text:
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Gee, thanks, "kids".
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
I'm not really sure what the "20th" denotes: 20 years of being a "dad"? 20 "children"? Or maybe the cake is for the 20th "dad" to come along? Eh?
Regardless, any cake decorator who thinks the title Dad deserves quotation marks probably needs therapy. Or an English lesson. One of those two, anyway.
55 comments | Post a Comment
- Ben said...
It could be the 20th birthday of the their stepfather. Isn't it awkward when your "Dad" is younger than you are?
- June 5, 2008 at 4:29 PM
- rptrcub said...
It's the style of those who don't know proper grammar to use quote marks to emphasize words. It drives me up the wall. And it makes it seem that there's doubt as to the true paternity of the children.
- July 22, 2008 at 9:40 AM
I think I know what's going on here. I used to live in a house with 5 other guys, and one of them was always telling people to clean up after themselves, how to park their cars, etc. So we called him "Dad." Keep in mind we were all 20-21 years old at the time. We never bought "Dad" a cake, though, or made one. Oh, and yes, there was a "Mom." Fortunately it wasn't me.
- July 22, 2008 at 4:29 PM
Could also be the 20th anniversary of their biological mother and step-father.
- July 23, 2008 at 10:16 AM
I like how they put the cake on the floor for the picture, but they were classy enough to put glitter around it.
- July 23, 2008 at 2:38 PM
I've seen plenty of counter tops that look like that. I doubt it's on the floor.
- July 23, 2008 at 8:49 PM
- goldie said...
Maybe the kids are 28 and 29 or something and it wasn't until they were 8 and 9 that their "Dad" got his act together. Here's to 20 years to having your crap together! Also, I'm imagining the kids throwing up the air quotes when they introduce him to people.
This is my "dad." He wasn't around for 8 years, but then he got his crap together and has been a solid "dad" for 20 years. - July 25, 2008 at 1:42 PM
- Jen said...
"throwing up the air quotes"
made me LOL for real. Love it. - July 25, 2008 at 2:22 PM
- Valraven said...
I would assume that the quotes are there on request, as "dad"(said that way, whether through inflection or air quotes) is the accepted title of the recipient.
- July 26, 2008 at 11:07 PM
- Sarah said...
Maybe he's worked at a place for twenty years, and his co-workers call him "Dad."
It does seem most likely that somebody thought quote marks were for emphasis - or they reasoned that, since "Dad" is not the recipient's legal name, it required indication as a nickname. - July 27, 2008 at 9:39 PM
I just bought a cake for my team mate at work and spelt her name wrong lol
- July 31, 2008 at 5:31 AM
- Brigid said...
or, maybe it's the 20th year since their guardian adopted them...
- August 2, 2008 at 2:46 PM
looks like "20th thanks" - like they've thanked this character twenty times - for what, who knows?
- August 3, 2008 at 5:23 AM
- louie louie said...
i think it is most likely a church cake for the "father".
- August 8, 2008 at 12:44 AM
- Ronnica said...
Must be the 20th dad. Like every time mom brings home a new man, he's "dad."
- August 11, 2008 at 3:27 PM
- Wolf said...
I think the first anonymous has it right. This cake is addressed to a friend that everyone calls "Dad." Likely, it's a rare case of properly used quotes. I'm guessing he's turning 20, but the 20th bit is beyond me.
- August 13, 2008 at 12:19 PM
Maybe this was a sweet girl celebrating her 20th time with her loving sugar daddy - I know I'd count every "time" if I had to call my man "dad".
- August 14, 2008 at 4:39 PM
My favorite theory on this cake is the "20th Thanks" Theory. Like the 19th Thanks was a Blow-Pop Bouquet. The 18th Thanks was a coupon for a foot massage. And so on and so on...They really owe "Dad!"
- August 15, 2008 at 2:50 PM
I had a friend that I called Dad because he was always taking care of everyone.. designated driver, bail you out of trouble.. He actually got me a birthday card saying happy birthday daughter.. it was a running joke for years..
- August 16, 2008 at 2:20 AM
- Unknown said...
I could see a cake like this being made for the pastor of a church group or something... for instance, the pastor hits his 20th year with the church and there's a party. There are a lot of interpretations that make sense. Maybe a volunteer worker for troubled boys/teens?
- August 16, 2008 at 7:45 PM
Perhaps i'm asking for too much, but shouldn't the word "Happy" be somewhere on this cake, like before "20th" ... Or could it really be "20th Thanks..." ???
This cake's got lots of 'splainin' to do! Lots! - August 19, 2008 at 8:04 AM
- jme said...
I love it when people write how they actually speak, i.e. Isaac. I was chuckling until I read his post, then I started to laugh so hard I cried. Thanks so much for that!
This is my favorite cake so far. Everything about it is so non-commital, maybe it was meant to look like this. Hmmmm... - August 19, 2008 at 11:41 PM
- Sheila said...
Great blog! The cakes with quotations made me laugh as we bought a cake from our local grocery store and they put my son's name in quotes on it. I thought it was just a one time error but I see it happens every where!
- August 22, 2008 at 11:31 AM
Could be a floor, but my guess is it's actually a '70s countertop with ceramic tile and really dark grout. Funny cake. :)
- August 26, 2008 at 6:25 PM
I'm going to err on the side of the quotation marks being indicative of a nickname. My dad (ex-step-dad, how's that for a mouthful?) always told our friends that he was "Dad", and that's what they called him. We're close to the mom of a friend of ours, and our kids call her "Grandma". *shrug* To each their own. I loved reading all of the theories, as well as the original blog! (And yes, the period outside of the quotes was intentional. That's one punctuation convention I refuse to observe, unless the sentence ends in a statement.)
- September 5, 2008 at 2:45 PM
Believe it or not, I can clear this one up. The one who guessed that it was 20 years from an adoption wins.
This cake was for my Dad who adopted me and my two older sisters when I was 5 years old. We refer to this as the "cake."
