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May 11, 2012 at 1:05 PM in reply to: OT: So much for paying their fair share of taxes…. Facebook co-founder gives up U.S. citizenship… #743595
AK
ParticipantOut of idle curiosity I did some back-of-the-envelope comparisons between air travel and low-speed train travel.
I found an unsourced figure of 0.0171 gal per passenger-mile for the Airbus A320, which is pretty typical of the older short-haul narrowbodies that dominate the SAN-SFO route. This comes out to 1.335 megajoules per passenger-km.
Per Wikipedia, Amtrak claims energy consumption of 1.9 megajoules per passenger-km. This is a pretty direct comparison as diesel locomotives and aircraft both use liquid fuel, thus external generation and transmission losses aren’t a factor as they would be for electrified trains.
ParticipantSCO delenda est!
Great how a bunch of geeks took on a pack of sleazy lawyers, scam journalists, and corrupt theocrats … and won.
Sad though to think of Ray Noorda’s slow decline into senility, which enabled the lawsuits by putting power into the hands of his Svengali-like successors.
ParticipantBad. Bypass as much of the 5 as possible — if you have a strong bladder I suggest taking the 57 to the 210.
November 18, 2011 at 4:09 PM in reply to: I am shocked. Shocked! Conforming limits going back up. #733243ParticipantThis thread on activerain suggests that an appraisal won’t be required, at least by HUD. I’d imagine the lender could set their own requirements:
http://activerain.com/blogsview/1195842/fha-loan-assumption-process-how-it-works-
And now for the obligatory “moral hazard” issue … According to HUD it’s possible to assume an FHA mortgage, default, then request a loan modification almost immediately:
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/housing/sfh/nsc/faqassum
ParticipantHoly crap, what a rate!
Who’s your mortgage broker … Mrs. Claus? 🙂
November 18, 2011 at 1:38 PM in reply to: I am shocked. Shocked! Conforming limits going back up. #733217ParticipantAssumability did factor into my decision to go with a VA loan. (Incidentally a non-veteran can apply to assume a VA loan, but the original borrower won’t be able to take out another one until the first loan is paid off.)
I remember the early ’80s when real estate ads touted the availability of assumable FHA or VA loans — no big deal when interest rates rose into double digits. But the way I see it assumability is most useful if you’re forced to sell within the first few years of ownership. Otherwise you need a buyer who can bring cash or can finance the difference. Those aren’t easy things to come by these days …
ParticipantThe FHA MIP increase is soooooooo unfair considering that current/recent borrowers are paying off FHA’s losses from bubble-era fraud …
It may be some consolation that your house may be paid off before Lee Farkas of Taylor Bean Whitaker gets out of federal prison.
Participant[quote=bearishgurl]I just googled Carl Richards and it appears that he actually moved to “Park City, UT” last year where he formed a biz called “Prasada Capital Mgmt.”
Guess he doesn’t have to pay for ski vacations anymore. He’s already there!
He’s still dispensing out financial and investment advice and there is even a speaker on the site to listen to an interview with him, lol![/quote]
The “hoocoodanode” factor at work.
If a doctor gives you the conventional ineffective treatment for your ailment and you die, he/she has treated you to the standard of care and is not liable.
If an engineer designs a defective product making the same mistaken assumptions and analyses used by others in the field, he/she has followed industry standard practices and has some protection from liability.
If a financial advisor makes the same mistakes as everyone else … I mean, hoocoodanode?
Come to think of it, I’m not sure he’s the one who made mistakes. I mean, he certainly lived a lot better than I did for quite a few years.
November 7, 2011 at 2:04 PM in reply to: More cheese: Keep Your Home California Expands Eligibility and Benefits (again) #732393ParticipantDammit, I shoulda bought a bigger house.
ParticipantWow, levitating shadowless furniture. Those technical talents are being wasted on real estate.
Participant[quote=DomoArigato]AK,
Why does it matter to you whether holders of Greek debt get a bailout? Did you make a bet that the EU would try and force Greek taxpayers to make good on that debt and lose?[/quote]
Wow, my sympathy for the OWS crowd has just gone down by 53%.
Participant[quote=DomoArigato]There’s no reason for the people of Greece to pay the debts of the top 1%.[/quote]
The Greek public sector accounts for 40% of GDP, so it’s more like paying off the debts run up by the 99%.
ParticipantIf I were Greek, I’d be overjoyed about having 50% to 60% of my foreign debt written off. That’s a substantially better deal than developing nations got in the Brady Bonds deal back in the ’80s.
Participant[quote=pri_dk][quote=urbanrealtor]If anything Greece is getting off lucky.[/quote]
Good point and interesting perspective![/quote]
Indeed. I guess Aesop’s fable of the grasshopper and the ants is lost on the current generation.
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