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Yankee

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Everything posted by Yankee

  1. This wise and wonderful woman thanks you! But, actually, women can now have babies at any age, even 67. http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/At-67-...5810840446.html
  2. Dr. B: Yes,the pendulum has sometimes swung too far in the other direction. But that means we should repair the clock, not toss it out. Perhaps we can agree on that? Progress has been made for women, but, unfortunately, we have to remain vigilant. I used to think such vigilance was unnecessary. If you look at the platform of the Progressive Party during the 1948 U.S. presidential election, you'll see that although that party was often ridiculed for its positions, every one of the items on the platform (except universal health care) has come to be in America. I thought, therefore, that the Western world at least would continue to become more progressive and tolerant, no matter who was in charge. Then George W. was elected. It is really scary what's going on here now, on so many levels. One aspect of this HPC site that I find so interesting is that many of the social liberals (like me) and the social conservatives (perhaps you) agree on a vision of community. A place where people know and care about each other, can get most of their necessities within walking distance, have jobs that don't take them away from their families, have decent and affordable housing, etc. I'm always looking for common ground (but, then, I a liberal!), and I think that may be it.
  3. As I tell my children and their friends: Follow your passion and the money will follow. Maybe not a lot of money, but enough to make you happy. You're also more likely to find kindred spirits that way. By the way, yoga is great for quieting the spirit and helping you find out what's really on your mind.
  4. Wow! Look at all the fun that went on while I was asleep here in the States! Too many points to address, really. But, let's see if we can agree on some generalities: *Both genders are responsible for our materialistic society. (Stereotypically speaking, if women waste their money on shoes, men waste it on electronic gadgets. I don't believe either stereotype, by the way.) *Both women and men can get financially shafted by divorce. (Children get shafted the most.) (Stastistics do show, however, than women tend to fare much worse financially after divorce than men.) *Both men and women can be frugal. Both men and women can be loving. *Both genders can also be brave, noble, and all those other Arthurian-knight things that Dr. B cites. *Gender stereotypes seen on television do not necessarily reflect reality. Come on, guys, SATC and Desperate Housewives are fantasies. Do some women live that lifestyle? I'm sure they do. Do most? No way. (And, by the way, there is no way any multi-billion industry is run by women. An occasional show with a female writer does not make the entertainment industry female-run.) Dr. B: I find it strange that you don't quote from Faludi's "Backlash" book. Why not? Now, as for feminism. I get so tired of having to define feminism to people who claim it means "man-hating." It doesn't, although anti-feminists like to claim it does (Please read Faludi's "Backlash.") Are there some feminists who hate men. Yes. But the vast majority of us love them! Feminism is about economic equality. It's about having equal options--including staying at home with the kids. Here are some of the reasons I, a Baby Boomer, became a feminist: * Law and medical schools had a 10% quota on women applicants when I was in college. * A woman in my college dorm drank a liquid drain cleaner in the hopes of self-aborting her baby. This was before Roe vs. Wade. She almost died. Other women did die. * When I was a young woman, a woman who was raped was said to have deserved it. Rapists (even stranger rapists) often receive short or nonexistant jail terms. (Interestinly, I remember that Britain was far behind the U.S. in changing its attitudes toward rape. If I recall correctly, a case of an American woman raped in Britain helped change that attitude.) * Also when I was young, men could beat their wives with no legal consequences. * During college I worked as a part-time secretary for a (married) politician. When I turned down his offer to spend a weekend at his cabin, he had me fired. There were no legal remedies for me at the time. * My single aunt was denied a home mortage because she was not married. She ended up renting her entire life, although she worked as a secretary for the same company for 50 years and was never late on a single bill in her entire life--even during the Great Depression, when she supported both her parents. * When I was young and thinking of a classical music career, major orchestras either didn't allow women musicians at all or, if they did, not not permit them to play first chair. I could go on and on. This is the environment out of which feminism sprang. And, hey, Elizabeth: You go, girl! I'm a generation (or half a generation) ahead of you, and I say if you want to wear pink and fluffy, then go for it! And if you want to go to medical school or buy your own home or play first bassoon in the London Philharmonic (while dressed in pink!), then go for that too! Every time I vote, I silently thank all those women who marched and sacrificed their own lives 100 years ago to give me the right to vote. When I paid off my mortgage, I silently thanked those women decades later who fought to give me the right to own my own home. And, frankly, when my daughter graduates from law school this spring, I will thank myself for marching and fighting for her rights when I was young.
