slipping out that way, right? Plus there is the adverse PR of that route. I think the true brain drain will start innocently with semi-affluent boomers choosing better educations at lower costs in stricter environments. Next time you find yourself back up here during the school year just go stand in line at Reservoir Wine and Liquors in Cleveland Circle and observe the BC students with arms full of hard liquor while pushing two 30 packs of Busch Light with their feet up to the register to pay with a credit card and ask yourself if you would want your daughter or son going to BC for $60K per year. They’re just not receiving the education anymore, despite the price. 10 years living up here and I’ve never overheard a conversation by students where they seem the least bit stressed out about failing, they’re just getting moved along. US colleges have become extensions of public HS. Few polished minds emerging.
JFK in Paterson, 57%
Why bother even having a high school?
And what do you think the curriculum looks like to begin with? A third grade reading level? This is the future? Do you all realize that we, at one time in this country, put a man on the moon using a slide rule, paper and a pencil?
US colleges have become extensions of public HS. Few polished minds emerging.
I said it for years… a total f*cking scam.
[48] expat
Ha. I’ve always said, show me a BC grad and I’ll show you someone who hasn’t seen a weekend morning in 4 years.
Finally on the expat issue, some insight from, of all places, Daily Kos
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/03/19/1075823/-More-Americans-giving-up-citizenship-than-is-being-reported
Well, as Shore would say, back to the salt mine.
re# 28 Grim -“mortgage delinquencies” Haughty parts of NJ it’s 2.8% 90+ days late. I don’t think Bergen County went over 3.8% 90+ days late on their mortgages.
Shaded chart by county in NY Metro 90+ days late from 2007-2011, still waiting for the latest quarterly update from the FED.
http://www.newyorkfed.org/regionalmortgageconditions/#90_days
#14 NJexpat – I don’t know the answer but I have a theory. My guess is that all the cases with a bad Notice of Intent (subject of recent NJ Supreme Court decision) have been removed from the list. Mortgagees will correct the NOI and the list will swell again.
Bergen Sheriff’s website has a link to a new site for foreclosure information. Old site lists over 300 sales pending (was over 600 for more than a year) and new site shows 70 something sales pending. Part of the difference in numbers may be due to showing only sales scheduled within the next 8 weeks. Don’t follow Morris closely but a similar change may have taken place on their site as well.
Forget his name, but one of the old timers that used to pop in set up a foreclosure site for Jersey that is pretty good:
http://www.bergenjerseyforeclosures.com/
Haughty Millburn has a 1% dropout rate? They have always prided themselves on their 100% graduation rate. Are the kids in Millburn now trying to get their own reality TV show on MTV by trying out for 16 and pregnant?
Where are you guys seeing the graduation rate numbers? I only see up to class of 2010 numbers on the state’s website for my town’s high school. I’m curious as to how my town’s school ranks.
http://education.state.nj.us
huh on the state’s website:
NOTE: The New Jersey Department of Education is well-aware of the possible inaccuracy in dropout rates and graduation rates that have traditionally been based over the years on districts’ self-reported numbers of their dropouts and graduates. With the development of the student-level data system called NJ SMART, in the 2011 report card to be published in February 2012, the state will use the student records of those students who entered high school in 2007 as the source of the numbers and percentages of dropouts and graduates. The graduation rate for the class of 2011 will meet the requirements of the new federally mandated adjusted cohort graduation rate to be used by all states.
So wtf are the 2011 numbers?
There are a few Billboards around NJ about the dropout rate, one is on RT 78 East around Newark says something like 17% drop out rate for NJ.
If one out of every six kids drops out, the problem is the system and it’s high time for a total reset, there has been plenty of press for years about throwing good money at this problem and how that has failed. How about we accept failure and teach these kids a trade instead of Calculus? I have always though the dividing line was somewhere between Algebra and Calculus. Let’s try and emulate Germany, their apprenticeship programs are the best in the world, they start in High School and the kids are paid during training.
If one out of every six kids drops out…
Sell? Sell to whom?
Nothing like feeling trapped in both your house, country, and continent. It’s all turning to sh-t.
Brian (12),
This is in reply to
12. Brian says: May 2, 2012 at 8:23 am
These are money changers that have been obviated by HFT and automated financial transcations. They have no use at smaller firms, which either outsource or develop their own HFT algos and transaction arms. One could argue they add only friction, not friction reducing grease, to the financial processes – i.e., no value added, only value diminishing.
The effect of these layoffs – more bifurcated deflation, and yes, on the 400k+ real estate market. There just aren’t enough value-adders in society, regardless of the regulatory environment. No, they won’t adjust their standard of living – they’ll spend into bankruptcy – it’s what they’ve been taught and apparently, there are no real consequences to the irresponsible (fiscally and politically via apathy).
AG [62],
Don’t worry… the President said we’re moving forward. You have nothing to worry about.
Pat (14),
This is in reply to 14. The Original NJ ExPat says: May 2, 2012 at 8:30 am
Noticed the same at several county sheriff websites.
Volume of cases doubled Y-o-Y.
Volume of foreclosures remained static (percent halved).
Volume of cases rescheduled nearly same as volume of increase Y-o-Y.
There was to have been an unleashing as of Jan 12 due to the recent decision.
However, the stall/remedy tactics seem to be defined and widely known.
Agree?
hoyo!
http://crosstownny.bigcartel.com/product/amar-e
I remember when I was in Hyde Park Chicago (1996) that I worked on a scholarship committee for local high schools. Part of the application required students to provide a transcript. There was an academic magnet school and I am going to provide an order of magnitude.
9th grade 12 of 350
10th grade 10 of 250
11th grade 8 of 150
12th grade 8 of 50
sorry….rankings
JJ: Wells just called their series XI TruPS as of 6/15….bummer….
FWF
44. Game changers come along. This one is a doozy.
Brian,
This link has the 2011 numbers.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/05/nj_high_school_graduation_rate_1.html
Also of note. Irivington from 97% to 50%. Barringer (Newark) from 92% to 36%!
Thanks Pete.
Now assuming these HS grad rates even mean anything, for those who think blue ribbony means better, well a quick perusal of Bergen Co statistics shows that the rates in most of the blue ribbony towns for HS graduation, are no better or only slightly better than many of the non blue ribbony towns.
Do renters really want to be owners?
I think the ultimate answer is yes…just not in the same way that we (I) wanted to be just a few years ago. I owned an NYC apartment bought in 2005 and sold in 2009. I have never owned a SFH. I rent a SFH now and have since 2009. I really like certain aspects of renting (“hello landlord? fix this, fix that and you pay for it”) but the old standards of stability (hate to say it…for the children), changing/adding things in the house, etc would be nice to have…they just aren’t things I am willing to pay a premium for now because of ‘buy now or be priced out forever.’ Coincidentally, I was featured in a NYT article as well…it was about people who sold and became renters.
If/when I am a buyer I just need to feel that it is the right financial decision and I am getting fair value for my price paid, not paying a premium for things that can, will and have vanished into thin air.
