So the other day I was happily surfing the web as always and one of those rude pop up windows interupted what was a pleasant experience. It wasn't from a web page but the computer itself telling me that it had already done it's dirty deed and was ready to shut down my computer or ask if I wanted to restart? Like a thief coming into your house and rearranging your furniture and changing all of your settings. He now asks if he should turn out the lights or leave them on for you. How thoughtful. First you ransack my private space then you want to cover your tracks. Don't bother to ask if I want this wonderful upgrade which probably has even more bugs in it than the last piece of crap program you put in it. Just go ahead and rape me.
This has never been the case with a Mac. Apple gives a list of potential upgrades and a link to their site that explains what it is and what it does. I guess Microsoft couldn't be bothered with such minute details. Mac also asks for verification giving the user the option of checking to see if this actually came from Apple and not some hacker deep inside Russia. Luckily I do not keep any sensitive info on this machine because it would be like going out for the day and leaving your doors and windows open in New York.
Ballmer and the Windoze crew wonder why nobody wants Vista. They're even resorting to calling it Mojave. Yeah you buy this and you'll feel like you're in the Mojave. I've talked to a few people who tried using it and spent hours trying to get their favorite music software to work with no luck. My advice to them was to trash the system and go back to using an older operating system or better still throw the damn thing away and get a Mac. And just like the Apple ad Vista isn't being fixed they're just throwing more money at advertising trying to have us believe Windoze people are just regular Joe the Plumber types. Yeah frustrated Joe's. Maybe that's why we have all the road rage these days. They're just frustrated Windoze users.
So why is a Mac better than a Windoze machine you might ask? Because the Apple machine was built with the software exactly matching the machine. When the economy improves I'd like to take this machine down to Windoze central and smash it with a hammer then I'll stop by the Apple Store and get something that works.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
In keeping with the real U.S. Christmas
Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
195 guests at a hotel in Mumbai killed
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Tis the season to be jolly,
Grenade blast wounds 34 protesters in Bangkok
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Don we now our gay apparel,
U.S. military bases brace for surge in stress-related disorders
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Troll the ancient Yule tide carol,
Wal-Mart worker gets trampled to death
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
See the blazing Yule before us,
2 gunmen kill each other in shootout at Toys R Us in Palm Desert
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Strike the harp and join the chorus.
Robbery Suspected as Motive in Beating Death of Anchor
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Follow me in merry measure,
Rioting mobs kill 300 people in Nigeria
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
While I tell of Yule tide treasure,
3 killed when Amtrak train hits car
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Fast away the old year passes,
More families abandon holiday-travel tradition
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses,
100,000 stranded in Thailand after airports shut
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Sing we joyous, all together,
Meltdown fallout: some parents rethink toy-buying
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Heedless of the wind and weather,
Torrential rain continues to lash southern Brazil
Flooding in Costa Rica
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Actual headlines from various news sources. Hat tip to Paul Simon for the concept.
195 guests at a hotel in Mumbai killed
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Tis the season to be jolly,
Grenade blast wounds 34 protesters in Bangkok
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Don we now our gay apparel,
U.S. military bases brace for surge in stress-related disorders
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Troll the ancient Yule tide carol,
Wal-Mart worker gets trampled to death
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
See the blazing Yule before us,
2 gunmen kill each other in shootout at Toys R Us in Palm Desert
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Strike the harp and join the chorus.
Robbery Suspected as Motive in Beating Death of Anchor
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Follow me in merry measure,
Rioting mobs kill 300 people in Nigeria
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
While I tell of Yule tide treasure,
3 killed when Amtrak train hits car
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Fast away the old year passes,
More families abandon holiday-travel tradition
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses,
100,000 stranded in Thailand after airports shut
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Sing we joyous, all together,
Meltdown fallout: some parents rethink toy-buying
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Heedless of the wind and weather,
Torrential rain continues to lash southern Brazil
Flooding in Costa Rica
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Actual headlines from various news sources. Hat tip to Paul Simon for the concept.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
The start of the christmas shopping season
If the kids wonder what happened to all their christmas presents just show them this photo. Sorry kids those evil republicans shot santa in the street and he won't be coming. Maybe next year when a replacement can be found.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thanksgiving
With the current difficult times and not much to look forward to in the coming year I can still be thankful to have a roof over head and food in the cupboard. I know the worst is yet to come but I am hopeful that hard times will not last forever. I am thankful that we'll have a new president who understands the suffering of those at the bottom and will do his best to steer things in the right direction. I am thankful that there is hope for without hope then there is no need to continue. There are better times coming and when they do let's not forget those who have lost hope. Let's give them something to be thankful for so that they may regain hope.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
A little help for those in financial trouble
Thought I'd give a little help for those that are starting over and don't want to make the same mistakes. I'm not exactly sure how it is now with the banking collapse but in the past if you filed bankruptcy you would immediately get offers for credit cards in the mail. Why you might ask would they do something like that? Simple, once you file bankruptcy you can not file again for at least seven years. It seems like a stupid thing on the part of the banks but they know they'll have you on the hook for a lot of money including interest and fees if they can get you back on the debt treadmill.
