@Smitros: Ha! i like it. one last kick at the can before inflation kicks in, and what is now lower household debt service crossed with record high levels of household debt load suddenly turns into the second reckoning of bernake. #moneymatters
@Artur Van Asinine: You may misoverestimate me. If you can unpack/exemplify that a little I'd be grateful. In any event, we're free of non-mortgage debt and can diversify into goats and guns, or goats and crossbows, anyway. #moneymatters
@Smitros: yesh. i tend to do that to myself, myself. too?
anyway, all these low rates around the world have allowed folks to rack up additonal debt that they might not have otherwise been able to afford... be it mortgage debt in some markets, lines of credit, other loans etc. this has provided the desired support in the housing market, as well as provided cash for clunke...i mean cash for spending. great depression averted.
so, historically low interest rates have led to much higher debt loads, though the cost of carrying that higher debt load is cheap. so the cash flow situation in the household is quite all right.
but, when inflation kicks in at some point in the next 18 to 24 months, and rates begin to rise...all that super high debt load that was very affordable isn't affordable anymore (hey wait, i think we've heard this record before)... kaboom. large scale economic problems could once again abound.
policymakers are hoping the recovery in the economy 18 to 24 months from now will be strong enough to absorb this second shock to the system...
at that stage, your wise diversification into goats and projectile weaponry will be awfully handy! #moneymatters
So it's another bubble-popping/passed buck, with greater hell to pay later, analogous to what happened with adjustable-rate mortgages in the larger subprime Cluster F. #moneymatters
Hmmm, I think this is a garbled reference to a passage in "Life of a Homesteading Woman" (I'm reading it now on my poor-man's kindle -- the iPhone!) wherein some nice ladies made flour bags into chemises and rice bags into panties for a less fortunate young homesteading lady who had no fashion with which to woo men. They also traveled into town (which took a week!) to buy her some sandals and hair ribbons to go with her finery.
@themediatrix: Servicey, thanks. Some folks believe, though, that cell phones will overtake designated reading devices, hence projects like [cellstories.net.]#thepoors
Well, her husband and my gg-something were best friends. Basically it tells the story of why you shouldn't pump millions of dollars into moving tailors from Kiev onto the prairie without teaching them how to farm, or keep warm without having to sleep with animals. #thepoors
@Uncle_Billy_Slumming: (I'm really going to have to stop complaining about grammar in others' writing if I'm going to write crap sentences like these) #thepoors
Wow, her life sounds incredibly challenging. The chronicle I'm currently reading takes place in the west, and in many ways, I think California is just an easier state to thrive in for a variety of reasons.
I can't wait to check this out, thanks!
(I'm digging these homesteading stories lately. So weird how much life has changed in the U.S. and so amazing what these people accomplished to the benefit of the rest of us.) #thepoors
I think that if you are a tea-bagger, Ayn Rand follower, Glenn Beck fan, or have been saying that the Obama administration is socialist, you shouldn't accept the check. Walk the talk. #thepoors
@Little Green Frog (Wise Latina): If only. Our health care budget crisis would be instantly solved as the legions of spit-flecked Olds would have proudly cancelled their Medicare benefits with the defiant war cry, "Teabag THAT, Socialists!" #thepoors
I knew a cute kid with an easygoing personality whose parents took him on some modeling auditions. I lost track with the family for a while, but when I googled the kid to see what had happened, it turned out he was an incredibly talented jazz violinist at the age of 14, and remarkably well adjusted and self-possessed (according to some friends who had met him at "fiddle camp"). So...probably not so easy to generalize with this one. #kidsthesedays
I used to think it was cruel that six year olds were forced to make my Kathie Lee Giffords. The Gifford overlords in Malaysia probably have this photo hanging up in the sweatshop, and if anyone gets a case of crankypants or needs a nap they threaten the offender with the dress in the after photo - "you think your life is so tough crybaby, have you ever tried tap dancing while twirling a baton in a taffetta, nylon, bejeweled travesty like this on a hot Texas afternoon? I thought not, now back to the sewing machine and stop crying." Then they run an endless video loop of Carrie Prejean crying over the injustices she's suffered to show the Malaysian kids how they've truly been blessed by God. #kidsthesedays
Uhm, people are confusing the Evil that is Baby Beauty Pageants with child models- i.e. children who get paid to wear clothes for the Gap and JCrew, or appear on toy boxes and in advertisements. Those kids aren't orphans found on the street- they have parents! This ain't a new thing. #kidsthesedays
@MissBuckyC: Bogus modeling agencies for children are also an age-old scam. Not to mention that the idea of making four-year-olds work so their upper-middle-class parents can "save money" makes me stabby. #kidsthesedays
@MissNormaDesmond: I know there are tons of scam artists out there (a friend of mine got scammed one time) and people should research any "agency" that approaches them. Number one red flag is any agency that asks for money upfront.
I also believe as long as any money made from modeling goes into an account for the child, and not used to line the parent's purse, that's ok (though any money in the bank under a child's name could be deducted from college financial aid). I worked for a small toy company and we would do our own photo shoots. The kids we brought in were all well behaved and the parents were cool.
