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I’ll stick to Paris or Madrid, NYC, Boston, Chicago, Tokyo or London thanks.

Only Tokyo is safe enough though. Cities are magnets for bad elements.

Why people don’t use them as housing for their maid or au-pair, however, is beyond me.

@SFWoman,

The reason rich people do not allow their maid/au-pair/valet/chauffer to inhabit the studio apartment in prime location is to instill CHARACTER. They do not want to make it "too easy" for their household slaves, as this would be setting a poor example and encouraging the "wrong" behavior. If the maid's commute time were cut from the usual 3 hours each way (from whatever inland ghetto), this might encourage sloth. The servant would have more free time to spend with their families or to pursue other interests, diverting them from concentrating on their masters' needs.

*Not* a good thing, I'm sure you'll agree. ;-)

Even worse the filthy servant might actually try enrolling one of their children in the same school as your little Damien or Veruca! This simply will not do. Hence, the empty apartments in prime neighborhoods.

Top ten law firms, or Goldman probably don’t interview at the Chico equivalent law or business school. I think this is why some people get the vague idea in their head that they need a name school, even if they would find a better program in their field at a different school.

Probably true though.

Fyi for those unaccustomed to Robert's acronyms: "FOAMers = Forces Of Anti-Mobility".

See Coté-isms section of the Housing Bubble Glossary for more details:
http://patrick.net/wp/?p=63

Storrow Drive in Boston is more difficult than SF, but I still think that the immigrant elderly drivers in SF are the worst I have seen- and I have driven in Istanbul.

This is why Fremont and Cupertino can be dangerous.

SFWoman Says:

> The median income of Harvard graduates
> is $200,000. Take out recent grads and
> retired people and you are often looking at
> a lot of money. That’s why a lot of people
> are obsessed with the school.

I laugh every time I hear that "what school you went to does not matter". Lets not forget that most smart guys work as hard as they can to keep their "taxable" income as low as possible and as private as possible so median income surveys are not worth much (I've got a friend with thousands of "options" to buy Google at $0.10 a share). It seems like half my friends have at least a couple million in stock and/or stock options that they got while serving on the boards of small firms...

I laugh every time I hear that “what school you went to does not matter”.

What school you dropped out from is probably more important. :)

I wrote:

> I have never heard of a single school bad school district where
> all the homes are worth over $1mm. A couple local examples
> are Portola Valley, Hillsborough and Ross.

Then Randy H. wrote:

> Weren’t you arguing that Southern Marin is rifled with inferior
> schools because of minorities in Marin City and druggies over
> the hill? The last I checked, the median home value here is
> well over $1M.

To guarantee a good school district you need "all" the homes over $1mm not just the median. There are many areas like South Marin where the TuPac wanabees from the housing projects and the pot growers from West Marin ruin what would be a good school district...

Are you advocating golf lessons over math tutoring?

Yes. Golf is very important. I am doomed because my swing is lost. :(

To guarantee a good school district you need “all” the homes over $1mm not just the median. There are many areas like South Marin where the TuPac wanabees from the housing projects and the pot growers from West Marin ruin what would be a good school district…

I think privatizing all schools is a better idea.

I wrote:

> I laugh every time I hear that “what school
> you went to does not matter”.

Then Peter P. wrote:

> What school you dropped out from is probably
> more important

If the United Way board member went back to IBM and said: "I'm on the United Way board with a nice lady named Mary who's son and his friends from Seattle Junior College might me able to help us with an OS" there would have been no meeting with IBM and no reason to drop out of school...

Junior College

Perhaps the Junior University is better. :)

Golf is an annoying and frustrating game. Yet I met most of my friends, directly or indirectly, on the golf course.

Oh, did I mention I live over the 7th tee?

Which course?

It (or a particular instance of it) might still be considered an upper-class activity if the players are in purely for the fun (as opposed to looking for or cementing business connections) and on lush lands.

For fun? No way. Mini-golf is for fun. Golf is something you love to hate.

Golf has such a large environmental impact to calorie exerted ratio. Tennis or basketball is so much more environmentally friendly.

I just refuse to perpetuate the system. Kids are fun and all, but the whole human system is so inherently oppressive to everybody involved.

Golf has such a large environmental impact to calorie exerted ratio. Tennis or basketball is so much more environmentally friendly.

I much rather live on a golf course than next to basket ball courts. Golf courses must be environmentally friendly, otherwise animals will not wander on them. I have seen rabbits, deers, and peacocks.

Deer, rabbits, and peacocks do not make for an environmentally friendly place. In fact, absent predators they're major causes of overloading and crashing their local environments.

Thank you Old World Man.

As a living example of that very process, I find myself unable to respond to what I perceive to be overt elitism of the highest order. A good number of modest rural farm-town kids from my substandard public high school went on to public undergrad and later Ivy or equivalent graduate schools -- myself included. Amazingly, once I made it to the "A leagues" I found myself largely without challenge and often thinking that all these sliver-spooners were but a facade of intelligence. Of course that's not true, but the perception that somehow children on the golden path are smarter is bunk. It's just that they have been granted a system with safety nets, whereas we who climbed there from modest beginnings did so despite ever present risk of failure in a system that was indifferent about individual failure. Then, ironically, once we make it we find ourselves looked upon as somehow undeserving; doing nothing more than occupying a seat that should have gone to another prep school "prodigy".