First things first - Pay yourself first. The bills will always be there no matter what you do. So when you get paid put 10% of your take home pay in savings. In a just a few years you'll be amazed at how much you've saved.
Credit cards - I only use credit cards when absolutely necessary when it's the only means of payment accepted or as a temporary means of payment when I know I can find a better loan through a bank or credit union. Have only one credit card. It's through a credit union but even there you need to do your homework. Not all cards are the same even with credit unions so read the fine print.
Autos - Never buy a new car. Once you drive that new car off the lot it's value drops from between 10 and 20%. Even if the terms of the car loan are outstanding you'll never get out of that car with the shirt on your back. With the internet it's so much easier to narrow down the search for a decent used car and check prices against the Kelly blue book. If you finance do so for no more than three years. You want to get the car paid off before it will need major repairs. Never have your car repaired at a dealer unless it needs a part that the local repair shop can't get. Never take those extended warrantees. They add a lot to the price of the car and they always seem to have an escape clause when it comes time for pay out. If the salesman says the bank won't finance unless you get the extended warrantee then it's time to stand up and walk out. When you buy a used car buy a copy of the repair manual. You may never do a repair on the car but it will tell of the problems that will come up later and you will soon know when the repair guy is feeding you a line. Yeah lady your exhaust bushings need replaced and I'll need a left handed monkey wrench to do the job.
Housing - Rule of thumb is never buy a place that's more than two and a half times your gross yearly income. Try to find the least expensive place in the best part of a city that fits your needs. I live in the cheapest place in a very upscale area. The advantage is better schools and services as well as cheaper property taxes. I like a fixed rate mortgage over an adjustable because there's a consistency in payments that are easier to deal with and the only fluctuations are from property taxes. It's always a good idea to add $50 to $100 to the monthly payment thereby shortening the term and saving thousands in interest over the life of the mortgage. Never borrow against the equity of a home unless you're putting that in upgrades to the home. In short always put money into things that increase in value not depreciate. I realize that housing is going down but eventually it will stabilize. You'd be amazed at the amount of loans taken on equity to buy boats cars and vacations. Keep those loans separate.
More info from an older post
I hope this helps Lisa.
First things first - Pay yourself first. The bills will always be there no matter what you do. So when you get paid put 10% of your take home pay in savings. In a just a few years you'll be amazed at how much you've saved.
Credit cards - I only use credit cards when absolutely necessary when it's the only means of payment accepted or as a temporary means of payment when I know I can find a better loan through a bank or credit union. Have only one credit card. It's through a credit union but even there you need to do your homework. Not all cards are the same even with credit unions so read the fine print.
Autos - Never buy a new car. Once you drive that new car off the lot it's value drops from between 10 and 20%. Even if the terms of the car loan are outstanding you'll never get out of that car with the shirt on your back. With the internet it's so much easier to narrow down the search for a decent used car and check prices against the Kelly blue book. If you finance do so for no more than three years. You want to get the car paid off before it will need major repairs. Never have your car repaired at a dealer unless it needs a part that the local repair shop can't get. Never take those extended warrantees. They add a lot to the price of the car and they always seem to have an escape clause when it comes time for pay out. If the salesman says the bank won't finance unless you get the extended warrantee then it's time to stand up and walk out. When you buy a used car buy a copy of the repair manual. You may never do a repair on the car but it will tell of the problems that will come up later and you will soon know when the repair guy is feeding you a line. Yeah lady your exhaust bushings need replaced and I'll need a left handed monkey wrench to do the job.
Housing - Rule of thumb is never buy a place that's more than two and a half times your gross yearly income. Try to find the least expensive place in the best part of a city that fits your needs. I live in the cheapest place in a very upscale area. The advantage is better schools and services as well as cheaper property taxes. I like a fixed rate mortgage over an adjustable because there's a consistency in payments that are easier to deal with and the only fluctuations are from property taxes. It's always a good idea to add $50 to $100 to the monthly payment thereby shortening the term and saving thousands in interest over the life of the mortgage. Never borrow against the equity of a home unless you're putting that in upgrades to the home. In short always put money into things that increase in value not depreciate. I realize that housing is going down but eventually it will stabilize. You'd be amazed at the amount of loans taken on equity to buy boats cars and vacations. Keep those loans separate.
More info from an older post
I hope this helps Lisa.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Credit, lending, and other contributing bits to our financial mess
A lot of people think that a bunch of greedy people were the cause of our present financial situation. That it was all caused by those people living way beyond their means. Well not exactly. It was the result of those at the top our fearless leaders who threw out all of the principles our parents tried to teach us having gone through the Great Depression. Having gone through the longest economic expansions in U.S. history they at the top were deluded into thinking that the good times would roll on forever. They created a climate ripe for disaster and not just for their fellow greedy friends but for the rest of us as well.
