State Democrats’ budget: raise taxes on the rich and the stupid

“If we don’t hang together, by Heavens, we shall all hang separately”
Benjamin Franklin

Although perhaps that’s just one category, assuming the rich stay here to be fleeced. Democrats propose adding Keno to their budget bag, and raising taxes, again, on “Gold Coast” residents.

“Why should we continue to enjoy any sort of advantage over New Jersey or New York?”, Governor Dannel Malloy asked FWIW. “All three states need to serve the poor, and for our state to lure successful people away from our neighbors just enriches us at their expense. That’s both undemocratic and despicable. Solidarity forever!”

Sarah finds John a companion

A friend of Sarah’s has a new puppy, but he works during the day, so Sarah’s arranged for the pup to spend that time with John. It’s all good.

John, by the way, just spent a week on St. John’s accompanying some friends who were traveling to a music gig – they helped him down to the island and during his stay, and on his journey back. It was a grueling 14-hour trip each way, but John came back in great spirits and refreshed. So for all who have contributed to the John Fund, know that your generosity is being put to good use.

Per Sarah:

There’s a lot of terrible stuff going on in this world…but there’s also my brother being smothered in puppy kisses.

The only thing that depreciates faster than a new spec house is a Range Rover

4 Holly Way

4 Holly Way, Cos Cob (off Cat Rock) sold new in 2005 for its full price, $4.295, in just 13 days. It’s new to the market today, asking $3.895. Understandably,the sellers are not using the broker who sold it to them ten years ago.

Coming to Whole Foods this summer – if it’s not already here

A fool and her husband’s money are soon parted

New cleanser of the year: artichoke water.

Coconut water is so last summer. This year is all about the fresh, cool waters of artichoke – yes, artichoke!

Flavoured and functional waters have been a big hit with the healthy hippy crowd for a couple of years now, with coconut water turning into a $400 million (£260m) a year trend in the US alone last year.

But 2015 is all about the vegetable you’d normally chuck on a pizza or throw into a salad if you were feeling fancy.

‘In particular, artichokes contain cynarin and silymarin (milk thistle) which are the ingredients that detoxify and support the liver. Silymarin has even been shown to have a beneficial effect in patients with liver disease.’

The California company who has jumped on this trend first is Arty Water, which has mixed this antioxidant, vitamin C and potassium-rich vegetable with filtered water, spearmint,and blue agave nectar to offer – what its hopes – is a tasty enough libation to quench the thirst of health nuts and grow into a big business.

It’s been rumored, all evidence to the contrary, that a high percentage of lady Whole Foods shoppers hold college degrees. Degrees in what?

 

Bad news for trendy, early-adopters

Don’t worry, I’ll buy you an iPad when they come out: probably in 90 years

Tattoos interfere with Apple Watch’s capabilities.

Since the Apple Watch uses your heart rate to determine whether you’re wearing it, you might not be able to use Apple Pay, receive notifications, place calls, or use certain apps if you have tattoos on your wrists.

Some Apple Watch wearers on Reddit and Twitter complained about the tattoo issue, and Apple blog iMore confirmed that the problem exists.

The issue stems from the way that the Apple Watch senses your heartbeat. According to Apple, the back of the Watch rapidly flashes green and infrared light at your skin, which gets absorbed or reflected by your red blood. When your heart beats, there is more blood in your wrist, and there is less blood between beats. By sensing the timing between your heartbeats, the Apple Watch can calculate your heart rate.

As it turns out, solid-colored tattoos — particularly red ones — also absorb the green light and reflect red light. Black tattoos, which absorb both green and red light, can also screw up the Apple Watch’s heart rate sensor.

Never hurts to look in on your vacation home once in a while

Going,going, gone!

Martha’s Vineyard summer resident finds squatter living there- and she was holding yard sales of his possessions.

I like the bit where, having been chased away by the angry owner, she returned later that day to resume living there, on the assumption that he’d left. What, forever? Let bygones be bygones?

Sheesh.

On and off the market since 2006, a house finds a (rich) buyer

77 Zaccheus Mead

77 Zaccheus Mead, $9.995million, reports a contract. 9,000 + square feet.

Hillcrest Park sale

108 Hillcrest, $1.299, 13 days. Not one of the original one-acre lots, this one’s just 0.28. But that’s what you get for a starter home these days.