A friend of mine was just showing me cake disasters and I took her to see our own personal cake disaster. A moment later, we discovered this one. Needles to say, it stirred up another chuckle. - September 6, 2008 at 3:16 AM
I think it's on a tile table not the floor.
- September 18, 2008 at 8:08 PM
- LaurenAct513 said...
Well, now we know the real story, but Flip's comment made me laugh the hardest. I love the "blow pop bouquet".
- September 21, 2008 at 12:15 PM
- LaurenAct513 said...
Now that it is cleared up I have to say I still like Flip's explanation the best. I really had to laugh at that one. I especially like the "Blow Pop Bouquet".
- September 21, 2008 at 12:16 PM
Isn't it possible that it is their stepfather who stepped up and was their "Dad" for the last 20 years since their real dad didnt't.
- September 28, 2008 at 12:15 PM
If he's turning 20, I doubt the kids would be old enough to order his cake. I think this is for an older brotherly type or father figure for someone, thus the "dad" ('cause he's not REALLY dad, but he feels like it).
I'm "sorry"! - October 2, 2008 at 5:05 PM
I love the "interpretations" on the purpose of this cake.
I also love that Spot the Lady Boy spelled her co-worker's name wrong...and the word 'spelled'. I'm pretty sure there is no such word as spelt.
-anonymous - October 14, 2008 at 8:38 AM
That cake is definitely on the floor...you can see shoelaces in the bottom right corner! Ha!
- October 27, 2008 at 8:51 AM
- Al said...
Spelt is a word it is a type of wheat that some breads are made of. Sorry had to say it.:)
- November 30, 2008 at 7:44 PM
Spelt is a word, and it is a grain, but it is also the British spelling of the word "spelled."
- December 4, 2008 at 10:16 AM
I think this cake is for a sports coach, maybe Little League baseball. The coach is like a father to his team (hence the "Dad"). It is either a young assistant coach who has turned 20 or his jersey number is 20.
- December 18, 2008 at 11:22 PM
Definitely could be valid use of the quotes in this case, you never know. But in the interest of furthering this illustrious debate, I present to you: The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks.
- December 31, 2008 at 5:22 PM
Is that......ketchup? xDD
- February 18, 2009 at 12:45 AM
Maybe it is the 20th time the "kids" have said thank you to their "father."
Like, "For the 20th time, thank you for being our 'dad.' Now stop badgering us." - February 25, 2009 at 3:51 PM
- Mandapanda said...
Hey can you submit this to unnecessaryquotes.com? They would love it - I think it would fit right in!
- February 28, 2009 at 12:11 AM
I am thinking that the "20th" would mean that they were picking the cake up on the 20th and it shouldn't have been on the cake at all. possibly a case of the cakorator taking things too literally.
- March 6, 2009 at 5:12 PM
- stage3design said...
Could be a foster dad.
Or a nickname.
Or a prison dad. erm... not sure what I mean by that one. - March 14, 2009 at 8:35 PM
- K.C. and Her Puppies said...
It could be someone's brother. My siblings regarded me as their mother at some points. I get "mother's" days gifts.
- March 15, 2009 at 12:01 AM
This reminds me of my grandmother - she would always sign cards for my mom as Love, "Mom" and cards for me as Love, "Grandma." She was related to us biologically, but she didn't think it was right to use a name other than her real one without quotes. Nobody else in the family does this.
- May 27, 2009 at 11:34 AM
I'm trying to eat my cereal, but I started choking on it when I saw this cake-- TOO FUNNY. I was completely focused on the "Dad" in quotes, then I read what you said about the 20 and I spit cereal onto my monitor.
- July 28, 2009 at 12:47 PM
I used to be involved DeMolay, which is like freemasonry for kids, and "Dad" was the term for the actual Masons who helped run things. One of the "Dads" in my chapter was around 20.
- August 11, 2009 at 1:33 PM
A few people have posted that the cake is on the floor. Could it be on a tiled island?
lyd - August 14, 2009 at 3:05 PM
I think it's on the floor. Check the top of the pic - looks like chair legs.
- August 18, 2009 at 1:11 PM
Yes, the term "Dad" could mean lots of things, and maybe the quotes are appropriate, but it's more fun to think they're not!
I wonder what "bakery" this came from, and who the "baker" was. Too bad if they paid beforehand, otherwise they could have paid with "money" after seeing it. I hope the "occasion" went well. "Dad" probably took it all in stride.
(The 20th one, anyway. I doubt the previous "Dads" would have though.) Anyway, nice "cake"! - September 27, 2009 at 4:11 PM
"Chair legs"? How about... 12 oz dark brown glass bottles? (Note the nearby cocktail napkin.) And I think silvery-gray is a more common color for camera lanyards than it is for shoelaces.
- November 10, 2009 at 8:13 PM
...maybe it's the 20th "cake."
- November 15, 2009 at 7:46 PM
It's the 20th time they thank their dad
- May 3, 2010 at 4:22 PM
This could be for a stepdad but i'm not sure. say hi to your "dad" for me!
- July 15, 2010 at 6:11 PM
It could have been the 20th birthday since "Dad" married they're mom.
- May 1, 2011 at 8:05 PM
Maybe it's not thanks for being our "dad", but on the phone: "I'd like it to say thanks for being our dad, in quotes". So the wreckerator took that as just the word dad in quotes, not as "thanks for being our dad!" I don't know, just an idea.
- August 1, 2011 at 10:09 PM
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By LISA MASCARO, MARY CLARE JALONICK, JONATHAN LEMIRE and ALAN FRAM, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House for a historic second time Wednesday, charged with "incitement of insurrection" over the deadly mob siege of the Capitol in a swift and stunning collapse of his final days in office.
With the Capitol secured by armed National Guard troops inside and out, the House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump. The proceedings moved at lightning speed, with lawmakers voting just one week after violent pro-Trump loyalists stormed the U.S. Capitol, urged on by the president's calls for them to "fight like hell" against the election results.