WOW
Vernon Twp
Vernon Twp High
2010: 96.00%
2011: 60.73%
Mikeinwaiting, you better quit waiting and pull your kids out now.
NJEA by design does not seem to have the kids interests in mind. They are a union of teachers. Their motivations are self preservation and to protect teachers.
The kids need a union.
[63] gary
A car going off a cliff is also moving forward.
#74 For me it is no longer the price, but the property taxes that cause me to pause.
77 – I factor that into my math as well.
3b – I agree. As a renter, I would like to one day own my home. However, it appears that by doing so I am willing allowing the government to attach another vacuum pump to my income.
Not to say that they will not find another way to siphon my dollars, but to willingly allow and pay a premium for the privelege strikes me the wrong way.
Wow, grammar/spelling errors abound in my previous post. And I graduated from a NJ HS….
High school graduation rate for Irvington Township:
2010: 97%
2011: 50%
How does the township and the NJEA explain this minor discrepancy?
One more….Newark Fast Track Success Academy:
2010: 100%
2011: 25.64%
WTF???
[80] boken,
and your point?
File this under the “Jersey” portion of this site’s title:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/tanning-booth-mom-says-arrest-taking-daughter-5-153138630.html
You have to see this woman. Simply incredible. And I bet she is also a proud graduate of the NJ public school system.
“One more….Newark Fast Track Success Academy:
2010: 100%
2011: 25.64%”
Looks like Moody’s must have performed the count in 2010.
What does the high school drop out rate have to do with how well a school district functions or have anything to do with one’s return on tax dollars? That is an honest question.
It seems to say more about the socioeconomic conditions in a particular area, than the school district operations or some reflection on the teachers and administrators. It would actually be a much better indicator of what school districts present the most challenges to teachers and administrators, not what teachers and administrators are “succeeding” and which are “failing.”
84 – the animation these days is unbelievable! how did they get that piece of shoe leather to talk just like a human?
Nom – re: #85 – Does the Nutley PD pull her over allot?
Comrade Nom Deplume says:
May 2, 2012 at 12:41 pm
[63] gary
A car going off a cliff is also moving forward.
======
Yeah, but at least it’s not stuck in a ditch because of the republ1cans. That’s what the Annointed One would tell you. :o
#86 Not sure of your question. But I will take a stab. Lots of towns boast about their superior schools being worth the extra premium in price and or taxes, based on all sets of stats. SAT Scored, HESPA Scores, Student pupil ratio’s, HS grad rates, % of kids going to 4 year colleges etc. If you look at these schools many who went and got themselves a blue ribbony thing years ago, and compare them to towns that are not perceived to be as “good” school wise, you will find that in many cases the difference in these stats, is non-existent or minimal, and certainly not enough IMO to justify higher prices and or taxes.
Also compare colleges attended by kids from the blue ribbony schools, and the non blue ribbony schools, and at the end of the day most of the kids are all going to same colleges.
gary (23)-
Sounds more like the initial stages of brain death.
“Would this blog literally explode if I said I was legitimately in the early stages of looking?”
Hurry; bring your checkbook.
Just remember this formula:
Viking appliances + pithy name + bugaboo stroller + puggle + alma mater tee shirt = ultra high property taxes.
Meat [91],
I know… f*cking madness, isn’t it? Can you see the look on the face of the seller when (if) my offer gets presented? I’ll eventually purchase something but this process will be a tale of epic proportion.
expat (48)-
With all apologies to BC Bob, that skool seems to have gone down the crapper.
gary (50)-
The overriding purpose of higher education in the US is to create lifetime debt slaves.
#94 gary: It would be ironic if you and I purchased at around the same time. I promise not to get into a bidding war with you!!
The whole I got bin-Laden and having a press conference in Kabul makes him look like a total as-hole……..it’s as if he is throwing everything at the wall hoping that the little thing about which everyone thinks is issue #1 (fostering economic growth) wont be noticed.
gary says:
May 2, 2012 at 1:32 pm
Comrade Nom Deplume says:
May 2, 2012 at 12:41 pm
[63] gary
A car going off a cliff is also moving forward.
======
Yeah, but at least it’s not stuck in a ditch because of the republ1cans. That’s what the Annointed One would tell you. :o
STD and BPOP Perf/Trups are banging at 9-11% yield today if you want to take off your jock strap and let your balls loose.
chicagofinance says:
May 2, 2012 at 11:28 am
JJ: Wells just called their series XI TruPS as of 6/15….bummer….
Which points out that in the college app game, you want to be king in a smaller pond, because they only take a finite amount of kids from each zip code. Your dufus kid doesn’t get pulled up, they get pushed down and out……
3B says:
May 2, 2012 at 1:34 pm
Also compare colleges attended by kids from the blue ribbony schools, and the non blue ribbony schools, and at the end of the day most of the kids are all going to same colleges.
I’m pretty sure there’s a way I can parlay my son’s going to Newark Fast Track Success Academy into four years for free at Harvard. If he lives.
JJ: you are the spawn of Caligula and Forrest Gump……..
National Science Fair-winning invention, from Newark Fast Track Success Academy:
http://thehomegunsmith.com/pics/KnuckledusterZipGun-01.jpg
JJ: so are you going to the muni thing?
55263BAA9 MBNA CAP A CAP SECS-A 8.27800% 12/01/2026
Dont know about muni thing, but here is a trup still banging at 8% plus.
#90
It would seem that the blue ribbon vs. non blue ribbon issue, vis a vis real estate sales, has more to do with the peer group and socioeconomic status of that peer group than the achievement of the particular school district. In other words, rich parents want their kids around rich kids because they are achievers and are just “better” people. This is all well and good.
However, I see a lot of people use the data on school district “success,” here in the case of graduation rates, as reflective of the worthiness of teachers or administrators to their salaries.
For example, this district has a high graduation rate so the school district is a “success” and the teachers earn their paycheck. As opposed to this district, which has a low graduation rate, so those teachers don’t deserve their pay.
I would argue just the opposite. The district with a low graduation rate has likely got socioeconomic challenges that make teaching or administering that district more challenging, warranting a higher salary for a teacher willing to go in there and teach. Graduation rates, to me, don’t reflect anything at all about how well the teachers or administrators are doing their job.
even (106)-
Perhaps we can use student “self-esteem” as a metric for those prisons that are masquerading as skools.
Glen Rock HS grad rate dropped from 99.5% to 99.47%. Hmmm…., wouldn’t you need a class size of 10,000 or so to have precision to that level? I guess GR is actually over-reporting by 3/100ths of a student or so (I’m guessing their graduating class size is around ~100).
If you can’t get it together enough to simply show up and sit there on enough days to eventually get a HS diploma, it is your fault, pure and simple. It means you are too lazy and stupid to function in society. Therefore, you should be conscripted into slavery or imprisoned for your own good.