  5. Maybe that's because they can afford such things. They can also afford their own homes. http://www.usatoday.com/money/2006-02-14-w...uses-usat_x.htm
  6. Fortunately, I don't take all these women-are-spendthrifts-and-thus-ruining-the-lives-of-their-male-partners comments on this site personally. But every once in a while I despair at what I read here. Let me ask it again: Where are you guys finding such women? All my women friends (of all ages) are frugal and loving. They're not driving their husbands/boyfriends over a financial cliff. Many of the postings make it sound like women are all materialistic morons who live to shop. Come on. Get a grip on reality, guys. If those are the only women you know, then you're looking in all the wrong places. And whose fault is that? I expect more from you, Dr. B.
  7. Oprah has just put America on a "Debt Diet." http://www2.oprah.com/money/debtdiet/money...diet_main.jhtml
  8. There are many great quotes in this article (from the NYTimes). For example: "The Great Condo Gold Rush is fading from memory and the Great Sell-Off has begun." "'I hate it when people say prices can never go down,' said Mr. LLosa, a resident of the building. 'The speculators make the profits more volatile.'" "...weakness in the condo market, he said, 'is a consistent indicator that the great boom has really ended.'" "For those buyers who had dreamed of quick riches, the change in the market has come as a sobering lesson." "Ms. Qureshi said she regretted her investments. If she had to do it all over again, she said she would have spent more money on travel and a new car. 'I would have been more carefree and invested once I had a family,' she said." [FTBers, take note.] "Already, the rate of appreciation in some of the hottest markets for speculators has slowed. In San Diego, the median home price (the exact middle of all prices) rose at an annual rate of just 2.5 percent in January, compared with 20 percent a year earlier, according to DataQuick Information Systems, a research firm. Last week, in a sign of a broader slowdown in the housing market, Toll Brothers, the luxury home builder, said orders for new homes fell by nearly 30 percent in the three months ended Jan. 31. On Monday, KB Homes also said that orders were down significantly and that more buyers were canceling contracts." "Some brokers say that speculators have unrealistic profit expectations. 'I think a lot of sellers are saying I should make X percent,' said Eve Thompson, an agent with Long & Foster in Fairfax, Va. 'But your chances of being able to do that are as good as going to Oracle and telling them you want more for your stock.'" "For now, the bumper crop of properties is a boon to buyers. In San Diego, Tom Hinks, a 21-year-old who is looking to buy a condo downtown, has realized he can take his time. His approach might scare some sellers. Since Mr. Hinks started looking four months ago, he has viewed 30 condos. 'I've actually liked quite a few of them," he said. "But every day it seems like the prices are starting to trim down so I don't want to pay too much.'" Here's the link to the entire article. Not all of it is bearish (an impression is left that detached homes won't be affected as much), but I think the bulls quoted may be engaging in wishful thinking. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/17/business...article_popular
  9. The worst viewings I've had in Britain during the past couple of years have been in the homes of elderly couples who are desperate to sell their homes. The homes were all overpriced, and often their furnishings and condition were quite depressing. Sometimes the couples invite me to tea and tell me the sad story of why they have to move. I always tell the couple how lovely their home is, however, and then mumble some excuse about the currency exchange not favoring my buying a house very soon. I also reassure them that they're sure to sell the home. Later, I give the estate agent an earful, however, about the need to price the homes more realistically. :angry: In the States, the owners are almost never in the house during viewings. It makes the experience much less wrenching for me as a potential buyer. Off topic: In the small area where I'm hoping to eventually buy, two homes that went STC two months ago went back on the market this weekend. I looked at both last fall. Overpriced.
  10. You aren't going to believe this story: "After their $540,000 house in Prior Lake had been on the market for three slow months, Holly and Sean Ploeger were willing to do anything to sell it. So in December, they pulled up soil at the base of their For Sale sign and buried a little statue of St. Joseph in a plastic bag upside down and looking away from the house (the direction they want to go). "At this point, nothing can hurt," Holly Ploeger said. "It gives us something to hope for because nothing else was working." St. Joseph has become an icon to nervous homesellers who believe -- or want to believe -- that burying his statue on the property will bring the saint's intercession, and a sale. Today, Super Bowl Sunday, is often considered a kickoff to the spring real estate market. Agents say activity so far suggests the market could be as busy as last year's near-record pace. But sales of the statues suggest that sellers aren't quite so optimistic....." Here's the link: http://www.startribune.com/417/story/226664.html
  11. This is exactly the pattern that happened during the last crash. Can one of the HPC historians refresh our memories? Newbies to this site would particularly benefit (e.g., not panic into thinking that prices are spiralling back upwards) by a little historical perspective. I'd have preferred to wake to better housing news today, however. I'm thinking I have to leave this country soon. Alito is going to be confirmed to our Supreme Court today , and our president is going to tell us the state of our union tonight.
  12. A friend just called to say that today's Wall Street Journal has an article on the falling British housing market. Does anybody subscribe? Can you give us a summary and some snippets?
