Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis: Boomers' Future Went Down The Drain: "The report details how the collapse has left the majority of those around retirement-age almost completely reliant on entitlements. The net worth of median households in the 45 to 54 age bracket has dropped by more than 45 percent since 2004, to just over $80,000. Households headed by those aged 55 to 64, meanwhile, have lost 38 percent of net wealth.
The result is that many baby boomers will only have entitlements to rely on in their retirement.”
Make that entitlements, roommates, and each other."
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Baby boomers had all that home equity and 401(k) accounts. Now they have their pensions and social security.
Hey, what do I mean, "they"?
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Old age begins at 27 - scientists claim after new research | Mail Online: "The research at the University of Virginia, reported in the academic journal Neurobiology Of Aging, found that in nine out of 12 tests the average age at which the top performance was achieved was 22.
The first age at which performance was significantly lower than the peak scores was 27 – for three tests of reasoning, speed of thought and spatial visualisation. Memory was shown to decline from the average age of 37. In the other tests, poorer results were shown by the age of 42."
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Actually, I think people get smarter as they get older. I was an idiot when I was 22, although I admit my reflexes were a lot faster. Some would say not much has changed except for the reflexes, but I beg to differ.
Suburbia: R.I.P.??
"The downturn has accomplished what a generation of designers and planners could not: it has turned back the tide of suburban sprawl. In the wake of the foreclosure crisis many new subdivisions are left half built and more established suburbs face abandonment. Cul-de-sac neighborhoods once filled with the sound of backyard barbecues and playing children are falling silent. Communities like Elk Grove, Calif., and Windy Ridge, N.C., are slowly turning into ghost towns with overgrown lawns, vacant strip malls and squatters camping in empty homes. In Cleveland alone, one of every 13 houses is now vacant, according to an article published Sunday in The New York Times magazine."
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This article says suburbia is doomed and soon we will all be living in high-density urban area...in condominiums, no doubt. Provocative, but wrong. The demand for suburban single-family homes is far too strong to be frustrated by gas prices. The housing market will pick up again, and most of the new construction will be in suburbs, just as it was before. Why? Because that's where most people want to live.
"The downturn has accomplished what a generation of designers and planners could not: it has turned back the tide of suburban sprawl. In the wake of the foreclosure crisis many new subdivisions are left half built and more established suburbs face abandonment. Cul-de-sac neighborhoods once filled with the sound of backyard barbecues and playing children are falling silent. Communities like Elk Grove, Calif., and Windy Ridge, N.C., are slowly turning into ghost towns with overgrown lawns, vacant strip malls and squatters camping in empty homes. In Cleveland alone, one of every 13 houses is now vacant, according to an article published Sunday in The New York Times magazine."
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This article says suburbia is doomed and soon we will all be living in high-density urban area...in condominiums, no doubt. Provocative, but wrong. The demand for suburban single-family homes is far too strong to be frustrated by gas prices. The housing market will pick up again, and most of the new construction will be in suburbs, just as it was before. Why? Because that's where most people want to live.
Man died after tattoo on leg became infected - Telegraph: "A 35-year-old man died from a blood clot in his lung ten days after a tattoo on his leg became infected, an inquest heard."
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I find this generational tattoo craze completely incomprehensible. I think people should be able to do whatever they want to their body, but I do question their judgment, as the politicians say about each other. Once tattoos were for military guys, convicts, and bikers. Now they are for yuppies, soccer moms, and tweenagers. Lots of my students have tattoos. The whole thing took off during the late 1990s and now there are kids in high school with tattoos. I was in the gym this morning and there was a guy in his 40s with a Jack Daniels label tattooed across his entire lower back. Why? What possible advantage does that give him in his social life? Do women see the tattoo and fall at his feet, thinking he has a supply of sour mash whiskey stored in a wooden leg?
And what are the tough guys supposed to do to set themselves apart from the herd, now that most of the weaklings in America are tattooed up? Get horns implanted in their forehead, I suppose.