I just checked, probably more like 190 class size in Glen Rock. Still…
[109] meat – Unfortunately, I think that *is* the plan for the populace at large, education notwithstanding. If I’m lucky, I’ll get plumb job as a trustee (the prison kind, not the boardroom kind).
Therefore, you should be conscripted into slavery or imprisoned for your own good.
Chifi, I also like AXA, Affinnion, Lucent, Nokia, Jefferies or NB Cap/Northfork Trups depending on how much poop you can handle in your portfolio.
Northford Trups in particular a good deal, 8% and backed by Cap One
expat (111)-
I should’ve also added “forced into infantry, to fight in one of our perpetual wars” as another thing we do.
[84] Nom – tanning mom – Looks like she’ s ready for a minstrel show.
Dude: that aint a TruP; it is 15Y high yield piece of junk…and THAT defeats the purpose; the whole TruP thing is based on the idea that BASEL III will incent banks to call their long dated TruP because it will fcuk up their Tier 1 capital ratios. Instead of getting credit for cheap equity, instead they are going to get burned for expensive debt. I had money to put to work, and I managed to get 6-9% yield, plus a CAPG kiker for essentially a 1-2 year bond……Forrest Gump indeed…..
JJ says:
May 2, 2012 at 1:59 pm
55263BAA9 MBNA CAP A CAP SECS-A 8.27800% 12/01/2026
Dont know about muni thing, but here is a trup still banging at 8% plus.
kiker = kicker…..not a jewish slur……
Junior Seau Found Dead
[113] meat – That goes hand-in-hand with my illegal immigrant repatriation plan. Currently most illegals that get picked up claim to be Mexicans because they can get back here the easiest from Mexico, rather than shell out another $2000 in bribes and transportation to get back here from Central America. My plan is that any illegal is assumed to be an Afghan unless they can prove their country of origin and pay a $10K fine. No $10K and no papers? Just line up with those other guys to get on the next C141 to Kabul. No military service, just gratis transportation to their “home” country.
“forced into infantry, to fight in one of our perpetual wars”
Just deport them to Newark. The punishment must fit the crime.
The Original NJ Expat says:
May 2, 2012 at 2:20 pm
[113] meat – That goes hand-in-hand with my illegal immigrant repatriation plan. Currently most illegals that get picked up claim to be Mexicans because they can get back here the easiest from Mexico, rather than shell out another $2000 in bribes and transportation to get back here from Central America. My plan is that any illegal is assumed to be an Afghan unless they can prove their country of origin and pay a $10K fine. No $10K and no papers? Just line up with those other guys to get on the next C141 to Kabul. No military service, just gratis transportation to their “home” country.
“forced into infantry, to fight in one of our perpetual wars”
#00 chgo: IMO that only matters for the kids who are going to the Ivy League schools. With the amount spent on education in the so called blue ribbony towns, we would theoretically be seeing lots of kids being accepted into the Ivy Leagues; and for the most part we are not. Blue ribbony, no ribbony at the end of the day most of the kids are all going to the same schools.
Most people dont apply to IVY league schools as applicatons are expensive and you need rich parents to go or extremely broke parents or something like I am a female minority vetern. Average A student middle to upper middle class kid aint worth even applying. Does not mean school failed them it means their dads failed them.
3B says:
May 2, 2012 at 2:47 pm
#00 chgo: IMO that only matters for the kids who are going to the Ivy League schools. With the amount spent on education in the so called blue ribbony towns, we would theoretically be seeing lots of kids being accepted into the Ivy Leagues; and for the most part we are not. Blue ribbony, no ribbony at the end of the day most of the kids are all going to the same schools.
#21 JJ I am not questioning a schools failure or not Simply stating that all the nonsense over blue ribbony or not and whose stats are better at the end of the day means nothing IMO. The majority all end up going to the same colleges anyhow.
Gotta love this one.
Romney’s buddy from Bain Edward Conard compares Wall St innovations like derivatives to It’s a Wonderful Life.
. The financial crisis, he writes, was not the result of corrupt bankers selling dodgy financial products. It was a simple, old-fashioned run on the banks, whom, he says, were just doing their job. There are a huge number of people in our economy who want ready access to their savings — pension-fund managers, insurance companies and you and me with our bank accounts. And because economic growth comes from long-term investments in things like housing, factories and research, the central role of banks, Conard says, is to turn the short-term assets of nervous savers into risky long-term loans that help the economy grow.
“Every once in a while, this system breaks down. For one reason or another, the savers panic and demand all their money back. This causes a massive problem because the money isn’t sitting at the bank; it’s out in the world in the form of long-term loans. “A lot of people don’t realize that what happened in 2008 was nearly identical to what happened in 1929,” he says. “Depositors ran to the bank to withdraw their money only to discover, like the citizens of Bedford Falls” — referring to the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” — “that there was no money in the vault. All that money had been lent.” ”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/magazine/romneys-former-bain-partner-makes-a-case-for-inequality.html?_r=2&pagewanted=3&ref=global-home&pagewanted=all
re #122- 3B – “The majority all end up going to the same colleges anyhow.”
Yup only 60k undergrads at the Ivys compared to 11 million undergrads total.
JJ 119 better yet Detroit. Maybe they will then escape to Canada
#24 Juice: Yep. Amazing to me so few people see this. All you need is common sense and some observation.
A little math will tell you that if you had 1 person drop out with a class size of 188 students that would result in a 99.468% dropout rate or 99.47% if you rounded up. They just likely had one dropout the year before with a slightly larger class size. A class size of 200 with one dropout results in 99.500% droput rate.
Glen Rock HS grad rate dropped from 99.5% to 99.47%. Hmmm…., wouldn’t you need a class size of 10,000 or so to have precision to that level? I guess GR is actually over-reporting by 3/100ths of a student or so (I’m guessing their graduating class size is around ~100).
[127] Nicholas – Good answer, See what an effective manager I am? They say honest compensation is in exchange for only two types of work. First is the work you do, and second is the work you cause to get done.
[127] – The other way to look at it is that maybe my engineering degree should be rescinded for not figuring that one out;-)
(121)
Complete, utter balderdash. Ivy League schools use the same standardized app and price structure as most schools. Only difference is you have to add an additional essay or so to your app and attach it. Ask me how I know. And more people are applying to Ivy League schools than ever as a result, partially, of the streamlined process. The byproduct: acceptance rates are way down. Harvard at < 6% for 2012, e.g. Even Brown now under 10%. And you don't have to be rich at all. These schools have the largest endowments in the country. Most won't even give you loans, they'll make it up with outright grants, but that has loosened up a little since the economy (and ROIs) went south past few years. Look it up in the college hunting books. After accounting for the average grant size, most Ivies cost the same as a state college. Parents now realize that.
But demographics does help. My daughters HS graduating class this year produced (as known to date) the following acceptances: 1 Harvard, 2 Princeton, 1 Dartmouth, 1 MIT, 3 Cornell, 2 U of P, 1 Stanford (non IVY, but with 6% acceptance rate) and my daughter, of course, NESCAC bound.