Funny, ha-ha, I gave a price opinion over here a couple of months ago, and opined that the home,on a full acre, might fetch between $1.3 and $1.350. I might have to revise that upwards.

Why does everything bad always happen to him?

Some call it treason

Obama’s new nuclear allies, the Iranians, seize cargo ship in international waters as it sails through Strait of Hormuz.

I may have to subscribe to HBO just to catch this show

Greenwich Country Day applicant, replaced as per request of GCD parent. On a scale of 1-10 on sensitivity, I’d give this a 9.

Mad Men episode:

Fans of the show also got a final glimpse of Pete’s ex-wife, Trudy (Alison Brie), who called Pete, panicked, because their daughter, Tammy, was not admitted to the Greenwich Country Day School. Pete thought he could pull rank because some members of his family had attended it, but the headmaster revealed that Tammy had performed poorly on a standardized test and would not be getting in. The encounter ended badly, with Pete punching the headmaster, but he scored points with the social-climbing Trudy.

Had they asked, HR would have told them there are better ways to can an employee

It’s the chunks that are disturbing

Maintenance worker cooked up with 12,000 pounds of tuna.

Next week, volunteers to watch paint dry

Zzzzzz

Bruce Museum looking for people to watch turtles.

And in two months, they’ll ask people to watch a soccer game.

What happened to the butterflies and rainbows?

Twitter of the day:

If I had a son, he wouldn’t be doing this

Poor guy must have confused Riversville Road with Round Hill

329 Riversville Road

Comptroller imprisoned for embezzlement.

A Greenwich man was sentenced to four years in prison for a scheme to embezzle $9 million from the hedge fund where he was employed.

Lawrence Herzing, 45, went before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in Bridgeport on Friday to plead guilty to one count of wire fraud. In addition to the prison time, he was ordered to make restitution for the money he stole.

Herzing’s residence has been forfeited, along with funds taken from his personal accounts, totaling more than $5 million. After prison, he must spend three years of supervised release.

Herzing was the controller for Contrarian Capital Management in Greenwich. He was accused of using his position to wire money from his employer to accounts that he controlled on 32 occasions between 2004 and 2013.

Town property records say Herzing purchased a residence at 329 Riversville Road in 2013 for $2,575,000.

329 Riversville is that failed spec house just about underneath the Parkway. It was abandoned,foreclosed, completed and sold to this guy and his stolen funds. I guess it’ll be back on the market soon. I suggested long ago that it was a bad bargain; now it’s got bad ju-ju too. I’d skip it.

But here’s happy news

Fountain peasants do their thing

My Ma’s memorial celebration will be held this Saturday at the Riverside Yacht Club from 1-3:30 (but you’ll have to clear out then to make way for the club’s new money-raiser, a Kentucky Derby party). All are welcome.

Just so you know, I’m searching for real estate news – nothing happening

Some rentals,some price reductions on rentals and other than that, blah.

The crazies advance other step

PETA victims

NY judge recognizes chimpanzees as legally protected individuals. Not just living creatures protected by animal abuse laws, mind you, but as beings with the same rights as humans. This is all about, ultimately, banning the use of animals for drug testing. I’d have no objection if we could test new cancer cures on PETA members – it would speed up development by at least a decade, but so far, I’m not seeing any volunteers from their ranks.  Instead, PETA and its allies just seem to want all of us, humans and animals, to die in a state of equality: “A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy”. That’s PETA’s position, and shame on anyone who sends even a nickel their way.

It may take a few years, but this can ultimately only be good for Greenwich real estate values

Back to the future

NYC proposes decriminalizing “minor” crimes, such as urinating in the street, and drinking alcohol in public. I’m sure the squeegee bums will soon be returning to the intersections.

I really don’t understand New York’s city counsel – don’t they want to protect the residents, especially the poorer ones? Folks in the projects are subjected to the worst crime, the most deplorable conditions in the city, yet their representatives insist on encouraging the worsening of lawlessness in those areas. Bizarre.

This is pretty goddamn nice of them

Everyone in the Youngman’s pool!

Byram Park pool closed for summer. Junior League members to open their private pools to residents.

Or at least, I assume they will.

It was inevitable