When I bought my place the interest rates were through the roof but I knew that this was the only opportunity I would have to own property. Back then the process was rather simple by today's standards. But even before I began looking for a place to call home I looked at what I could afford. The general rule for decades was you could not spend more than 2 1/2 times your annual income. That was the rule of thumb. With that bit of knowledge tucked away I went out and found a place at just under 2 times my annual income. It was the best of the bunch in terms size and price and I figured that would give me some leeway in terms of fluctuations in income. Fast forward to the last ten years. I managed to stay in my place through some pretty tough economic times and was finally able to refinance to a good interest rate on a 15 year fixed. By paying just an extra $100 a month to the principle I was able to pay off the mortgage in 7 years. When I did the refi was when banks were offering up to 125% loans on homes with no upfront fees and all. What had happened? Those at the top had removed all the old rules that we had been living by for the last 80 years. The common sense rules that would tell you that a person in the middle class can not afford to go out and buy a million dollar property. They couldn't afford the taxes much less the monthly payment. But I saw people doing this. Even one coworker last year bought a place for (gulp) $999,000. I'm sure he's long gone from that place unless he has some secret drug lab hidden on the property.
Now we get to credit cards those wonderful nasty necessary evils. A few years back the card companies must have paid Bush a visit or at least made a sizable contribution to his campaign because the next thing you know the bankruptcy laws are changed so that now if you have a major medical bill or job loss and must file as bankrupt you're still on the hook for your credit card bill and I'm sure they'll tack on extra fees just to add insult to injury. And this has nothing to do with people living beyond their means. I've seen people who pay their bills on time and have great credit get screwed. What I noticed was that a few years ago the payment period went from 30 days to 25 then to 20 and some as little as 14. A few even have no grace period at all. Interest accrues once the bill is received. The credit card lawyers must sit around and chuckle when they come up with new terms. I've also noticed that card offers are just now starting to trickle out in the mail but I tell you you wouldn't go for the terms if you were on your death bed because they'd want possession of your corpse and the sheets you're laying on.
So who got us into this mess? Bush and his band of thieves looking out for his interests with the help of his band of frat brother lawyers. You might notice that Obama and company are focused on the real problems for the benefit of all Americans and not just a select few. You remember Bush's base the "haves and the have mores".
When I bought my place the interest rates were through the roof but I knew that this was the only opportunity I would have to own property. Back then the process was rather simple by today's standards. But even before I began looking for a place to call home I looked at what I could afford. The general rule for decades was you could not spend more than 2 1/2 times your annual income. That was the rule of thumb. With that bit of knowledge tucked away I went out and found a place at just under 2 times my annual income. It was the best of the bunch in terms size and price and I figured that would give me some leeway in terms of fluctuations in income. Fast forward to the last ten years. I managed to stay in my place through some pretty tough economic times and was finally able to refinance to a good interest rate on a 15 year fixed. By paying just an extra $100 a month to the principle I was able to pay off the mortgage in 7 years. When I did the refi was when banks were offering up to 125% loans on homes with no upfront fees and all. What had happened? Those at the top had removed all the old rules that we had been living by for the last 80 years. The common sense rules that would tell you that a person in the middle class can not afford to go out and buy a million dollar property. They couldn't afford the taxes much less the monthly payment. But I saw people doing this. Even one coworker last year bought a place for (gulp) $999,000. I'm sure he's long gone from that place unless he has some secret drug lab hidden on the property.
Now we get to credit cards those wonderful nasty necessary evils. A few years back the card companies must have paid Bush a visit or at least made a sizable contribution to his campaign because the next thing you know the bankruptcy laws are changed so that now if you have a major medical bill or job loss and must file as bankrupt you're still on the hook for your credit card bill and I'm sure they'll tack on extra fees just to add insult to injury. And this has nothing to do with people living beyond their means. I've seen people who pay their bills on time and have great credit get screwed. What I noticed was that a few years ago the payment period went from 30 days to 25 then to 20 and some as little as 14. A few even have no grace period at all. Interest accrues once the bill is received. The credit card lawyers must sit around and chuckle when they come up with new terms. I've also noticed that card offers are just now starting to trickle out in the mail but I tell you you wouldn't go for the terms if you were on your death bed because they'd want possession of your corpse and the sheets you're laying on.
So who got us into this mess? Bush and his band of thieves looking out for his interests with the help of his band of frat brother lawyers. You might notice that Obama and company are focused on the real problems for the benefit of all Americans and not just a select few. You remember Bush's base the "haves and the have mores".
