Stuart Blackman
Little is certain in the field of global climate prediction. But one thing is for sure: if all those worst-case scenarios made so much of by environmentalists come true, we really are screwed.
So you might expect those same environmentalists to be rather excited by a project that claims to be able to stabilise global temperatures at the push of a button, and keep them stable while the world makes the transition to energy sources of the future. Except that they’re not. In fact, if their reaction to the project is anything to go by, either they don’t believe their own press releases, or trying out new things in order to save the planet is not one of their top priorities.
There has been no shortage of suggestions over recent decades for large-scale ‘engineering fixes’ for global warming, some more outlandish than others.
Atmospheric physicist John Latham’s idea is more down-to-Earth, although whether it can provide a ‘solution’ to climate change remains up for debate. In the 1980s, Latham, now at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, realised that the Earth already had the hardware in place for reflecting sunlight back into space.
While some types of cloud have an insulating effect on the planet, others, such as the low-altitude stratocumulus variety that covers much of the world’s oceans, reflect incoming sunlight. Latham’s idea is to make the silver linings of those stratocumulus clouds a little bit more silvery, by injecting salt crystals into the atmosphere to seed the formation of the water droplets that comprise them. He claims, ‘one can produce a degree of cooling in a controlled way, to try and balance the warming produced by the burning of fossil fuels’. He calculates that to achieve the desired effect on cloud reflectivity would require treating them with ‘a cupful’ of salt per km2 per hour.
‘It’s a very interesting idea, and one that is based on sound cloud physics’, says Alan Gadian, climate scientist at the University of Leeds.
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/2097/
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
How to live long and prosper
25 November 2006 - New Scientist:
WANT to be the first one on your block to live to 100? You are in with a fighting chance if you're the first-born child of a young mother.
Natalia Gavrilova and Leonid Gavrilov of the University of Chicago sifted through data gathered on 991 centenarians born in the US between 1875 and 1899 and used US census and Social Security Administration records to reconstruct the family histories of 198 of them, searching for anything they had in common.
It turned out that first-born children were 1.7 times as likely as their siblings to live to be 100. An even stronger predictor of longevity was how young their mother was when they were born. Those whose mothers were less than 25 years old were twice as likely to survive beyond a century.
While the researchers aren't certain why this should be, they suspect younger mothers are less likely to have acquired latent infections during their life that could damage the health of the fetus. Younger mothers may also have better-quality eggs. "If the best, most vigorous maternal ova cells are used first - very early in life - this could explain why particularly young mothers produce particularly long-lived children," Gavrilov says.
WANT to be the first one on your block to live to 100? You are in with a fighting chance if you're the first-born child of a young mother.
Natalia Gavrilova and Leonid Gavrilov of the University of Chicago sifted through data gathered on 991 centenarians born in the US between 1875 and 1899 and used US census and Social Security Administration records to reconstruct the family histories of 198 of them, searching for anything they had in common.
It turned out that first-born children were 1.7 times as likely as their siblings to live to be 100. An even stronger predictor of longevity was how young their mother was when they were born. Those whose mothers were less than 25 years old were twice as likely to survive beyond a century.
While the researchers aren't certain why this should be, they suspect younger mothers are less likely to have acquired latent infections during their life that could damage the health of the fetus. Younger mothers may also have better-quality eggs. "If the best, most vigorous maternal ova cells are used first - very early in life - this could explain why particularly young mothers produce particularly long-lived children," Gavrilov says.
In the Shadow of Saturn - Yes, It's a Photo
APOD: 2006 October 16
In the shadow of Saturn, unexpected wonders appear.
The robotic Cassini spacecraft now orbiting Saturn recently drifted in giant planet's shadow for about 12 hours and looked back toward the eclipsed Sun. Cassini saw a view unlike any other. The night side of Saturn is seen to be partly lit by light reflected from its own majestic ring system.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Penn and Teller take down environmentalism
In case you missed this, they get hundreds of "concerned activists" to sign a petition to ban Di Hydrogen Monoxide, also known as water!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4480559399263937213&hl=en-CA
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Cargo Cult Science
Cargo cult science is a term used by Richard Feynman to describe work that has the semblance of being scientific, but is missing "a kind of scientific integrity, a principle of scientific thought that corresponds to a kind of utter honesty."
excerpt-
Cargo Cult Science: During the Middle Ages there were all kinds of crazy ideas, such as that a piece of rhinoceros horn would increase potency. Then a method was discovered for separating the ideas--which was to try one to see if it worked, and if it didn't work, to eliminate it. This method became organized, of course, into science. And it developed very well, so that we are now in the scientific age. It is such a scientific age, in fact that we have difficulty in understanding how witch doctors could ever have existed, when nothing that they proposed ever really worked--or very little of it did.