Brian 75 not to worry just a data input error, just received this:
” Yesterday, the NJ DOE released a list of New Jersey Schools that fall into the new categories of “Priority, Focus, and Reward Schools.” When you read that list, you will see that Vernon Township High School (VTHS) has been designated as a “FOCUS” School based upon the calculation of the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate. For the Class of 2011, VTHS is listed as having a graduation rate of 60.73%, in reality this is incorrect due to a data error which resulted in this calculation.
For the Class of 2011, the DOE is using a four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate�meaning that they are looking at all students who entered 9th grade in September of 2007 and their personal path towards a successful graduation. As a district, we made the data entry mistake, and during the September appeals process, we will have the opportunity to upload the corrected data.
When this designation was preliminarily announced, the Board and the Administration were unanimous in the initial reaction that something was incorrect in regard to the data. Thus, the BOE wisely directed us to “dig deep into the data and assure its accuracy or inaccuracy.” A team of us discovered that, back in the 2008-2009 school year, student grade-level data was inaccurately uploaded (one time) into the NJ SMART system. In essence, 199 students were not correctly promoted to the next grade level, at VTHS. It is important that you take comfort in knowing that none of the aforementioned has any impact on any student, at anytime. The mistake was a data error only which did not impact the academic career or records of one, single student. The data entry error was limited to our State’s software, NJ SMART only, none of what we use to “operate” VTSD on a daily basis.
Where do we go from here? Now that we have identified the error, reviewed it with NJ DOE officials, there are some things we must do to correct this now and into the future. However, step one is filing a data appeal, which we have already started. The actual appeal process will take place in September of 2012. We do not want this one time error to negatively impact your perception of VTHS.
We need your help. Please share this information with everyone you know. Again, we are highly confident that once this error is corrected, the Vernon Township School District will return to its “High Performing Status” as assessed by the NJ DOE a few months ago.
Until the dust settles, please feel free to contact me or any member of the administrative team for further details. We are sorry that this has happened, clearly the uploading of the data is an issue we must own, but now we need to move forward by entering the accurate data and creating a process that will assure that data accuracy will be of paramount importance.
Dr. Alfieri
c: K. Arlington – For Press Release “
I even read the data backwards, GR went *up* from 94.47% to 95.5%. Oh well.
[132] Nope, I had it right the first time, down, not up. I’m an idiot.
(133)
We won’t take that against you. As the Englishman said: I may be an idiot but I ain’t no fool.
ONJEx [114];
I thought the same thing. It really looked like she was wearing shoe polish. I was half waiting for her to pop the gag on the reporter.
http://investors.zillow.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=669775
knocks cover off the ball
Con’t [135];
Another weird thing I noticed on the news report (Ch. 2, CBS local last night) was the awkward but conspicuous 9/11 book (forget the title now) standing upright on top of a pile of other books over her shoulder in the camera shot. If she specifically mentioned the book during the interview, it was cut out of the clip that aired. It simply could not have been coincidence. Maybe just a hoax to get free publicity? Making the best (from her POV) of the situation at least.
For those who own GMCR (green mountain) don’t look. down 40% AH’s .
Their caught /Finally
Con’t [137];
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57425720/nj-mom-arrested-over-6-year-olds-alleged-tanning-visit/
Check it out. The cameraperon really tried had to avoid getting the full book cover in the shot (quick tight zoom onto the kid; cutting the cover out of the shot otherwise).
Why is she so much darker in the interview than in her mug shot?
re: #135 – book was “Portraits 09/11/01” profiles of the 9/11 victims published in 2002.
You just proved my point. I could not afford to apply to schools I had a low probability of getting into. Plus who has money to apply to tons of schools it their parents have no money . IVYs are still expensive even with free tuition. Junior can live at home for free at local school and work a job. My only regret is I should have went to Harvard, people I know who went said it is one big party school. Plus GPA is meaningless. Having a Harvard degree is all you need. Graduate with a 1.9999 rounded to 2.00 and you are still golden. Only downside is chicks dont shave legs.
xolepa says:
May 2, 2012 at 4:21 pm
(121)
Complete, utter balderdash. Ivy League schools use the same standardized app and price structure as most schools. Only difference is you have to add an additional essay or so to your app and attach it. Ask me how I know. And more people are applying to Ivy League schools than ever as a result, partially, of the streamlined process. The byproduct: acceptance rates are way down. Harvard at < 6% for 2012, e.g. Even Brown now under 10%. And you don't have to be rich at all. These schools have the largest endowments in the country. Most won't even give you loans, they'll make it up with outright grants, but that has loosened up a little since the economy (and ROIs) went south past few years. Look it up in the college hunting books. After accounting for the average grant size, most Ivies cost the same as a state college. Parents now realize that.
But demographics does help. My daughters HS graduating class this year produced (as known to date) the following acceptances: 1 Harvard, 2 Princeton, 1 Dartmouth, 1 MIT, 3 Cornell, 2 U of P, 1 Stanford (non IVY, but with 6% acceptance rate) and my daughter, of course, NESCAC bound.
Harvard: We no longer require students to take out loans, and parents of financial aid recipients are asked to contribute on average from zero to ten percent of their annual income, with no contribution expected for families with incomes of under $60,000. Those parents with annual incomes of between $120,000 and $180,000 are asked to contribute an average ten percent of their income, with a declining percentage — from ten to zero — for parents with annual incomes between $120,000 and $60,000..
The Harvard formula is extremely biased. For instance in Milawaukee or Peoria a middleaged man making 120K can send his kid to Harvard for 12k but a cop married to a part time nurse in Long Island making 181K has to pay full price.
120K in Peoria makes him a rich man, the couple on Long Island at 181K are picking cans from the garbage. I hope the income is adjusted for state and city you live in.
Jj for president
How many are the same kid? Also MIT is not an Ivy…
xolepa says:
May 2, 2012 at 4:21 pm
But demographics does help. My daughters HS graduating class this year produced (as known to date) the following acceptances: 1 Harvard, 2 Princeton, 1 Dartmouth, 1 MIT, 3 Cornell, 2 U of P, 1 Stanford (non IVY, but with 6% acceptance rate) and my daughter, of course, NESCAC bound.
Juice [140];
Thanks. I still wonder why it was propped up there.
Just caught up with Toon dispatching Chelsea. Nice.
I like this blog very much. I want to add some real estate project information with the help of your blog please click hear Ajnara Ambrosia.
freedy (138)-
GMCR is proof positive that outright scams can get listed on the NASDAQ.
moose (146)
Champions League, mf’er! City will get the same treatment from us come Saturday.
Buying a home won’t get much cheaper
http://cnnmoney.mobi/primary/wk_article?articleId=urn:newsml:CNNMoney.com:20120503:home-buying:1&category=cnnm_realestate&pagesize=10
Meat,
A nice win. Even Pardew couldn’t believe Cisse’s 2nd goal.
