With mortgage rates falling, monthly home payments are now less expensive than rent in nearly half of the nation's largest metros, according to a new analysis. Zillow found that it's cheaper to buy than rent in 22 of the 50 largest U.S. metros, with homeowners in some cities saving over $400 a month. read more
Less than a week after NBC News detailed how the hospital system Atrium Health of North Carolina aggressively pursued former patients' medical debts, placing liens on their homes to collect on hospital bills, the nonprofit company announced it would cancel those obligations and forgive the unpaid debts associated with them. read more
The ride will feature 2,966 feet of track with a top speed of 58 mph.
First the Grand Canyon, now an eruption around the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
As water receded in Stronie Slaskie, one of the areas worst-hit by massive floods in south-west Poland, residents and volunteers began clearing up in hope their homes would be liveable before the onset of winter.
@#9 ... national guard presence on January 6th during the certification ...
Yeah, that's the way it is looking.
Next year's Jan. 6 election certification will get extra security to prevent another riot
www.wrbl.com
... The Secret Service said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas made the designation following a request from the mayor of Washington, D.C. The move means these are particularly high-profile events that might be targets for terrorists or criminals.
The Secret Service is in charge of running security for such events in a planning process that kicks off many months in advance. A steering committee for the Jan. 6 certification has been formed and will begin meeting in the coming weeks, the Secret Service said. ...
Yeah, my concern with the above is along the lines of...
... The Secret Service is in charge of running security for such event ...
That has been an issue of late.
Yeah, remembering back in the day when I bought my house, it was the down payment that caused me pause.
I saw this...
Harris Promises $25,000 Down Payment Aid for First-Generation Homebuyers
www.boundless.com
... The proposal includes $25,000 in downpayment assistance for 400,000 first-generation homebuyers, defined as those whose parents do not own a home.
To qualify, these families must have a history of paying rent on time for at least two years. Additionally, the plan offers a $10,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers. ...
Yeah, I was fortunate when I bought my house in that my parents were able to finance the down payment.
Once that was accomplished, my monthly mortgage payment (even at the 11+% mortgage rate I was paying at the time) was $200 less per month than the rent I had been paying.
And yeah, 11+% interest on my mortgage.
@#3
Some background...
Roller Coaster
www.learner.org
... For many people, there is only one reason to go to an amusement park: the roller coaster. Some people call it the "scream machine," with good reason. The history of this ride reflects a constant search for greater and more death-defying thrills.
How does a roller coaster work?
What you may not realize as you're cruising down the track at 60 miles an hour is that the coaster has no engine. The car is pulled to the top of the first hill at the beginning of the ride, but after that the coaster must complete the ride on its own. You aren't being propelled around the track by a motor or pulled by a hitch. The conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy is what drives the roller coaster, and all of the kinetic energy you need for the ride is present once the coaster descends the first hill..
Design a Roller Coaster
Once you're underway, different types of wheels help keep the ride smooth. Running wheels guide the coaster on the track. Friction wheels control lateral motion (movement to either side of the track). A final set of wheels keeps the coaster on the track even if it's inverted. Compressed air brakes stop the car as the ride ends.
Wooden or steel coaster: Does it make a difference?
Roller coasters can be wooden or steel, and can be looping or nonlooping. You'll notice a big difference in the ride depending on the type of material used. In general, wooden coasters are nonlooping. They're also not as tall and not as fast, and they don't feature very steep hills or as long a track as steel ones do. Wooden coasters do offer one advantage over steel coasters, assuming you're looking for palm-sweating thrills: they sway a lot more. Tubular steel coasters allow more looping, higher and steeper hills, greater drops and rolls, and faster speeds.
How did coasters come to be? Read more about their history. ...
@#9 ... You have to wonder how many others in Trump's orbit have broken laws to make Trump happy? ...
What Trump allies have faced criminal charges? (August 2023)
www.reuters.com
... Here is a look at some of the Trump aides and allies who have faced criminal prosecution.
STEVE BANNON
Trump's former campaign and White House strategist was convicted in 2022 of contempt of Congress. Bannon was charged after defying a demand to appear before a U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack by Trump supporters seeking to prevent Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden's November 2020 election victory. Bannon, who has appealed, has yet to be sentenced. ...
ROGER STONE
Trump's longtime friend and adviser was convicted in 2019 of lying under oath to lawmakers investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. Trump commuted his sentence the day before Stone, a veteran Republican political operative, was due to report to prison to serve a sentence of three years and four months. Trump subsequently pardoned Stone.
ALLEN WEISSELBERG
The former chief financial officer at Trump's real estate company served more than three months in jail for helping to engineer a wide-ranging tax fraud. Weisselberg pleaded guilty in 2022 and served as a star witness in the Trump Organization's criminal trial on tax fraud charges. The company was convicted but Trump himself was not charged.
