Comments on: Zillow: Underwater Mortgages May Reach 30%

By: patient renter

patient renter — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:14:43 +0000

Apologies. Though topics swing wildly, it’s still fun discussing other topics with this crowd. As you said, the 10 links thread is as good a place as any to do that.

By: DeDude

DeDude — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:48:11 +0000

Sorry about that Barry; I think you have been very tolerant so far, and I understand that it can reach a limit where you get mad about OT posts. I agree with Andy T @ 7:21 there is a lot of valuable information in those daily trading comments and they could get a lot more valuable if guided into a daily thread so people knew where to post and where to find it. Your site does lose value if its debate lose structure, so its in everybodies interest to try helping you with keeping it structured. I will try to do better in the future.

By: Whammer

Whammer — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:45:29 +0000

BR, late to the party as usual. But I would say, that, what I do is to look for the thread with the most comments to see what is going on with the traders. There tends to be a “gravity well” on one thread that emerges and where most of the market-related commentary is happening. So that’s where I look for starters.

I fully expect that there might be some politics in those threads also — Austrians vs. Keynesians, etc. OK by me. However, I fully respect that this is your sandbox. I just wanted to echo the general idea that “flash communities”, or whatever you’d like to call them, tend to develop here at TBP, and that can be a good thing.

By: deadonarrival

deadonarrival — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:59:43 +0000

“Bring me the broomstick of the wicked witch of the west!”

There is no longer joy in Mudville…

By: Christopher

Christopher — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:05:26 +0000

Guilty as charged….My apologies BR.

By: call me ahab

call me ahab — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:35:28 +0000

BR says-

“Even worse, the political debates are all heat no light”

very true- well said- short and to the point

By: jc

jc — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:34:43 +0000

Barry can’t be QB and takes his football home, typical long islander

By: franklin420d

franklin420d — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:29:06 +0000

Well this is a tough situation.

About 2 months ago, I discovered TBP and it has been a wonderful relief from the song and dance the main stream media pushes into the minds of the masses.

It was the articles and links on TBP that drew me, but it was regular posters (YOU) who have kept me and I have learned much.

Barry’s site helps to shed light where others don’t want light to be shown – YOU the regular posters help spread that light and through and because of your personal experiences, have helped to illuminate subjects that people like myself had no idea were hiding in the dark.

As I just stated I have learned much, but for each question you here at TBP answer, there are 2 or 3 more questions that emerge. I am a novice as far as the world of economics is concerned, but even a novice can smell the stench of how this economic malaise has been and is being handled.

I can not and will not answer pretend to answer for Barry, but he has been providing a service for many who would otherwise not receive these services. YOU the readers and posters have been the steroids that help to build this service – Seems like we need one to have the other.

I believe Barry wants to keep his services as clean and clear as possible, but with that being said, there is a lot of intellectual growth being born in the free speech and exchange of ideas on this sight and some of that is because of “Off Topic” posts.

My two cents – This is Barry’s sand box. His sand box is enjoyable because of YOU! If no rules are set the sand box will be over run, if too many rules are set, no one will show up.

Good luck Barry and the rest of ya’ll.

By: Thor

Thor — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:27:51 +0000

Barry – understood – I’ll try to be good from now on ;-)

By: Barry Ritholtz

Barry Ritholtz — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:26:53 +0000

I always try to do at leats one Open Thread a week — plus the “10 Links” is an opportunity to reference whatever you want anywhere else in the world wide web.

But if a Market or a Housing or a Derivatives post goes up, I want to keep it at least tangentially related to the subject at hand.

Even worse, the political debates are all heat no light — and even worse, it attracts the crazies.

No thanks