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Gary Harrington of Oregon Jailed for Illegal Rainwater Reservoirs on His Property {AOL Real Estate}
Aug 13th 2012 7:36PM "What we're after is compliance with Oregon water law, regardless of what the public thinks of Mr. Harrington," Paul told the Mail Tribune
Hmmm...I thought laws were suppose to reflect public consensus.
Photo of the Day: Austin sunset {Gadling}
Mar 8th 2012 12:50PM Not exactly gorgeous. Looks like something out of a Tim Burton movie. Interesting at best.
Debt to Income Ratios, Diving Deeper {AOL Real Estate}
Mar 7th 2012 9:27AM The percentages for the housing expense ratio is roughly the same one used over 25 years ago and is quite out of date. With the extreme rise in other costs of living the housing expense ratio needs to be lowered significantly or adjusted on a sliding scale. If a person spends roughly 25% of their pretax dollars on housing, what does the other 75% get spent on? Ignoring the things most people put last (savings, home maintenance and unexpected expenses)there are still other expenses associated with living and working. Those expenses have more than tripled over the past 25 years. Gas prices are not going down, which means food price won't and neither will the cost of heating and cooling a home or other items people buy everyday. Bottom line in reality for a middle income working family today 90% of their income will simply go to living. Using the example in this article a person or God help them family with $5,000 in monthly pretax earnings cannot possibly afford $1,400 a month in mortgage loan payment unless they do not own and never plan to own a car. How likely is that for a person buying a $200k or more home? I'm surprised that this faulty ratio is still being presented as sound financial information. The example in this article only serves to further raise hardworking individual's expectations of what the income can substain and lead them to a life of debt and working to keep up with payments of which they will never see the end.
Report: Tobey Maguire Named in Illegal Gambling Lawsuit {PopEater}
Jun 22nd 2011 11:26AM Puleez. This is ultimate in ridiculous. The people that unwisely invested with Ruderman of SOL. If the scam artist investor had lost the money in a casino they couldn't get it back. If he had purchased some perishable items they wouldn't get it back. Ruderman's clients should realize they gambled (legally) by investing in a crook and they lost. When will people get it...investing is the ultimate gamble and investing through a third party amplifies the risk.
Boy Delivers Motivational Speech After Learning to Ride His Bike {ParentDish}
Jun 2nd 2011 12:27PM I have a kid and too many nieces and nephews to count. This is so not adorable or cute or funny. I did find myself wondering why the dad asked if he had any "words of wisdom". Really? The kid just learned how to ride a bike. You're asking for something he doesn't have...encouraging him to pretend like he does...and sharing it with the world like it's something great. It wasn't. I think I would have enjoyed actually seeing him ride the bike more.
City Bans Breast-Feeding Children Older Than 2 in Public {ParentDish}
May 19th 2011 8:59PM I agree. It is a private choice and should be done in private. I breastfed my son for over a year and never once had the need to feed him in public. I planned his feeding for when I could do it privately. Occassionally it meant going to my car or another out of the way place, but it was possible to be considerate of the general public. I'm amazed at women that think just because it's natural it has to be done publicly.
Living Without: Could You Go a Year With No Dishwasher? {Shelterpop}
May 9th 2011 12:03PM I've gone 4 or maybe even 5 years without using my dishwasher. I honestly wish I could take it out and have the cabinet space. I recently thought I'd use it to see if everything was still in working order. Sadly the Cascade dishwashing detergent that had been sitting under my sink all these years had settled into a semi solid block at the bottom and a clear liquid at the top. There was no using it and I don't want to buy more...to not use. I'm planning to update the kitchen and a few years. Just can't decide whether to update and eliminate the dishwasher (making potential resale difficult) or update an appliance I don't use (just sounds stupid).
Is 'Idol' Castoff Pia Toscano Dating 'Dancing' Pro Mark Ballas? {PopEater}
Apr 11th 2011 11:53AM She's a voteoff. In any case, whenever someone uses the phrase "rich and famous" I wonder why they still think like the 1950's. Most of the "famous" people today aren't actually rich and there a far more really rich people no one has even heard of. Some past Idol winners and contestants are making a living, but rich??? Doing better than Walmart does not make some one rich.
Police Use Pepper Spray to Subdue 8-Year-Old at School {ParentDish}
Apr 6th 2011 11:33AM Only 1 out of 9 people so far think the pepper spray was excessive. So all is not lost in this country. I'll bet he will have a little more self control next time.
Frugal Fatigue: Why I'm So Over Money Saving Tips {Shelterpop}
Apr 1st 2011 7:52AM Agree...just crap from #1 to #5. What the write has is Envy Fatique and she should get over it. Because I'm frugal I CAN write a check spur of the moment IF I want to or need to. The research I do allows me to enjoy purchases because I know I've purchased wisely. I do buy brand names on the things that matter, but I buy them at the best price possible. I also understand that many times the latest and greatest gadget is just the quickest way to separate a fool from their money. Recently sitting around a large table with friends half the people had out either their IPhone or Blackberry. One person lamented that she had IPhone 2 so couldn't get certain Apps. She sadly said "I paid $200 and now people can get my phone for $50. I can't wait until I can get the new IPhone." The thing is contrary to what it seems "everyone" doesn't have the latest and greatest gadgets. Half the people at our table of 15 people just had regular cell phones and some of the people with the fancy gadgets had an old version of that new gadget. There is no downside to being frugal. In the long run and in the now being frugal is the only sensible way to live.