But even today I meet lots of people who sooner or later get me into a conversation about UFOS, or astrology, or some form of mysticism, expanded consciousness, new types of awareness, ESP, and so forth. And I've concluded that it's not a scientific world. ....
read the rest
Experience
"One should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it-and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove lid again-and that is well; but she will never sit down on a cold one anymore."
-M. Twain .
-M. Twain .
Friday, November 24, 2006
Thursday, November 23, 2006
What is wrong with this deal?
The Housing Bubble Blog: "A waterfront Mediterranean-style home on Treasure Island sat on the market for more than a year listed at $1.1 million. Finally, an offer came along the sellers couldn’t refuse: Someone wanted to pay $1.4 million.”
“But there was an unusual stipulation: $300,000 of the purchase price would go back to the buyers or to third parties, the listing agent said. It took three appraisers, all hired by the buyers, before one came back with an appraisal for $1.4 million. Relieved to finally sell the house, the owners went along with the deal.”
“Such home deals are sweeping the nation. The trend worries lenders, some who say they’ve unknowingly approved loans for inflated prices, and have since discovered they’re on the hook for mortgages worth more than the home. Industry experts say there are hundreds of problem mortgages yet to surface.”
“J.T. Pelt, company president and chief executive for Linsky & Reiber Real Estate and Title Services in south Tampa, said his agency didn’t do anything wrong, and if lenders missed the details it’s because they didn’t pay enough attention. ‘In retrospect, maybe I should have done more due diligence,’ Pelt said. ‘But I’m not the closing police.’”"
“But there was an unusual stipulation: $300,000 of the purchase price would go back to the buyers or to third parties, the listing agent said. It took three appraisers, all hired by the buyers, before one came back with an appraisal for $1.4 million. Relieved to finally sell the house, the owners went along with the deal.”
“Such home deals are sweeping the nation. The trend worries lenders, some who say they’ve unknowingly approved loans for inflated prices, and have since discovered they’re on the hook for mortgages worth more than the home. Industry experts say there are hundreds of problem mortgages yet to surface.”
“J.T. Pelt, company president and chief executive for Linsky & Reiber Real Estate and Title Services in south Tampa, said his agency didn’t do anything wrong, and if lenders missed the details it’s because they didn’t pay enough attention. ‘In retrospect, maybe I should have done more due diligence,’ Pelt said. ‘But I’m not the closing police.’”"
Green Business News - too good to be true?
Green Business News - an IT Week blog: Eneco details revolutionary power chip:
Speaking in a hotel conference room near Tower Bridge late last week Dr Lew Brown, president and CEO of Eneco, is trying to convince a roomful of sceptical investors that its new chip technology will revolutionise the way we generate electricity. It has to be said that he is doing a pretty good job.
As reported last week, Eneco is a development stage company that claims to have invented and patented a 'solid state energy conversion/generation chip' that will convert heat directly into electricity or alternatively refrigerate down to -200 degrees Celsius when electricity is applied.
Speaking in a hotel conference room near Tower Bridge late last week Dr Lew Brown, president and CEO of Eneco, is trying to convince a roomful of sceptical investors that its new chip technology will revolutionise the way we generate electricity. It has to be said that he is doing a pretty good job.
As reported last week, Eneco is a development stage company that claims to have invented and patented a 'solid state energy conversion/generation chip' that will convert heat directly into electricity or alternatively refrigerate down to -200 degrees Celsius when electricity is applied.
Will it work?
Well, on first impressions it just might. And it could have a massive impact on how IT equipment, and in particular laptops and other mobile devices, are designed and powered.
The chip is based on the principles of thermionic energy conversion whereby the energy of a hot metal over comes the electrostatic forces holding electrons to its surface. These free electrons then pass across a vacuum to a cold metal and in the process create an electronic charge that can be harnessed.
