tigra

That's interesting. One reason I made a career change (I used to close residential real estate closings- purchases, refinances and equity loans) was that I was really sick of the predatory nature of the business (and some of the mortgage brokers I had to work with on a daily basis.) There were days when I really needed a shower when I got home! When I purchased my home last year, the fixed rates were so good, and I didn't think I'd be moving any time soon, so I didn't even bother looking at the ARM products. IMO, the Negative Amortization ARM products are really only good for the very informed and disciplined consumer. All too often, that's not the target market for those products! (And DON'T get me started on prepayment penalties!)

There are a lot of different ARM programs out there. The traditional ARM has a life time cap and annual adjustment caps as you describe. Perfect for a first home you really don't plan on staying in for too long. But the ones that offer "too good to be true" initial interest rates typically adjust more frequently (monthly) while the payment amount adjusts annually. Your interest rate ins increasing while your payment isn't, resulting in unpaid interest being tacked on to your principal balance. If you aren't paying attention to your monthly interest rate or if you are just making the minimum payment required, after a few years, you could end up owing significantly more than what you borrowed. And typically, instead of caps on the interest rate, the caps are on the monthly payment amount. (As in, regardless of how high the rate is, your minimum payment won't go any higher than "x", which really just gets you in more trouble with the negative amortization.) They aren't necessarily bad loans for the right consumer, BUT the advertising for them is deceptive at best.

OMG! Kitty Porn!!

I don't know a whole lot about Habitat for Humanity specifically, but the intent seems good. I used to do residential closings for a title insurance company and we did a lot of work with HUD, so I have a pretty good idea how they work in that respect. And I've worked with many other "first time homebuyer" programs out there that provide down payment assistance if you meet their criteria. There's always a "catch", and the owner occupancy requirement is a biggie. Of course, there will always be people who will try and take advantage and work around the system. (and there will always be lawyers who will then come up with more forms and make it harder and harder to qualify for the programs......)

Typically, programs that offer low cost or forgivable first or second mortgages have provisions that call for owner occupancy for at least 3 years, and full or partial repayment of the debt if the owner occupancy provision (or any other provision) is violated or if the property is sold for profit within a certain time frame, some even call for reversion of title back to the agency. There are usually other provisions as well, just as there are on any mortgage you sign. The house and/ or funds are not given with no strings attached. The provisions and restrictions are placed of public record and are essentially a lien on title.

I agree too. I think maybe part if the reason more guys said yes to that question than women is that women don't consider a one night stand a "date". (And generally don't want to fess up to one night stands, either, where as guys have no problem bragging about them! And of course this is just a gross generalization, too, so don't flame me too bad!)

I remember coming home from work to find my brand new (and first ever NEW) car covered with eggs and paint. I think the punks that did that should have been publicly flogged. And I remember the American kid in Thailand who got caught vandalizing public property, (I think that's what he did) and he got caned. Oh the public outcry! But the freakin' brat got what he deserved. I think judges ought to be allowed some creative leeway when it comes to sentencing for the less violent offenses, where putting someone in prison may not be appropriate, and a fine or probation will have little impact. I believe in letting the punishment fit the crime. Like making someone convicted of drunk driving (first offense) work in a burn unit, or clean out bed pans at a rehab center. Or making a slum lord actually live in one of his tenements. Or publicly spanking a punk who vandalized a car! But, it will never happen!

Is it just me, or have there been a LOT of similar stories in the news lately of police officers seeming to use a lot of force against unlikely people for very minor offenses? Pregnant women, senior citizens, etc? Wasn't a pregnant woman recently detained and forced to lay on her stomach for talking to loudly on her cell phone while riding a bus? And police used a tazer on another pregnant woman at her wedding reception? Don't know if its a trend or just that thanks to the internet, it gets more widely reported. I have a hard time believing that using a tazer on this little old lady was the best option. Of course, I wasn't there so who knows?