PETER NAVARRO
The former Trump White House adviser was charged with contempt of Congress after refusing to provide testimony to the House panel investigating the Capitol attack. Navarro, who has pleaded not guilty, has yet to face trial. Two other close Trump associates, Mark Meadows and Daniel Scavino, did not face similar criminal charges despite a House vote recommending them.
MICHAEL COHEN
Trump's former personal lawyer and "fixer" was sentenced to a three-year prison term after pleading guilty in 2018 for his role in making illegal hush money payments before the 2016 election to two women ...Cohen also pleaded guilty that year to lying to Congress about negotiations concerning a proposed Trump Tower in Moscow, a project that never materialized. Cohen has become a fierce critic of Trump. ....
[continued in a new comment because of a 4000 character restriction per comment.]
@#7 ... The difference between 2020 and 2024 is that Trump's mental depravity has become worse ...
I am not convinced of "depravity."
Degradation? Yeah I'd agree with that.
But my current opinion is that fmr Pres Trump's depravity has not gotten worse.
However the apparent degradation of his mental facilities that I may see seem to be emphasizing the depravity that likely has always existed within him.
Stated from another angle...
I'd proffer that fmr Pres Trump's rant four days ago in NY ( drudge.com ) is not an indication that his mental depravity has gotten worse.
To my view, it is just another example of that mental depravity that may have always been there, but is only surfacing more frequently nowadays.
@#8 ... Trump would like very much to see the government shut down. It would be something else he could blame on the "Biden administration." ...
I agree.
I would also say that fmr Pres Trump apparently does not seem to understand (quelle surprise) that the Republican-controlled House of Representative is an entity that controls the purse strings of government. If those Republicans do not support the budget, it will not be passed.
And, I've seen reports that Republicans are quite concerned about a government shutdown.
For example...
Trump's shutdown push falls flat with Republicans
thehill.com
... House Republicans are overwhelmingly dismissing former President Trump's calls for a government shutdown in the absence of a proof-of-citizenship voting bill being signed into law, a public break from the GOP presidential nominee in the lead-up to the November election.
A group of Republicans this week rejected a bill that combined a six-month continuing resolution (CR) with the Trump-backed voting bill, tanking the legislation in a move that thwarted Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) funding strategy.
Now, as the Speaker prepares to defy Trump's wishes and stage a vote on a "clean" three-month stopgap, rank-and-file Republicans are expected to back it -- balking at the former president's request. Republicans almost universally support the voting bill, but they say pushing the issue so intensely that it results in a shutdown would backfire on the party. ...
Related?
Floods from training thunderstorms' lead to dramatic rescues and 2 deaths in Connecticut
apnews.com
... Torrential rains turned streets into raging rivers in parts of Connecticut and New York's Long Island, trapping people in cars and a restaurant, covering vehicles in mud, and sweeping two women to their deaths, authorities said.
Dramatic rescues unfolded as a foot (30 centimeters) of rain fell on some parts of western Connecticut late Sunday and early Monday, coming down so fast that it caught drivers unaware. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, who declared a state of emergency, said more than 100 people were evacuated by search and rescue teams Sunday evening.
The bodies of two women who had been in separate cars were recovered Monday in Oxford, a town of 13,000 about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest of Hartford, officials said. State police identified them Monday afternoon as Ethelyn Joiner, 65, and Audrey Rostkowski, 71, both of Oxford.
Firefighters were trying to get one of the women to safety when the flooded Little River swept her away, Oxford Fire Chief Scott Pelletier said at a news conference with other Connecticut officials. The second woman got out of her car and tried to cling to a sign, but "the racing water was too much" and swept her away, too, he said.
"This is a tragic and devastating day for Oxford," ...
Related?
Authorities urge caution against floods and landsides in Ishikawa Prefecture
www3.nhk.or.jp
... Japan's Meteorological Agency has changed its heavy rain emergency warning for parts of Ishikawa Prefecture to a warning. But it is still urging people to stay alert for possible floods and landslides.
Over 540 millimeters of rain were seen in Wajima in the 72 hours through 9 a.m. Sunday. More than 400 millimeters were observed in Suzu.
One person has died and six people are missing in Ishikawa Prefecture. ...
@#16 ... Germany 1930.s so they elected a right wing tyrant who made the people work for nearly free so that the rich could keep all of their worthless money. So Hitler did then what Pitin is doing now. Invade another country and steal their wealth. This only works though until the victim nation runs out of wealth to steal ...
A cogent observation.
And a good explanation of why Pres Putin seems to be trying to take over the more industrial areas of Ukraine, i.e., Donbas.
But I do have one request for you.
Paragraphs.
Please try to hit that carriage return key every once in a while when you're posting long comments.
:)