Hmm – not sure I like this

Republican candidate for Attorney General, Martha Dean,  sounds kind of like a nutcake. At least, I always thought that parents who went crazy over child custody matters were entirely self- centered and indifferent, despite their protests to the contrary, to the best interest of their child. I don’t know much about her Demmerkrat opponent, George Jepsen but I think I’ll dig around and see if I can support him.

I met him yesterday at ShopRite and, sure that I remembered him, asked whether we’d attended UConn Law together. His negative reply was quite frosty (turns out he went to Haaarvard), but in fact, I do believe we were both GHS grads of 1971. We attended school together somewhere, to the best of my memory and he might be worth voting for – a union-friendly Dem might still make a better Attorney General than a whacked out ex-wife. Maybe. What a choice.

UPDATE: Jepsen was born a year after me – 1954 , I’m 1953 – so we were not classmates. But I find it curious that his official biography makes no mention of where he attended high school. If it was, as I believe, Greenwich, is he embarrassed to admit it?

If it’s too good to be true, it isn’t

Ponzi schemer brings down hundreds, who now face bankruptcy, foreclosure, and the IRS.

BRIDGEPORT — —

In hindsight, it was all too good to be true. Twenty percent quarterly returns on diamond trades. Huge profits from the sales of foreclosed businesses. And much of it was tax free, according to the official-looking contracts prepared by the man who claimed to be putting the deals together.

That man, suburban-Hartford liquor store owner Michael S. Goldberg, pleaded guilty to fraud charges Monday and faces more than 15 years in prison for orchestrating what turned out to be a multimillion-dollar swindle that experts said is likely to force many of his victims into bankruptcy and cost them their homes and savings.

In addition, Goldberg also is likely to be ordered to make at least $30 million in restitution to his victims and could be fined up to $175,000 under the terms of a plea agreement he reached with federal prosecutors.

I guess

From InstaPundit comes this link: Dog park lighted by dog poop. Gotta love scientists. And dogs.

More on our cops (and firemen)

Some poor truck driver’s transmission blew this afternoon, right in front of our office driveway. I observed the guy’s legs sticking out into Sound Beach Avenue while he poked around under his truck  so I went into the street to divert traffic (once a Boy Scout, always a Boy Scout). When he came out, stand-up fellow that he was, he asked where he could contact the fire department about the transmission fluid spewed onto the street. That was easy – I walked him down to the fire house and within maybe two minutes we had a fireman at the site and one minute later, a policeman arrived to relieve me of my traffic duty. Hardly an emergency, but an impressive response time. As noted below, sometimes it really can be a matter of life and death. Our schools may be going to hell, but we still have great safety services. Let’s work on the schools.

Chesire home invasion trial begins

Horrific story, of course. What strikes me is that, after Mrs. Petit, forced to withdraw $15,000 from her bank, told the teller what was happening at her home and 911 was called, it took thirty minutes for the police to respond. That made the difference between life and death for her and her two daughters. Here in Greenwich, the police would have been there in three minutes. We get what we pay for and, my snarkiness aside, don’t think I’m not grateful for our cops’ service.

Coffee plunges

Traders long on coffee are about to lose their shirts. Can we consumers expect lower prices? I doubt it; prices seems to rise when coffee goes up, but I’ve never seen them go down.

It’s about Time

Thanks a bunch. The author points out that Time was touting homeownership in 2005, just as the market was beginning to fall. Thus, this dismal piece may be evidence that the market is about to regain its footing.

Here’s a more typical situation

31 Copper beech

Purchased for $3.025 in 2005, listed at $2.995 this year, dropped today to $2.750.

Someone still has money

80 Lower Cross

15,000 sq. ft. of builder stuff, asked $17 million in ’09, dropped to $15 million and now has a contract. Whatever.

Some bargains are emerging

8 Wyckham

Reduced from an original asking price of $5 million to, today, $2.999. That’s its assessed value which, I remind you, is supposed to be 70% of its 2005 market value. I much prefer the house next door, but that was taken off the market after failing to find a buyer in the high $5’s (I think it was well worth at least that much, but I’m not the market). Anyway, this one, 10,000 sq. feet, is looking pretty good.

Keeping an eye on Perryridge

18 Perryridege (clouds supplied by realtor)

I’ve mentioned this spec house before. The developer paid $1.325 back in the gold rush days, tore down the existing house and build anew, bringing this one to market at $4.650 million. Today he’s dropped it to $4. 295 which, to me, still seems way too steep for Perryridge. Ed Krumeich lives on that street, for heaven’s sake! Who would pay this kind of money to live with a Demmerkrat and ambulance sirens?

It’s a new market

39 Doubling Rd

David Ogilvy unloaded this place (an Ogilvy listing) on his client for full asking price, $6.250 in 2007 – just 12 days on the market.Three years on, it was put back up for sale (by brother Gideon and George Crossman, both of Cleveland, Duble and Arnold) for $5.999 and today it was cut to $5.495. You can almost hear David snickering, all the way from St. Bart’s.

A good divorce will do that

390 Round Hill

Former Met Bobby Bonilla originally listed this place for $7.5 million and later dropped it to $6.995. Today he lopped off another million, so all four acres, with pool and house, are yours for $5.995. It’s a nice house. Assessment is $3.713, so it might be worth testing just how eager Mr. B is to finalize his divorce.

Someone’s hurting

443 North Street

Back in the glory days, this one-acre parcel was listed for $1.895 million. It’s now going as a short sale for $800,00, which might almost be worth it. Assessment is in the $9’s.

I’d vote for her, maybe

Christine O'Donnel

A Tea Party candidate giving fits to the GOP  in Delaware . Almost lost her house to foreclosure, has an IRS lien filed against her – who can’t identify with that?

Chump change

A fool and his money

Russian billionaire paid $95 million to the Donald for this ugly house, and now his wife wants her half. Trouble is, it’s worth maybe half of what the idiot bought it for.