Chinese drywall? You’re f’d

It seems to be a southern problem, but these homeowners are screwed; wiped out, and no one’s going to pay.

Asshole

Massachusetts woman and her husband torture an alligator for two hours, finally shoot it with a .22 and then stab it to death. I’m a hunter: this is not a clean kill.

That was quick

On the 11th, I posted this story of a bogus lawsuit about an idiot claiming he’d found a used tampon in his cereal. Today, a reader sent this link - the suit’s been dropped.

Mezuzas and Gentiles

Nice story in the New York Times about gentiles “inheriting” mezuzas from former Jewish owners. They take care of and respect them. Happy Yom Kippur, if that’s permissible.

A Mighty Wind

Simply awful, soppy reporting (has the NYT fired all its editors? Never let girls write about trees, flowers or pets, would be my rule) but still: thousands of trees were destroyed in that micro-storm last evening. I guess we paid our dues last March. Glad we missed this one.

I don’t like this any more than I do muslims plotting against the Pope

Stamford man arrested by Greenwich Police for threatening President. It’s all very cryptic, but I assume the Greenwich Police were involved because the man came to our town. Conyers Farm? Who knows? Details will no doubt follow.

UPDATE: A reader sends along this link, which includes Frankie Fudrucker’s starring role in the arrest!

A religion of pieces

Britain: police arrest five muslim terrorists (six, now) in plot to assassinate Pope. I don’t like these people.

Lightning rods

Greenwich Time reports that yesterday’s fire on Cognewaugh Road was caused by a lightning strike. I used to always see lightning rods on farms and barns in Maine, Vermont and out west, but I don’t see them around here (nor do I have them on my own house). Is it just a rural practice?

The Hill: Tea party’s already won

The author even figured out it has nothing to do with Barack Obama being black!

Even before Christine O’Donnell handily defeated Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) in an epic upset Tuesday night, the Tea Parties, all of them, had already won. No matter what happens in the midterm elections on Nov. 2, the Tea Party has moved the Democrats to the right and the Republicans even more so, and President Obama’s agenda is dead.

Anger from disaffected conservatives who sat quietly through eight years of the surplus-to-deficit presidency of George W. Bush bubbled up immediately after Obama took office. All it took was the unprecedented $787 billion stimulus package, and before Obama could mark his first 100 days in office, a movement was born. Some of the already angry yet newly active were libertarian supporters of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), and almost all of them were fuming over the Troubled Asset Relief Program of 2008, the bipartisan bailout of Wall Street that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) voted for and that his running mate, then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), supported.

New York vs. Ct closing costs

Courtesy of Elizabeth Douthit at Round Hill Partners (and Gentry Capital), here are closing costs for the two areas. (I’m leaving out attorney fees etc, which are similar)

Purchase Price: $2,000,000                           Mortgage Amount: $1.250

Expense Item                                                        NY                                        CT

Property Tax      (6 mos)                                    $14,000                             $5,500

NY St Mortgage Tax                                            $16,250                               N/A

NY St Mansion Tax                                            $20,000                                N/A

Bottom line, adding in pre-paid interest, attorney’s fees, insurance, etc., figure $75,822 for New York, $25, 429 for Connecticut

Real estate activity (this is supposed to be a real estate blog)

I was out at open houses and then showing houses the past two days -here’s some catching up, although activity has been light.

329 Sound beach Ave

Sold, $1.490 (June contract). Original asking price $1.695, Assessment, $1.594.

Contract: 32 Meadowcroft, 2.2 acres, under contract to Mark Mariani, the builder. Asking price, $4.2 million. Hmm. He’s done very well on this street (off of Clapboard Ridge) so I defer to him.

Price reduction, 37 Maher Avenue, now $4.850. Original price (2008) $6.950. Nice house, nice street, but let’s not be ridiculous.

16 Round Hill Road

Accepted offer. I showed this yesterday but it already has an accepted offer. Came on just last Friday for $4.2 million. Assessment, $3.496. Beautiful home. You can still sell a house in this market – just price it right.

I can’t keep up

When did gypsies become “Roma”?

My bad

I haven’t been keeping up with the Bovina Bloviator for a while (he wasn’t posting frequently) but he’s been busy recently. Love this one: The Taliban has been ripping up the Koran and using its pages to wrap heroin for resale.

And this: Arlo Guthrie is a Republican/ Libertarian – my man!

I do love the Internet.

The small investor flees Wall Street

As well he should. Crooks and manipulators, all. When you sit at the gambling table and can’t figure who the chump is, it’s you.

Why?

South Korea sends food to the North. Bring it down.

Fine: I’d prefer that the kids learn to read

GHS teacher honored for founding “Diversity Week” at the school. It’s better than the time wasted on the state-mandated “fluoride swish and spit” program, but five days devoted to teach kids not to be prejudiced? What the hell are parents for?

LA Stimulus

$111 million, 55 jobs, or $2 million per. You still think tea party folks with no plan can’t do better?

This is just horrible

West Point Grad, former officer, shot to death by idiot cops.

Strategic default on mortgages: most Americans don’t approve

But I think most Americans are wrong. I was taught to never welch on my debts and I know my father, had he taken out a mortgage (he never did) would have paid it off regardless of the value of his house compared to his debt, but that was then, this is now.

I think Tim Cavanaugh, whom I link to above, has the right take on this:

The question shouldn’t be whether strategic default is acceptable but whether 300 million innocent people should be made to pay nearly a trillion dollars to keep bad borrowers and stupid bankers from enduring the consequences of their own decision. And based on the evidence visible in polls, election results and street theater since 2008, most Americans find that unacceptable. But maybe that just makes them devoted libertarians who are so disengaged from political reality that they don’t want a hunky strongman president to save the economy from a total financial meltdown.

Clear these houses out, reset the board, and let’s move on.

Tea Party thoughts

Faith Middleton, NPR

I didn’t sleep well last night (probably because of the excitement of Obama visiting town) so I ended up listening to NPR. Pretty funny. First up was the Faith Middleton show. I’m sure Ms. Middleton is a fine woman but she was absolutely hysterical on the subject of the tea party, repeatedly referring to them as “ultra-conservative”  ”ultra, ultra-conservative”, and pressing her guest on how on earth they could possibly stop them. She then took a call from another woman, someone disappointed in Obama, and immediately the two ladies were in firm agreement that the tea “party” formed only, and solely because a black man had been elected president. Racists! Racists! They’re all racists!!!  They were foaming at the mouth by the time the clock ran out.

Middleton’s show was followed by another one in which a Republican strategerest was interviewed, and that was even more amusing. The Republican establishment, this guy said, is completely baffled by the tea party – how to appeal to them? Who’s their leader? Where’s their leader? Will they vote for Mitt Romney and if not, who should the Republicans run for president in two years?

The biggest fear of Middleton, her caller and the Republican was that Sarah Palin was somehow going to end up as our next president. I’m not a particular fan of Palin but to witness brains exploding on the left and in the Republican party is just plain fun.