Category: Politics, Religion & Money

‘Great Escape’ Survivor Dies

Recently I posted this item about the real-life escape in WWII from Stalag Luft III that was the basis for the movie The Great Escape. After seeing the movie on TV (one of those two-night specials) I bought a huge poster of Steve McQueen sitting on the motorcycle he stole from a Nazi soldier and rode around the countryside.

One of the few men that escaped — and who wasn’t shot after being re-captured — has passed away. Bertram “Jimmy” James was 92. The Guardian has the story at this link. Here is a video, apparently recent, with Mr. James.

Shielding Stephen Colbert

It’s no surprise to this old comic book fan that the death of Captain America wouldn’t last very long. There’s a new hero in action, taking Cap’s place. But what of the indestructible shield that belonged to the original Captain America? Isn’t it now in the possession of none other than Stephen Colbert?
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Beatles: Nothing Israel

Yes, I know Ringo has been on the TV talk show circuit, and that he walked off the Regis set. I know Paul had a heart procedure. And I know there’s an invitation for Paul and Ringo to visit Israel. No, I haven’t been blogging about these things. Sorry! I’m a bad Beatles blogger.

What caught my attention about the Israel invitation is that Israel’s banning of the Beatles back in the 60’s sounds so much like something the Taliban would do today. And let’s not forget that fundamentalist Christians burned Beatles records after Lennon’s infamous comment “The Beatles are bigger than Jesus.”

Realtor Reality

I spotted this commercial recently. Maybe you’ve seen it.
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Hey, good to see they’re hanging onto the LPs!

Real estate agents must be very scared right now. The good ones that have been around a while know there are market slumps, but this one is particularly bad, because it’s everywhere and not just regional, and it seems likely to be around for a while.

The wording of this commercial is, of course, self-serving. But what do they mean by saying, “family conditions often outweigh market conditions”? Are they talking about families that have to move for one reason or another? That part of the market is always present. What’s changed is the disappearance of speculators who “flip” properties, and the market being flooded with foreclosed homes that marginal buyers couldn’t really afford. But the market is such a mess right now, and credit is so tight, that even many of the families this ad is targeting are frozen out.

The ad refers to the “millions of homes that will be sold this year,” as if the market is still a go-go thing, and it assures buyers they’re “making a good move” financially. Maybe, but if it hasn’t reached bottom yet, in the short term it would be a bad move.

I recall one Realtor asking me how much money I made. My reply was, “I’ll pretend you didn’t ask that question.” She wisely backed down immediately. Realtors represent the SELLER and not the buyer. That’s the #1 thing to keep in mind when talking to them. It’s to their advantage to get you into a more expensive house, because their commission will be bigger. Ten years ago, when I applied for a pre-qualified mortgage before house-hunting, I had to provide full financial information, of course, and the salesman said I could afford a much bigger mortgage than what I’d requested. “No thanks,” I said.

Realtors and banks need to accept the blame for the mess we’re in. I really resent the tone that conservative commentators make, that the fault is with the suckers who went for these deals. It reminds me of a joke in the movie “Airplane” that made fun of the old “Point/Counterpoint” segment on 60 Minutes — “They bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. I say let ’em crash!”