Day: April 13, 2007

Going to Potter

I think J.K. Rowling has done something marvelous by creating the Harry Potter series. She deserves every penny of the millions — or is it billions now? — she has earned.

Eric has read all of the Harry Potter books, of course. I’ve read the first two books and have seen the movies. In the second movie, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Jason Isaacs first appeared as Lucius Malfoy. He’s from Liverpool, but he doesn’t sound like it.

I’m of mostly British heritage. About 15 years ago I spent some time on business in England, and I felt very much at home there. Sometimes I wish I’d grown up in England, so that I might be able to speak with the flawless articulation and inflection that Isaacs displays with such panache in this scene. But it’s safer to assume that my speech would sound more like that of Mark Williams, who is in this scene as Ronald Weasley’s father, Arthur.
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/APR07/HarryPotter.flv 425 232]© Warners

Legal Loan Sharking

With all of the talk and concern about predatory lending practices, why is it that Web sites are still covered with ads like this one?

I don’t know what the girls in it have to do with getting a mortgage, but one gets the impression the ad is intended to appeal to non-white customers. I think the use of the term sub-prime should be stopped. The uninformed might get the impression it has something to do with the Prime Rate, and not unqualified borrowers.

The problem isn’t just with those who aren’t credit-worthy. The herd mentality that led to the stock market surge in the late 90’s simply jumped over to real estate. Professionals traded up to a bigger house than they could otherwise afford. The assumption was an $850,000 home would be worth $1m in no time. Combined with the hope, if not expectation, that interest rates wouldn’t go up significantly, some people with healthy incomes are now in trouble because the value of their house is down, and their adjustable mortgage rate is up.