CAI Illinois Chapter - The Illinois Legislative Action Committee Bills
CAI Illinois Chapter opposes bill that would allow renting of units despite board prohibition
House Bill 821 -- This Bill seeks to limit the ability of an association to impose leasing restrictions. As amended, the Bill states that if a condominium document is changed to prohibit leasing, a unit owner incorporated as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and is leasing the unit at the time of the amendment, that organization may continue to rent the unit. ILAC questions the validity of this Bill as authorizing activity which is normally prohibited in a declaration and creates two separate classes of owners who may have different leasing restrictions. ILAC opposes this Bill.
Contact your legislators immediately. If passed, this bill will enable organizations to set up group home leasing operations in your associations.
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In Illinois, condo association boards can make rules on their own authority that prohibit renting of units, with no grandfather clause. Here is a bill that would allow exceptions for units owned by 501 (c) (3) corporations. This text was in an email alert to members. The link goes to CAI Illinois' page on current legislation, where this bill is mentioned along with others.
The scariest part of the year is any day the Illinois legislature is in session.
House Bill 821 -- This Bill seeks to limit the ability of an association to impose leasing restrictions. As amended, the Bill states that if a condominium document is changed to prohibit leasing, a unit owner incorporated as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and is leasing the unit at the time of the amendment, that organization may continue to rent the unit. ILAC questions the validity of this Bill as authorizing activity which is normally prohibited in a declaration and creates two separate classes of owners who may have different leasing restrictions. ILAC opposes this Bill.
Contact your legislators immediately. If passed, this bill will enable organizations to set up group home leasing operations in your associations.
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In Illinois, condo association boards can make rules on their own authority that prohibit renting of units, with no grandfather clause. Here is a bill that would allow exceptions for units owned by 501 (c) (3) corporations. This text was in an email alert to members. The link goes to CAI Illinois' page on current legislation, where this bill is mentioned along with others.
The scariest part of the year is any day the Illinois legislature is in session.
Gator Statue Leads to Fight with Homeowners' Association | Firstcoastnews.com | UF Gators: "And when the Gators win big, Guyer decorates the statue with pom-poms. That's when it crossed the line, says Pace Island President Alan Williams.
He points to a rule stating that the 'Architectural Design Board has the sole discretion to determine whether plans submitted for approval are acceptable.'
Williams says the statue sends the wrong message to kids: it's OK to play with alligators.
He says they asked Guyer to remove the kids, but they declined. Williams also says homeowners agree to the rules when they move in, and that the homeowner and even Pace Island can be sued if they don't enforce the aesthetic rules.
So now, Guyer is facing a $50-a-day fine with the Gator firmly planted out front."
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So this HOA president thinks he has a general police power to make sure statues send a socially responsible message to the nation's kids. He thinks this statue will induce kids to run out and try to saddle up an alligator. Especially when the Gators win. So I guess any kids who see this blog post, or the newspaper article, will race out the door in search of the nearest six-foot reptile. Better drop that fine, or the publicity will lead to untold fatal gator-riding episodes.
And this is the same HOA that made this family take down a "Welcome Home" banner for a soldier returning from Iraq. What was the bad message there, I wonder?
Pahrump Valley Times - Nye County's Largest Newspaper Circulation
Pahrump Valley Times - Nye County's Largest Newspaper Circulation: "Fifth District Judge Robert Lane late last week granted a defense motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Comstock Park Homeowners Association against a handful of board opponents.
The suit accused Carlo Verdi, Carol Curtis, David Connors, Leon and Delores Goss of defamation, libel, slander and fraudulent misrepresentation.
Plaintiff's attorney Evan Wishengrad, representing homeowner's association directors Paul Enck, Darryl Setzkorn, Harold 'Frank' Burfeind and Carol Volke, during a hearing before Judge Lane March 2, claimed the defendants went door to door in the mobile home park, accusing the board of embezzling money.
Language in the complaint also accused the defendants of disrupting homeowners' meetings and filing repeated complaints to the state ombudsman."
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These defendants were association members who were critical of the existing BOD. The BOD filed a lawsuit against them, claiming slander, etc. So the owners got themselves a lawyer who managed to get the entire suit dismissed on the grounds that the BOD didn't get the members' approval of the suit before filing it--as Nevada law requires.