Ten Republicans fled Trump, joining Democrats who said he needed to be held accountable and warned ominously of a "clear and present danger" if Congress should leave him unchecked before Democrat Joe Biden's inauguration January 20.
Trump is the only U.S. president to be twice impeached.
The Capitol insurrection stunned and angered lawmakers, who were sent scrambling for safety as the mob descended, and it revealed the fragility of the nation's history of peaceful transfers of power. The riot also forced a reckoning among some Republicans, who have stood by Trump throughout his presidency and largely allowed him to spread false attacks against the integrity of the 2020 election.
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The soonest Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell would start an impeachment trial is next Tuesday, the day before Trump is already set to leave the White House, McConnell's office said. The legislation is also intended to prevent Trump from ever running again.
McConnell believes Trump committed impeachable offenses and considers the Democrats' impeachment drive an opportunity to reduce the divisive, chaotic president's hold on the GOP, a Republican strategist told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
McConnell told major donors over the weekend that he was through with Trump, said the strategist, who demanded anonymity to describe McConnell's conversations.
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Other Republicans argued the impeachment was a rushed sham and complained about a double standard applied to his supporters but not to the liberal left. Some simply appealed for the nation to move on.
Rep. Tom McClintock of California said, "Every movement has a lunatic fringe."
Yet Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. and others recounted the harrowing day as rioters pounded on the chamber door trying to break in. Some called it a "coup" attempt.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., contended that Trump was "capable of starting a civil war."
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Fending off concerns that an impeachment trial would bog down his first days in office, Biden is encouraging senators to divide their time between taking taking up his priorities of confirming his nominees and approving COVID-19 relief while also conducting the trial.
The impeachment bill draws from Trump's own false statements about his election defeat to Biden. Judges across the country, including some nominated by Trump, have repeatedly dismissed cases challenging the election results, and former Attorney General William Barr, a Trump ally, has said there was no sign of widespread fraud.
The House had first tried to persuade Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke their authority under the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. Pence declined to do so, but the House passed the resolution anyway.
The impeachment bill also details Trump's pressure on state officials in Georgia to "find" him more votes.
While some have questioned impeaching the president so close to the end of his term, there is precedent. In 1876, during the Ulysses Grant administration, War Secretary William Belknap was impeached by the House the day he resigned, and the Senate convened a trial months later. He was acquitted.
Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Andrew Taylor and Zeke Miller contributed to this report.


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"Audio-cough event detection based on moment theory", Applied Acoustics, vol. 135, pp. 124–135, 2018.
, "Effect of Downsampling and Compressive Sensing on Audio-based Continuous Cough Monitoring", 37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), vol. 37, Milan, Italy, pp. 6231-6235, 2015.
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text:
1. Hold a Family Olympics. This could be as simple as "Who can pull Dad off the couch?" or as involved as walking balance beams and sack races. Awards or no awards, it's the fun and silly ceremony that counts. We'll string donuts along the outdoor clothesline and have a dangling donut-eating contest or practice our field goals with a soccer ball and a laundry basket.
2. Create a family journal. Get a composition book and let each member takes turns entering a paragraph. Can include pictures, favorite jokes, or individual responses to questions such as, "What was the funniest/saddest/silliest thing that happened to you this year?"
3. Hold a family book club. Charlotte's Web, Harry Potter, Little Women, read it together and then talk about it.
4. Hold parent/child interviews and videotape them. Make up a list of questions for your child and then interview them "60 Minutes" style and videotape the whole thing.
5. Hold a family planning session for an upcoming season. At Thanksgiving our family sits down and makes a list of everything we might want to do during the Christmas season then each person can vote for one thing--then we schedule those activities in. Ice fishing, sledding, skiing, camping, whatever is voted for we do. Works well for vacations too.
6. Create a family time capsule.
7. Hold a family recital or talent show.
8. Play Giant games. These are just games where family members are the pieces, like tic tac toe. Members wear different colored hats or paper Xs and Os on their shirts and I use masking tape on the floor to make the game board.
9. Plant and tend a family garden. Indoors or out there's something about digging in dirt that appeals to kids and producing something as a family can appeal to everyone.
10. Visit a local historical or cultural site. Museums, parks, battlefields or historic homes--study about it and then visit.
11. Tie a quilt together. It's an old-fashioned activity that gives everyone a chance to talk. Small children can color with fabric markers on the quilt before adults tie it.
12. Bake something together. Even if it's just rice krispie treats, the kitchen is a place to bond like no other.
13. Go to the library.
If you don't have enough people for any of these activities, invite another family to join. Next week will be part two.
More about the Thursday Thirteen meme.
Technorati tags: Thursday Thirteen, family activities, motherhood, children


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" I have lived my entire life in exile…." M.F. Husain
" Baba Uncle'' , as residents of M.F. Husain's posh apartment complex near the Dubai Creek, call him, is getting ready for his lunch date with a mystery lady at his favourite trysting place, the popular Noodle House in Emirates Towers.He has a tough choice to make – The Bentley or the Bugatti? He opts for the more stately Bentley, even though it is the sleek, low slung, super sexy Bugatti that attracts crowds ( it is one of five in the Middle East, and bears his initials on the headrest). Dressed in traditional Emirati gear, the painter is wearing socks , but no shoes. Mustafa, his handsome third son explains this is to respect local sensibilities regarding bare feet.Even the mighty Maqbool( shoeless for decades) has finally had to compromise and make a few key concessions. He laughs sardonically, " After watching 3 Idiots, I am proud to call myself an idiot. I am a fool. It is good to be a fool." The previous night, Dubai's ruler and his fetching wife, had singled out M.F.Husain at a gathering of over 500 celebrities from across the world who were their to attend Sheikh Mohammed's spectacular World Cup Race ( and a coming out party of sorts). " How are you, Sir?" the Sheikh asked the newly minted Qatari citizen. Husain smiled benignly. Dubai's loss has become Qatar's trophy. Too bad for Dubai. But Husain insists he was not offered any money to make that move to Doha, no matter what critics believe. What he was given generously and freely by Qatar's Sheikha Mosa, was space. And the special facilities he requires to go ahead with his ambitious, scaled up projects. " She just phoned one day and said, "Please come here… I will take care of everything." Everything was done – home, staff, cars." The move has not been easy. Husain shrugs philosophically and says that in any case he has lived his entire life in an exile of sorts…. " I have never really belonged anywhere or to anyone." But Mustafa said later that the moment his father surrendered his Indian passport was a deeply poignant one for Husain. It felt like one very important era of his long life had ended abruptly and he experienced acute pain. Something was over within him. Husain himself says he felt 'hurt'. But even that hurt was not enough to ask for favours, not even from Manmohan Singh when they met in London some time ago. What about Sonia? Husain shook his head, " We have not spoken. Had Indira Gandhi been alive, she would have taken an instant decision to get me back. It would have happened in one minute. She was that bold and dynamic. She wasn't afraid of anyone or anything."
