EPIC Fail III
Permalink | Tweet This! | | December 8, 2008 by John in Consumer, In the News, Money
53% of rescued borrowers default anyway (hat tip, Stacy):
WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than half of delinquent homeowners whose mortgages were modified earlier this year ended up redefaulting within six months, a top bank regulator said Monday.
Some 53% of borrowers with loans modified in the first three months of 2008 and 51% of those with loans modified in the second quarter could not keep up with payments within six months, according to U.S. Comptroller John Dugan, who spoke at a housing conference.
Is anybody really surprised? Last I heard/read the banks who received bailout funds are just hanging on to them, not using them to relieve debt or make new loans as intended. This whole thing is just a CF.
Be Afraid
Permalink | Tweet This! | | December 3, 2008 by John in Consumer, In the News, Money
The Worst Is Yet To Come: Anonymous Banker Weighs In On The Coming Credit Card Debacle:
Today, we are bailing out the banks because of their greedy and deceptive lending practices in the mortgage industry. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. More is coming, I’m sorry to say. Layoffs are being announced nationwide in the tens of thousands. As people begin to lose their jobs, they will not be able to pay their credit card bills either. And the banks will be back for more handouts.
If the government would just bail me out on my last credit card (that seems to be taking forever to pay off) I promise I’d stimulate the economy more with those “extra” hundreds of dollars freed up each month. Honest.
I Love Despair (Inc.)
Permalink | Tweet This! | | November 21, 2008 by John in Consumer, Humor
After a few years hiatus I’ve ordered a calendar for next year from Despair, Inc.. I love that they let you pick the Demotivators for each month now. I also love their attitude:
Again, thanks for your recent order from Despair, Inc.
If you have received this email, it means that your credit card information proved valid and that your order has been sent. You might assume now that we have your money that you’re in for better treatment. You might also assume that if you try really hard, you will succeed. But your assumptions would, in both cases, be completely wrong. And that is why you REALLY need our products.
A Nation Mourns
Permalink | Tweet This! | | October 15, 2008 by John in Consumer, Interesting/Trivia
Sad, sad economic news: Mother’s Cookies has shut down. Mother’s produced Iced Oatmeal cookies, Mini Chocolate Chip cookies, and the grand old favorite of many, the Iced Circus Animal cookies.
Iced animal crackers are like crack cocaine to me. It is a sad day indeed. Now excuse me while I run to the store…
UPDATE: J.D. at Get Rich Slowly adds the following:
All is not lost, however. The Naked Loon did some emergency grocery shopping and located two alternatives to Circus Animals: Keebler Frosted Animal Cookies and Franz Frosted Animals. The former weren’t any good, but the latter were almost as good as the real thing.
Whew! That’s a relief.
Shoppin’ Like a Guy
Permalink | Tweet This! | | October 5, 2008 by John in Consumer, Money
4 pairs of “dockers” on sale: $119.96
4 long sleeve button-down shirts sale: $119.96
1 jacket for Fall/Winter on sale: $69.99
Total: $309.91
Shoppin’ like a guy for a complete work wardrobe twice a year: priceless.
Made a quick trip to the big and tall store in Missoula on Saturday. The pants are not all the same color this time. Two are black and two are navy. Almost picked up lamb leather jacket but I didn’t want to spend the $200 and sometime soon I’ll have a credit at the Leather Store. The jacket is hooded parka style, waterproof and windproof but no insulated liner. I have plenty of fleece to go under it. Still need new shoes for work. I think I’ve been using the same ones for a couple years. It’s great to be a guy sometimes.
I’m a god-Damned Precog Sometimes
Permalink | Tweet This! | | February 25, 2008 by John in Consumer, Video Games
A couple weeks ago over on BonnevilleAmerica.com, in a thread about Blu-ray vs. HD DVD (hey, it’s winter - we have to have something to talk about), I was saying the Xbox360 HD DVD add-on drive might be worth it if it dropped below $50. At the time it had been lowered from $179 to $129 in the wake of several companies announcing they would discontinue carrying HD DVD discs (Netflix, BestBuy, et al). WELL… (emphasis mine):
Feb. 25 (Bloomberg) — Microsoft Corp. plans to stop making HD DVD players and cut the price of existing supplies by more than half after the leading promoter of the high-definition video format conceded defeat to Sony Corp.’s Blu-ray last week.
“From tomorrow, we will cut the price to $49,” said Grace Chou, a Taipei-based spokeswoman for the Redmond, Washington- based company. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 game console includes a standard DVD player, and customers can buy an HD DVD machine to use with the console at $119.99 through retailers such as Amazon.com.
Nerdgasm, #27 in a Series
Permalink | Tweet This! | | by John in Consumer, Entertainment, Household
This Star Wars Inspired Desk would be so much cooler if it acted as a PC casemod, too:
Tom Spina Designs created this custom Star Wars inspired desk for the studio office of Mark Hall, from the Grammy award-winning group Casting Crowns. Underneath the 1/2″ thick glass table top, a carved Han Solo emerges from below. Metal and fiberglass construction with a heavy glass top create an elegant and extremely unique piece of furniture.
Fast Food: Ads vs. Reality
Permalink | Tweet This! | | February 8, 2008 by John in Consumer
I don’t know what’s more worriesome about this photo comparison, the fact that I eat most of the foods pictured on a regular basis, or that even the “real” versions are making my mouth water even though I just finished lunch.
Each item was purchased, taken home, and photographed immediately. Nothing was tampered with, run over by a car, or anything of the sort. It is an accurate representation in every case. Shiny, neon-orange, liquefied pump-cheese, and all.
(via too many sites to mention)
A System for Everything
Permalink | Tweet This! | | November 6, 2007 by John in Consumer, Money, Of a Personal Nature, Pets
A couple of boxes arrived in the mail yesterday from Dillard’s. The local store’s selection in the big and tall section has been dwindling for years now, so I just end up ordering my clothes online. I still order from them because I know which sizes of their house brands fit. I hate ordering clothes online; it’s hit or miss on the quality and fit. Even printed t-shirt sizes and quality vary widely.
Bubbles Keep Burstin’
Permalink | Tweet This! | | August 15, 2007 by John in Consumer, Household, Money
Subprime Meltdown: Countrywide, America’s Largest Mortgage Lender, May Have To File For Bankruptcy
“If enough financial pressure is placed on Countrywide or if the market loses confidence in its ability to function properly then the model can break, leading to an effective insolvency,” Bruce wrote. “If liquidations occur in a weak market, then it is possible for Countrywide to go bankrupt.”
I’ve been waiting to see this in the news. Countrywide is where I have my (FHA) mortgage.