Does the BOD's action here, in hiring a lawyer to sue members who criticized them, sound like they had the best interests of the association in mind? I mean, if they think they have been slandered as individuals, wouldn't the proper approach be to get their own attorneys to represent them as individuals, and at their own expense? Just wondering what people think.
The suit accused Carlo Verdi, Carol Curtis, David Connors, Leon and Delores Goss of defamation, libel, slander and fraudulent misrepresentation.
Plaintiff's attorney Evan Wishengrad, representing homeowner's association directors Paul Enck, Darryl Setzkorn, Harold 'Frank' Burfeind and Carol Volke, during a hearing before Judge Lane March 2, claimed the defendants went door to door in the mobile home park, accusing the board of embezzling money.
Language in the complaint also accused the defendants of disrupting homeowners' meetings and filing repeated complaints to the state ombudsman."
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These defendants were association members who were critical of the existing BOD. The BOD filed a lawsuit against them, claiming slander, etc. So the owners got themselves a lawyer who managed to get the entire suit dismissed on the grounds that the BOD didn't get the members' approval of the suit before filing it--as Nevada law requires.
Does the BOD's action here, in hiring a lawyer to sue members who criticized them, sound like they had the best interests of the association in mind? I mean, if they think they have been slandered as individuals, wouldn't the proper approach be to get their own attorneys to represent them as individuals, and at their own expense? Just wondering what people think.
Lenders tighten rules for financing condos | www.oceancitytoday.net | Ocean City Today
Lenders tighten rules for financing condos | www.oceancitytoday.net | Ocean City Today: More on the Fannie Mae requirements:
"New requirements they will be looking for are:
z Fidelity insurance, something many buildings do not have. That protects the association in the event a member steals any of its money. Buildings with less than 20 units are exempt from this requirement.
z A budget line item that accounts for the insurance deductible, to show the money is available in case it has to be spent.
z A reserve fund that contains 10 percent of the total budget.
z Especially troubling for some condominiums is a rule that classifies certain ones as 'condo-hotels' and therefore ineligible for financing through the two federal mortgage entities."
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They interviewed a realtor who said any building with a rental office inside is considered a "condo-hotel."
"New requirements they will be looking for are:
z Fidelity insurance, something many buildings do not have. That protects the association in the event a member steals any of its money. Buildings with less than 20 units are exempt from this requirement.
z A budget line item that accounts for the insurance deductible, to show the money is available in case it has to be spent.
z A reserve fund that contains 10 percent of the total budget.
z Especially troubling for some condominiums is a rule that classifies certain ones as 'condo-hotels' and therefore ineligible for financing through the two federal mortgage entities."
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They interviewed a realtor who said any building with a rental office inside is considered a "condo-hotel."
Friday, March 13, 2009
'Sovereign man' pleads guilty to drunken driving -- themorningcall.com
'Sovereign man' pleads guilty to drunken driving -- themorningcall.com: "Scott A. Witmer, 44, of Allen Township pleaded guilty this morning to drunken driving, a decision that came a day after his trial began and two days after he claimed the court lacked jurisdiction because he is a 'sovereign man' who lives inside himself, and not in Pennsylvania.
'I did not mean to waste the court's time or any of that stuff,' Witmer told Northampton County Judge Leonard Zito. 'But I felt I had the right to see what the Constitution has to offer.'"
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In this case, the Constitution and the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania offer him up to six months in the jug, to be determined on May 15.
The old sov went out with a whimper, if you ask me.
'I did not mean to waste the court's time or any of that stuff,' Witmer told Northampton County Judge Leonard Zito. 'But I felt I had the right to see what the Constitution has to offer.'"
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In this case, the Constitution and the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania offer him up to six months in the jug, to be determined on May 15.
The old sov went out with a whimper, if you ask me.
Giving The Fingerprint: New Policy Raises Privacy Concerns - cbs2chicago.com: "The new law, which is set to go into effect June 1, 2009, will force anyone selling property in Cook County to provide a thumbprint from their right hand."
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I think the title companies wanted this law in order to prevent fraud. Is this a bad thing? I don't see it as a big intrusion on privacy.
