Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Maravilla, Sorry to hear of your loss. What aggravation. It isn’t the stuff itself, it’s the feeling of powerlessness to affect a change in your favor that grates upon you.. You’re on the right track though… the heck with TV! I notice you didn’t mention them robbing your books!
Guess someone needs to read “la impresión fina”. I wouldn’t be surprised if the 8% was true. Corporations have been forced to dish out higher interest for their short term debt, due not to their credit un-worthiness, just lack of available lending capital.That drives the money market upon which CD’s are based.
Now Maravilla, let’s get it straight.If DEFLATION is in the cards, then the net value of currency increases (money worth more, assets worth less). The 8% is bonus growth. If INFLATION explodes, 8% interest may not keep the purchasing power of his original deposit.
My money is betting on asset deflation. Less money in fewer pockets means less purchasing demand: asset prices fall. Good for the guy (gal) with a fat CD @ 8%!
Maravilla:
I have read your postings for awhile now and believe I detect in you a naiveté about worldly matters that belies your gracious writing. I can only wonder in what mental context you could write: “I can’t wait!!” that the financial nest eggs of millions of people , not only in the U.S., but spanning the globe, are rapidly eroding; this matters so little to you? Because you’ve been prescient and escaped to la pura vida, you can gloat?Darn right, it’s going to get ugly. All those big bad businesses, in an era of easy credit, which expanded & created many jobs, improving the lives of many, only to find their credit financing money sources dried up and their business model no longer sustainable? Who do they employ? MY neighbors. MY family.
The numbers involved in this mess are inconceivably large & America doesn’t have the extra trillions dollars to give up. The USA is broke. The only way they have out is currency inflation and asset deflation. That hurts everyone who holds assets in US Dollars.
That being said: Gold has been on it’s way to $2K for the last 10 years; it may get there yet. There’s a lot of money out there yet to be made in the meantime if you’re going to eat. The refi time for all those mortgages you mentioned may quite possibly coincide with falling fixed rates, as the mortgage market is based on 30 yr. treasuries, currently paying out negative interest. You can count on the new administration to pave the way on that one.
Remember, it’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job, it’s a depression when you lose your own.
Thelonius says to his son Laertes in Hamlet:(I paraphrase) ”Neither a borrower or lender be, and to thine own self be true.” Keep your overhead low and your outlook broad.
PS: An update on America’s insolvency… Cumulative U.S. federal debt is now more than $10 trillion, up from $9.1 trillion a year ago. (That figure doesn’t include any unfunded liabilities such as Social Security or Medicare.) Total consumer installment debt: $2.5 trillion, up from $2.4 trillion a year ago.
Edited on Dec 15, 2008 16:28
Edited on Dec 15, 2008 16:35
Edited on Dec 16, 2008 04:55
You can do no better than to contact Lic. Gonzalo Viquez Carazo at gonvicar@viquezoreamuno.com. (506) 2296-4432 The firm is a father/son team; outstanding service, excellent communication (english/spanish)and fair pricing. Tell him Fred the Gringo Ballerina says hi! (private joke, no innuendo here!)
The recently appointed US Ambassador, Peter Cianchette, is from my neck of the woods up here in Maine. He comes from a long line of no nonsense, hard working, self made success stories. My ever so “enlightened” Mainiacs denied him the governorship a few years back in favor of a guy who couldn’t rein in spending by his own party in two terms (yeah, we reward knuckleheads up here); Maine is now a gargantuan fiscal morass. (politics off) I can only believe his no nonsense approach has streamlined procedures in the US Embassy in C.R., and I look forward to meeting him someday.
Thank you all. I knew that tapping the knowledge base available on this site would yield results! We hope to be building within a year; details like this can reduce the number of hiccups and make the outcome even better. And “muchas gracias, amigo” to Scott for this valuable forum. Fred
The chain is actually plastic and is used as a substitute for a downspout (conductor) for the rain gutters. The rainwater (well, most of it) runs down the chain to the catch basin. Just a little CR magical engineering! Fred
I use Lic. Gonzalo Viquez Carazo (father and son) very sharp, very professional, quick responses to all issues. (email: costaricanlegaladvice@gmail.com ) Best of luck! Fred
My dear friend Mikey is documenting the construction and implementation (paying job!)of just such a project near Sugarloaf, Kingfield, ME. 30′ of head, 120′ run sluice pipe cast concrete in sections down the streambed, formed and molded and poured during our dry season (we had a dry spring, first in years) 10″ pipe skinnys down to 3″ , powers an 18kw 3-phase alternator by axial flow water turbine, back-throttled by a downstream butterfly valve. Nice commercial grade install. See: http://www.mainehuts.org/ Fred
At 150 meters, your head pressure at the nozzle would be close to 200 psi. You’re no longer talking microhydro here. Sounds like micro-Arenal! Fred
Recieved a nice reply from those friendly folks at ICE. They anticipate wiring Nosara in the 3rd quarter of 2008 w/ DSL copper. Package pricing for homes from $28-$62 per month (depending on bandwidth desired)and businesses from $80-$300. Had to laugh, tho: You can save a whole dollar / month by supplying your own modem! Such a deal! Fred
Home of the most excellent Soul Arch Photo! Looks like I’ll be in Nosara around June 13th; would like to meet/greet at that time. I’ll email the office. Thanks. Fred