Friday, November 21, 2008
Watching the collapse
A couple more banks took the big flush this week. Not making the regular financial channels I'm guessing info is now being let out after the markets close on Friday in hopes nobody will notice and forget about it before the Monday open. The banks were Downey Financial and PFF Savings and Loan. Then there's the issue of Citibank. At 3.77 a share it's looking a lot like Washington Mutual did right before it gave up the ghost. Should we bail out Citi? I say hell no. If you or I ran a business and it went bankrupt we wouldn't expect the government to bail us out. The assets would be sold and the liabilities paid and the business shut.
I have an idea. Why not take the money for bail outs and just set up a government owned bank. With a fresh start and more regulations we could pick up a bunch of laid off bank people and put them back to work. That would be excluding the idiots at the executive level who should have been fired years ago.
In other news just as I predicted Boeing will be laying off workers. With no contract on the Air Force tanker deal Boeing will be laying off people in Kansas, Pennsylvania, and California. Washington state is okay for the moment but as the economy sinks I'm sure the airlines will be putting a hold on their orders. We're beginning to see competition among airlines as business is falling off even though fuel prices are falling.
As for the auto industry I say we keep the workers and lay off the executives. I say we give a billion or two of that bail out money to companies like Tesla that are trying to make the new technology cars. There's a lot of great ideas out there but without the capital or production facilities they can't get off the ground. The "innovative" cars that GM and some of the others have come up with are overpriced garbage. I've looked at the tech specs on them and wouldn't give you two cents for one.
I have an idea. Why not take the money for bail outs and just set up a government owned bank. With a fresh start and more regulations we could pick up a bunch of laid off bank people and put them back to work. That would be excluding the idiots at the executive level who should have been fired years ago.
In other news just as I predicted Boeing will be laying off workers. With no contract on the Air Force tanker deal Boeing will be laying off people in Kansas, Pennsylvania, and California. Washington state is okay for the moment but as the economy sinks I'm sure the airlines will be putting a hold on their orders. We're beginning to see competition among airlines as business is falling off even though fuel prices are falling.
As for the auto industry I say we keep the workers and lay off the executives. I say we give a billion or two of that bail out money to companies like Tesla that are trying to make the new technology cars. There's a lot of great ideas out there but without the capital or production facilities they can't get off the ground. The "innovative" cars that GM and some of the others have come up with are overpriced garbage. I've looked at the tech specs on them and wouldn't give you two cents for one.
This guy just doesn't give up
Bush in a last ditch push to finish screwing up this nation has pushed for 53 regulation changes that are bad for the country. What did Bush ever do that was good for the country? In the changes are more oil drilling, lower standards for polution releases in our air and water just to name a few.
It wouldn't shock me if he doesn't strike a match to the white house when as he walks out the door.
Legacy of George W.
I can only hope that Obama undoes all of the signing statments and enacts more common sense rules when he takes office.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Hold on to your wallets
Now companies want to underfund their pensions and you know what that will lead to... more companies defaulting on their obligations to their retirees. You heard it here first. So when you go to cash that retirement check at the beginning of the month and it bounces you'll know why.
What's left to rob?
What's left to rob?
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
No soup for you
After reading this article about our wonderful Auto industry CEOs I wouldn't give them a plug nickel. All of them came to the meeting yesterday in their own private jets.
Greedy bastards
In other financial news the market took another dump today. Not that I really care at this point because I'm not in the market but I did hear a short time ago why it keeps going up a bit and then down by a bunch. It works like this (don't quote me though). People buy shorts which is a bet that the market or industry or company will go down in price. It's an attempt to cover downturns of a company something like insurance. So now we have people cashing in on their shorts. To add to this you have investors trying to find a bottom to the market. They are buying thinking that the bottom has been reached. Some stock prices are at historic lows but they could go lower or even bust leaving a trail of worthless paper. I had almost considered buying WaMu when it dropped to $2 to $3 a share. Glad I didn't as shares are now of TP value. I could have used it as Charmin in the bathroom. General feeling is that the market will continue to drop to the 7000 level and if it goes much lower than that then the whole economy will be at an end. Think of it this way. Right after 911 you could have rolled a bowling ball down the isle at any local mall and you wouldn't hit a customer.
Greedy bastards
In other financial news the market took another dump today. Not that I really care at this point because I'm not in the market but I did hear a short time ago why it keeps going up a bit and then down by a bunch. It works like this (don't quote me though). People buy shorts which is a bet that the market or industry or company will go down in price. It's an attempt to cover downturns of a company something like insurance. So now we have people cashing in on their shorts. To add to this you have investors trying to find a bottom to the market. They are buying thinking that the bottom has been reached. Some stock prices are at historic lows but they could go lower or even bust leaving a trail of worthless paper. I had almost considered buying WaMu when it dropped to $2 to $3 a share. Glad I didn't as shares are now of TP value. I could have used it as Charmin in the bathroom. General feeling is that the market will continue to drop to the 7000 level and if it goes much lower than that then the whole economy will be at an end. Think of it this way. Right after 911 you could have rolled a bowling ball down the isle at any local mall and you wouldn't hit a customer.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Doctors hanging it up
A survey of doctors says that many are planning to give it up due to case load and paperwork. I remember when doctors made house calls but then that was back when you saw a doctor only when death might have been near. There was the trip to the doctor's office when Billy got the marble stuck in his ear but for the most part nobody went for flu or sniffles.