Cherokee Homeowner Sued Over Flag Pole - News Story - WSB Atlanta
Cherokee Homeowner Sued Over Flag Pole - News Story - WSB Atlanta: "'I wanted to display my patriotism … and I wanted to do it in a way that I could keep the flag up all the time,' said Tripodo.
While Tripodo says his next door neighbors were impressed, the Bridgemill subdivision homeowners association in Canton wasn’t too thrilled and ordered him to take it down.
'They say you're not allowed to have any structure outside the framework of the home,' said Tripodo."
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Nice gig for the HOA's attorney in these lean times.
While Tripodo says his next door neighbors were impressed, the Bridgemill subdivision homeowners association in Canton wasn’t too thrilled and ordered him to take it down.
'They say you're not allowed to have any structure outside the framework of the home,' said Tripodo."
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Nice gig for the HOA's attorney in these lean times.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
35 Counties Account for 50% of Foreclosures | Mother Jones
35 Counties Account for 50% of Foreclosures | Mother Jones: "USA Today points out that, last year, just 32 counties accounted for one half of all foreclosures in the United States. Those counties are outlined in red below. Even among them, there are some areas that are worse than others: 'Eight counties in Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada were the source of about a quarter of the nation's foreclosures last year.'"
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Take a look at the map that accompanies the article. A whole lot of this nation isn't part of the foreclosure crisis.
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Take a look at the map that accompanies the article. A whole lot of this nation isn't part of the foreclosure crisis.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Field Poll: California voters deeply pessimistic about state's economy -
This one gets the "No **** Sherlock" lifetime achievement award. Fred Pilot, who is on an apocalyptic roll, unearthed this nugget.
Don Surber » Blog Archive » “There is nobody there”: "Barack Obama is too busy posing for magazine covers to actually do the job to which he was elected.
There is a price to be paid when a president throws a party every other night, weekends in Chicago or Camp David and poses for magazine cover after magazine cover.
After 51 days in office, Barack Obama has appointed only 73 people to 1,200 jobs that require Senate confirmation."
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I found this on Instapundit. This number--73 appointments out of 1200 positions--seems astounding, at nearly the two-month point and in a national economic crisis, with major foreign policy problems looming. How can an understaffed executive branch deal with an avalanche of issues?
There is a price to be paid when a president throws a party every other night, weekends in Chicago or Camp David and poses for magazine cover after magazine cover.
After 51 days in office, Barack Obama has appointed only 73 people to 1,200 jobs that require Senate confirmation."
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I found this on Instapundit. This number--73 appointments out of 1200 positions--seems astounding, at nearly the two-month point and in a national economic crisis, with major foreign policy problems looming. How can an understaffed executive branch deal with an avalanche of issues?
Emergency Funds: 50% Of Americans 2 Paychecks Away From Having Big Financial Problemos
Emergency Funds: 50% Of Americans 2 Paychecks Away From Having Big Financial Problemos
Two paychecks? Did they say two? Those lucky devils. I say raise their taxes forthwith.
Two paychecks? Did they say two? Those lucky devils. I say raise their taxes forthwith.
CARPE DIEM: The "Man-Cession" Continues
CARPE DIEM: The "Man-Cession" Continues
Seems that the recession is hitting men harder than women.
Seems that the recession is hitting men harder than women.
EXCLUSIVE: Bill would let agencies trump homeowners association rules : North County Times - Californian 03-11-2009
EXCLUSIVE: Bill would let agencies trump homeowners association rules : North County Times - Californian 03-11-2009: "Southern California's giant water wholesaler, Metropolitan Water District, is sponsoring state legislation to make ordinances from local water districts trump homeowners association rules. Introduced Feb. 27 by Assemblyman Ted Lieu, a Democrat from Torrance, the legislation is known as AB 1061. No date has been set for a committee hearing."
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Good. I hope it passes. Reading the objections to the bill, I wonder if some of these managers and lawyers and HOA presidents who don't think it is necessary understand how bad the water situation in California really is...and how much worse it is likely to get. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.
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Good. I hope it passes. Reading the objections to the bill, I wonder if some of these managers and lawyers and HOA presidents who don't think it is necessary understand how bad the water situation in California really is...and how much worse it is likely to get. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.