The main difficulty with exploiting this process at a commercial level has been in creating the vacuum between the two metals. But Eneco has overcome the problem by replacing the vacuum with, what the brochure describes as, "a properly selected semiconductor thermoelectric that is thick enough to support a significant temperature differential between the emitter and the collector in order to achieve efficiencies of practical interest".
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
This time it's different - really
When one hears the phrase "this time it's different" in conversation about a market, it is usually a sign of a bubble. But not always . . .
Peter Bernstein interview - Oct. 15, 2004:
Q: You've often written that something important happened in September 1958. What was it?
A: [For the first time in history,] stocks began to yield less than bonds, and it was not something tentative. The lines crossed without any period of hesitation and just kept on going. It was just, zzzoop! All my older associates told me that it was an anomaly and it could not last. To understand why that happened and what that meant -- and to recognize that what was accepted wisdom for a couple hundred years could turn out to be wrong -- was very important. It really showed me that you don't know. That anything can happen. There really is such a thing as a 'paradigm shift,' when people's view of the future can change very dramatically and very suddenly. That means that there's never a time when you can be sure that today's market is going to be a replay of a familiar past.
Markets are shaped by what I call 'memory banks.' Experience shapes memory; memory shapes our view of the future. In 1958, younger people were coming in who had a different memory bank. That's also what happened [in 1999] when tech stocks were enormously exciting; most of the new participants in the market had no memory of what a bear market is like, and so their sense of risk was muted.
Peter Bernstein interview - Oct. 15, 2004:
Q: You've often written that something important happened in September 1958. What was it?
A: [For the first time in history,] stocks began to yield less than bonds, and it was not something tentative. The lines crossed without any period of hesitation and just kept on going. It was just, zzzoop! All my older associates told me that it was an anomaly and it could not last. To understand why that happened and what that meant -- and to recognize that what was accepted wisdom for a couple hundred years could turn out to be wrong -- was very important. It really showed me that you don't know. That anything can happen. There really is such a thing as a 'paradigm shift,' when people's view of the future can change very dramatically and very suddenly. That means that there's never a time when you can be sure that today's market is going to be a replay of a familiar past.
Markets are shaped by what I call 'memory banks.' Experience shapes memory; memory shapes our view of the future. In 1958, younger people were coming in who had a different memory bank. That's also what happened [in 1999] when tech stocks were enormously exciting; most of the new participants in the market had no memory of what a bear market is like, and so their sense of risk was muted.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Monday, November 20, 2006
Bizarre:Cruise: I'll eat placenta
The Sun Online - News: Cruise: I'll eat placenta:
TOM Cruise has claimed he will eat the PLACENTA after fiancée Katie Holmes has their baby.
The actor, 43 — who wants her to give birth in silence according to his Scientology cult rules — said: “I’m gonna eat the placenta, too.
“I thought that would be good. Very nutritious. I’m going to eat the cord and the placenta right there.”
But when a GQ magazine interviewer said it would be a big meal, Cruise replied: “OK, maybe I won’t.”
TOM Cruise has claimed he will eat the PLACENTA after fiancée Katie Holmes has their baby.
The actor, 43 — who wants her to give birth in silence according to his Scientology cult rules — said: “I’m gonna eat the placenta, too.
“I thought that would be good. Very nutritious. I’m going to eat the cord and the placenta right there.”
But when a GQ magazine interviewer said it would be a big meal, Cruise replied: “OK, maybe I won’t.”
Lawsuit rumblings are starting
The Housing Bubble Blog
Lawsuit rumblings are starting: Were you sold a Puffed Overinflated Home Value by a Developer?
......................
The fun time has ended for Leonard and Joyce Sondheimer. In October 2005, the Bradenton couple bought a $338,900 MiraBay town home on Aberdeen Pond Drive. The bayside investment home with stone counters, hardwood floors and stainless steel appliances was sure to appreciate to half a million dollars. Or so the Sondheimers thought.
After a year on the market, no one has nibbled. Their Realtor chopped the price to break even. The tax bill alone on that single investment, $8,900 a year, is draining the Sondheimer’s nest egg.
‘I was retired and now I’ve had to go back to work. I’ve got to pay all these bills,’ Leonard Sondheimer said of his new job as a mattress salesman. ‘It’s getting sickening.’
