- On 23 May 2013
in
Appraisers now complicit in efforts to reflate the housing bubble,
YesYNot said:
Two houses I've had appraised through BOA's landsafe have come in at or within $1000 of asking price. It's kind of a joke.
Price blind appraisals would produce some funny results. The appraiser should not get a copy of the contract and should be using a system they hides the asking price of the property in question.
- On 22 May 2013
in
Future investor sales will limit appreciation,
YesYNot said:
If investors bought with cash and are getting 5% ROI in rent, that is like buying a bond. Like bonds, this investment will decrease in value when it becomes easier to beat this return in equities. If equities surge, bond funds and housing funds will decrease in value. Housing investment funds may start selling.
- On 18 May 2013
in
Non-GMO SALT now available!!! Please walk, don't run!,
YesYNot said:
There are no benefits to labeling something as GMO. The public has been trained to treat the word GMO as evil. This is a misnomer, so labeling something with a misnomer would do nothing but propagate fear, discrimination and drive up prices for food producers who would fear that a select few lawyers and troublemakers who would test every item without a GMO label to see if there was a speck of GMO in it.
Labeling GMO food as GMO is not a misnomer. Labeling it evil would be a misnomer, but no-one is asking for that. If the public is misinformed, then companies should strive to educate. Attempting to pull one over on people, because you think that they are stupid or incapable of understanding what is good for them is evil. This strategy may already be backfiring. We will see how people react when Whole Foods starts to require labels.
- On 18 May 2013
in
Non-GMO SALT now available!!! Please walk, don't run!,
YesYNot said:
People gave up this right when they decided to move from the farm to the city.
That's bullshit.
donjumpsuit saysThe public has a right to make informed choices about the products they purcahse, but it is the responsiblity of the CONSUMER to find trusted sources of these products.
Again, bullshit. We live in a democracy and vote on rules for disclosure of information on consumer producs. Caveat emptor applies to buying a used car on Craigslist. The same cannot be said for food. We are having this debate, because many states have put this disclosure up for a vote. The majority of people think GMOs should be labled. Companies have spent millions scaring people into thinking that it would drive food prices too high. Again, this is bullshit. Most of food prices to into marketing, packaging, distribution, and waste. Forcing GMO labels would have a minor impact. Earlier you linked a web site claiming that 70 milliion euros or something have been spent testing GMOs. Nearly as much as been spent scaring the public about the price of labels. That's pretty shameful.
You are correct in my misuse of the word synthetic. However, genetic engineering of plants has blurred the distinction that was more clear over the preceding 100 years of chemistry.
It was sloppy writing, as was this...
is that GMO's main goal is to reduce the environmental impact of growing
GMOs do not have goals. Many people who worked on developing GMOs have goals.
and this...
donjumpsuit sayswhich is toxically relevant (harmful) in a toxicology study (MSDS)
An MSDS is a material safety data sheet. It is not a toxicology study.
For most of those items, there is a toxicology report (it's called and MSDS in Science)
A material safety data sheet is called an MSDS period. In Science has nothing to do with it.
It's only silly because you don't own a food company, or a seed distribution business.
Exactly. To everybody else, it is silly. The people who stand to take a slight haircut are the ones selling gmo seeds.
I'm not even against gmo foods. I do think that people have the right to make their own decisions and be informed. Labeling would let people know what is and is not gmo. It would also bring the debate forward in the media, and people would become educated. Insisting that people are not smart enough to understand and should be kept in the dark is ridiculous and it is a short-sighted strategy for food companies.
- On 17 May 2013
in
Non-GMO SALT now available!!! Please walk, don't run!,
YesYNot said:
rdiovascular Institute and Complementary Medicine Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.[11] His research interests include heart replacement surgery, mini
That gmo pundit site is funny. So, there have been 200 articles published by people not working at gmo seed companies claiming gmo food is safe. In the grand scheme of things that's an absolutely miniscule amount of research. Also, 70 million Euros - not a lot of money to be spent on the issue.
The main reason for labeling GMOs is that people have a right to know when a major shift like this happens in their food supply. The horse is already out of the barn for sure, but people still have a right to decide for themselves what to eat.
There are legitimate reasons that people might want to avoid gmo food like: (1) concern over crop monocultures and their effect on insects, food stability, etc. (2) concern about the social impact on farmers (3) concern about eating active synthetic chemicals (inside the plant as opposed to on the surface where they can be washed off). There may be more reasons - I'm not an expert.
