patrick.net

Joe Canadian commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXtVrDPhHBg

Assuming continual warming trends continue, the FT last week covered a report on this:

Canada, some parts of the US, Northern Europe, Russia will all improve economically.

Southern Europe, much of Latin America, and a few parts of US (but still a net gain for US) will lose economically.

China will lose a good deal of ground. Australia could also, but less certain.

You don't want to buy in Africa. Maybe Dubai in the mid east will be ok, since they'll probably build a giant dome over it.

I predict they'll just move Israel. The US will pay to literally pick up everything important there and relocate it all to Utah. They can still use their desalinization plants and everything in Utah.

Canadian women vs. Russian women. Let's get those acres in Siberia, comrade! :)

No sh*T! I may have to move to norway or sweden or southern argentina! no way in H*ll I am going to live in the woods and date canned women! All the femininity of americans and non of the looks!

OT.

The asking rent for this 1,200 sq ft 3/2.5 rental in Rivermark (Santa Clara) is $2,800 and the landlord is looking for a 6 month lease.
http://tinyurl.com/253dot
Sale History
05/06/2005: $626,000
I can tell you this place can't even rent for $2,200. Rivermark's prices seem to have come down and this might just be another flip that can't sell and the FB is trying to find a fool to help with PITI.

Oooh. Sweden and Finland. azrob takes the pole position for the race to brilliance. I was going for Russia? [smacks forehead]

i see that all the time here! i will pull some rental listing in my neighborhood, find a crazy price, click the link to recent sales...summer of 05 what a surprise! The real sh&t has not even begun to hit the fan yet... may take years... There is no sense of panic... 53K listings, sales running about 5.5K this month and nobody is breaking a sweat here yet... Reality... a nice place to visit sometimes

Anthony

Not defending Rivermark valuation, but RW just bragged about setting a record for sale price of this house in Rivermark. So prices seemed to be holding steady. The one you looked at is on the other side of Lafayette.

Type: Detached Single Family
Status: Sold
List Date: 04/06/07
Sale Price: $1,395,000
Sale Date: 04/07/07
Location: 841 E RIVER PY, Unknown, CA 95054 (map)
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms Full: 3
Bathrooms Half: 1
Approx. Sq. Ft.: 2989
Approx. Lot Size: 3,482sf
Approx age: 2
MLS#: 717725

All the femininity of americans and non of the looks!
Everytime I go to Toronto or Vancouver I see lots of beautiful women...

I predict that Canada will need to spend more on national defense. It has some important assets to protect. Perhaps it will become a nuclear power in twenty years.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

Sea level is rising.
The north will be sitting pretty.

http://gawker.com/news/contrived-meritocracy-as-ideological-state-apparatus/but-can-sanjaya-balance-traditional-strategies-with-cutting+edge-arbitrage-opportunities-256155.php

For all you Buffett admirers...

OT,

Take extra care while commuting this morning for all the BA people! Evidently the mayor is adding additional public transportation but it looks like this might take months, not days to correct. Be patient and if you have vacation time on the books (NOW would be as good a time as any!)

I'd read that there's a growing dispute amongst those above the Arctic Circle? New sea lanes appearing out of the blue? Henry Hudson's dream finally realized?

Assuming any of this transpires in our lifetimes it might be interesting to see just how firm the Canadian's resolve is. As the growing season lengthens and crop yield increases they'll need more manual labor. Will they still think it's such a hardy yuck when undocumented illegals swarm their border looking for a better life? Free healthcare?

Person,

I don't believe.... I'm "aboot" to buy anything Canadian?

DinOR,

Take extra care commuting this morning for all the BA people!

Maybe the next thread should be "How's your commute, folks?" :twisted:

My own commute is a bit over 20 kilometres (12.5 miles). It normally takes about 30 minutes in the morning and 25 in the evening.

If I were that guy I would run out and buy a lottery ticket. He was just that lucky!

Actually, if I were him, I'd run out and buy a bullet-proof vest. Lucky to survive, yes. But he was apparently speeding (carrying 8500 gallons of gasoline), and now there are about 200K commuters who are fu%ked for months because of his reckless driving.

Add to this mess the ongoing rebuild of the entire Bay Bridge and the repaving of 24. Thank god my commute does not involve the Bay Bridge. I've gotta gloat, but my commute involves getting on my bike every day and getting 30-40 minutes round trip of free exercise. Haven't had a commute involving a car ever in my life.

I hope all BA residents are getting around okay. It sounds like a lot of people's quality of life intangibles just dropped by a huge amount.

Things like this make me more committed to pursuing short commutes over lot size/square footage/granite countertops.

skibum,

I suspect the numbers affected will be much higher than 200,000 because of overflow issues and absenteeism brought on by the disruption.

If I was the truck driver or the trucking company (whom I believe had a similar incident not too long ago), I would lawyer up and hide out in a friend's basement for a long long time.

@skibum,

And here he was up for a "Safe Driver of the Month" award! I guess that's gone down the crapper. Dumb bastard. Let's see? Lottery ticket, bullet-proof vest, Greyhound ticket (one-way).... check!