It's just REALLY different than "Tots 'n' Tiaras." That's the shit that makes ME stabby. #kidsthesedays
i read that net t-bill, note and bond issues might go as high as $444 billion for the fourth quarter, which is nasty for anybody into long term treasuries and even more fraught when you consider how unlucky of a number 444 is in china. oops. game reset! #trendwatch
The best way to tell if your child will be a good model has nothing to do with looks. They need an incredible amount of patience, be able to concentrate (or at least pay attention to the shiny thing, predictably) and need to follow directions to a tee. If they don't have it, don't even try. #kidsthesedays
@meechybee: Yeah, my kid's adorable but I have no illusions about him being model material. Unless it's action photography of a whirling dervish. #kidsthesedays
@adiam7: I have in the past -- in my annual report days (when the budgets were good and companies actually printed their reports). So I've had enough experience with models of all ages to know that one bad model can ruin an entire day's shoot.
A kid need to be a kid on camera, let their personality come through, and have fun with the process. Otherwise, parents will do more harm than good trying to make stars out of them before they even know what they like.
@meechybee: this is good! I was asking because someone from Wilhelmina gave me a card for my nephew who is nothing short of absolute gorgeousness. I guess he would have the temperament since he is such a sweet kid, but he does not have the time. He has soccer, basketball and swimming . They go on at different times of the year. He also has wrestlers he needs to tend to and friends he needs to get with. There is the new added responsibility of a fish, frogs and a very active snail.He also devotes a great deal o f time to eating and planning on eating. I guess the runways will have to wait . #kidsthesedays
@adiam7: My nephew is very much the same (cute despite our gene pool, well mannered, etc.) -- but I know he has have much more fun on the ball field than he ever would in the studio. #kidsthesedays
@SidAndFinancy: I would go to a bar with children waitresses dressed like the one above on any day of the week. It would make me feel like a huge, well dressed, giant with great hair. #kidsthesedays
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anyway, all these low rates around the world have allowed folks to rack up additonal debt that they might not have otherwise been able to afford... be it mortgage debt in some markets, lines of credit, other loans etc. this has provided the desired support in the housing market, as well as provided cash for clunke...i mean cash for spending. great depression averted.
so, historically low interest rates have led to much higher debt loads, though the cost of carrying that higher debt load is cheap. so the cash flow situation in the household is quite all right.
but, when inflation kicks in at some point in the next 18 to 24 months, and rates begin to rise...all that super high debt load that was very affordable isn't affordable anymore (hey wait, i think we've heard this record before)... kaboom. large scale economic problems could once again abound.
policymakers are hoping the recovery in the economy 18 to 24 months from now will be strong enough to absorb this second shock to the system...
at that stage, your wise diversification into goats and projectile weaponry will be awfully handy! #moneymatters
11/06/09
So it's another bubble-popping/passed buck, with greater hell to pay later, analogous to what happened with adjustable-rate mortgages in the larger subprime Cluster F. #moneymatters
11/05/09
11/05/09
Maybe it's a brand I don't know, or maybe we're entering a world where beans are considered a frill. #thepoors
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Hmmm, I think this is a garbled reference to a passage in "Life of a Homesteading Woman" (I'm reading it now on my poor-man's kindle -- the iPhone!) wherein some nice ladies made flour bags into chemises and rice bags into panties for a less fortunate young homesteading lady who had no fashion with which to woo men. They also traveled into town (which took a week!) to buy her some sandals and hair ribbons to go with her finery.
Very creative, those homesteaders! #thepoors
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[www.iupress.indiana.edu]
Well, her husband and my gg-something were best friends. Basically it tells the story of why you shouldn't pump millions of dollars into moving tailors from Kiev onto the prairie without teaching them how to farm, or keep warm without having to sleep with animals. #thepoors
11/05/09
11/05/09
OMG -- coooool!!!! It's on my list now.
Wow, her life sounds incredibly challenging. The chronicle I'm currently reading takes place in the west, and in many ways, I think California is just an easier state to thrive in for a variety of reasons.
I can't wait to check this out, thanks!
(I'm digging these homesteading stories lately. So weird how much life has changed in the U.S. and so amazing what these people accomplished to the benefit of the rest of us.) #thepoors
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I also believe as long as any money made from modeling goes into an account for the child, and not used to line the parent's purse, that's ok (though any money in the bank under a child's name could be deducted from college financial aid). I worked for a small toy company and we would do our own photo shoots. The kids we brought in were all well behaved and the parents were cool.
It's just REALLY different than "Tots 'n' Tiaras." That's the shit that makes ME stabby. #kidsthesedays
11/04/09
11/04/09
11/04/09
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11/04/09
Lady Gaga? #trendwatch
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A kid need to be a kid on camera, let their personality come through, and have fun with the process. Otherwise, parents will do more harm than good trying to make stars out of them before they even know what they like.
Oh yeah, and I love this sketch...
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