Conflict-of-interest issues grow for President Obama's new urban czar Adolfo Carrion
Conflict-of-interest issues grow for President Obama's new urban czar Adolfo Carrion: "President Obama's new urban czar, Adolfo Carrión, admitted Tuesday he has not paid an architect who designed a renovation of his Bronx home two years ago.
That presents conflict-of-interest issues because at the time the architect was a key player in a Bronx development that needed approval from Carrión, then the Bronx borough president."
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It is remarkable how little Obama's team seems to know about the people they put up for major appointments. How many have withdrawn so far? Yesterday their head intel guy pulled out over conflict of interest and bizarre statement issues. Now it seems that Carrion has a major problem.
That presents conflict-of-interest issues because at the time the architect was a key player in a Bronx development that needed approval from Carrión, then the Bronx borough president."
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It is remarkable how little Obama's team seems to know about the people they put up for major appointments. How many have withdrawn so far? Yesterday their head intel guy pulled out over conflict of interest and bizarre statement issues. Now it seems that Carrion has a major problem.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
DUI SUSPECT ABOVE THE LAW: Drunken driving suspect tells court: Law doesn't apply to him -- themorningcall.com
DUI SUSPECT ABOVE THE LAW: Drunken driving suspect tells court: Law doesn't apply to him -- themorningcall.com: "An Allen Township man accused of driving drunk wore a Coors Light sweatshirt to court today and offered a novel defense.
The law doesn't apply to him, Scott A. Witmer said, because he is a 'sovereign man.'
'It means I live inside myself,' Witmer, 44, told a curious Northampton County Judge Leonard Zito. 'I don't live in the state of Pennsylvania.'"
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So the cops get a domestic violence call, which leads to him driving off and when they stop him he's drunk...or so say the minions of TYRANNY. And at that point it turns out he has a revoked driver's license, invalid plates, and no insurance. But those things are for chumps, because he is a SOVEREIGN MAN, and he is moving to YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD after he gets out of JAIL.
The law doesn't apply to him, Scott A. Witmer said, because he is a 'sovereign man.'
'It means I live inside myself,' Witmer, 44, told a curious Northampton County Judge Leonard Zito. 'I don't live in the state of Pennsylvania.'"
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So the cops get a domestic violence call, which leads to him driving off and when they stop him he's drunk...or so say the minions of TYRANNY. And at that point it turns out he has a revoked driver's license, invalid plates, and no insurance. But those things are for chumps, because he is a SOVEREIGN MAN, and he is moving to YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD after he gets out of JAIL.
Homeowner group sues man over metal roof: "The Treemont Homeowners Association has filed suit against Joe Sigel, who installed a metal roof on his West Austin house. The association has a rule against 'galvanized steel sheet' on roofs, but Sigel says he has used 29 percent less electricity during the warm months with the reflective roofing."
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Interesting issue--I don't recall seeing this situation before. From the look of the roof, I wonder if it is blinding on a sunny day. If the whole neighborhood did the same thing, you could probably see this block from outer space.
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Interesting issue--I don't recall seeing this situation before. From the look of the roof, I wonder if it is blinding on a sunny day. If the whole neighborhood did the same thing, you could probably see this block from outer space.
Becker & Poliakoff Founding Partner Requests Federal Solution to Foreclosure Crisis in Common Interest Ownership Communities - Yahoo! Finance
CAI attorney Becker Requests Federal Solution to Foreclosure Crisis in Common Interest Ownership Communities - Yahoo! Finance: This is in the form a letter from Gary Becker to Barack Obama, and here is the punch line:
"To put this into proper perspective, according to the Community Association Institute (www.caionline.org), the value of homes in all associations is estimated at $4 trillion. Estimated annual operating revenue for U.S. community association operated homes, housing 60 million Americans, is more than $41 billion. To a large degree, the assessments paid by the unit owners are going to maintain the collateral of the banks and defaulting unit owners, neither of whom are paying their share of the common expenses.
There is a solution to this problem -- banks receiving Federal bailout monies and unit owners offered restructured mortgages at lower interest rates, as a condition of their receiving Federal funds and lower interest rates should be obligated to bring their obligations to their Community Associations current."