  13. Don't forgot to figure in all the other expenses associated with owning a home. Keeping a house in good shape costs money--much more than most people budget for. You can't just equate a mortgage payment to a rent payment. There's taxes, insurance, and repairs. Endless repairs. I'm always amazed when people brag about how much equity they've built up in their homes--without deducting the tens of thousands they've spent on a new roof, modernized kitchen, updated electrical workings, etc. I keep track of that money, so I'm a bit more humble about how much money I've "made" on my home. Isn't there an old Cary Grant movie called "The Money Pit"?
  14. But why isn't that happening now? The pound is gaining strength along with the euro against the dollar this week. It seems to me that the pound is simply riding the coattails of the euro. That leads me to think that the markets believe Britain will raise interest rates, too. Otherwise, why would the pound be gaining along with the euro? I guess I can't have my cake and eat it, too. If Britain raises interest rates, then the pound won't fall back down to its historic average of around $1.60. A strong pound is not good for me, because it increases the cost of my house purchase in England. But, a raise in interest rates will help along the HPC. So that is good. I'd like both to happen, of course--a falling pound and an HPC. Not going to happen, it seems.
  15. The pound seems to be riding the Euro's coattails. Does this mean less pressure on Britain to raise its own interest rates? I'm depressed. I need an HPC in Britain and a stronger dollar to purchase in England. Dollar hit by rate differential fears By Leslie Wines, MarketWatch Last Update: 2:54 PM ET Jan 23, 2006 NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - The dollar was under pressure Monday afternoon, after new speeches from Federal Reserve and European Central Bank officials suggested that the difference between U.S. and euro-zone rates could shrink this year. Sentiment was further dented by complex international developments, including Iran's nuclear strategy, Russia's debt repayment plans and Canada's elections Monday. The euro, trading just below a four-month high, rose 1.4% to $1.2299 as the dollar shrank almost 1% to 114.492 yen. In intraday action the euro managed to briefly bolt above $.123, a level not seen since mid-September, 2004. Some analysts believe the euro in the next few weeks will run up to the $1.25 to $1.26 level. See full story. "We would have to say there is a confluence of events conspiring against the dollar," said Michael Woolfolk, a senior currency analyst at The Bank of New York. Woolfolk said the biggest factor weighing on the dollar are new remarks by central bankers that suggest the European Central Bank might become more aggressive on raising rates this year, even as the Fed winds up its cycle of rate increases. St. Louis Fed President William Poole earlier suggested that the market is anticipating a Fed rate increase on Jan. 31 with a 50% probability of another in March, and then not much beyond that. Poole labeled it a reasonable assumption, "which is perhaps the closest any Fed officials have come to suggesting the peak on rates for now," said Steve Barrow, chief currency strategist at Bear Stearns. European Central Bank council member Christian Noyer earlier said euro-zone rates are low by historical standards and that the ECB will do everything necessary to maintain price stability, according to Action Economics. Noyer's remarks fueled speculation the ECB may turn aggressive on rates this year. ECB executive board member Lorenzo Bini Smaghi over the weekend clarified his policy stance, saying that he doesn't contend that interest rates must rise. Rather, he said, he believes the ECB must act in response to data on a month-by-month basis. The dollar also was hurt by new remarks made Monday in London by New York Fed President Timothy Geithner. He indicated that monetary policy can't reduce the financial imbalance created by the twin deficits, said Action Economics. The dollar fell 0.08% against its Canadian counterpart to C$1.1491, as the market awaited news of Canada's parliamentary elections. Last week, the Canadian dollar rallied on hopes that the pro-business Conservative Party will attain a majority. But ABN Amro said in a research note Monday that investors and traders should be on the alert for possible negative comments on the Canadian currency from Conservative leader....
  16. Yikes. Maybe I should sell my U.S. house.
  17. The scuttlebut here in the U.S. is that our esteemed (cough) President wanted to fire John Snow after last year's reelection campaign, but Bush couldn't find anybody else (who the markets would accept) willing to take the job. All the hot-shot economists know we're heading into serious problems and they don't want to be at the helm when the country tanks.
  18. Are you talking to me? I never said I was insulted by any comments here. I'm just annoyed by some of them. That's okay, though. Most of the time, I just ignore them. And I can't stay annoyed at the Chuz for long. If I recall correctly, he's made a couple very endearing comments about his mother. Men who are kind to their mothers also tend to be kind to their wives. (There's a stereotype for you.) If I had another daughter, I'd send her his way.
  19. I guess what I'm objecting to most, Chuz, are statements (and I don't actually recall if you made any of these) in which women are portrayed as being financial idiots because of their overpowering need to "nest." Phooey.