Crying about labels driving up the cost of food is silly. No one is asking for labels with pictures of disfigured children and warnings about consuming gmos. They simply want a label, much like one saying that a garment is made in China. People can decide how to spend their own money. Pink slime was considered safe as well, but people resent not having the option to make that choice on their own.
- On 15 May 2013
in
Non-GMO SALT now available!!! Please walk, don't run!,
YesYNot said:
If GMO foods were required to be labled, this salt would not need a label. Because companies have lobbied to prevent GMO label laws, now all non-GMO companies have to pay for the labels. It doesn't matter if it is likely to be GMO or not (salt), because the consumer doesn't know. This negative labeling is surely more costly than simply labeling the GMO foods would have been.
As far as the potential danger of GMO, I don't think anyone knows for sure. The GMO food doesn't have to directly harm a human. For example, it can interfere with gut bacteria, which in turn can harm humans. This is too complicated a subject for some jackass to come up with an answer based on a thought experiment. Environmental concerns like these take lots of animal experiments and / or time (human experiments) to decipher.
- On 11 Mar 2013
in
Robert Reich Advocates 2% Asset Tax (same as Patrick),
YesYNot said:
We currently tax estates on death. One year, you might pay 40% and the next year, the tax is gone, and it is 0%. There is so much tossing around of the rules that dying is like going to the casino for wealthy.
Having a yearly wealth tax would be much more fair as it would spread things out and everyone would be taxed more evenly.
It might be hard to implement though. Would people with physical gold skate the tax? Would off-shore money be taxable? Would a yearly tax encourage all sorts of unproductive schemes on an ongoing basis?
- On 25 Jan 2013
in
Windows 8 upgrade pricing ends Jan 31st,
YesYNot said:
^ I don't know, but the 'oem' version that home builders can use is currently cheaper than $200, but much >> $40.
If you upgrade to windows 8, it gives you an option for a basically fresh install. It does not reformat, and keeps your old files in a single folder. But, I think it gives you a fresh registry with no old program settings or crap like that.^ Dan, for that reason, I think you will be able to get licenses much cheaper than $200 for a while on ebay.
- On 24 Jan 2013
in
Inequality is THE problem says Stiglitz,
YesYNot said:
Extreme inequality is the same thing as too much debt, and it slows the economy.
It slows the economy when people stop spending, because they owe too much money.
It slows the economy when the gov't stops spending, because people are worried about the public debt.One persons debt = another persons money, so, extreme inequality means lots of public and private debt, means that the economy is slow or will soon need to slow down. This should be obvious as a thought experiment, and the historical data bears it out.
- On 23 Jan 2013
in
Asparagus at $13 per pound!,
YesYNot said:
I love asparagus, cabbage of all sorts, lettuce, spinach, and arugula. Seriously, there's always a huge array of cheap veggies in the asian and global markets near me. Somethings always in season and plentiful somewhere. Everybody has their price limits for certain foods. If asparagus is over $4, I'm usually out. If it is $4, it had better look good, because there are always plenty of other options.
- On 15 Jan 2013
in
Statically Link Everything!,
YesYNot said:
Ironically, there is a thread called ku klux libs next to this one. Maybe the captain also hates dynamic libraries.
- On 3 Jan 2013
in
Every 5 Minutes we get another post from Mish,
YesYNot said:
Has Mish drifted this way lately? I've noticed it more lately, and I've stopped paying as much attention to what he says. I think he really believes this stuff. If I were to play the devils advocate, and attribute these rants to some nefarious plot, it would be along the lines of pandering politically to get readers. If he were hoping for another crash, it would probably be because his type of site would likely get more traffic in that environment.
- On 31 Dec 2012
in
Fewer first time home buyers,
YesYNot said:
Peter P, you appear to be on Kevin's ignore. Anyway, bond funds are volatile. Buying gov't bonds and holding to maturity is a fixed yield. A fixed yield does not guarantee maintaining buying power, but it pretty much guarantees face value.
- On 20 Dec 2012
in
Ignore really works,
YesYNot said:
I've also enjoyed this feature lately. It's annoying to see 3 or 4 threads on the front page from some poster you find annoying or some topic you find annoying. Using ignore, really cleans up the front page.