What Husain misses the most these days is conversation…. someone to talk to… someone with whom he can connect… someone who understands him, his work. He says he misses his old friend Gaitonde the most. " We would spend hours in total silence and complete understanding. Now there is nobody.Here in Dubai, it is a cultural desert, people come here to make money. They only understand money and more money.There is no appreciation of the arts." But come September, and even clueless Dubai will see forty of Husain's magnificent , life size horses galloping across the cityscape. " My horses are my own. I don't need to look at other horses ", he says simply when asked why he wasn't attending the racing event which features the best race horses on earth. More interestingly, a Russian admirer has commissioned a show in New York later in the year, and Husain has picked the Ramayana as his theme. Twenty gigantic canvases will be on sale, but, he chuckles mischievously, all the female figures will be fully clad this time! Then there is the hundred years of cinema exhibit in London , which consumes him totally, given his passion for films. He is being experimental and adopting mixed media images for the poster-like canvases he is half way through.At present they line the walls of his apartment, which also doubles up as his studio. Where does he sleep in that crowded space? Husain laughs, "Ever since my wife died, I have no bedroom – only a drawing room!" Prolific, productive and more, when he isn't working on his own pictorial autobiography with stray text dotting the powerfully drawn images, he is on a plane. His summers are spent in London, where he prefers to cruise the English countryside painting water colours from the back seat of his Phantom! " I am the master of one liners," he jokes, as he quotes Ghalib, and compares himself to the man who was misunderstood by his peers but revered ever after. Even though there is neither time nor space in his busy life for nostalgia, it is evident from all that he says, that the umbilical chord remains firmly attached to his motherland. He has more money today than he perhaps knows what to do with. Rumours in Dubai have it that he walked into the Bentley showroom, picked a car , wanted it instantly, and paid with a swipe of his credit card. Senior managers rushed out of their cabins to see who this person was, considering even the Sheikhs of Arabia pay via instalments. Husain and EMIs?? Forget it! The Bentley was soon joined by a couple of Jaguars, a Ferrari, another Mercedes, a Rolls, and now the Bugatti ( which can hit 420 kmh in seconds, as his loyal chauffeur Hassan tells gawkers). Husain himself enjoys his new toys and gets a huge kick out of his multi crore gizmos. Ironically, nearly everything in his life is customized and easily available these days – from the awe inspiring sportscars that hit dizzying speeds in micro seconds to the fittings in his palatial new home in Qatar. Everything – but the one thing he longs for – home. One gets the feeling that were he to be given the opportunity to swap all of this, for just a single last chance to come home and walk the streets of Mumbai, stopping to drink chai at his favourite dhaba, he would abandon everything in a second and take the next flight back to India. Like he keeps repeating, it is only 'mohabbat' that matters to him now. He wants to gift love freely to the world. It is one original 'Husain' which can't be auctioned for a record- breaking price – not even by the sharpest art dealer.
" But clearly for M.F. Husain, love means never having to say you're sorry!!
Guys.... as you can tell, I worked hard in Dubai, even though I was there for a heavy duty 'Leisure and pleasure' luxury weekend, hosted by the ruler himself. He is quite a guy, Sheikh Mo. And I had the pleasure of meeting him at a pre-event banquet on the sands of the Burj Al Arab. More about that in another column.
To say the Sheikh had pulled out all the stops would be an understatement!
But for me, the meeting with my old and precious friend, M.F.Husain, was the real icing on the cake. I was delighted to see him in reasonably good spirits, frail of health, for sure, but the mind is as strong as ever, and the strokes of his brush remain steady and powerful. His unbeatable sense of humour is also intact! But all his wise cracks shall remain strictly off the record.
Who looked the hottest at the super fantabulous World Cup ( which is the world's swishiest horse race and NOT a cricket match, as a senior journo in the Times of India thinks!!!!)? Liz Hurley in a lemon yellow chiffon summer dress, no hat. Ascot is tacky, tacky, tacky, say those who go and those who know. I was there in Dubai for the thoroughbreds .... the ones on the race course, not the comical wannabes in the special boxes, please note. Bet you'd like to know what I wore.... it was an off -white Mukhaish saree that Hurley instantly wanted. The empire strikes back???


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Grants:APG/Proposals/2016-2017 round 1/Wikimedia Sverige
Funds proposal for: Wikimedia Sverige
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Calvinist Corner | www.mslick.com |
Ezekiel 33 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: 3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; 4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. 6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. 7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. 8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. 10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? 11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. 13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. 14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; 15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. 16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live. 17 Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal. 18 When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. 19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby. 20 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways. 21 And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten. 22 Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb. 23 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 24 Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance. 25 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land? 26 Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour's wife: and shall ye possess the land? 27 Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence. 28 For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through. 29 Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed. 30 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. 31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. 32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. 33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them. Return to Bible Online Calvinist Corner |


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Startups are a curious alchemy of people, knowledge, money, and technology. Access to these building blocks has historically been grossly uneven but is improving over time. Open-source software and cloud services have made the core infrastructure of technology companies easier and cheaper to build than ever before. The internet has collected and distributed a growing body of work and practical know-how on how to build and scale companies.