“Pulte’s survey found that, among renters who plan to purchase a home in the future, 60% have “increased their intent” to do so from a year ago, meaning they are inclined to hop off the sidelines.”
And I am more inclined than last year to dance with Sela Ward if she asks me.
GMCR, I remember when they were a one store operation in VT back in the 80’s. It is really amazing they were able to grow their business so large. Keurig is a massive ripoff in any event and I cannot see the kind of sales they have continuing, eck weak coffee.
“At this point, the labor market is worse than people realize because people are discouraged. Certainly, a large number of workers have given up on the job market…”
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/86-million-invisible-unemployed-090600478.html
#50 Brian: Alot of if’s and conjecture in that article IMO. And as far as our area, there is no mention of property taxes. Plus the article does not discuss the still very weak economy, it just mentions increased jobs (not talk of quality), and of course no mention of the big demographic shift.
Also been listening to the talk of housing bottom for the last 4 years.
Just a disclaimer, I am looking to buy and I still think prices are going down.
#53 I love my Keurig!!!
“I hope the income is adjusted for state and city you live in”
This tends not to be the case. I know folks whao are kulaks, professionals who are doing well by the standards of the 95%, but who are not rich by any means, whose kids need to look at schoold a notch or two below where they qualify, just because they cannot pay the full freight and the schools insist that they can. I have heard more than one self-employed person say that the schools have basically said “fully mortgage your house and stop making retirement contributiond for the eight years your two kids will be in school and you can afford to pay what it takes to come here.” What a recipe for disaster for anyone who takes the bait.
Ewww. Ewwww. Ewwwww. Is there anyone who finds this woman’s tan appealing?
http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-504083_162-10012165.html?tag=strip
[158] shore,
Given that she looks like a worn shoe, I’m thinking that Rex Ryan might get a woodie for her.
re # 150 – home price increases ? Sure as soon as the bank can get some credit out there for the average Joe to bid up the prices.
Just yesterday, Jamie Dimon, Lloyd Blankfein, Richard Davis, James Gorman, Brian Moynihan, and Jay Hooley met with the FED in NY to complain about new Dodd Frank imposed restrictions on how much of their own skin they must now keep in NON AGENCY MBS. Does anyone think the no doc, ninja, liar loan lending bubble that was financed in part by private label MBS is going to start again? Without another securitation bubble like the one we saw from 2001-2007 there is little chance Joe six pack is going to out bid you.
IVY league acceptance rate is not always of any meaning. Chaminade HS out in Mineola LI is way better than any school in NJ. Last 1-3 years graduates have been applying to an attending Nassau Community College, Hofstra, St. Johns, Fordham. Their parents just cant afford to send them to IVYs. Parents make between 200-400 which sounds like a lot to an ivy but to someone with kids in a high priced niegborhood way underwater on house, high monthly costs in a rich town who used to make 600K regularly on wall street, cutting back a 600K lifestyle to a 300K lifestyle is next to impossible as some costs are fixed. There is not room in budget for kid to go to an IVY and the IVY considers a 300K salary rich. So at Chaminade since 2007 applications and acceptance to IVY league schools are way down. School is still great, Dads dont just have the money anymore.
chicagofinance says:
May 2, 2012 at 6:19 pm
How many are the same kid? Also MIT is not an Ivy…
xolepa says:
May 2, 2012 at 4:21 pm
But demographics does help. My daughters HS graduating class this year produced (as known to date) the following acceptances: 1 Harvard, 2 Princeton, 1 Dartmouth, 1 MIT, 3 Cornell, 2 U of P, 1 Stanford (non IVY, but with 6% acceptance rate) and my daughter, of course, NESCAC bound.
That bull market housing article states “Hoffman, for example, is forecasting a 2% increase in 2013 in housing”. Wait mortgages are 4%. So you are borrowing at 4% to buy something to appreciate 2%. Does not sound like something we all need to rush into to. And this is a bullish person. What if it is less than 2% or negative.
[157] If one levers up, taking all the loans they can, sink the proceeds into hard assets and then retires with a huge debt burden that would be a recipe for getting your kid full financial aid from an ivy, right? Is it correct that only liquid non-retirement assets and income count “against” you? If my thinking is not flawed here, how long before college apps would you have to put yourself in this situation?
(144)
None. As far as I am aware. Most applied early decision. That’s a one shot game.
And geographic dissimilarities do not count for money purposes, but what is the likelihood that a HS graduate from Jerkwater, USA is going to get accepted, demographically speaking? My oldest met a girl from Texas who made the cut for the same Ivy League school he went to. She said she was the first person from her HS ever to get accepted into the Ivies.
Xolepa – Here are the demograpics for Harvard. Looks like plenty of JerkWater to me.
http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/statistics.html
(165)
The numbers from the South are interesting. Pacific numbers I can see, because of this important factor: Ivy Leagues have to recruit athletes, good ones, in order to maintain their Division 1 NCAA status. There are sports like Girls volleyball, baseball, track and others where the best athletes come from the South and California. You can check out the rosters and their home towns on the schools web sites.
As an affront, these same schools do lower their acceptance standards for these prized recruits. How much lower? You don’t want to know.
Anyone remember the do-nothing Senator from NJ named Bill Bradley?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/03/BUMN1OBQJ6.DTL
In a weak job market, employers have been asking job applicants for a lot of new information about themselves including, in some cases, their social media passwords.
But Kevin T. of San Francisco was shocked when a prospective employer asked him to verify his salary by providing a copy of his W-2 form.
“I recently interviewed for an Amazon position and made it through the three-month interview process and was notified that they wanted to hire me. The first step in the offer process, however, was that I had to submit my previous year’s W-2 or federal tax return. Without that information, they would be unable to proceed. After providing them with my W-2, they made an offer that was below the salary range they originally quoted,” says Kevin, who doesn’t want his last name used because he turned down the offer and doesn’t want his current employer to know he’s job hunting.
snip
GMCR – no fool should have owned this stock within a year of the k-cup patent expiring. I think it expires this Summer. So long GMCR. You’ll be able to get K-cups at Walmart for a nickel a cup, rather than their license to print money at 5o cents per cup.
My brother has shelled out $900,000 in college tuition for his four kids……Sacred Heart, Marist, Villanova, Boston College, all full freight. He is FDNY Battalion Chief so his pension will be significant.
“He is FDNY Battalion Chief so his pension will be significant.”