"To put this into proper perspective, according to the Community Association Institute (www.caionline.org), the value of homes in all associations is estimated at $4 trillion. Estimated annual operating revenue for U.S. community association operated homes, housing 60 million Americans, is more than $41 billion. To a large degree, the assessments paid by the unit owners are going to maintain the collateral of the banks and defaulting unit owners, neither of whom are paying their share of the common expenses.
There is a solution to this problem -- banks receiving Federal bailout monies and unit owners offered restructured mortgages at lower interest rates, as a condition of their receiving Federal funds and lower interest rates should be obligated to bring their obligations to their Community Associations current."
Eldo Telecom: Congressman seeks broadband infrastructure deployment to alleviate "economic disaster" in California's Central Valley
Eldo Telecom: Congressman seeks broadband infrastructure deployment to alleviate "economic disaster" in California's Central Valley: "Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno sent a letter to President Barack Obama late last week requesting Obama create a federal economic disaster designation and declare the San Joaquin Valley its first designee.
The letter to the president requests rural broadband development as well as higher unemployment benefits, other infrastructure improvements to put people work, and expansion and modernization of federally qualified health centers."
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This is from Fred Pilot's blog. Interesting idea--creating the designation "economic disaster area." But right now there would be a lot of competition for that title.
The letter to the president requests rural broadband development as well as higher unemployment benefits, other infrastructure improvements to put people work, and expansion and modernization of federally qualified health centers."
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This is from Fred Pilot's blog. Interesting idea--creating the designation "economic disaster area." But right now there would be a lot of competition for that title.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Dr. Doom: Recession Will Probably Last 36 Months - Economy * US * News * Story - CNBC.com
Dr. Doom: Recession Will Probably Last 36 Months - Economy * US * News * Story - CNBC.com: "So what can the government do? The easy part is lowering interest rates and buying toxic assets. The hard part, he says, will be tackling housing. Roubini says that the housing market, like a company restructuring in bankruptcy, needs to have 'face value reduction of the debt.' Rather than go through mortgages one by one, he says reduction has to be 'across the board...break every mortgage contract.'"
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He also wants to nationalize the banks. And he says the Dow may drop to 5000.
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He also wants to nationalize the banks. And he says the Dow may drop to 5000.
AB 1061 Assembly Bill - INTRODUCED
AB 1061 Assembly Bill - INTRODUCED: "This bill would, instead, provide that a provision of any of the governing documents of a common interest development shall be void and unenforceable if it prohibits, or includes conditions that have the effect of prohibiting, the use of low water-using plants as a group, or has the effect of prohibiting or restricting compliance with a local water-efficient landscape ordinance or water conservation measure described above."
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I was not aware that this had been introduced in California, but here it is. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
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I was not aware that this had been introduced in California, but here it is. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
Tasers finally down Sacramento parolee after rampage - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee
Tasers finally down Sacramento parolee after rampage - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee: "When they arrived, officers found Tillman and his father, Junius Andrus Tillman, 59, walking down the freeway with a pit bull, arguing with each other, CHP spokeswoman Lizz Dutton said.
The officers took the elder Tillman into custody. The younger man then ordered his dog to attack the officers. They responded by shooting him with a Taser, according to the CHP.
Unfazed by the jolt, Andreas Tillman pulled the prongs out of his body and then went after one of the officers and knocked him out, the CHP said. Several more officers who then arrived shot Tillman again with their Tasers and subdued him."
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A pit bull lover bites the dust. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this coincidental link. Woof.
The officers took the elder Tillman into custody. The younger man then ordered his dog to attack the officers. They responded by shooting him with a Taser, according to the CHP.
Unfazed by the jolt, Andreas Tillman pulled the prongs out of his body and then went after one of the officers and knocked him out, the CHP said. Several more officers who then arrived shot Tillman again with their Tasers and subdued him."
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A pit bull lover bites the dust. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this coincidental link. Woof.
Bloomberg.com: Worldwide
Bloomberg.com: Global Financial Assets lost $50 TRILLION: "The global economy is likely to shrink for the first time since World War II, and trade will decline by the most in 80 years, the World Bank said yesterday. Its assessment is more pessimistic than an IMF report in January predicting 0.5 percent global growth this year.