What's up Doc?
What happened between then and now? Insurance companies that used to be not for profit were given free reign. With hospitals it was the same. The focus is now not on patient care but the bottom line. How many more bodies can we move through the clinic with less overhead. We all know what happens when people are rushed. Mistakes are made. So my advice is to check closely the medications you get before taking them. They can be the wrong drug or the wrong dose. People do make mistakes.
What's up Doc?
What happened between then and now? Insurance companies that used to be not for profit were given free reign. With hospitals it was the same. The focus is now not on patient care but the bottom line. How many more bodies can we move through the clinic with less overhead. We all know what happens when people are rushed. Mistakes are made. So my advice is to check closely the medications you get before taking them. They can be the wrong drug or the wrong dose. People do make mistakes.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Almost back to normal
After all the overload of politics and bad economic news of late Britney is back in the news. I'm guessing getting into trouble because I don't read that nonsense. Makes you wonder how her kids will land up but then again I really don't care.
Obama plans to put all of his speeches on the internet. I'm sure he won't get as many hits as the kitty diving into the box but I think it's good thing in terms of access now if we could just make it interactive democracy would take on new meaning. Speaking of the virtual world that's getting weirder by the day:
For those who can't handle First Life: A London woman has filed for divorce because she caught her husband's online "Second Life" avatar -- a computer-generated character -- cavorting on a sofa with another, sexier avatar. He's getting off easy. Word is his estranged wife has found a new love in the cyber- universe of "World of Warcraft," a Death Knight with a low opinion of cheating husbands.
I have an idea where this is all going in the future. With the right brain implants entire lives might be lived in some virtual world. I think that that would be just another step toward the extinction of the human race. Any more I think we're becoming virtual people. Our interactions are becoming a sum of text messages, ims, emails and posts. Our kids are overweight and have arteries of adults in their forties. I used to be a photographer many years back. Now you'd think I would have tons of photos of all the places I've been but after 8 or 9 hours of looking through a viewfinder I wanted to experience life first hand. It's a different experience that's for sure. This is what I was trying to get to in an earlier post about information and how we process it. You can read an article or post or even see a video but it's not the same as being in the same room. We miss the body language and subtle aspects that make up a person's personality. And people are never themselves when they know they are being filmed.
Obama plans to put all of his speeches on the internet. I'm sure he won't get as many hits as the kitty diving into the box but I think it's good thing in terms of access now if we could just make it interactive democracy would take on new meaning. Speaking of the virtual world that's getting weirder by the day:
For those who can't handle First Life: A London woman has filed for divorce because she caught her husband's online "Second Life" avatar -- a computer-generated character -- cavorting on a sofa with another, sexier avatar. He's getting off easy. Word is his estranged wife has found a new love in the cyber- universe of "World of Warcraft," a Death Knight with a low opinion of cheating husbands.
I have an idea where this is all going in the future. With the right brain implants entire lives might be lived in some virtual world. I think that that would be just another step toward the extinction of the human race. Any more I think we're becoming virtual people. Our interactions are becoming a sum of text messages, ims, emails and posts. Our kids are overweight and have arteries of adults in their forties. I used to be a photographer many years back. Now you'd think I would have tons of photos of all the places I've been but after 8 or 9 hours of looking through a viewfinder I wanted to experience life first hand. It's a different experience that's for sure. This is what I was trying to get to in an earlier post about information and how we process it. You can read an article or post or even see a video but it's not the same as being in the same room. We miss the body language and subtle aspects that make up a person's personality. And people are never themselves when they know they are being filmed.
Friday, November 14, 2008
I just like to rub it in
The red areas on the map is what's left of the republican vote.
So the republicans are trying to figure out how to regain power. I've got an idea for you boys. Why don't you go out and get a real job? You could start at the bottom just like so many of the people you put out of work. You too could get low pay with no benefits. Oh you say you couldn't pay the mortgage on your house on that salary. Too bad tough luck boys suck it up and pull yourselves up by the bootstraps. You too can join Joe the homeless like so many others in this land because you sure don't deserve to be in a position of leadership. Oh and when you see Joe down at the burn barrel watch out because he'd like to beat the crap out of you for what you did to him.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
If this doesn't tick you off
Consumer advocacy groups sent a request to the treasury to have bank customers get a 40% reduction in their credit card debt in order to help clear up tight credit. The treasury department said no you can't do it.
Merry christmas fools
As you may recall prior to Bush and his band of thugs taking office (and I mean that literaly) if you got in trouble like having a medical emergency or job loss you could call the credit card company and get some kind of help. If you filed bankruptcy you could have your entire debt restructured or erased called debt forgiveness. Not any more. Not since Bush climed in bed with the credit card companies and changed that law. Just wonder how much Shrub sucked out of them to get that law passed.