Lawsuit rumblings are starting: Were you sold a Puffed Overinflated Home Value by a Developer?
......................
The fun time has ended for Leonard and Joyce Sondheimer. In October 2005, the Bradenton couple bought a $338,900 MiraBay town home on Aberdeen Pond Drive. The bayside investment home with stone counters, hardwood floors and stainless steel appliances was sure to appreciate to half a million dollars. Or so the Sondheimers thought.
After a year on the market, no one has nibbled. Their Realtor chopped the price to break even. The tax bill alone on that single investment, $8,900 a year, is draining the Sondheimer’s nest egg.
‘I was retired and now I’ve had to go back to work. I’ve got to pay all these bills,’ Leonard Sondheimer said of his new job as a mattress salesman. ‘It’s getting sickening.’
Sunday, November 19, 2006
visualcomplexity.com | The Voice
visualcomplexity.com | The Voice
The Voice
Author(s):
Lisa Jevbratt
http://jevbratt.com/skr/description_e.html
The Voice visualizes the words the users of the Art Council website are searching for on the site and in search engines in order to find the site, and a comparison of these words with the word usage at the office of the Art Council (for example words written in emails and read by the office staff on web pages).
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Friday, November 17, 2006
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Napoleon quotes and quotations
Napoleon quotes
Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
In politics stupidity is not a handicap.
From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Phyllotactic Patterns - Mother Nature is cool.
PhylloTrees: Phyllotactic Patterns for Tree Layout
Nature’s phyllotactic patterns inform the layout of hierarchical data. These naturally occurring patterns provide a non-overlapping, optimal packing when the total number of nodes is not known a priori.
The word phyllotaxis translates to the arrangement of lateral organs on plants. These can be leaves, needles, on a cactus, or seeds on a sunflower. There are several different patterns of how these organs can be organized. If you look carefully at the sunflower above you can see that the seeds form sets of spirals that can go in both directions. The number of opposing spirals that can be found are usually successors in the Fibonacci sequence.
Why Intellectuals Still Support Socialism
Mises Institute:
By Peter Klein
Intellectuals, particularly academic intellectuals, tend to favor socialism and interventionism. How was the American university transformed from a center of higher learning to an outpost for socialist-inspired culture and politics?
As recently as the early 1950s, the typical American university professor held social and political views quite similar to those of the general population. Today — well, you've all heard the jokes that circulated after the collapse of central planning in Eastern Europe and the former USSR, how the only place in the world where Marxists were still thriving was the Harvard political science department.
By Peter Klein
Intellectuals, particularly academic intellectuals, tend to favor socialism and interventionism. How was the American university transformed from a center of higher learning to an outpost for socialist-inspired culture and politics?
As recently as the early 1950s, the typical American university professor held social and political views quite similar to those of the general population. Today — well, you've all heard the jokes that circulated after the collapse of central planning in Eastern Europe and the former USSR, how the only place in the world where Marxists were still thriving was the Harvard political science department.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Money is not Wealth
Economics A-Z :
Not looking at money amounts in terms of constant buying power is called
money illusion. If you get a six percent "raise" and inflation is six percent you didn't get a real "raise."
Not looking at money amounts in terms of constant buying power is called
money illusion. If you get a six percent "raise" and inflation is six percent you didn't get a real "raise."
Money illusion
When people are misled by INFLATION into thinking that they are getting richer, when in fact the value of MONEY is declining. Whether, and how much, people are fooled by inflation is much debated by economists. Money illusion, a phrase coined by KEYNES, is used by some economists to argue that a small amount of inflation may not be a bad thing and could even be beneficial, helping to “grease the wheels” of the economy. Because of money illusion, workers like to see their nominal WAGES rise, giving them the illusion that their circumstances are improving, even though in real (inflation-adjusted) terms they may be no better off. During periods of high inflation double-digit pay rises (as well as, say, big increases in the value of their homes) can make people feel richer even if they are not really better off. When inflation is low, GROWTH in real incomes may hardly register.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Google Quote
Google: "The scientific name for an animal that doesn't either run from or fight its enemies is lunch.