One of the sucky things about this freeway accident commute debacle is that a huge part of the recent boom in building has been along the I-80 corridor, from Richmond, Hercules, Pinole, all the way out to Fairfield, Vacaville and even Davis and beyond. These sad folks already had a hellish commute, and even if they take an end-around route, it's going to suck big time for a long, long time.

It sort of exemplifies how fragile the infrastructure in the Bay Area is. While we've been building exurb McAlbatross developments way out in nowhere-land and giving out awards for the "longest commute in the US" (a Cisco engineer who commutes round trip 6-8 hours daily from the Sierra foothills), we've done basically nothing to either shore up the freeway system or find alternative solutions.

The only way to eliminate commuting hassles is to get a cot set up beside your desk.

Well, or do what skibum does and bike to work. That's what I do here in Boston/Cambridge (8 months a year), and I am always encouraged to hear of it occuring in the BA. Realistically, what % of people in SF could bike to work if they really set their mind to it?

(I understand biking is not realistic for those with a 20-30 mile commute, but I wonder what % of people have a 5-mile or less commute but still stick with a car).

>>One of the sucky things about this freeway accident commute debacle is that a huge part of the recent boom in building has been along the I-80 corridor, from Richmond, Hercules, Pinole, all the way out to Fairfield, Vacaville and even Davis and beyond.

I call bullshit on that freeway incident. We all know from Rosie and other 9/11 conspiracy theorists that burning fuel can't melt steel.

Obviously, Dick Cheney blew it up.

Michael Anderson,

LOL! What's more incredible is that the only other component in this accident was concrete. AFAIK concrete is non-combustible? Let alone carpet, wooden desks, computers etc. But whatever you do, (don't confuse R.O with facts!)

Well, or do what skibum does and bike to work. That’s what I do here in Boston/Cambridge (8 months a year), and I am always encouraged to hear of it occuring in the BA. Realistically, what % of people in SF could bike to work if they really set their mind to it?

"Sale Price: $1,395,000
Approx. Sq. Ft.: 2989
Approx. Lot Size: 3,482sf"

Hmmm, I got 500SQFT of playground room for my kids. geez.

(I wish I knew how to ride a bicycle...)

It sucks that BART doesn't allow for bikes during rush hour. Does it allow for foldable bikes?

Hey people, I'm looking at moving to NC (where I had lived before my stint in the Pacific NW). I'm not going to diss the west coast, but I've never really gotten the hang of it and the east coast suits me better.

In particular, I'm looking at south Charlotte.

Now, it seems to me that Charlotte really didn't appreciate the way most boomtowns have (Charlotte is growing by something like 75,000 a year lately). What am I to make of this?

Inventory and defaults have been growing. Should I wait before buying?

My usual SOP is to buy a house only when mortgage rates are high. I hate the idea of buying now that they are low.

Opinions? Should I just rent first? Should I place lowball offers?Should I bid on defaults?

History: I sold about a year and a half ago. Been renting. Would prefer to own, since I have 3 kids, dog, cat.

Is South City / Daly City considered a good area to buy a home in (were I to buy today or 5 years from now, just a general question) - is Mountain View or Sunnyvale considered better or worse?

Daly City has good Chinese food. Mountain View and Sunnyvale have better Japanese food now.

SF has good high-end food.

It all depends what you like to eat.

My husband bikes to work some of the time - MV to PA, however it takes him longer as he takes a detour up Paige Mill soemtimes :-)

Shorttimer,

I can't answer your question but as Peter P illustrated with his reply, it all depends on what you're looking for. Where do you work? Do you plan to send your kids (if any) to local public schools? Top 3 things you look for in your residence? Do you need access to 5 high quality sushi joints within 5 miles of your house?

Many members of my Shanghai extended family used to bike to work and school. It's a pity (for their waistlines) that many have given that up.

It’s a pity (for their waistlines) that many have given that up.

I used to bike as a freshman in college. My waistline was still reasonable back then.

SP,

That's good to hear!

Though I'll wait a couple days to assess the situation. Many people may have missed work today. In any case, I'm pretty sure people who does the Oakland/Berkeley to North SF are not having much fun today.

SP,

LOL!

On the other hand, treadmills are easier on people's knees and weather controlled (though that's not a huge issue in BA).

I know someone who drives 2 miles each way in her BMW X5 to get to a gym, where she runs 5 miles on a treadmill (or an exercise bike, don’t know for sure).

Biking (or running) on public roads is not safe. I much rather exercise in a controlled, air-conditioned space. It is amazing how warm it is already.

Astrid, the Bay Area was very warm over the weekend. It was almost pushing 80 degrees.

Why buy in Canada? Real estate in Syracuse, Buffalo, Detroit, etc. is cheap. You can even get coastal property in Maine for much cheaper than anything CA has to offer. And no currency risk.

If the global warming thesis plays out, these places might actually be quite habitable (esp. as opposed to recent HB meccas like Phoenix, Vegas and the inland empire).

And no currency risk.

Huh? Did you get that upside down? :)

Well, we all know that in a few years, all homes in the Bay Area will cost at least 10M USP (US Peso).