If it is paid.
taken from Harvard’s Women Volleyball site
need I say more
Volleyball | Roster | Coaches | Schedule/Results | Statistics | News | Archives | Media Center | Videos
2011 Women’s Volleyball Roster
No. Name Yr. Position Ht. Hometown High School
10 Kristen Casey Freshman Outside Hitter 5-11 La Jolla, Calif. The Bishop’s School
1 Erin Cooney Sophomore Right Side 5-10 Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Marian
8 Taylor Docter Junior Outside Hitter 5-11 Los Altos, Calif. Castillejia School
3 Natalie Doyle Sophomore Setter 5-8 San Francisco, Calif. St. Ignatius College Prep
11 Sandra Lynne Fryhofer Senior Middle Blocker 6-0 Atlanta, Ga. Westminster School
5 Katherine Ingersoll Freshman Middle Hitter/Blocker 6-2 Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Torrey Pines
13 Beth Kinsella Junior Setter 5-10 Wheaton, Ill. Benet Academy
17 Tara MacLean Freshman Outside Hitter 5-10 Monte Sereno, Calif. Archbishop Mitty
6 Teresa Skelly Sophomore Middle Blocker 6-2 Palo Alto, Calif. Henry M. Gunn
7 Olivia Staffon Junior Defensive Specialist/Outside Hitter 5-10 Laguna Niguel, Calif. Santa Margarita Catholic
25 Sindhu Vegesena Freshman Libero 5-8 Spring, Texas Klein Oak
21 Caroline Walters Freshman Middle Blocker 6-1 San Mateo, Calif. Saint Francis
2 Christine Wu Senior Libero/Defensive Specialist 5-4 Naperville, Ill. Naperville North
Tiger Woods Daughter should get a free ride at Harvard
Ethnicity
New England 16% African American 12%
Middle Atlantic 22% Asian American 18%
South 19.1% Hispanic or Latino 12%
Midwest 9.2% Native American or Pacific Islander 2%
#170…I’ll be outta here before that situation gets ugly, I hope. Actually (actuarially?) the fund is in good shape, until Cuomo uses it to build the new Tappan Zee bridge!
(173)
Don’t all pension funds assume 8-10% annual growth each year? and still they are less than 100% funded
#68 Lib: they have a new machine out much improved over the old, hotter more versatile, and with new patented cups. Apparently it is selling well, retails for $250 to $300.00>
Gary,
Here’s an opening.
Home » The Capitalist
WANTED: A TWEET-MEISTER FOR GOLDMAN.inShare.0Email .Wednesday 2nd May 2012, 12:44am
GOLDMAN Sachs, the investment bank that everyone loves to hate, is looking to change perceptions, at least on social media sites. Goldman is looking for a social media community manager, based at its New York office, who can create and maintain Facebook updates, Twitter posts and be a whizz at Linkedin group management. The successful applicant will “help the firm establish a positive online presence”, the online advertisement says. No mention of clients being muppets, then.
.
w2, fingerprinting, drug test, credit check are all normal stuff to me.
Back when they were legal I went through the lie detectors IQ tests, and psch exams on job interviews. I scored the highest on the IQ test ever at the firm that hired me. In fact out of a few thousand tests I scored the highest. The lady in HR was a little shocked that someone with a 2.9 GPA beat several valadictorians. Little did she know I also scored high score ever on an exam that shows the ability to guess what answer teacher wants by reading into how question was written and I also can speed read 6,000 words a minute. The IQ test was only 60 minutes long, I did it full speed at speedreading speed thinking get it done and go back and check work. I went at full speed for 60 minutes and just as I clicked last box lady grabbed from from me. I dont think she ever saw it finished. Stupid Salutorian or something in my mgt training program was not happy. Best training one can get for workplace is last minute studying for tests. Work is like that. I rather hire a guy who can grab a text book ten minutes before test and nail a score of 80 than someone who spends weeks of studying to get a 100. Trouble is A students sometimes lack ability to make quick decisions.
3B,
I think (don’t quote me on this) they make the majority of their moolah on the k-cups. Once the patent is up, I’m guessing anyone can create the machine and anyone can create the cups. Why pay the Keurig/GMCR Kcup premium when you could get a Cuisinart for 1/3rd of the price?
Personally, I’m happy grinding my own beans and brewing it the old (cheap) way. I really don’t like the taste of the non-flavored coffees out of the k-cups. I don’t like flavored coffee anyhow. It tastes like chemicals to me.
#78Lib: Apparently the new machine requires new cups that are also patented. The new machine is far superior to the old one. Threw connections, I got one free of charge. It makes Lattes, Cappuccino’s tea, and hot chocolate too.
re: #174 – The politicians started screwing around 20 + years ago and raised it 8%. The pension funds have averaged returns about 4% for the last decade or more. NY State has a constitutional pension guarantee too that was passed back in 1970.
The State of NY and NJ pensions are described by actuaries as in a Death Spiral. They do require a very large bailout and just like GM pensioners they will get it from the Federal Government who will just print it when the music stops.
But $250? That’s a lot of dough for a coffee maker.
We’ll see. I’m guessing the $30 k-cup machine with the 5 cent cup of coffee is going to be the real money maker here.
xolepa: I disagree with you and I will leave it at that…..it is not a black and white process. It is not a clown being given unwarranted opportunity. It is instead identical twins in every way except one….zip code….one lives in Unicornville and the other in Yonkers. Bound Brook gets the Heisman and Yonkers gets in……
xolepa says:
May 3, 2012 at 9:54 am
(144)
And geographic dissimilarities do not count for money purposes, but what is the likelihood that a HS graduate from Jerkwater, USA is going to get accepted, demographically speaking? My oldest met a girl from Texas who made the cut for the same Ivy League school he went to. She said she was the first person from her HS ever to get accepted into the Ivies.
Lib: GMCR is crooked; they tinkered with the accounting; they are missing their targets now because they aggressively pulled forward revenues into prior quarters and now have an empty cupboard for reserves. With the inflated numbers, the insiders sold their stock like a b!tch….pump and dump by another name….
#81 I would not pay it, but apparently people are. As someone who got it for free, I have to say I like it!!! Maybe the fact that it was free makes the coffee taste better!
“Maybe the fact that it was free makes the coffee taste better!”
In most cases, it would to me. But not with my sacred cup of Joe.
(182)
The bottom line, excepting for sports, is that each Ivy League school prides itself on not having so much a student that is well-rounded, but a student population that is comprised of gifted individuals with unique talents. That means the university can expand its offerings and yet keep the class sizes up to a sustainable level. One of the best ways to be one up on your competition to get in to these schools is to show up and impress a Faculty member with your ‘unique’ talent. That talent may be in music, arts,etc., something less subtle than being a Math champion. The inside recommendation is always the best one.
CF, in my experience, the NESCACs have one up on the Ivies as they are not allowed to offer athletic scholarships. And there are no back door grants either to this group, as the NCAA audits each Division 3 college by comparing the athletes numbers to the overall school percentages. Anyone out of line gets whacked.
Enough of this college stuff. Can we move on?
Any one on this forum actually involved in purchasing Real Estate?. Not concerned so much with primary NJ residence stuff as whether anyone is buying vacation, retirement, 2nd homes, etc.
Today’s edition of “We’re Public Servants and It’s For the Children” is brought to you by this gem of a home in lovely Maplewood, NJ:
http://www.trulia.com/property/1002582227-Single-Family-Home-Maplewood-NJ-07040
It’s time to find out who will be the lucky winner of the right to pay a mere $1,850 per month in property taxes.