Let me add that it's estimated that a lot of pepople are resorting to credit cards to make ends meet. I can only hope that Obama undoes everything this ass wipe did in the last eight years and I hope he does it all by executive order with no input from the rethuglicans.
Update: The credit card companies can change the rate and terms on your card even if you haven't missed a payment and have a good credit rating. Geez and I recall as a kid there were loan sharks. They would loan money at - shock! - 25%. That now sounds like a starting point for some of these blood suckers. Tony Saprano would be proud of these guys.
I recall when I was starting out having to use short term credit and cards to fill a few gaps with a rate of 19%. So what's going on now. Well since Shrub changed the rules you now have to pay all the credit card debt even if you go bankrupt with no money you still have to pay all the money back. Doesn't matter if you're on your death bed. So what are people doing? They're paying their credit cards first because they know that the house payment is expendable. They can walk away from the house but not the credit card.
What people don't seem to realize is how easy it is to get upside down in a loan. Unlike 30 or so years ago when credit rates were stable you could buy a car keep it for two years making payments then trade it for a new one and not lose on the deal.
Then there's housing. If you bought a home with a variable rate let's say because you didn't plan on living in an area for more than a few years you're screwed. And it doesn't matter if you bought too much house or not. With the home values dropping and the soft market you won't be able to stay when the rate changes and you won't be able to sell it when you owe way more than it's worth.
Merry christmas fools
As you may recall prior to Bush and his band of thugs taking office (and I mean that literaly) if you got in trouble like having a medical emergency or job loss you could call the credit card company and get some kind of help. If you filed bankruptcy you could have your entire debt restructured or erased called debt forgiveness. Not any more. Not since Bush climed in bed with the credit card companies and changed that law. Just wonder how much Shrub sucked out of them to get that law passed.
Let me add that it's estimated that a lot of pepople are resorting to credit cards to make ends meet. I can only hope that Obama undoes everything this ass wipe did in the last eight years and I hope he does it all by executive order with no input from the rethuglicans.
Update: The credit card companies can change the rate and terms on your card even if you haven't missed a payment and have a good credit rating. Geez and I recall as a kid there were loan sharks. They would loan money at - shock! - 25%. That now sounds like a starting point for some of these blood suckers. Tony Saprano would be proud of these guys.
I recall when I was starting out having to use short term credit and cards to fill a few gaps with a rate of 19%. So what's going on now. Well since Shrub changed the rules you now have to pay all the credit card debt even if you go bankrupt with no money you still have to pay all the money back. Doesn't matter if you're on your death bed. So what are people doing? They're paying their credit cards first because they know that the house payment is expendable. They can walk away from the house but not the credit card.
What people don't seem to realize is how easy it is to get upside down in a loan. Unlike 30 or so years ago when credit rates were stable you could buy a car keep it for two years making payments then trade it for a new one and not lose on the deal.
Then there's housing. If you bought a home with a variable rate let's say because you didn't plan on living in an area for more than a few years you're screwed. And it doesn't matter if you bought too much house or not. With the home values dropping and the soft market you won't be able to stay when the rate changes and you won't be able to sell it when you owe way more than it's worth.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Odd thoughts
I was thinking about some odd things. I do that from time to time. I really love to ask questions that nobody seems to know the answer to. Like stumping the instructors in my recert classes. Things like why can you overwater your lawn in the summer but it can rain all winter long with no ill effects?
With that in mind I came to Einstien's E=MC2 which is to say energy equals matter times the speed of light squared. If that is true and we know it is then mathematically M=E divided by C 2 or matter equals energy divided the speed of light squared. So somewhere in the universe energy is being converted into matter. Sorry I never took physics in college so this is all just speculations and random thoughts.
Here's another more practical whiz bang idea and I later find out that a scientist in China is working on the idea. I was wondering if it would be possible to recycle energy. We have at any given time electromagnetic energy coursing through our homes in the form of radio and TV waves. I wondered if it would be possible to capture this energy to use for lighting and powering small appliances. The Chinese scientist is working on using this energy for micro circuits and switches. I believe his ultimate goal is to get enough power to recharge cell phones without a power source. What got me to thinking about this is the old crystal radios that had no power source. The only problem is that to get any large amount of energy requires a very large collector wire. We saw that when NASA used a two mile cable as an experiment to produce electricity in space except the cable broke.
With that in mind I came to Einstien's E=MC2 which is to say energy equals matter times the speed of light squared. If that is true and we know it is then mathematically M=E divided by C 2 or matter equals energy divided the speed of light squared. So somewhere in the universe energy is being converted into matter. Sorry I never took physics in college so this is all just speculations and random thoughts.