Developing nations will bear the brunt of the contraction and they will face a shortfall of between $270 billion and $700 billion to pay for imports and service debts, the Washington- based World Bank said.
“This crisis is the first truly universal one in the history of humanity,” former IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus said at an ADB forum in Manila today. “No country escapes from it. It has not yet bottomed out.”"
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Not to put too fine a point on it...
Developing nations will bear the brunt of the contraction and they will face a shortfall of between $270 billion and $700 billion to pay for imports and service debts, the Washington- based World Bank said.
“This crisis is the first truly universal one in the history of humanity,” former IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus said at an ADB forum in Manila today. “No country escapes from it. It has not yet bottomed out.”"
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Not to put too fine a point on it...
TV-Series :: Power Rangers :: News :: Power Rangers Cancelled: "The long running action/adventure franchise Power Rangers, which rose to unprecedented heights in the 1990s, will be coming to an end in it's present live-action format according to the New Zeland Herald and co-producer Sally Campbell. The decision will leave several New Zealand film, stunt, and effect crews out of work
Whilst Power Rangers remains one of the top toylines in the United States, ratings had slumped to all-time lows in recent years. However, ratings in the UK for the series remained incredibly high."
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I remember my oldest son, when he was 3 years old, watching Power Rangers with his friend Stephen, the two of them leaping all around the family room, helping the Rangers fight the monsters who were stomping Angel Grove.
Going green, without a lawn
Going green, without a lawn: "Still, a large-scale shift away from lawns probably will take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars in California.
Government agencies would need to offer more – and perhaps bigger – rebates so residents can afford to redesign their yards. Some cities and many homeowners associations would have to permit fake turf or desert-friendly plants. And it may be a while before the public is convinced that native shrubs and ground covers can look as good as grass.
There is no official statewide count of lawns, making it difficult to measure change. By one estimate, residential lawns cover about 300,000 acres in California and suck up about 1.5 million acre-feet of water per year – equal to the amount used by 3 million typical homes."
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Lots of legal work would go into changing all those covenants, unless the state legislature makes an exception for them, as a number of states did for removing race restrictive covenants.
Government agencies would need to offer more – and perhaps bigger – rebates so residents can afford to redesign their yards. Some cities and many homeowners associations would have to permit fake turf or desert-friendly plants. And it may be a while before the public is convinced that native shrubs and ground covers can look as good as grass.
There is no official statewide count of lawns, making it difficult to measure change. By one estimate, residential lawns cover about 300,000 acres in California and suck up about 1.5 million acre-feet of water per year – equal to the amount used by 3 million typical homes."
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Lots of legal work would go into changing all those covenants, unless the state legislature makes an exception for them, as a number of states did for removing race restrictive covenants.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
The secret of long life? It's all down to how fast you react | Mail Online: "People's reaction times are a far better indicator of their chances of living a long life than their blood pressure, exercise levels or weight, researchers have discovered.
Men and women with the most sluggish response times are more than twice as likely to die prematurely."
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Sure. They get hit by cars, falling trees, space junk, icebergs, you name it. You have to move fast or die. Ask the Road Runner.
Bloomberg.com: Worldwide
Bloomberg.com: Worldwide: McCain says let GM go belly-up: "March 8 (Bloomberg) -- Republican lawmakers said Congress should stop providing General Motors Corp. with federal aid and let the company file for bankruptcy if necessary."
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McCain has a knack for stating the obvious, but it is a mark of how screwed up our government is that this hasn't happened yet.
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McCain has a knack for stating the obvious, but it is a mark of how screwed up our government is that this hasn't happened yet.
Obama makes Oval Office call to reporters - Curl - Presidential Election Commentary - Washington Times
Obama makes Oval Office call to reporters - Curl - Presidential Election Commentary - Washington Times: "President Obama was so concerned that he had appeared to dismiss a question from New York Times reporters about whether he was a socialist that he called the newspaper from the Oval Office to clarify his policies."
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As usual, he turned his long-winded non-answer into a criticism of the Bush administration.
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As usual, he turned his long-winded non-answer into a criticism of the Bush administration.
