Michael’s Two Cents

A couple weeks ago I stumbled on a video on TED.com (bottom of post) about how unprepared Americans are for a nuclear terrorist attack. I know, I know, what a crappy topic for a cheerful first day of December but then I happened on this article on MSNBC’s website this morning that states that:
“The U.S. [...]

We flipped on the TV this morning and the first words we hear are “We’re a country of Consumers.” It was a Discover Card commercial and the picture hadn’t even come up yet. Julia and I looked at each other and turned it off and turned on some music. Here’s why:

[...]

I was on the phone with a co-worker in LA and they just got hit with a big earth quake. She’s in Santa Monica… I’ll post an update as soon as I hear news. Crazy huh?
I’m watching my IM… if she gets back to her desk she’ll IM and call me back so we can [...]

I’m actually fairly handy and know how to build and make stuff. I’m also a do-it-yourself-er to a fault. So my solution to the mortgage nightmare many of us are beginning to see come to our neck of the woods is to make my house bigger and better as frugally as I can.
Before you take [...]

Have you seen the latest news on the home mortgage crisis? Check out this disturbing article. Here are a couple quotes that pretty much sum it up.
“That marks the first time homeowners debt on their houses exceeds their equity since the Fed started tracking the data in 1945.”
And…
“Moody’s Economy.com estimates that 8.8 million homeowners, or [...]

WTF! Yep… Right now is the perfect time to build a bedroom onto your house. You see several things are coming together you might want to pay attention to if you own a home.

The economy is in the crapper.
The president just signed the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008.
Home prices have plummeted.
Bigger homes are worth more [...]

You have to watch this video. It’s about what’s really wrong with America and how we can each fix it. My wife spotted it on Rosie’s website. It is so inspiring to see stuff (no pun intended) like this. I’ve been stewing over this very topic for over a year now, even trying to write [...]