Travels etc.

There is no surprise that amid property price growth in Australia (especially in Sydney) some people would be interested in explaining the reasons of it. Beyond market conditions (demand higher than supply, low interest rates, higher income than many other places) there is also a tendency to blame foreign investors in influence on the property prices. I have personally heard sentiments about this from persons who couldn't afford to buy property for themselves to live. For some it is possibly easy to mark people who they see as competitors on the property market as foreigners. As an illustration you might consider this quote: ... I think it is hard to deny. If you imagine an auction on a weekend where you throw in an extra buyer who is willing to pay a little bit more than everyone else there, if that buyer happens to be foreign, maybe as a temporary resident, and they are buying the single place that they are able to get approval for, it is hard to deny that it would not p...

It's 37 days (1.25 months) past since the builder refused to finish the defective work on 28/10. Fair Trading inspector spent three weeks calling to the builder trying to get them back to fix the issue. All that time the bathroom/shower couldn't be used midst 30+ degree heat. The builder started blaming the owner that it's the owner's fault that the work is unfinished. However all the evidence was against the builder. They also said they are not coming back and that other company should fix it. In the meantime the owner and strata decided to organise for other company to finish the work and reported that to the Fair Trading inspector. In a couple of days the builder called to strata manager and said they can come and finish the job! Long story short the builder came out on 21/11 and 22/11 and almost completed the work, but left some sealing unfinished and the floorboards removed. They also left the site without letting the owner know. The owner needed to take a ...

On 18/11/2014 I stumbled upon this newspaper cover: There is a report in the newspaper regarding situation in Central Coast, NSW. In a snapshot it is: - 7.4% unemployment - 28% youth unemployment - 1753 businesses lost in 5 years - 2000(!) homeless people - 12 years waiting time for public housing I see an interesting opportunity here - a project to convince those unemployed and homeless people to build housing and infrastructure around it for those 2000 in need (which for homeless would be effectively building places to live for themselves) and to reduce waiting time from 12 years to a number of years required to build a house/unit. There are obvious benefits: Provide housing for those in need - great opportunity for those who appreciate good causes and charity.  Employ people who are possibly financially dependent at the moment, because they are unemployed/homeless - that would also make them learn new trade, broaden their knowledge and increase their confidenc...

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin My rating: 2 of 5 stars I heard about this book a while ago and recently the time has come to read it. It looks like a set of posts randomly compiled to make a book. The little bits of information that are helpful in regards to "tribes" seem to be buried under the thick layer of sometimes quite controversial examples and conclusions. However the book is considered as inspirational by many. View all my reviews

Questions and Answers: Property Law by Laura-Leigh Cameron-Dow My rating: 4 of 5 stars Very good book for everybody interested in Australian law. The format is very convenient to understand how different principles are applied and what steps to follow when working on particular matters regarding property. It would be good if the book also contained Q&A in regards to strata titles from legal perspective, because this area is very poorly implemented and controlled at the moment. View all my reviews

I like the idea of experiential knowledge: "I have specifically gone out with PhDs, MDs, JDs, [and] CEOs because I have always thought they were out of my league. Thinking they are so much smarter than I am because of a degree. I really wanted to know what makes them tick and what makes them better than I am. I have slept with all of them. I learned they are no different than a mechanic or factory worker; they just have more money. - heterosexual woman, age 42"

Have just completed a very interesting online course about US constitutional concepts, how it has been developed and different perspectives of its content and interpretations in regards to law. Professor Kermit Roosevelt provides several controversial points of view on constitutional topics with judges decisions and history in regards to it. In the context of contemporary chatter about freedom, democracy etc. this course should be able to help making an informed opinion based on existing knowledge and research up to date. The course is provided by University of Pennsylvania , in my opinion it's one of the best universities in the area of free online (MOOC) education so far. Course info .