  20. Chuz: Those are just anecdotes. Some women are "nesters." Some men are, too. I know plenty of men who love hanging around their homes on weekends, fixing things up, gardening, cooking, having quiet time with their wives/girlfriends and children. What is "nesting," anyway? A desire for a sanctuary. Men and women both share that desire. And, as far as I'm concerned, it's the relationship that creates a "nest," not whether the home is rented or bought. And certainly not stuff. Again, I get pretty fed up sometimes with the generalizations that are made about women on this site. I don't where you guys are looking for mates (American translation: girlfriends/wives), but, if I were you, I'd try looking elsewhere.
  21. Would you guys get off this "nesting" thing? Women can (and are) just as smart (often more so) than men about money and big purchases. Where are the statistics to back up this "women are nesters, therefore they force their husbands/boyfriends into making unwise house choices" theory? Studies? Surveys? Anything other than anecdotal junk science. Maybe this is a cultural thing. Nobody I know in the U.S. talks about women this way. I know this is sort of a half rant, but, frankly, I get tired about how women are often stereotyped on this site.
  22. I know from past experience that many of you have no interest in what's going on in the U.S. housing market, but there are some interesting articles in today's NYTimes and Washington Post that I think should interest you. I'm wondering if parallel things are going on in Britain. Here, for example, is an article about a couple who are upgrading their home, knowing that they probably won't be able to sell the home for what they put into it. (Click on the video for a quick and fascinating summary, including a mention of slowing housing prices.) http://nytimes.com/2006/01/02/business/02h...artner=homepage Notice how much house you get in the U.S. (even in a very expensive New York suburb) compared to what you get in Britain. This is why I'm holding off buying in England. There's no value in homes there right now. There's also a fascinating article in the Washington Post about how IT companies are moving their businesses to small towns. (The article talks primarily about small towns in southern Virginia; Northern Virginia is a suburb of Washington, D.C., where homes are overpriced.) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6010101034.html Why isn't this happening in Britain? Finally, Paul Krugman (my favorite economist) has written a great column today called "No Bubble Trouble?" Unfortunately, you have to subscribe to the Times to read the whole thing. Here are some excerpts. (His "Zoned Zone" includes the Northeast Corridor, coastal Florida, much of the West Coast and "a few other locations." Slightly under 30% of Americans live in the Zoned Zone, he says, and this is where the housing bubble is occurring.) "In spite of record home prices, housing in most of America remains surprisingly affordable, thanks to low interest rates. That fact may seem to say that there's no housing bubble. But it doesn't. To see why, we need to brush up on our economic geography and economic history... ...if we want to ask whether housing values make sense, data on the median house nationwide are irrelevant. We need to focus on houses in the Zoned Zone. And there the numbers are anything but reassuring. In the Zoned Zone, the story that rising home prices have been offset by falling interest rates is all wrong: prices have risen so much that housing has become much less affordable. According to Economy.com, the cost of owning a home in the New York metropolitan area went from 25 percent of median income in 2000 to 38 percent today. In Miami, the numbers were 21 percent and 42 percent, respectively; in Los Angeles, 31 percent and 55 percent. Even so, the current cost of owning a home in the Zoned Zone isn't entirely unprecedented. Roughly similar percentages of median family income were needed to afford houses in the early 1980's. But that's hardly a comforting comparison, which is where the economic history comes in. You see, the unaffordability of housing in the early 1980's led to an epic collapse in the housing industry. Housing starts fell from more than 2 million in 1978 to only 1.06 million in 1982. And the housing implosion was one of the main factors in the worst economic slump since the Great Depression, which brought the unemployment rate to a peak of 10.8 percent at the end of 1982. It's also worth noting that the reason housing was so expensive in 1981 and 1982 was that mortgage interest rates were extremely high. That made recovery easy, because all it took to make housing affordable again was for interest rates to return to normal levels. This time, with interest rates already low by historical standards, restoring affordability will require a big fall in housing prices. So here's the bottom line: yes, northern Virginia, there is a housing bubble. (Northern Virginia, not Virginia as a whole. Only the Washington suburbs are in the Zoned Zone.) Part of the rise in housing values since 2000 was justified given the fall in interest rates, but at this point the overall market value of housing has lost touch with economic reality. And there's a nasty correction ahead." That's it. I'm under deadline. Have to get back to work....
  23. After 17 years of marriage, a husband (or wife) shouldn't need a "strategy." They should simply be talking openly about all issues and coming to an agreement (including, if required, some kind of mutally agreed upon compromise) about what makes the best sense for the family. The wife here seems to be acting extremely irrationally. I can't imagine any woman (well, any woman I know) telling her husband that she's going divorce him unless they buy a home. She seems very shallow. I guess there's all sorts of marriages out there.
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