Tags and collars can come off pretty easily, and dogs can sneak out and go a pretty good distance before you realize they're missing and THEY realize they're lost. It happens, so try not to pass judgment on the owners. Of course, people also abandon and abuse their animals. Still, you should assume every stray has a family and make every effort to reuinte them. (That Lassie movie can STILL choke me up when I see it!) Sounds like Spizzarko is trying to do that, but he's proceeding with caution because he feels like this dogs has been through some tough times. Keep us posted!

"Found" ads always used to be free, and I'm sure there are local agencies you can notify as well. Personally, I'd do that instead of signs around the neighborhood. The people who lost their dog would be posting signs and calling all the local shelters and agencies. When we lost a cat, that's what we did. It turned out a senile neighbor was holding him hostage for 2 weeks, not even treating him well and we were pissed. (But there isn't much you can do to a 90 year old woman with an addled brain!) We "found" a beagle once and ran ads for months, even kept her in our garage with the door ajar for a long time just in case she was like Lassie and on her way home. (Had to bring her in when we found out she was going outside in the middle of the night baying at the moon and waking all the neighbors! Up til then, we thought the poor thing was mute! Never made a sound during the day!) She stayed with us for another 10 years or so. Oh, and I don't know where you live, but the beagle came to us a month or so after some devasting tornadoes went through the area, and that's probably how she became homeless. We could tell from her condition she'd been on her own for a while.

Want some cheese with that? Seriously, 3 rejections? That's nothing. You need to keep trying. The right opportunity is out there, but it won't just fall in your lap!

I had an FXC fire on about my 50th jump, and it wasn't a low pull. BUT, when I did my gear check I think I set it for just barely above 1000' instead of just barely below 1000', thinking a little higher was better, not even thinking about the large "margin for error" associated with an FXC. I guess maybe I didn't realize. I deployed by 3000', had unstowed my brakes and was flying my main towards the landing area when suddenly the canopy surged forward and down, then righted itself. Freaky, I thought, then looked up and looked again. Two canopies! My first thought was "Oh Shit! This can't be good!" but then I thought back to my ground school, looked up again and said to myself, "Ronco says I can land this!" (Ron Nowak, skydiving instructor extrordinairre!) and so I did. Nicest, softest landing I've ever had! Then I had a discussion with one of the tandem masters about my deployment altitude (he really didn't believe me) and with the S&TA about how to safely fly and land a bi-plane, just in case I found myself in that situation in the future. And then I trudged through some snowy fields looking for a white freebag and reserve pilot chute, with absolutely no luck! At some point I think I talked briefly with the DZO too, who told me he was glad I was OK and thought I dealt with the situation just fine. I wasn't grounded and didn't have to pay for the repack either. And luckily, even though I didn't find the freebag, one of the neighboring farmers did and brought it in. I was still jumping student gear at the time and found out months later that that exact same rig had at least 3 other FXC fires on it. Talk about a cursed rig! Since there were enough rental rigs my size that were cypres equipped, and my own gear was already on order, that was my LAST jump with an FXC! So there's my 2 out story! And to this day, I appreciate the fact that the instructors and DZO took the time to talk to me and listen to me without making any snap judgements or penalizing me.

Kris, Michele is right. You did OK by the little guy. Even though he couldn't pull through, he died in a warm bed feeling loved. That's as much as any of us can hope for in the end, isn't it? I know you're hurting, but you did good, you really did! maura

I've got a soft spot for orange tabbies (well, pretty much all felines actually, but I've shared my home with 2 pretty awesome orange tabbies). Anyway, I hope Sam pulls through. Tigger and Milo are pulling for him too, wherever they are!

I'm from the midwest, so a 4 + month layoff is pretty normal. I don't get to jump much between November and May! (March is usually crappy and April is windy, don't get me started and December, January and February!) I went 8 months after my broken ankle last year, partly the weather, but mostly, my ankle just wasn't ready. The first jump back was a little scary for me, but I sucked it up and made myself do it. I chose a small, simple, low pressure 4 way with friends. I jumped my own canopy and stood up the landing, so the canopy control course helped me after all! I can't even begin to tell you how good it felt to make that jump and everything I went through beforehand. You'll be fine!