- Michael Friedman"
- Michael Friedman"
How to Regain Control of a Spooked Camel
In some parts of North Africa and the Middle East, the camel remains the primary means of long-distance transportation. These remarkable animals are intelligent and strong, and they possess incredible endurance. They can also be quite fast: some camels can briefly attain speeds up to 40 miles per hour (64 km/h). While their speed makes them ideal for racing—camel races are very popular in many parts of the world—it can provide a camel rider with a harrowing, potentially deadly experience if a camel is spooked or otherwise begins to run out of control.
Regain-Control-of-Camel
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Stylish cottage for Katrina country is a hit
MSN Real Estate:
A well-designed home for under $50,000? This tiny house designed for the battered Gulf Coast will be sold by Lowe's, and is expected to draw buyers from all over.
By Ron Scherer, The Christian Science Monitor
A model home in Ocean Springs, Miss., that gives Katrina's displaced an alternative to trailer living is starting to take the country by storm.
The Katrina cottage -- with living quarters about the size of a McMansion bathroom -- is now appealing to people well beyond the flood plain. Californians want to build one in their backyards to use for rental income to help with the mortgage payment. Modestly paid kayakers in Colorado see it as a way to finally afford a house. Elsewhere, people envision building one so a parent can live nearby.
Flying in the face of a 'big house' trend, designers of these tiny abodes seem to have found a new housing niche. Some experts cite an interest by some Americans in downsizing their habitats.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Jim Rogers on India's problems
". . . the 'horrors of the ‘Inspector Raj', the bureaucratic system that subjects Indian companies to as many as 67 inspections a year by a succession of officials concerned with labour, tax, the environment and, of course, the steam boiler as regulated by the Indian Boilers Act of 1923..'
Jim Rogers, probably the most vocal and most visible commodities bull, spoke last week at the Next Generation of Commodity Investment conference in London. While an unabashed supporter of commodities markets, Rogers is evidently no fan of India:
'I just don't think it's going to work. The Indian government has reaffirmed that its priority is not the financial markets but the masses.. India doesn't like capitalists or foreign retailers.. It's a mess.'
Perhaps India's biggest problem on the road to wealth is the lack of a road itself, while China puts billions of dollars into upgrading its domestic infrastructure."
Jim Rogers, probably the most vocal and most visible commodities bull, spoke last week at the Next Generation of Commodity Investment conference in London. While an unabashed supporter of commodities markets, Rogers is evidently no fan of India:
'I just don't think it's going to work. The Indian government has reaffirmed that its priority is not the financial markets but the masses.. India doesn't like capitalists or foreign retailers.. It's a mess.'
Perhaps India's biggest problem on the road to wealth is the lack of a road itself, while China puts billions of dollars into upgrading its domestic infrastructure."
Friday, November 10, 2006
Need to do nothing?
Yelapa, Jalisco, Mexico
Welcome to Yelapa, Jalisco, Mexico
Nestled in the southernmost cove of the world's 7th largest bay, lies the peaceful village of Yelapa, Jalisco, Mexico. Although there is a road which leads to the pueblo, it is most easily accessible by boat. Transportation to the village departs daily from various locations in the Puerto Vallarta area. Yelapa's tranquillity is ideal for a laid-back vacation. The village is a blend of a South Seas island lifestyle, an artists retreat and a hippie hangout.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Bulls make money, bears make money, pigs get slaughtered
“‘Nobody wants to buy something that they think will cost less two weeks or two months later,’ said Toll Brothers CEO Robert Toll.”
Comment by RedSoxNation
2006-11-08 11:53:21
This sentiment — nobody wants to buy something that’s going to be worth less — explains buyer sentiment perfectly. Put another way: buyers are not waiting for prices to come down; they are waiting for prices to start rising again — only then will it make sense to buy houses in bubble markets. Sounds screwy, but it’s true — in bubble markets prices are so far out of touch with economic reality and fundamentals, the only way to buy a house is through aggressive financing, and the only reason to do that is because you believe the house will ultimately be worth more than you’re paying for it.