Upscale entertaining awaits! So get out your wallets, call your friends from nearby Irvington, and prepare to shackle your heart to this ball and chain of pure happiness.
And remember folks, “We’re Public Servants and It’s For the Children.”
(180)
Juice,
We have constitutional guarantees of a lot of things and we get none of them. That being said, there will be some form of stealth bailout or restructuring… however, the pensions won’t be paid out in real terms.
I am dealing with a bank again on a REO but once again I doubt the numbers will make since. Adjusted for inflation home prices are back to 1895 levels. Homes are the equialent of buying a washer or car. One must view it as something you need and will use. It is not an investment. I am trying to buy something well below market as then I can make money as it rises to market price. Buying a house at market price is only worthwhile if you want to enjoy house, you cannot make money that way.
xolepa says:
May 3, 2012 at 11:37 am
Enough of this college stuff. Can we move on?
Any one on this forum actually involved in purchasing Real Estate?. Not concerned so much with primary NJ residence stuff as whether anyone is buying vacation, retirement, 2nd homes, etc.
Happy Renter [188],
I’m envious of your dripping sarcasm. Very good! :)
#91 gary Since you are close to taking the plunge, hopefully we won’t be outbidding each other!!
http://www.missilebases.com/properties
Company sells old missel silos as houses, way cool
3B,
We need to find listings that are brand new to the market and you and I need to put in successive lowball offers on the same house. This way, when the angry seller realizes that fantasy and reality are two different worlds, the price drops and the neighbor up the street must then do the same. Rinse and repeat! :)
I’m looking for a romantic dining spot in New Hope, or thereabout, this weekend. I used to love “old” Martine’s located in the stone building (tollhouse/salt store). However, they’ve since moved and the ambiance and quality have decreased. I made a reservation at the Inn at Philips Mill but am curious if any of you have other recommendations in the area, outside of Marsha Brown’s. This time around romantic ambiance takes precedence over food quality, so long as this compromise is within reason.
#94 gary: Nice plan!!
Note these taxes, the size, and price of this house at the beach in Delaware and then tell me how it makes sense for people to pay NJ taxes:
$1,995,000
71 Pine Reach Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
Taxes
2011 $2,515
2010 $2,512
2009 $2,601
2008 $2,774
Status:ActiveBeds:5 Bed Baths:6 Bath House Size:4,000 Sq Ft Lot Size:0.44 Acres Year Built:1989
Shore,
The fact that the corruption resulting in (among other things) these ridiculously high taxes is accepted by almost everyone does not bode well for our future.
Question: when comparing taxes from state to state, is it always an apples to apples comparison? Example: a family member of mine who lives in Stroud, PA has property taxes of like 2,000. It is always quotes at that amount by him, his past/current realtor, etc. However, they never mention the $7,000 school taxes that come in a separate bill. Maybe this is a one-off … but I’m just curious.
Are you looking for a “straight” restaurant? New Hope is like a weekend house place for gay NYC couples.
zieba says:
May 3, 2012 at 12:06 pm
I’m looking for a romantic dining spot in New Hope, or thereabout, this weekend. I used to love “old” Martine’s located in the stone building (tollhouse/salt store). However, they’ve since moved and the ambiance and quality have decreased. I made a reservation at the Inn at Philips Mill but am curious if any of you have other recommendations in the area, outside of Marsha Brown’s. This time around romantic ambiance takes precedence over food quality, so long as this compromise is within reason.
Then there is this one (with an absurd asking price, about twice what it sold for in 2002), with yearly taxes lower than monthy taxes in many NJ towns:
Taxes
2011 $1,700 (this is OCEANFRONT — walk out the door onto the beach)
Beds:
4
Baths:
3.5
Sqft:
2,640
Lot:
7,800 sq ft / 0.18 acres
Type:
Single Family
Year built:
1988
Last sold:
Apr 2002 for $1,235,000
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/31646-N-Ocean-Way-Bethany-Beach-DE-19930/76282411_zpid/
[195] zieba,
for our 10th anniversary a few years ago, we went to Anton’s at the Swan in Lambertville. Off the beaten path, quiet, quaint and a bit funky in some of its americana decor, and very good as I recall. Sufficed well as a romantic setting.
Allowed me to bring my own special bottle and did not charge a corkage fee. But it was an anniversary thing.
[193] JJ
I think that guy was the hippy featured on “Doomsday Preppers” with a really nicely done space in an old silo. Seems he has discovered capitalism.
One thing I noticed about that show was the number of people on it who were hawking their own business. Not directly except in the case of another silo developer, but the backstory on almost all of them is that they are in the growing prepper business.
[178] lib,
Amen. The ONLY advantage to k-cups is cleanup. Otherwise, you have little control over flavor and strength, and I have, at best, tolerated k-cup coffee. I have a very nice cuisinart grind-and-brew machine. It’s still in the box—I use french presses.
“#91 gary Since you are close to taking the plunge, hopefully we won’t be outbidding each other!!”
You’ll know if your bidding against Gary when your buying agent tells you that the competitor lowballed.
Nom (203): The brew part of that grind and brew is excellent, but I wouldn’t use it to grind. Get the Cuisinart burr grinder for that.
http://chiefexecutive.net/best-worst-states-for-business-2012
#187 Xolepa,
Not personally, but a friend is looking in PA for a second home in the low end of the price range there. Most have significant problems or just aren’t the appealing. He’s also run into POA/HOA rules that have driven him off….I think he’s getting pretty close. Anything in particular you need to know?
FYI, taxes are significantly less, around 50% or less.
Shore 205,
Awesome! NJ moves up 2 spots to 45th from 47th. Ahead of NYC.
Still an unattractive place to do business. Pensylvania & Conn. doesn’t look much better. Which is why people and jobs are moving out of the high tax, highly regulated, highly unionized Northeast.
Last one out pays the municipal and teachers’ unions!
Re: coffee
Chock full O nuts in a Mr Coffee. Throw in an extra tsp of espresso for some zip.
If I want convenience, I buy a cup of coffee.
Zieba,
Try Seargentsville Inn nearby. It was once touted as being the most romantic restaurant in NJ. Could be hype, though. Have eaten there several times, and the small bar area is cozy and oh just right. Selection of drinks is great, too.
“A little over 12 hours after blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng was released from the U.S. embassy in Beijing, to which he had fled after escaping house arrest, Chen now says that American officials encouraged him to leave the safe haven of the embassy building, in part by making promises that they failed to keep . . . he expressed deep disappointment with the U.S. and with President Barack Obama personally. He said that embassy officials were no longer picking up his calls and that he already felt his rights being “‘iolated’ by the Chinese government, which had promised him his freedom in exchange for him leaving the embassy. He strenuously and repeatedly asked the U.S. and Obama to help him and his family leave China.
The interview portrays Chen as furious at the U.S., which he had only 24 hours ago seen as his greatest hope, and portrays the Obama administration as having sold out the high-profile activist, who in 2005 made an enemy of the Chinese government when he campaigned against thousands of forced abortions and forced sterilizations.”