There still exists a dependence on certain people, though, particularly where the allocation of money is concerned.
Stripe Atlas helps founders worldwide start ambitious companies. One of our aims is to decrease the social distance between our entrepreneurs and investors, experts, and others who can help them. To do this, we created a private Stripe Atlas Forum, and we have been inviting guests to speak directly with Atlas members and answer their questions about building companies.
Marc Andreessen is a cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz and famously coined the phrase "software is eating the world." Prior to that, he cowrote Mosaic, the first mainstream web browser. While he's unfortunately no longer an active Twitter user (his @pmarca account made for compulsory reading while he was), he did agree to answer over 30 questions from Stripe Atlas founders. These include questions about how to convince a venture capitalist to give money; what has changed about the tech industry since he cowrote the first web browser; and where opportunities still exist to build huge, meaningful businesses around technology the world needs. Marc graciously gave us permission to post a portion of his answers publicly, for the benefit of the wider community.
If we can help you with access to the people, knowledge, and technology that will help you start and grow your new business, join Stripe Atlas. (And if you need the money, read Marc's advice below on pitching venture capitalists.)
Raising money from VCs
What is most important for you when you decide to invest in a startup?
There are three different answers, for the three different stages.
At the seed stage, when a startup is brand new, the decision is driven almost entirely by the people. Who are they, and what is their pedigree and track record to cause one to expect that they can build something special?
At the venture stage, when a startup has a prototype or an initial product but not yet a fully functional business, the decision is some combination of the people, as with seed rounds, but also product or market fit: Is there reason to believe that this product in this market at this time is going to take off?
At the growth stage, when a startup is fully in market and building out sales and marketing efforts to expand, the decision becomes far more about the financial characteristics of the business, particularly unit economics: Can the startup profitably sell its product to each customer?
See also these two blog posts for a lot more information on these topics:
How many investing pitches do you receive?
These numbers are approximately but directionally correct:
We receive about 2,000 inbound qualified pitches per year. By "qualified" I mean we already know people directly involved in the company or people associated with the company in some way (angel investors, other VCs, advisors, coaches and mentors, lawyers, or customers).
We think this is 2,000 out of a pool of approximately 4,000 startups that hit the bar where they might plausibly be able to raise venture capital in the year. (These numbers are US-only to simplify the topic.) We don't see the other 2,000, either because we don't know anyone associated with the company (probably a fault on our part) or because there is some reason we wouldn't be a good investor for them (for example, if we have already invested in a competitor in the same space).
Out of the 2,000 we see, we will make somewhere between 20–40 investments per year. So around a 1–2% hit rate.
The very best VCs in the US collectively make perhaps 200 investments per year. Out of those 200, about 15 of them will generate 90%+ of the investment returns for the entire year.
So our job as investors is to try to nail as many of those 15 per year out of the 20–40 investments per year we make.
The very best VCs in the industry seem to be able to invest in maybe 2 or 3 of the 15 each. So, by definition, even the best VC in the business will miss most of the big winners. It's a humbling business.
Did you ever invest in an unknown startup that contacted you via email the first time?
I don't think so.
At first blush this might seem insane. Why would a VC only invest in people they already know? Doesn't that cut off original thinking from people outside of the existing network? Isn't it a fact that many of the most successful startups come from founders brand new to the industry?
The reason is subtle but important. Getting a warm introduction to a VC is a basic test of networking skills.
VCs are dying for interesting, qualified referrals from people in their network—angel investors, other VCs, advisors, coaches and mentors, lawyers, and customers. All of those people love giving qualified referrals to their favorite VCs. VCs are some of the easiest people in the world to reach via their networks.
It turns out that the skill required to network into a VC is the same as the skill required to network into a customer, into a supplier, into a distribution partner, into the press, into an executive search firm.
And so if a founder can't navigate a network into a VC firm, it is unlikely that founder has the skills to navigate the other networks required to succeed in building a company.
Although this may sound harsh, it isn't intended to be. The best startup advice of all time comes from Steve Martin: "Be so good they can't ignore you." In this case, that means, be so good at networking that they can't ignore you. The skills you develop learning how to navigate to VCs will pay off 1,000x in building your startup more generally.
What numbers are more important when investing at seed stage?
For us, at the seed stage, 90%+ of the decision is based on the pedigree and track record of the core team. So we don't tend to look at numbers very much at that stage. We're almost always betting on a particularly special team doing something new and interesting—it's a qualitative evaluation, not quantitative.
How do investors evaluate startups that have done well in their home country and are looking to expand in the US market? Do they look at the past performance and decide, or is traction in the US market a must before the startups start reaching out to investors?
VCs vary on this question. Some actively seek out companies that are successful outside the US, some wait to see if those startups can succeed in the US, and some don't invest in startups based outside the US at all.
In our case, although we have occasionally invested in particularly special startups based outside the US, such as TransferWise and Improbable, we generally invest either in startups based entirely in the US, or startups that use what might be called the "Israeli model" of building R&D in their home country but building SG&A (sales, marketing, finance, legal, etc.) in the US. As suggested by the name, some of the best Israeli startups have been executing this model for the last 20–30 years; more recently, we are seeing founders from many other countries (Canada, China, Brazil, Argentina, Pakistan, and more) pursue the same model.
The common narrative now is that the startup valuation peak was 2015, and since then fundraising has gotten tougher and the most profligate startups are going out of business. Where do you see things going from this year through the next couple years in terms of valuations? New highs or retrenchment?
JP Morgan was once famously asked if he thought the stock market would rise or fall, and he answered, "It will fluctuate." Which is also my answer here :-) I think it's impossible to forecast these things—think of the many people who began predicting a new tech crash starting in the mid-2000s and are still wrong more than a decade later.