Comment by RedSoxNation
2006-11-08 11:53:21
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
The Silken Tent
She is as in a field of silken tent
At midday when the sunny summer breeze
Has dried the dew and all its ropes relent,
So that in guys it gently sways at ease,
And its supporting central cedar pole,
That is its pinnacle to heavenward
And signifies the sureness of the soul,
Seems to owe naught to any single cord,
But strictly held by none, is loosely bound
By countless silken ties of love and thought
To every thing on earth the compass round,
And only by one's going slightly taut
In the capriciousness of summer air
Is of the slightest bondage made aware.
by Robert Frost
At midday when the sunny summer breeze
Has dried the dew and all its ropes relent,
So that in guys it gently sways at ease,
And its supporting central cedar pole,
That is its pinnacle to heavenward
And signifies the sureness of the soul,
Seems to owe naught to any single cord,
But strictly held by none, is loosely bound
By countless silken ties of love and thought
To every thing on earth the compass round,
And only by one's going slightly taut
In the capriciousness of summer air
Is of the slightest bondage made aware.
by Robert Frost
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
quotes
An intellectual is a person who has discovered something more interesting than sex.
- Aldous Huxley
One should always play fairly when one has the winning cards.
- Oscar Wilde
It matters not whether you win or lose; what matters is whether I win or lose.
- Darrin Weinberg
It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place.
- H. L. Mencken
- Aldous Huxley
One should always play fairly when one has the winning cards.
- Oscar Wilde
It matters not whether you win or lose; what matters is whether I win or lose.
- Darrin Weinberg
It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place.
- H. L. Mencken
Monday, November 06, 2006
Five years and fifty percent off?
“Frank DeBose, part of the group behind the defunct 02 at Pinnacle Place, said, ‘We’ve put too much housing in the higher end.’ Buildings with high-priced units now under construction will probably have to drop their prices, he said. ‘Five years from now, the discussion is going to be about all those $700,000 and $800,000 condos downtown that you can buy for $300,000,’ he said.”
The Tampa Tribune. “State agencies are investigating potential mortgage and title fraud involving 36 unorthodox real estate deals in the Bay area. The deals aren’t an anomaly. ‘The reports we’re getting are incredible,’ said Doug Pollock, (who) investigates problem mortgages. ‘This scheme is hitting every county in Florida. It’s like people are going to classes to learn how to do this.’”
The Tampa Tribune. “State agencies are investigating potential mortgage and title fraud involving 36 unorthodox real estate deals in the Bay area. The deals aren’t an anomaly. ‘The reports we’re getting are incredible,’ said Doug Pollock, (who) investigates problem mortgages. ‘This scheme is hitting every county in Florida. It’s like people are going to classes to learn how to do this.’”
“How widespread are the inflated deals? The answer, industry experts fear, is that they’re everywhere, but there’s no way to determine the extent. ‘This is prevalent in some areas,’ said Brad Monroe, president of the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors. ‘It just makes you wonder how many of these deals are going on that we don’t know about yet.’”
The Housing Bubble Blog report from Tampa- St Pete.
The Housing Bubble Blog: "The St Petersburg Times reports from Florida. “Jeanne Gavish met with clients Ed and Earlene Young last week to tell them the housing market would soon come back to life. ‘You’re staring daggers at me,’ said Gavish, sitting in the Youngs’ living room. ‘No I’m not,’ said Young. ‘It’s just that we had this great expectation of selling in a heartbeat and we can’t believe we’ve found ourselves in a market that’s bottomed out.’”
“Gavish knows how she feels. The ongoing depression in the real estate market has transformed the lives of brokers and agents, said Gavish, the former president of the Hernando County Association of Realtors. Many of Gavish’s own investment properties have lingered on the market without buyers or renters. Attendance in a beginning real estate class at her Nature Coast Real Estate School ‘dropped off a cliff’ in February, she said.”
“The median sale price of houses in the area did not begin to fall until June, but has since slid more than $10,000.”
“But she isn’t ready to drop the price of the Youngs’ house. They bought it for $145,000. Their asking price of $229,000 is still valid, Gavish said, based on recent sales in Wellington and the added benefit of being on a cul-de-sac. Neither were"
“Gavish knows how she feels. The ongoing depression in the real estate market has transformed the lives of brokers and agents, said Gavish, the former president of the Hernando County Association of Realtors. Many of Gavish’s own investment properties have lingered on the market without buyers or renters. Attendance in a beginning real estate class at her Nature Coast Real Estate School ‘dropped off a cliff’ in February, she said.”
“The median sale price of houses in the area did not begin to fall until June, but has since slid more than $10,000.”
