We would have to have put down at least $200,000 to have a mortgage payment as low as our rent payment.

I went to California when I was in my old house. I mentioned in a conversation that it was a 3BR house I bought for $45,000 and I think some locals almost went into shock.

If anyone wants an update on Gustav news WWL just sent me this.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has called a news conference with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and FEMA Administrator David Paulison on Hurricane Gustav.

WWL will bring you live coverage on WWL AM & FM and WWL.com from the Joint Field Office in Baton Rouge at 4:45pm. They will provide detailed information on the latest preparations, evacuation plans and more.

The current Gustav forecast track from the National Hurricane Center calls for the storm to move into the Gulf Sunday and head for the Louisiana coast as a category three hurricane with winds up to 130 miles per hour. For now, landfall is predicted Tuesday morning near Houma, Louisiana.

The cone of error still, however, spreads from Florida through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

We would have to have put down at least $200,000 to have a mortgage payment as low as our rent payment.

And investing that money in the stock market instead over the next 20 years would likely average 10% a year, 12% if you were more aggressive, which would cover my rent every year.

I'm not saying it's bad to own, I just think it's often presented as this holy grail, which ends up trapping a lot of people in bad situations.

That article mentions online savings. People here were talking about some online bank that had a great savings plan. Do those people still have those accounts, and if so, with whom and how has that worked?

I went to California when I was in my old house. I mentioned in a conversation that it was a 3BR house I bought for $45,000 and I think some locals almost went into shock.

Ha!

I don't think that rent stabilization is actually the main factor that makes market rate rent in NYC so insane.

My point is that the rent I pay is below-market, and held there by stabilization.

I don't think that rent stabilization is actually the main factor that makes market rate rent in NYC so insane.

Yeah, but, unless you do have something rent stabilized, I would think the incentive to buy in the city would be high since rents are generally high and property taxes are relatively low.

WTF? Ready for take-off, Tiddles? Meet the cats which have sprouted wings

The cute little devils began sprouting bumps on their backs, which later turned into wing-like growths, during a recent spell of hot weather in China's Sichuan province.

One cat owner, known only as Feng, claims her cat's wings are a result of stress after he was 'harassed' by females looking to mate.

'At first, they were just two bumps, but they started to grow quickly, and after a month there were two wings,' she told Huashang News.

'Many female cats in heat came to harass him, and then the wings started to grow.'

And while she says her lovable Tom is no devil, his wings, which contain bones, make him look more like a 'cat angel'.

But genetic experts claim there is nothing angelic or magical about the condition, which doesn't hinder the cat's quality of life.

They say the wings can form through poor grooming, a genetic defect or a hereditary skin condition.

This doesn't make sense to me. Also, it's hard to tell from the photos what the "wings" are like....

unless you do have something rent stabilized, I would think the incentive to buy in the city would be high since rents are generally high and property taxes are relatively low.

Assuming you can afford the downpayment, yes. This was us when we bought - rents were skyrocketing and we wanted more stability because we were about to have a baby. (Maybe in a market where landlords are less skeezy than in NYC we wouldn't have worried, but the peace of mind knowing that I can't be kicked out of my home with 30 days notice because my landlord is having a bad day? Worth. Every. Penny.)

My point is that the rent I pay is below-market, and held there by stabilization.

Which I would have REALIZED had I noticed that the post was by Jesse and not Jessica. D'oh!

This is what I get for reading to fast. Duh.

Assuming you can afford the downpayment, yes.

Yes, I meant as compared to CA, where the property tax structure serves as a complete disincentive to new homebuyers.