[Diego Mamani]

Couples being apart and malnutrition are explanations that can only account for a small portion of the drop in fertility rates. The explanation is quite simple, during difficult times, people have a hard time finding jobs, so marriages are postponed, and even couples who do cohabitate go to great extents to avoid pregnancies.

OTOH, when the economy is healthy and/or there’s great deal of optimism about the future, people marry sooner and have plenty of kids.

[Diego Mamani]

LOL indeed! I couldn’t believe my ears when hearing this on NPR yesterday. Crooks like the Groupon execs give all businesses a bad name.

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=no_such_reality]That said, I think all the preppers are nutz.[/quote]
What worries me is that said nuts are disproportionally represented in the good old USA. I’m sure no one in Iraq (to give an example) hoards 1 month worth of food, let alone 1 year! Even well-off Iraqis don’t, and they live in one of the most unstable, explosive countries on earth. OTOH, here in the US we have the wealthiest, most stable democracy in the history of the world, and no one raises an eyebrow that there are so many endoftimers that even Costco caters (as in, meets their needs) to them.

These nutzos even get airtime on Fox News as if that was the most normal thing:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2011_04/028926.php

[Diego Mamani]

Walterwhite and sdrealtor have it right. Lotteries are essentially a tax for math-impaired sheeple.

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=UCGal]I said they need to stock up on a year of food.[/quote]
Leaving grammar aside, 4 years or 1 year of food, either way, I think it’s overkill!

[quote=flu]Lol… Check out the “survival food” section at costco…[/quote]
It’s scary to me that there are so many people out there concerned about armageddon and the “end of the world” that even Costco caters to them. There’s too much fanaticism in this country! Foreigners nearly pee in their pants when they read about this type of behavior. Rationally and logically speaking, a few days’ supply (not “days supply”) would be enough for all likely emergencies.

[quote=UCGal]Interesting… I looked at some of the vendors… and I think I’m on to something with the LDS thing. (…) 3 of the 4 vendors are based in Utah…[/quote]
Oregon doesn’t have a lot of Mormons, but it’s next door to Idaho (second highest Mormon percentage of state population at 27%) and not too far from Utah (72% Mormon). You’re absolutely right about the LDS thing!

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=UCGal]Please don’t edit my posts when you quote me.[/quote]
I apologize for the edit, UCGal. Your original text said “a years supply” which should have been “a year’s supply.” The lack of apostrophe made me think that the “4” had been accidentally dropped, especially since you went to explain that the Costco item would be good for four years. My bad.

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=UCGal]Or to Mormons. They need to stock up on a 4 years supply of food.[/quote]
Wow. I thought of churches such as the Mormon church purchasing these articles, but you’re saying that Mormon families might be buying them? Time for me to check what Wikipedia says about their need to plan for armageddon.

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=flu]Hey, last time I checked, Costco also sells coffins, but I don’t see people scrambling out the doors with those either…[/quote]
It’s not that people are scrambling out the doors with the 17,586 food servings either… Nothing weird about coffins, unless they sell them to households in 500-packs.

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=paramount]If your underwater on the rental, now more than ever it makes even more sense to just walk.[/quote]
These properties are not rentals… yet. They are residences. It makes sense for the borrower to not walk: S/he gets a reduction in principal, gets to stay in the house, and rent will be lower than the mortgage payment they used to make.

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=flu][quote=Diego Mamani]Did anybody else notice this at Costco?
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=11613699

Looks like they are catering to Branch Davidians-type of wackos…[/quote]

Yes, but those are for earthquake emergencies.
[/quote]
Earthquakes? That Costco item has “17,586 Total Servings of Emergency Food.” There’s no way food supplies would disappear for that long in an event of an emergency. They are either catering to institutions, or cults like the branch davidians…

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=flu]Classic point. No way in hell do I think QCOM is worth $68/share….And yet the damn thing keeps rising. Conclusion, I’m not smarter than most people. In fact, I’m probably dumber for thinking I might be smarter. Resistance is futile.[/quote]
Was it J.M. Keynes who wrote that the market can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent?

[Diego Mamani]

Did anybody else notice this at Costco?
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=11613699

Looks like they are catering to Branch Davidians-type of wackos…

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=zk]Any ideas on what makes a “good” property in Vegas, one that will rent?[/quote]
I’d say something close to schools, or employment centers, or freeways, or all of the above, and especially a property that rents slightly below market so that a smart tenant with good credit and references will find it and will want to stay long-term.

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=SD Realtor]Rates will follow the treasury yields, not what the fed says or does.[/quote]
Exactly. The Fed can affect short term interest rates, but mortgage rates are largely determined by the bond market.

[Diego Mamani]

[quote=walterwhite]I’d say also in some bsuiness dealings it can be advantageous for the other side to know youa re not entirely rational and may in fact be nuts.[/quote]
I think your definition of “going nuts” is “outwardly aggressive.” In that case, what you wrote makes sense. But if “nuts” means crazy, then there’s nothing rational about it.

[Author]

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