Here's another more practical whiz bang idea and I later find out that a scientist in China is working on the idea. I was wondering if it would be possible to recycle energy. We have at any given time electromagnetic energy coursing through our homes in the form of radio and TV waves. I wondered if it would be possible to capture this energy to use for lighting and powering small appliances. The Chinese scientist is working on using this energy for micro circuits and switches. I believe his ultimate goal is to get enough power to recharge cell phones without a power source. What got me to thinking about this is the old crystal radios that had no power source. The only problem is that to get any large amount of energy requires a very large collector wire. We saw that when NASA used a two mile cable as an experiment to produce electricity in space except the cable broke.
Typical. They get the elevator and we get the shaft
Remember when the urgent rush to bailout the banks and investment houses had to be done in days or the end times would result. When it was finalized the object was to get the subprime loans off the books so that banks could continue to function and a quick infusion of cash to keep the markets moving. Well forget it. Ain't gona happen. Rather than do the right think the rethuglicans and Bushco are going to steal the rest of the money meant for main street. Rather than try and clear the underwater loans from the books and there by help the average working person Paulson and the rest of the Sapranos are going to buy bank shares. Why wouldn't that work you might ask? What would a drunkin sailor on leave do if somebody handed him a wallet full of money? You got it. He'd go out and spend it on more booze and women. Hmmm AIG comes to mind when I think about that. Nothing like a oh what should we call it? Retreat? Victory party? Blow out? Oh that's right it's a genuine business meeting complete with bubbly and spa.
Another major theft
So what do you think the banks will do with the latest cash infusion? My money's on them going out and buying other banks. Any other guesses?
Another major theft
So what do you think the banks will do with the latest cash infusion? My money's on them going out and buying other banks. Any other guesses?
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Depression
Depression - Economics. a period during which business, employment, and stock-market values decline severely or remain at a very low level of activity.
Oil is down to $59 a barrel that would be good news but it's not. It's an indication that demand is gone. Same holds true with commodities, retail and manufacturing. The only things I see going up today at least are railroads and shorts (not the ones you wear). GM reported that they have $2 billion left to burn through and at that rate will be finished by January.
Watching the financial channel it looks like the pom poms are all worn out leaving a trail of streamers on the floor.
Then there's the mortgage bailout. Sounds like a good starting point until you consider the pending layoffs in just about every sector. As we remember 70% of GDP is from consumer spending. The latest "plan" is to lower the interest rate on mortgages by nearly half and possibly extending the mortgage from 30 years to 40. So in essence what they are asking is to let a home buyer be in debt the rest of their life and there's no guarantee once these people get this bailout they won't get laid off and default anyway. If there's no stimulus to create jobs then this may be all for nought.
Oil is down to $59 a barrel that would be good news but it's not. It's an indication that demand is gone. Same holds true with commodities, retail and manufacturing. The only things I see going up today at least are railroads and shorts (not the ones you wear). GM reported that they have $2 billion left to burn through and at that rate will be finished by January.
Watching the financial channel it looks like the pom poms are all worn out leaving a trail of streamers on the floor.
Then there's the mortgage bailout. Sounds like a good starting point until you consider the pending layoffs in just about every sector. As we remember 70% of GDP is from consumer spending. The latest "plan" is to lower the interest rate on mortgages by nearly half and possibly extending the mortgage from 30 years to 40. So in essence what they are asking is to let a home buyer be in debt the rest of their life and there's no guarantee once these people get this bailout they won't get laid off and default anyway. If there's no stimulus to create jobs then this may be all for nought.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Why I use a Mac
I was reading one of my favorite blogs an article about the trials and tribulations of getting service for a Windoze machine, the monitor and router to be exact. Poor gal spent ten hours on the phone with customer no service to eeeks India. Hope that was an 800 number. The Indians (dot not feather) told her to pack it up and send it to them with enough cash to cover new ones and they'd "fix it". Geez I though robbery was against the law. Hope all goes well with that but I digress.
When I first used a computer it was at a local school. This was back when Steve Jobs had provided schools with a bunch of Macs so naturally it was a Mac. A couple of years later I was looking to buy a computer. Not really knowing that much I started looking for a Mac but which one? I must have looked at five or six different models but not knowing hard drives from RAM it wasn't easy. One salesman on seeing my interest directed me to a windows machine saying this is hundreds of dollars cheaper than the Mac. Well now I know why. I finally found a really good deal on a Mac and bought it. I later found out that this wasn't just a good deal it was a great deal. A coworker had bought a PC about the same time and we compared what we both got in the deal. He got a computer, monitor, keyboard and mouse with just the system installed. I got the computer,monitor, keyboard, mouse, printer, router, system and about 12 programs along with one year free internet and a year subscription to a Mac Magazine, a ream of printer paper and discounts on ink. The price was about $300 less than the PC.
Now the coupe de gras- I've been using a Windoze machine for the last few weeks just to see the difference. Where to start?
