L.A. Now : Los Angeles Times : Good fences don't necessarily make good neighbors in Santa Monica: "In June, after about two years of study, the city of Santa Monica is expected to begin hearing complaints about front-yard hedges and walls that exceed the city's long-standing but mostly ignored 42-inch height limit. The city called a time-out to look at the issue after hedge-height offenders were threatened with $25,000-a-day fines and Bobby Shriver, a nephew of JFK, was elected to the City Council on a pro-hedge platform."
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The People's Republic of Santa Monica is as far from a gated community as you can get, but still they seem to be privatizing their security with sky-high hedges. Maybe they have gated community envy.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Rising Foreclosure Rates Cause HOAs To Fall Into Bankruptcy - News Story - WFTV Orlando
Rising Foreclosure Rates Cause HOAs To Fall Into Bankruptcy - News Story - WFTV Orlando
Fred Pilot sent this link. I have been talking about this for a long time and now it is becoming news.
Fred Pilot sent this link. I have been talking about this for a long time and now it is becoming news.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Home Prices Plunge Across California: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
Home Prices Plunge Across California: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance: "LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Median home prices plunged in many of California's most populous counties in February, with Southern California leading the slide with an overall drop of 17.9 percent compared to a year earlier, according to new housing data released Thursday. The drops reflect a deepening housing crisis in the state, which saw home values soar during the housing boom then decline sharply in most areas. Median home prices fell this year in 15 major counties, DataQuick Information Systems said."
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I guess at some point people just can't hold onto these homes anymore. Either they have to sell, or they let the bank foreclose and then the bank sells it at a loss rather than keep it. But this is really awful and it seems the slump hasn't bottomed out yet.
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I guess at some point people just can't hold onto these homes anymore. Either they have to sell, or they let the bank foreclose and then the bank sells it at a loss rather than keep it. But this is really awful and it seems the slump hasn't bottomed out yet.
Fed takes boldest action since the Depression to rescue US mortgage industry - Telegraph
Fed takes boldest action since the Depression to rescue US mortgage industry - Telegraph: "The US Federal Reserve has taken the boldest action since the 1930s, accepting $200bn of housing debt as collateral to prevent an implosion of the mortgage finance industry and head off a full-blown economic crisis."
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The situation of Fannie Mae could turn out to be the biggest problem in the near future.
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The situation of Fannie Mae could turn out to be the biggest problem in the near future.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
ABC News: Bald Eagles: Menace to Alaska Town
ABC News: Bald Eagles: Menace to Alaska Town: "Homer, Alaska, may be the one place on Earth where bald eagles rule, and some humans are beginning to feel endangered.
It is a place where the majestic symbol of America can be found on movie theaters, cars, and light posts; there are dozens at a time on rooftops. They sometimes collide with traffic and are accused of stealing pets out of yards."
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With photo reminiscent of Hitchcock.
It is a place where the majestic symbol of America can be found on movie theaters, cars, and light posts; there are dozens at a time on rooftops. They sometimes collide with traffic and are accused of stealing pets out of yards."
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With photo reminiscent of Hitchcock.
abc13.com: Katy homeowner loses fight over landscaping at her home 3/08/08
abc13.com: Katy homeowner loses fight over landscaping at her home 3/08/08: "The homeowner thought the yard was beautiful. However, the homeowner's association disagreed and took drastic measures to resolve the situation. Now it's the homeowner who says her trees and her rights were pruned back too far.
On a blustery morning, Lisagay Wright surveys what's left of a yard she's spent the past 17 years landscaping."
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The Taste Police strike again. What fun it must be to live at the whims of your neighbors.
On a blustery morning, Lisagay Wright surveys what's left of a yard she's spent the past 17 years landscaping."
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The Taste Police strike again. What fun it must be to live at the whims of your neighbors.
BBQ-smoker-turned-'Robocop' chases off drug dealers - CNN.com
BBQ-smoker-turned-'Robocop' chases off drug dealers - CNN.com
It's a barbecue smoker mounted on a three-wheeled scooter, and armed with an infrared camera, spotlight, loudspeaker and aluminum water cannon that shoots a stream of icy water about 20 feet.
Operated by remote control, the robot spotlights trespassers on property down the street from his bar, O'Terrill's. Using a walkie-talkie, Terrill belts out through the robot's loudspeaker, "That's private property. You guys need to get out of here."
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So which is better: a developer creating a gated community with a hugely expensive security system, or a guy with a barbecue smoker? I leave it to you.
It's a barbecue smoker mounted on a three-wheeled scooter, and armed with an infrared camera, spotlight, loudspeaker and aluminum water cannon that shoots a stream of icy water about 20 feet.
Operated by remote control, the robot spotlights trespassers on property down the street from his bar, O'Terrill's. Using a walkie-talkie, Terrill belts out through the robot's loudspeaker, "That's private property. You guys need to get out of here."
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So which is better: a developer creating a gated community with a hugely expensive security system, or a guy with a barbecue smoker? I leave it to you.
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