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Monthly Archives: October 2008

More ‘big’ issues.

I am really tired of hearing the presidential candidates saying how the housing market is ‘broken’.  It is not broken, in fact, it is now working exactly like it should.  It HAS been broken since about 96 or so, with many years of divergence between incomes and prices.  Housing going up 20 to 50% a year with incomes going up 3% is broken.  We don’t want and can’t afford a return to the old housing market.  If you bought a home you can’t afford, I am sorry.  Home ownership went from a 100 year historic 60% to 65%.  Those extra 5% are what is the problem.  Many people own homes now who shouldn’t.  Let them be foreclosed and let market prices return to where they should be.  It is a hard lesson to learn, but necessary.

Another thing, with all the credit markets, yeah it’s screwed up.  You know why?  Due to all the deregulation of the last 30 years, we lost the checks against leveraging, so we returned to the problem of the 1920’s.  Borrowing money to invest it.  Too much lending, not enough making things to create real weath, not the funny money that is our economy now.

So, now we are just entering a phase where market forces come back into play and the weak loose and the strong survive.   Hey, I’m a liberal, but I believe in the free market with regulation.

 

Posted by on October 28, 2008 in Uncategorized

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I don’t understand

Warning, More Politics Below!

With McCain, I keep hearing how he is ‘ready to lead’ and ‘tested.”

His arguments have no logical flow to me.  Some examples:

Standing on a deck of an aircraft carrier waiting for someone else to make a decision makes you ready to make a decision right out of the gate.  Hugh?  What?  So, since other people make decisions around me, I am more capable?

Getting shot down and captured and tortured in a POW camp makes you understand world politcs better.  How?  If you were a more competent pilot, you would of not gotten shot down.  Yeah, it sucks you were a prisoner, but how does that make you a more competent leader? It means you are a survivor, with lots of will, not a leader.

McCain blindly supported and continues to support the war in Iraq.  He never questioned or has admitted we invaded that country illegally and have no clear reason for being there or exit strategy.  He says we can win with honor here.  How?  I don’t know what victory looks like.  Our basis for invading was a pack of lies, so we can never achieve those goals.  Remember Weapons of Mass Destruction.  They were imaginary.  So, what is our goal there?  Saddam is dead.  The country is in ruins.  I’m sorry, the surge had nothing to do with less violence.  There reason violence is down is the country is now segregated and we literally paid off a lot of insurgents.  Many independent analysts argee these are the reasons why.

Put it all together, and I don’t know how McCain can claim he is better able to lead.  I just don’t understand the logic.

 

Posted by on October 22, 2008 in Uncategorized

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In case you didn’t notice…

I added a gallery of Heston Steam Meseum photos http://blog.cyberphreak.com/photographs/heston-steam-museum/

Enjoy!

 

Posted by on October 15, 2008 in Uncategorized

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Cars I have owned

Another trip down memory lane. Here are all the cars I have owned since I was 16.  These are all images found on the Internet.  The cars are in the order I owned them.

1976 Ford Granada:

My first car.  Underpowered with no options.  It had an AM radio.  Manual windows and so much rust you needed a tetanus shot to drive it.  Mine was a darker shade of blue.  It ran for about 3 or 4 years.  Threw a rod through the oil pan creating a Batmanesque oil slick.

1977 Ford LTD Wagon:

A much better car than the Granada.  400CID V8 and enough room in the back to lay a 4×8′ sheet of plywood and close the tailgate!  Seating for 8.  Drove this for 3 years?  Transmission eventually died.  Too expensive to repair.  Mine was red as well.

1978 Cadillac Eldorado:

The pimpmobile.  White with a white leather interior.  425CID V8.  The largest front wheel drive car ever made.  Got about 9MPG in the city.  Every option you can think of, including automatic headlights!  Quietest and most comfortable car I have ever driven.  Drove for several years, sold for a net profit!

1985 Plymouth Reliant “K” car:

A simple, reliable car that served me for many years.  Good mileage overall.  Eventually too many repairs I could not afford added up, including the brakes failing on the highway.  Junked.  Mine was the same red as this sample photo.

1980?  Buick Century:

The hoopdie.  Bought this from the Spunkmonkey while I was in college.  The only car I have ever had stolen, then recovered a few blocks away.  Started with a screwdriver for a while.  Ended up with over 252,000 miles on it.  Uneconomical to repair, junked.  Mine was a darker shade of blue than this one.