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/05/chinese-activist-very-disappointed-in-the-us-says-officials-lied-to-him/256675/
Somebody get Our Dear Leader another Nobel Peace Prize, stat.
Speaking of Coffee. How about some Jelly Donuts?
From David Einhorn the man who make a killing shorting Green Mountain Coffee.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-einhorn/fed-interest-rates_b_1472509.html
I read in Zagats once that “One if by Land, Two if by Sea” is most romantic restaurant in the tri-state area. Once years ago I had this girl so furious at me for good reason. A sunk boat, dented car, police, a marilyn monore impersonator, car chase were among the high-lights or low lites of said reason for massive end of relationship in perhaps and ending to end all endings. One year later I pulled the “closure” card and got her to meet me for dinner at “one if by land, two if by sea”. Insanely romantic, I think it is Arron Burrs old house, piano player, violin each table with their own waiter at your beck and call, fresh flowers. It cost a lot. Anyhow girl was insanely mad. Somehow it all melted, Went back to her place, and it was all night long, OMG, even in morning she was chipper, made me coffee and one more time she was floating on air. Of course by that afternoon it was fading and a week later I think she was even mader at me and that was it. But if you can take a girl who despises you there and end up in bed I give it kudos.
Too bad I dont have anyone right now to take to a romantic restaurant since I am married.
xolepa says:
May 3, 2012 at 1:59 pm
Zieba,
Try Seargentsville Inn nearby. It was once touted as being the most romantic restaurant in NJ. Could be hype, though. Have eaten there several times, and the small bar area is cozy and oh just right. Selection of drinks is great, too.
Renter – He wants a ride out on Hillary’s jet, there is no way she is going to ride share with a peasant.
JJ – Spontaneous ovulation is real. Just ask Cromartie.
His wife is pregant with twins. He is raising the % of legimate babies every day.
Juice Box says:
May 3, 2012 at 2:18 pm
JJ – Spontaneous ovulation is real. Just ask Cromartie.
Dear Seller’s Agent,
Get ready to throw in the towel… I’ll be the final straw that will have you searching for another career.
Zeiba (195):
Try the Hamilton’s Grill Room in Lambertville. Great food and great atmosphere.
http://www.hamiltonsgrillroom.com/hamiltonsgrillroom.html
(206)
Just asking around. I finished my last real estate deal a year and a half ago. Bought a lot in a gated/golf community on Florida’s gulf coast. Won’t build for a bunch of years as if I build now will have problem of mother and MIL screaming at each other for space. What a frekin deal that was. I figure there will be one surge left in RE prices before I retire and am looking to buy another residential investment property while the gettins are good. This time it will be harder to get financing and yields may not be as good. When I bought heavily in the mid 90s you could borrow downpayments, add piti on the 1st mtg and still get positive cash flow. Minimal, but hey, it worked.
I won’t be hanging around NJ after retirement, don’t want to feed the bloodsuckers. Just two hours ago kissed the town building inspector’s ass in order to secure a permit for a new toy in the backyard. They are the most arrogant bastards around. Either way, after I sell out everything I have here, all that is left will be my wife’s and my plot in the ground. They aint taxing that yet.
Shore,
Because property taxes are factored in to the purchase price. Did you look at this house? I would say your $2 Mil goes further in NJ. This is not even waterfront.
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/71-Pine-Reach-Rd-Rehoboth-Beach-DE-19971/2145356864_zpid/
“Note these taxes, the size, and price of this house at the beach in Delaware and then tell me how it makes sense for people to pay NJ taxes:
$1,995,000
71 Pine Reach Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
[219] “They are the most arrogant bastards around.”
Don’t you mean: they are valued public servants who do important work for the greater good. And for the children.
Time for a new VP?
Bin Laden argued that assassinating Obama would put a “totally unprepared” Vice President Joe Biden in charge of the country “which will lead the U.S. into a crisis.”
RE: Delaware dining recos
Thanks for the ideas. Funny you should mention this Vidalia as this may be an engagement weekend for me. If you want to coach me off the cliff, have grim forward me your number. Bucks county has sentimental significance to us and though the restaurant will be just a stopping point during the evening, it’s gotta be done right.
Xolepa, I have read a rash of very negative reviews of the Seargantsville Inn recently and I mean not one, not four, but a lot, all having to do with the cook (Oct 2011 – )and the rather exotic menu. It sure has ambiance and romance in spades though!
Nom, I’ll check out Antons/lake.
re; coffee
It seems that with coffee simplicity is key. I have a very expensive super-automatic in the closet that sounds like it’s going to explode in rube-goldbergesque fashion with each cycle. Give me a simple manual espresso maker any day and a portafilter I can bang against the side of the sink after I’m done. I also had the K-cup garbage, coffee came out at 71F and when I added milk it was room temp.
[205] shore guy
“Since Scott took office, his administration has enacted business tax and regulatory reforms that have contributed to the creation of more than 140,000 private sector jobs and an unemployment drop of 2.1 percentage points last year—one of the biggest decreases in the nation.”
But, but, but, it was Obama that created all those jobs, wasn’t it? Secretary Solis said so.
[223] zieba
“Bucks county has sentimental significance to us”
Same here. Wife was born and raised in Bucks.
It’s one of the prettiest places ’round here for sure. I spent quite a few summers there maybe it’s just nostalgia.
As soon as I sort out some possibly serious knee issues, I’ll toss my road bike in the trunk and drive out there to put in some miles. I’ve been meaning to do this for years.
[226] zieba
Let me know. I’ll dust off my road bike as well.
Presented without comment, a little light reading.
http://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/austan.goolsbee/research/taxrich.pdf
Fabius, your take on this is anticipated.
More housing Deflation this time in France.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/houseprices/9244152/France-faces-40pc-house-price-slump.html
If realtors are telling 50% of people it is a great time to buy they must be telling 50% of people it is a great time to sell.
Zieba, second the Hamilton’s Grill Room rec. It is a great place for your weekend plans. Food is fantastic and ambience too. BYOB. You can have pre or post dinner drinks at the Boat House right next door. (That has it’s own bar. No BYOB).
plume (151)-
Even Gluteus would have to admit that’s the goal of the season.
More of the same coming City’s way on Sunday. Knock their asses out of first place, and secure CL!!!!
renter (188)-
In Maplewood? F*^k that s#%t.
Over 20K in taxes…for an elevated chance of being shot in the face at any hour?
Where do I sign?
pwners.
I am no longer certain the place you are getting your info, however good topic. I needs to spend some time studying much more or figuring out more. Thank you for excellent info I used to be looking for this info for my mission.
Hey very cool blog!! Guy .. Excellent .. Wonderful .. I’ll bookmark your website and take the feeds also?I’m glad to search out a lot of useful info here in the put up, we need work out more techniques in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
Hello my mates, how is everything? Here it is truly fastidious YouTube video tutorials collection. i enjoyed a lot.