Windoze machine
1. Crashes on a regular basis
2. Keep sending messages that something is wrong with the system. Even though there isn't
3. Sends messages to update programs that I don't use.
4. You need to defrag the machine on a regular basis. Are computers phychotic?
5. Don't try running more than one program at a time it either slows the whole process or crashes the machine.
6. It's almost impossible to do a restart without problems.
7. Won't recognize hardware even though it's there.
8. With hardware disconnected keeps telling me there is no drivers or found new software for the hardware that isn't there.
9. Keep saying there problems with the browser.
10. Maybe I should take my own advice with this machine which was as follows:
a. Unplug computer
b. Open window
c. Pick up computer
d Throw computer from window or
e. Drop computer on Bill Gate's lawn
F Buy another Mac I already have the newest desktop but somebody's pigging it.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Blog award
Fellow blogger sent me the above award. I take it with mixed feelings because the award is for being part of blogging and bringing friendship closer through blogging. That seems rather redundant to me because that's why people blog. To get their ideas out there and see who holds similar ideas or just needs some moral support. I am beginning to think that blogging is changing the very way we think. On the one hand it brings people at very great distance closer together in a form, but on the other hand it's changing the very way we deal with information and I don't think it's in a good way. Our information gathering on the web has become so fragmented that readers are becoming deficient in gaining the full story or the entire experience. If we reduce our experiences to bits and pieces or 10 second sound bites there a serious danger of psychological ramifications. We will see what happens with the outcome of the next generation.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
What did Bill Cosby once say?...
There's always worse. Expect food prices to go up by 7 to 9% next year. Farmers will be trying to make up for rising prices of fuel, feed and fertilizer. Between the lay offs and foreclosures we now have increases in food. And if that wasn't bad enough expect power rates to go up as energy prices go back up. I guess it's time to plant that deck veggy garden. I tried starts inside with grow lights one year without much success.
Higher food costs
The scary thought in all of this is that if farmers can't make money because of costs they may be forced to cut back and increase prices more. You may recall the shortages in rice a few months back. Prices in Asia went to 80 cents or more per pound while the prices here were higher. We then saw prices here drop here as we imported large amounts. A drought anywhere around the globe could make things nasty.
Higher food costs
The scary thought in all of this is that if farmers can't make money because of costs they may be forced to cut back and increase prices more. You may recall the shortages in rice a few months back. Prices in Asia went to 80 cents or more per pound while the prices here were higher. We then saw prices here drop here as we imported large amounts. A drought anywhere around the globe could make things nasty.
Here's a few thoughts
Just thinking about how to get out of the current economic mess. We have three major auto companies on the ropes. The lay offs facing this industry looks as bad as the steel mills of the late 70s and into the 80s. We are to the point of importing massive quantities of oil each year thereby sending billions over seas. This oil will not last forever and it's destroying our environment. We are sitting on one of the largest natural gas reserves in the world far bigger than the oil in the middle east. To change from using gasoline to natural gas would be fairly cheap in terms of converting cars and changing distribution. That would create quite a few jobs in building new models converting old gas burners as well as natural gas production. This would be a temporary bridge to renewable technology and with fuel cell technology could lower green house gases in the process. If we can convince other countries to buy efficient well made cars that run on natural gas from us then we can easily sell the natural gas to them and have hundreds of billion coming back into this country. If the natural gas production and sales could be nationalized it would provide an income to finance healthcare, education and rather than build McMansions like Dubai that nobody could afford we could lower or eliminate taxes for everyone. Imagine having no national debt. This would give us the much needed time to develop other renewable energy technologies. This could cost in the hundreds of billion dollars but considering the pay back would be worth it. We just threw 700 billion down a black hole and we probably won't see a nickel back from that bail out.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
History is made!
I was sitting there watching the results. Obama had 207 to McCains 142 then the big flash on the screen Barack Obama our 44th president. Now to take a deep breath roll up your sleeves and get down to the business of fixing this country. And I know this will take the effort of each and every one of us.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
First they ripped up the constitution now this
Drug companies want total immunity from any liability in the event they produce drugs that harm patients. I guess now we have to become doctors in order to get medical treatment because if this passes muster in the Supreme Court your on your own if your hurt by a drug.
Take this pill but if you die from it don't blame me
Once again this is about unregulating an industry so that they can make bigger profits only this time instead of loosing a house you could land up loosing your life. This crap must stop. We saw what it did to banking.
Take this pill but if you die from it don't blame me
Once again this is about unregulating an industry so that they can make bigger profits only this time instead of loosing a house you could land up loosing your life. This crap must stop. We saw what it did to banking.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
This doesn't look good
Gordon Brown (you remember the head of British government) took a little trip down to the Gulf to beg the oil rich countries to loosen up on their wallets and get help with the bail out. Hey didn't they dump all that oil money into building castles of their own and won't they be facing the same mortgage melt down that the rest of us are experiencing? I'm sure they didn't pay cash up front for all those McMansions off the coast of Dubai.
Hey buddy can you spare a few hundred billion?
Hey buddy can you spare a few hundred billion?
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