That said, I would characterize the current fundraising climate in the US as vigorous but somewhat discriminating. I think you are right that in 2015 the market became somewhat overenthusiastic in that virtually any startup could raise money and many at prices that in retrospect were far too high. Whereas today, high-quality startups that should be able to raise money generally are, but lower quality startups may run into trouble.
What tips would you give first-time entrepreneurs meeting investors to avoid taking money from particular investors who would not be good for the business?
That is a great question. Founders should reference check VCs just like VCs reference check founders. As a founder, I would talk to as many people who have worked with a particular VC in the past as possible—other founders, angel investors, executives, lawyers, etc.
As with anyone in business, any VC should be happy to give you a long list of people they have worked with in the past who you can call. If a VC won't do that, beware, beware, beware.
There are many questions you can ask references, but I would really focus on how the VC operates under pressure. Everyone can be supportive and behave well when things are going well, but like anyone else, VC behavior varies wildly when the going gets tough, and that's when founders tend to really regret their choice of investors.
We plan on launching our product in July, and if things go well, we plan to raise our Series A by December. When is the best time to start this process?
I believe in an orchestrated process that doesn't meander but nevertheless gives VCs time to make a proper decision—many VCs will simply back out of a process if they don't have enough time to do their work. A good wag is to allow three to four months for the whole process, from introductions and first meetings to closed contracts and money in the bank. So if I were you, I'd probably start conversations around September, which is also when many VCs get back from their August vacations (sad but true).
Advice for founders
What do you recommend for pricing in SaaS before reaching product market fit?
Pricing is highly specific to the product and the market, so it is hard to give general advice.
But if I were to give general advice, I'd say that we see far more SaaS startups underpricing their product than overpricing.
The problem with overpricing seems obvious: We in our daily lives as consumers are more likely to buy products if they are cheaper, and so pricing higher is presumed to reduce sales.
But that's not how business markets tend to work. In business markets, where customers make what's called a considered purchase—the result of a reasonably objective and rigorous analysis of options—startups that underprice tend to have the problem I call "too hungry to eat." By pricing too low, they can't generate enough revenue per deal to justify the sales and marketing investment required to get the deal at all. In contrast, by pricing higher, the startup can afford to invest in a serious sales and marketing effort that will tend to win a lot more details than a competitor selling a cut-rate product on a shoestring go-to-market budget.
TLDR: When in doubt, double prices :-)
When we talk to a potential investor, should we tell them about previous projects we had that failed?
There's an old sales slogan: "If you can't avoid it, feature it." Tell a story about how you worked your way through different ideas before you got to the one that works—the one you have now. By doing so, you can convey your level of determination and ability to react to changing circumstances—both valuable traits in a founder.
The thing to definitely not do is "hide the ball." It is a very bad idea to not tell potential investors about negative things that you know they would want to know. In addition to the ethical considerations, there is a very real practical consideration—investors almost always learn the truth, through their diligence work and reference checks. When an investor realizes in diligence that a founder has hid the ball on bad news in the past, it creates the concern that the founder will hide the ball on bad news in the future—that the founder can't be trusted. It is much better to be the founder who is up front, crisp, and articulate on bad things that have happened in the past and what you've learned as a result.
You have stated that a good market can compensate for a lackluster team or product. What markets do you feel are currently underserved?
I don't tend to have a view on any particular market. I find that successful startups tend to be highly idiosyncratic—they combine multiple elements including product, market, team, business model, timing, culture, strategy, and tactics in unique ways. So I don't believe in examining any single element, such as markets, in isolation.
That said, some of the markets that we think are particularly underserved by advanced technology and tech startups right now include healthcare, education, real estate, transportation, law, government, defense, and financial services.
Life of the mind
What are the books on your bookshelf with views and statements you disagree with, and what's the source of disagreement? How often do you revisit these books versus those where you agree with the written content?
That's a great question.
I've been influenced by way too many books to list, but here are a few that I keep coming back to:
The Sovereign Individual—Written 20 years ago, this is the most thought-provoking book on the unfolding nature of the 21st century that I've yet read. It's packed with ideas on every page, many that are now fast becoming conventional wisdom, and many that are still heretical. Two related books to read are The Twilight of Sovereignty and Cryptonomicon.
The Baroque Cycle—A work of rigorously researched historical fiction with only the slightest overlay of science fiction, this book tells the story of the emergence of the modern world and its systems (democracy, the scientific method, financial markets, etc.) in a way that is wholly fresh. These novels make me think about what a Neal Stephenson of 2300 may write about our times and us.
The Innovator's Dilemma, The Lean Startup, and Zero to One are the defining trilogy of intellectual thought on the art and science of modern technology startups. Virtually every page of each is open to debate, and yet, as a whole, they provide intellectual scaffolding for our endeavors that I wish had existed when I started in 1994.
The book I am most looking forward to is The Square and the Tower, on the rise and fall and rise of networks and the eternal battle between networks and hierarchies at all levels of human life.
In the 10 years since you originally wrote that article on product or market fit, have you developed any additional strong or weak signals that you use to determine if a company had product market fit?
We recently wrote two blog posts on exactly this topic:
As a startup entrepreneur, especially one with a potentially huge impact on people's lives, do you have to constantly try to assess the potential ethical ramifications of business choices, or do you just let things roll, focus on growth, and let the market sort it?
I think that it is always important, in life and work, to have a sense of the ethical impact on one's actions and output. Virtually all of the actually capable startup founders I know think deeply about the ethical aspects of their businesses, contrary to whatever outside commentators might say.
That said, history shows that it is particularly difficult to forecast either the benefits or downsides of new technology. The most classic example is nuclear weapons—many of the inventors of nuclear technology had justifiably serious concerns over how their work would be used. And yet, nuclear weapons not only helped end World War II and almost certainly saved lives on net for both the US and Japan, but a case can be made that the existence of nuclear weapons and nuclear deterrence prevented a catastrophic third world war between the US and the USSR that could have killed hundreds of millions of people in the decades following WWII.