I worked with someone who I would consider to be "functionally illiterate" for many years. We worked at a bank, she'd been there years before I started there and I can only assume that she took that first job application home with her and had someone else complete it. Her reading and writing was maybe at a first grade level? It was kind of sad. They consolidated and relocated our department and we all got laid off. Out of my whole department, she was the only person I was worried about in terms of finding a new job.

Rape IS a touchy subject. Acquaintance rape is difficult to prove and prosecute. If she wasn't injured, the DA probably would not have pursued the case at all. As far as lying? Bryant lied to the police about having sex with her until they told him he left his semen in her even if he didn't "finish"- something he should have learned in the sex ed class they teach 12 years olds in school. DOH! I don't know if he's guilty or not, but he's definitely NOT an innocent victim! If you're going to leave your sex partners bruised and bloody, you better make damn sure you've got their clear consent! And I agree 100% that she should have stuck with the criminal case. It would seem that most of the damage to her reputation had already been done. The flip side is, if I was someone falsely accused, I'd want to be vindicated in a court of law, but he was happy just to have the charges dropped. He even issued a public apology. Bottom line, only two people know for sure what happened in that room and making crass jokes about how attractive she is (or isn't) is in poor taste at best.

Each side had expert witnesses with regards to the DNA evidence. The leaks came from the testimony of Bryant's "expert" witnesses, the prosecution had their own who refuted those allegations. But, since the case never went to trial, that side won't be heard from. All in all, the press leaks were extremely one sided and the accuser/ victim was tried in the media and convicted of being a gold digging slut by the general public while the majority of the facts weren't known.

Courtesy of Mr. Bryant's attorney, hints and innuendo about her possible sexual history, as well as her name, which she used repeatedly although she was repeatedly admonished and told to stop.

Yes, its possible. Its also possible she's telling the truth and he raped her. Unfortunately, the criminal case was dropped before it went to trial, and the civil case will most likely be quietly settled. Sadly, a lot of personal and very damaging information about her was leaked to the press before trial. The information about her injuries and his own statements weren't made public until the case was dropped. That evidence, presented to a jury, would have been extremely damaging. Whether he's "just a guy who tried to get freaky" or a rapist, he doesn't look too good these days and that's 100% his fault.

Really? You've been with a sexually active woman who bled while she was having sex with you? Not a virgin, not someone who was menstruating? That typically does not happen during consensual sex, which is one reason the DA felt they had a strong case.

Maybe he figured a more attractive woman would have a problem with being bent over a chair, strangled and f*ed til she bled. Silly Kobe, this woman didn't like it either!

His party member, Alan Keyes, called her a sinner and a selfish hedonist. Pretty insulting, huh? Barely a ripple from the Cheneys over that! It simply didn't serve Cheney politically to take public offense at Keyes' comments.

Your analogy was beyond ridiculous! In fact, it was crude and offensive. But, here's the common sense. Everyone knows that when you run for political office, your personal life and those of your of your family members become very public. Second, Cheney has been very open about the fact that he has a gay daughter. (Some could even argue that he's used this to his political advantage.) The topic of his daughter has come up repeatedly throughout this election season, largely due to that fact that Bush has taken a firm (and IMO ridiculous) stance against gay marriage. Gay marriage and gay rights are an issue in this election. More common sense, Kerry said nothing even remotely derogatory about Mr. Cheney's daughter. Referring to an openly gay person as gay is not derogatory. No slurs, no offensive words were used. More common sense- Mrs. Cheney is doing the political posturing by whining about it to the press, especially when very little fuss was made about a fellow republican's truly offensive comments.

That's a totally wrong analogy! Puhleeze!