“But she isn’t ready to drop the price of the Youngs’ house. They bought it for $145,000. Their asking price of $229,000 is still valid, Gavish said, based on recent sales in Wellington and the added benefit of being on a cul-de-sac. Neither were"
10 Steps You Can Take To Guarantee Failure
link to full article
In the hustle and bustle of this technologically packed world you may decide you really don’t want to achieve any lasting success in your lifetime. So this is for all the people who want to have goals but not achieve them.
1. Make your goals vague
2. Make your goals difficult to visualize .
3. Think and speak negatively about your goals .
4. Avoid planning incremental steps .
5. Don’t Do - Talk.
6. Wait until you are motivated.
7. Don’t set a date.
8. List why it’s impossible .
9. Don’t research your goal.
10. Think of anything except your goal.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
How do you say ...?
Comparative table of languages and language profiles for the prospective learner:
excerpt-"Hungarian-Unique, highly demanding language that is the hallmark of an accomplished language lover. You may learn Spanish for many reasons, but Hungarian really shows you either love Hungary, or your love languages."
excerpt-"Hungarian-Unique, highly demanding language that is the hallmark of an accomplished language lover. You may learn Spanish for many reasons, but Hungarian really shows you either love Hungary, or your love languages."
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Friday, November 03, 2006
Ask Ms. Dewey - Slightly silly search engine
http://www.msdewey.com
Do you want to know why the sky is blue or why the moon is made of green cheese?
Ask Ms. Dewey.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Mencken and Twain - Two Curmudgeons
"The most costly of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind."
"No matter how happily a woman may be married, it always pleases her to discover that there is a nice man who wishes that she were not."
"If, after I depart this vale, you ever remember me and have thought to please my ghost, forgive some sinner and wink your eye at some homely girl."
H.L. Mencken
"Familiarity breeds contempt — and children."
"France has neither winter nor summer nor morals — apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country."
"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure."
Mark Twain
"No matter how happily a woman may be married, it always pleases her to discover that there is a nice man who wishes that she were not."
"If, after I depart this vale, you ever remember me and have thought to please my ghost, forgive some sinner and wink your eye at some homely girl."
H.L. Mencken
"Familiarity breeds contempt — and children."
"France has neither winter nor summer nor morals — apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country."
"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure."
Mark Twain
Christmas in NYC - 1994
C.J. Smith was a computer programmer slash aerobics instructor. She invited me to go to a Christmas Bach recital at a church on the Upper East Side. I’m Jewish.
The concert started at 11:30 A.M. on Sunday and I took a cab uptown from the West Village. On Sunday morning car traffic in NYC is light and the subways can take forever, if you happen to miss a train. My cab went west on 14th street and then turned uptown on Park. The cabby was motoring. I glanced at the driver; he looked Pakistani to me, but I can’t tell a Pakistani from and Indian by appearance. Hey, I can’t tell a Democrat from a Republican either.
The church was on Park Avenue near 85th or so. Traveling on the northbound side, I saw the Church on the southbound side. I told the cabbie,” Turn left, turn left!” He turned across Park Avenue. Another cab was coming down Park and both cabs hit their brakes. The cabs missed colliding by 6 feet and both drivers jumped out ready for an argument. Then they recognized each other and smiled; they were from the same town back home in Pakistan.
I paid the driver and walked into the Church. I almost crossed myself. A Jewish guy going to church on Sunday and two crazy Moslem cabbies almost got me killed.
The concert started at 11:30 A.M. on Sunday and I took a cab uptown from the West Village. On Sunday morning car traffic in NYC is light and the subways can take forever, if you happen to miss a train. My cab went west on 14th street and then turned uptown on Park. The cabby was motoring. I glanced at the driver; he looked Pakistani to me, but I can’t tell a Pakistani from and Indian by appearance. Hey, I can’t tell a Democrat from a Republican either.
The church was on Park Avenue near 85th or so. Traveling on the northbound side, I saw the Church on the southbound side. I told the cabbie,” Turn left, turn left!” He turned across Park Avenue. Another cab was coming down Park and both cabs hit their brakes. The cabs missed colliding by 6 feet and both drivers jumped out ready for an argument. Then they recognized each other and smiled; they were from the same town back home in Pakistan.
I paid the driver and walked into the Church. I almost crossed myself. A Jewish guy going to church on Sunday and two crazy Moslem cabbies almost got me killed.
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