I think based on this and many other examples, we should be very cautious at forecasting negative implications of new technologies—sometimes the forecasts are correct, but more often they simply show a lack of imagination and foresight as to the positive benefits to come.
Software eating the world
Have you seen any changes in either the backgrounds or personalities of founders in new companies versus in the previous 10–20 years? If so, what changes or trends have you seen?
I think there are two major changes that are somewhat opposite of one another:
First, there's no question a far larger number of very young founders are starting companies. The rise of accelerators, incubators, angel investors, seed funds, online funding platforms, and the like have made it much easier to start a company than 20 years ago, and so far, more companies are being started, and by younger and less experienced people. This is wonderful because it is expanding both the number of experiments that the startup ecosystem can run each year and the talent base of the people building startups.
Second, 20 years ago, most startups were what I call "tool builders"—they built tools like chips, operating systems, routers, or databases and sold those tools to business or consumer customers to use however the customers saw fit. But today, more startups are what we call "full stack"—instead of building tools, they are building technology, and then using it to directly enter end markets in competition with incumbents. These full-stack startups are more operationally intense and tend to require more experienced founders and executives. And so, one sees older, more experienced, more operationally competent founders and core team members for many of those startups.
Real estate is a concern for many businesses (especially startups). Do you see any future disruption in that industry due to software? If so, what kind and to what degree?
I think it's an absolutely huge issue, particularly for startups based in popular urban areas like the SF Bay Area, and it's an issue across both commercial and residential real estate (offices and housing). We are wide open for disruptive startups that can make an impact on either commercial or residential real estate, and we have a number of investments already, of which the most successful so far is Airbnb.
I think there are two broad categories of obvious potential disruption.
The first is disruption that makes commercial and residential real estate as it is currently understood better, cheaper, easier to access, or all of the above. I would include in this category disruptions in transportation that make real estate more generally accessible—for example, self-driving cars should make commuting time much more productive and hence open up outlying areas to more housing for professionals.
The second is disruption that helps remove the need for geographic colocation entirely. A running joke in Silicon Valley is the help wanted ad that goes something like this: "Engineers wanted for startup building software to enable collaboration on complex projects online. Must be willing to relocate to San Francisco." As funny and accurate as that is, I am a believer that telepresence and collaboration software will eventually enable far more remote work and virtual teams, reducing the importance of colocated real estate. It can't happen soon enough.
Historically great technologies are adopted by great minds as hobbies. What hobby trends are you currently seeing?
Great question. We call this "what nerds do on nights and weekends." This is the single most reliable source of new ideas in our industry that will ultimately be adopted much more broadly.
Right now we see huge nerd night-and-weekend energy in areas like cryptocurrency, biohacking, quantified self, synthetic biology, virtual reality, drones, and self-driving cars.
Do you see any opportunities, or downsides, in highly regulated fields like health tech and legal tech?
Yes—both opportunities and downsides.
The opportunities are massive—highly regulated industries like healthcare and law tend to be very large and very poorly served by advanced technology. In economic terms, they are both a high percentage of GDP and have low productivity growth, so the opportunity for startups is very large.
But the downsides, or risks, are also significant. These are markets that tend to have three difficult characteristics. First, they are highly regulated, meaning they are just hard to enter in general. Second, they tend to suffer from "regulatory capture"—the existing incumbent companies in these markets tend to have wired the regulatory system for their own benefit and to exclude competition. And third, they tend to have high levels of government subsidy for consumers, meaning that the government is a major payer and in some cases the only payer—and it can be very hard to get the government to pay for something new, even when it's much better.
In short, these markets are very appealing for the very best founders who are prepared to deal with the additional complexity and difficulty.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to and does not constitute legal or tax advice, recommendations, mediation, or counseling under any circumstance. This guide and your use thereof does not create an attorney-client relationship with Stripe, Orrick, or PwC. The guide solely represents the thoughts of the author and is neither endorsed by nor does it necessarily reflect Orrick's belief. Orrick does not warrant or guarantee the accurateness, completeness, adequacy, or currency of the information in the guide. You should seek the advice of a competent attorney or accountant licensed to practice in your jurisdiction for advice on your particular problem.


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It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.
And I'm Renee Montagne.
The fall TV season is well under way, so it's a good time to see how these new shows are paying off - or not - for the networks. There are the high profile launches - the Sherlock Holmes reboot on CBS, the Mindy Kaling comedy on Fox and the soapy drama "Nashville" on ABC. Kim Masters reports on the business of entertainment as editor-at-large for The Hollywood Reporter. And she joined us in our studios here at NPR West to talk about the season.
Good morning.
KIM MASTERS: Hey, Renee.
MONTAGNE: First of all, it sounds like an interesting crop of new shows. But the question is, are people watching them?
MASTERS: And the evidence so far is that there is a really sharp drop off in viewership. The broadcast networks are taking a beating. An average of 15 percent down in the coveted 18-49-year-old demographic. CBS down 25 percent. Fox down 24 percent. ABC, 19 percent. The only one, contrary to expectations, doing somewhat better is NBC. So it's a worrisome trend.
MONTAGNE: How much, Kim, do DVRs have to do with this decline in viewership?
MASTERS: Well, you know, it appears to be quite a lot. This is kind of the year of the DVR now. DVRs are getting to a point of saturation. Not quite 50 percent of the country has them. And people are really learning to use them. So a lot of shows are being recorded to watch later.
And some of the shows, when you add three days after the day of broadcast, have really big bumps in viewership. One of the big beneficiaries of that is the breakout show "Revolution" on NBC, from the J.J. Abrams television factory. He brought you "Alias" and "Lost." It went up about 13 percent if you add three days after for people to watch on the DVR. And it went up over 65 percent if you add seven days.