1987 Ford Escort:

Found on Road Dead says it all.  Learned a lot about car repairs on this one.  Drained the battery, transmission slipped, starter died, leaked gas.  Didn’t need oil changes because it burned so much.  Smelled of burnt oil all the time.  Heater didn’t work, AC didn’t work.  Mine was the same ‘silver’ as this stock photo.  A fine example of Ford engineering.  Junked.

1995 Chevrolet Lumina:

A decent car, could use a little better power.  It had the 3.0L instead of the 3.8L.  Fully equipped and had a nice ride.  A little big compared to more recent cars, but it was nice to drive.   Ours was red as well.  Traded in.

2006 Hyundai Elantra:

A nice beuty shot of our present car.  Ours is red, like so many other cars I have owned.   Good mileage, sporty ride.  It could be a little larger and quieter, but a nice car overall.  We bought it new and it is still under warranty.

So, there we have it.  All the cars I have owned.  30 years seperates my first and present car.  In the end, they are just pieces of steel, plastic, and rubber.

 

Posted by on October 10, 2008 in Uncategorized

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Where I have lived

I thought it would be interesting to show where I have lived in the 16 years since I left home.  With the help of Google Streetview I can show where I lived.

1992, 4600 block of North Magnolia, for about 3 months until the building was bought:

As you can see, they changed some affordable housing into an empty field.  Progress.  On the plus side, there is a new Starbucks 3 doors down.  It was a 2 room studio, decent size, only $275 a month!  It was also a 4th floor walk up and you had…a shared bathroom.  Yes, you had to put your clothes on and walk down the hall to take care of business.  It must of been an old hotel or that was just how buildings were made 100 years ago.

1993 to 1994, 4700 block of North Malden, Chicago:

Another studio.  This one is still standing.  It was a second floor unit, with a bathroom this time.  It had windows, but it was so close to the other building, you might as well brick it in.  Not a bad place, but quite small with 6 legged pets.  I think it was $325 a month.

1994 to 1995 4600 block of North Winchester, Chicago:

A two room studio with a large walk in closet.  This was a nice, airy place with built in bookcases.  No six legged friends and laundry right down the stairs.  There was the “EL” very near, but the Brown line doesn’t run after midnight, so at least sleep was ok.  I think this one was $425 a month.

1995-1996 2300 block on North Kenneth, Chicago:

It’s the one on there right.  A large 3 bedroom, 1 bath with a large living room and dining room.  Shared with 2 other people.  It was a nice place, but the neighborhood was a little sketchy.  I see they have an iron fence now, it was not there when I was living there.  I think the rent was something like $800 a month, but split 3 ways it was pretty cheap.

1995-1996 South Bell, Chicago:

Behind the tree there is the old homestead.  Had to move back home since I was out of money and in school. Which I think kind of goes hand in hand.  At the same time, Handy Andy went out of business, so that didn’t help either.

1996-1997 4000 block, N. Pulaski/W. Irving Park road:

You want to talk about a loud place to live, this is it.  On the corner of Irving Park Road and Pulaski.  My apartment was the corner unit as well.  You can see it right above the blue awning.  Parking was a bear as well.  I think it was around $425 a month as well.  No good memories of that place.  It was a studio with a kitchenette.

1997-2001 4200 Block of North Laramie, Chicago:

A two bedroom, 1 bath, with a huge living room and dining room.  It was a nice place.  I was living here when I met Tiffany.  For two people, it was more than enough room.

2001-2003, Lincolnwood, IL:

My mother in law’s house.  We stayed here so we could save up for a down payment.  It worked well and it was very close to my job at the time.

2003-2004 8800 Block of Golf Road, Unincorporated Cook County (Postal address was Des Plaines):

Our first home bought together, a condo.  A one bedroom, one bath with a den.  Nice kitchen, terrible street noise.  When we were looking at it, they were working on the bridge that crosses the Des Plaines river.  When the bridge was complete, the traffic got about 10 times worse.  Stayed about a year.  It was my bicycle being stolen that broke the camel’s back.

2004 to Present, Troy Avenue, Evergreen Park:

Our little blue house.  We have been in it over 4 years now.  It is a 3 bedroom, 1.1 bath.  It is a nice size, but nothing is perfect.  Neighbors don’t really give a crap, but I think that is problem everywhere.  Eventually we should probably put in a new kitchen, which is the worst problem inside.  This is Glenn’s first and only home so far.

Wow, 10 places in 16 years.  I hate moving, by the way.  In the beginning, it was simple.  Just some clothes and furniture I didn’t care about.  Life sure does get more complicated as the years go on.

 

Posted by on October 8, 2008 in Uncategorized

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