Sometimes, there is a poster with good comments on one forum (say real estate), but who you want to ignore on other forums. The system's probably at the right level of simplicity at the moment, though.
- On 19 Dec 2012
in
Patrick.net Polls,
YesYNot said:
Thanks Patrick. Sounds like a good way to do it to me.
- On 19 Dec 2012
in
We need to ban Hands, Fists and Feet,
YesYNot said:
If I keep seeing these crazy posts, I'm going to kill myself, and then Call it Crazy can suggest banning himself for inducing suicide :).
I like your real estate posts, but I'm hitting ignore until this blows over.
- On 19 Dec 2012
in
The bad gun analogy thread,
YesYNot said:
I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed it or not, but the latter is a comment a lot of pro-firearm people people seem to like repeating over and over again
It's the new 'You're wrong, I'm right' with an insult and self congratulatory note all rolled into one. Not sure what the quotes are around emotions.
- On 18 Dec 2012
in
Feds outsource thousands of entry level jobs,
YesYNot said:
The article was interesting. Interesting facts for those in DC:
40% of local economy is direct spending of the federal gov't.
$80 billion out of the federal $540 billion procurement budget last year went to the DC metro area.
This is why the DC area house prices have grown more (as percentage) than other metro areas over the last 10-15 years. - On 18 Dec 2012
in
Norris Group predicts 20% increase for 2013,
YesYNot said:
there are always a lot of "obstacles" in congress, all they do is hinder progress.
True, but I am surprised the repubs are not getting the message. They lost two elections where the economy was one of the biggest issues. The other guy won both with the same message. You would think that the repubs would see the writing on the wall, and go with the flow.
- On 18 Dec 2012
in
Fla. lawmaker favors ending ban on guns in schools,
YesYNot said:
You don't think that soft targets are chosen on purpose???
I question the gun free zone part of many of those. Are IHOPs gun free zones?
By my quick count, there were 8 schools, 3 religious institutions, 4 govt, and 9 other locations. Most of the other locations are small commercial places. I have no idea if these were chosen at random, were chosen to be soft targets, or were chosen because of some personal connection like employment. I'm betting it's the personal connection.Religion and gov't are lightning rods for extremist anger. Schools, like I said, are probably just what these young kids know. Are there examples of people later in life going back and shooting up a school that they have no connection with?
- On 18 Dec 2012
in
Fla. lawmaker favors ending ban on guns in schools,
YesYNot said:
Instead, he chose the pussy way out and shot himself.
Ironic considering none of these shooters are girls.
How many additional deaths do you suppose would result from allowing teachers to bring guns to school?
I bet right now that if this were instituted across the board in the US, there would be at least 20 additional deaths per year using these newly allowed guns.
I also don't think that schools are chosen because they are soft targets. It is the focal point of whatever misplaced anger these college and high school age people have. It is what they know. Where else would you expect them to go to shoot people? To the gynecologists office?
- On 18 Dec 2012
in
The Howard Stern on Patrick.net,
YesYNot said:
I thought Shrek was the HS of PatNet :-o.
- On 18 Dec 2012
in
How long will we live & how long will we stay healthy,
YesYNot said:
Greger's year in summary video's are good, and his book Carbophobia is pretty good and cheap on the ereaders.
- On 17 Dec 2012
in
How long will we live & how long will we stay healthy,
YesYNot said:
My mind is wide open and nutrition is one of my favorite subjects.
I don't think this is so, but mine is pretty well made up at this point too.
Every ex-vegetarian I know claims that they feel healthier eating meats and avoiding grains and processed sugars.
Sounds right. That is why they are no longer a vegetarian.
How do you vegetarians survive the winter?
Well, due to freezers, transportation, and winter veggies, you can easily get good veggies anywhere in the US all winter.
And the book china study is junk science compiled into a crappy book
Wow. What percentage of scientists do you think ever publish 300 peer reviewed articles?
I love meat. I ate about 2\3 a lb of bacon with 3 eggs for breakfast this morning. I've never been healthier. Meat is very healthy as are vegetables. Fat is good for you. Fiber, not so much.
Out of curiosity, have you had your cholesterol checked lately? Taubes eats like that but he will not publish his cholesterol levels.
- On 17 Dec 2012
in
How long will we live & how long will we stay healthy,
YesYNot said:
I don't know anything about Gerson. I think that Fuhrman advocates juicing you could check there.