Class warfare is such an unpleasant business.

Heriditary and environment determine the bucket.

Genius is the use and brilliance is the public use.

Karma determines heriditary and environment.

Fate determines intelligence and opportunities.

Work connects the dots.

Luck determines ultimate success.

In fact, absent predators they’re major causes of overloading and crashing their local environments.

Are you suggesting that I should hunt them down next time I play golf? Does a hunting rifle count as one of the 14 clubs? :)

As of Mon 6pm 70 yes/30 no.

Okay, I will short the futures to hedge. :)

astrid Says:

Golf has such a large environmental impact to calorie exerted ratio. Tennis or basketball is so much more environmentally friendly.

Couldn't agree more, especially in places where greensward is not the 'norm'. Large parts of the Algarve in Portugal are golf courses for the tourists who come to play.
Portugal in its natural state is very similar to coastal SoCal, so has severe water shortages and forest fires every year, just so the greens can be watered. Not to mention that all the water that goes on the golf course is not going onto farmer's lands.

Portugal in its natural state is very similar to coastal SoCal, so has severe water shortages and forest fires every year, just so the greens can be watered. Not to mention that all the water that goes on the golf course is not going onto farmer’s lands.

If water is charged correctly, it will automatically be put into the most productive use.

I want to come, my middle child makes a killer sourdough bowl dill dip and the rest make fudge/brownies to die for

Ok, I would already have been disappointed if Robert couldn't make it this Sunday. Now, after reading this I'll be REALLY disappointed if he's not there! Please try to make it, Robert --even if only for an hour (or long enough to drop off the goodies). :-)

"Golf has such a large environmental impact to calorie exerted ratio. Tennis or basketball is so much more environmentally friendly."

Golf is fat drunk businessmen networking, solidifying business relatioships, and making deals. It has nothing to do with environment impact or health.

It is a generally a quasi social business occassion, not a "sport".

“Productive use” of water is generally unnatural and damaging to the environment however.

Perhaps. But humanity is generally unnatural and damaging to the environment anyway. This I feel sad. :(

Peter P,

But how would you measure that productivity? In dollars(market)? In greatest good for the greatest number of people (govt reg)? In terms of long term environmental health?

Yes, by all means hunt as many of those rats on hooves and rats with buckteeth and cottontails down, if the landowner grants you permission. And please take about 1,000 Canadian geese out too - they're beastly. I'd be weary of shooting down peacocks, check to make sure they're pests.

But how would you measure that productivity? In dollars(market)? In greatest good for the greatest number of people (govt reg)? In terms of long term environmental health?

Total utility is usually what I look for. The environment is an asset. We should seek to protect its long-term viability. However, it is only a means, not an end.

And please take about 1,000 Canadian geese out too - they’re beastly.

Why don't Chinese restaurants here make roasted geese with them?

Unfortunately very true. It saddens me also. Possibly the environment may have something to say about it in the future…..probably something rather unpleasant.

It is a conflict.

As a human being I would like to conquer the nature. It is just "natural" to further our own best interests.

But we are part of our environment and we will never win. I am not fearful of any future environmental disaster because I know we deserve to perish when it comes to hit us.

"Why don’t Chinese restaurants here make roasted geese with them?"

I'm not sure that would solve the Canadian geese problem, but yes, I would definitely support more geese and squab (aka pigeon) availability.

And please take about 1,000 Canadian geese out too - they’re beastly.

My wife was attached by one of these beasts many years ago. My revenge - goose foie gras!

As a student of the I Ching surely you should look to smoothly ride the change in harmony with the environment, rather than misguidedly try to conquer anything.

True. Do you study I Ching too?

I Ching is about waves, the cycle of nature. I see waves and think surfing, exploiting the waves. Not the intent of I Ching.

I Ching is about the universe. Waves and surfing are included.

Sometimes, though not as thoroughly as I should. I spend more time trying to manifest the trigrams practicing bagua.

Do you use yarrow sticks or coins?

Conor Says:

Personally, I wouldn’t want any job that “requires” a Harvard/Stanford/whatever degree. Says a lot about management and the people you’d be working with. For people with above average business and investing savvy, I contend that going to any 4-year school ends up costing you more money than it makes you in the long run.
_____

Conor, the way things are shaping up these days, you just may be right.
Here in Phoenix, a bachelors in most disciplines gets no respect. A masters degree, slightly better. I've got stories to tell about this sh-t.

Damn, it sucks when you play by the rules and get nothing but college debt in return.

Have a great day!

RE: golf

BTW, it seems that Tiger is on fire again.

I don’t use it as an oracle, but as a mindset through which to see events unfold. Back on topic - I would buy into a district with a good taoist school!

Which oracle, if any, do you use?