So people are - a lot of the shows are getting the benefit of that bump from DVRs. But it raises a big question about whether people are still watching the ads. You know, if the ratings go up, that's great. But if they're fast forwarding through the ads, not so great from the point of the view of the people who are buying those ads.
MONTAGNE: And, Kim, plenty of younger people these days curate their own TV schedule.
MASTERS: Yeah. I mean, I've talked to TV executives who say their young kids, and their even not so young kids, now, are watching TV online, on services like Hulu, watching on, you know, the networks on websites. But they don't necessarily even recognize a particular network. They just have a show that they want to watch, and they watch it when they feel like it.
So that is a situation that suggest that this old model that a lot of people grew up with, where there's a show and it's on Thursday night on NBC and it's called "Seinfeld" and you really want to be there and watch it, it's just disintegrating.
MONTAGNE: What about competition directly from online - something like YouTube or Netflix? How much damage is that doing?
MASTERS: Well, that's unclear, but it's obviously becoming a bigger and bigger factor. You see YouTube setting up tons of channels. You know, recruiting celebrities like Sarah Silverman to be part of that process and put their names on these things and brand them.
You see Netflix is going to come out in February with a 13-part series, "House of Cards," which is a remake of a British series. Very expensive, directed by an A-list movie director, David Fincher, starring Kevin Spacey. They're going to put all 13 episodes online at once.
So are you going to sit and watch those episodes one after the other or are you going to root around on a network schedule for a show that you might be able to put on your DVR and watch later?
MONTAGNE: Although, of course, what does come to mind is that networks are still the biggest games in town. They have the most people viewing them, by far, compared to cable or anything else. So where does all this sort of bad news leave them?
MASTERS: Well, they are still the biggest game in town, especially for something like a sports event. You know, NBC's success in part this season is based on football on Sunday night. And, you know, that's the kind of thing that you don't put on your DVR, because somebody will ruin it for you. And you watch live. So those shows are increasing valuable. So it's a kind of a mixed bag.
The forecast, long term, is that things are going to change and change a lot. But short term, I don't know that advertisers know where else to go to get this kind of bang for the buck. I mean, if you look at a show like "Mad Men," which makes a lot of noise on AMC, that show is so tiny it wouldn't last a week on a broadcast network. So they still are riding the wave, it's just a question of how long can they keep it up.
MONTAGNE: Kim, nice to talk to you as always.
MASTERS: Thank you, Renee.
MONTAGNE: Kim Masters hosts The Business on member station KCRW. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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If you're thinking about selling your house, you may have heard about the housing market slowing down in recent months. While it's still a sellers' market, the peak frenzy the market saw over the past two years has cooled some. If you're asking yourself if you've missed your chance to sell your house and make a move, the good news is you haven't – motivated buyers are still out there. But you do need to price your house right for today's market. Here's why.
As Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), says:
"Homes priced right are selling very quickly, but homes priced too high are deterring prospective buyers."
It's true buyer demand has slowed over the past few months as higher mortgage rates made it more expensive to buy a home. The result is fewer bidding wars and less competition among buyers (see visual below):
But don't forget – that's compared to the severely overheated market we saw over the past two years. According to the latest Confidence Index from NAR:
". . . 39% of homes sold above list price, down from 51% a month ago and 50% a year ago."
While this is a slower pace than even one month ago, serious buyers are still actively in the market, and they're buying homes that are priced right. In fact, the Confidence Index also notes the average home is selling in just 14 days.
If you're aiming to sell your house, be sure you're working with your agent to price it for today's housing market. As buyer demand softens, it's important to understand this isn't the same market as last year. It's not even the same market as just a few months ago. But it is still a sellers' market.
If you're ready to sell your house, seek the advice of a real estate professional. In some cases, you'll need to adjust your expectations accordingly to meet the market where it is today. Selma Hepp, Interim Lead, Deputy Chief Economist at CoreLogic, explains what's happening and what it means when you sell:
"Signs of a broader slowdown in the housing market are evident, . . . This is in line with our previous expectations and given the notable cooling of buyer demand due to higher mortgage rates. . . . Nevertheless, buyers still remain interested, which is keeping the market competitive — particularly for attractive homes that are properly priced."
Bottom Line
While the housing market has cooled from its overheated frenzy, it's still a sellers' market. Let's connect so you understand what's happening with buyer demand and home prices in our local area as you get ready to enter the market.
You might also enjoy reading…


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The Surging Real Estate Market Continues to Climb
Earlier this year, realtor.com announced the release of the Housing Recovery Index, a weekly guide showing how the pandemic has impacted the residential real estate market. The index leverages a weighted average of four key components of the housing industry by tracking each of the following:
- Housing Demand – Growth in online search activity
- Home Price – Growth in asking prices
- Housing Supply – Growth of new listings
- Pace of Sales – Difference in time-on-market
The index compares the current status "to the January 2020 market trend, as a baseline for pre-COVID market growth. The overall index is set to 100 in this baseline period. The higher a market's index value, the higher its recovery and vice versa."
The graph below charts the index by showing how the real estate market started out strong in early 2020, and then dropped dramatically at the beginning of March when the pandemic paused the economy. It also shows the strength of the recovery since the beginning of May.Today, the index stands at its highest point all year, including the time prior to the economic shutdown.
The Momentum Is Still Building
Though there is some evidence that the overall economic recovery may be slowing, the housing market is still gaining momentum. Zillow tracks the number of homes that are put into contract on a weekly basis. Their latest report confirms that buyer demand is continuing to dramatically outpace this same time last year, and the percent increase over last year is growing.Clearly, the housing market is not only outperforming the grim forecasts from earlier this year, but it is also eclipsing the actual success of last year.
Frank Martell, President and CEO of CoreLogic, explains it best:
"On an aggregated level, the housing economy remains rock solid despite the shock and awe of the pandemic."
Bottom Line
Whether you're considering buying or selling, staying on top of the real estate market over the coming months will be essential to your success.


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