LCB clerks to get a crash course in courtesy | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/08/2009
LCB clerks to get a crash course in courtesy | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/08/2009: "Starting this month, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is spending more than $170,000 on a charm school of sorts for its 4,000 employees.
It is the latest offensive in the system's multimillion-dollar effort to reshape its image from unfriendly government bureaucracy to state-of-the-art retailer, complete with snazzy stores and employees who smile a lot."
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I spent four years in Pennsylvania and I'd have to say that the state monopoly on liquor stores there would turn Karl Marx into a libertarian.
It is the latest offensive in the system's multimillion-dollar effort to reshape its image from unfriendly government bureaucracy to state-of-the-art retailer, complete with snazzy stores and employees who smile a lot."
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I spent four years in Pennsylvania and I'd have to say that the state monopoly on liquor stores there would turn Karl Marx into a libertarian.
The Next Hit: Quick Defaults - washingtonpost.com
The Next Hit: Quick Defaults - washingtonpost.com: "Many borrowers are defaulting as quickly as they take out the loans. In the past year alone, the number of borrowers who failed to make more than a single payment before defaulting on FHA-backed mortgages has nearly tripled, far outpacing the agency's overall growth in new loans, according to a Washington Post analysis of federal data."
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I think the key letters here are not FHA, but FRAUD.
Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link. He notes that this will hit community associations hard.
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I think the key letters here are not FHA, but FRAUD.
Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link. He notes that this will hit community associations hard.
Outside buyers drawn to Detroit's foreclosed homes
Outside buyers drawn to Detroit's foreclosed homes: "DETROIT (AP) - Welcome to Landlord Nation, where foreclosure notices are plentiful and for-sale signs offer at least 1,800 homes for under $10,000 that once were worth at least 10 times more.
In extreme cases, homes are on sale for $1 or less, which has enticed investors to Detroit from as far away as the United Kingdom and Australia"
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If somebody had put this in a novel 10 years ago, it would have seemed laughable.
In extreme cases, homes are on sale for $1 or less, which has enticed investors to Detroit from as far away as the United Kingdom and Australia"
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If somebody had put this in a novel 10 years ago, it would have seemed laughable.
California's Inland Empire - Los Angeles Times
California's Inland Empire - Los Angeles Times: "We drove through streets of boarded-up bungalows, the neighborhoods of old California now turning back to wild oats and silvery foxtails so high the windows were obscured. Men wandered the potholed streets looking like something out of a current-day Steinbeck novel.
To say we might lose 'community' is too simple. We are already more isolated and urbanized than in the past. But to lose the community on my street, the street I've lived on for 22 years, breaks my heart."
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This is pretty depressing--an LA Times account sent by Fred Pilot.
To say we might lose 'community' is too simple. We are already more isolated and urbanized than in the past. But to lose the community on my street, the street I've lived on for 22 years, breaks my heart."
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This is pretty depressing--an LA Times account sent by Fred Pilot.
Some Sacramento homebuyers walk away from big loans - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee
Some Sacramento homebuyers walk away from big loans - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee: "It's become a familiar question in the Sacramento region's real estate market. Some borrowers stop paying the mortgage because they can't afford it. But many who can afford their payments have decided it's no longer worth it. They walk, or, as is becoming the trend, park rent-free in the house for months until they get the boot."
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And these are mostly expensive homes where the owners make a rational calculation to walk away from their mortgage obligations. Are we headed for another wave of foreclosures, with more repercussions for banks, neighborhoods, and community associations? The article says that "this situation is extremely common in places like California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada." As Fred Pilot notes, this is "the heart of Privatopia."
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And these are mostly expensive homes where the owners make a rational calculation to walk away from their mortgage obligations. Are we headed for another wave of foreclosures, with more repercussions for banks, neighborhoods, and community associations? The article says that "this situation is extremely common in places like California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada." As Fred Pilot notes, this is "the heart of Privatopia."
Attorney General Chided for Language on Race - NYTimes.com
Attorney General Chided for Language on Race - NYTimes.com: "Mr. Obama was asked whether he agreed with Mr. Holder. He hesitated for five seconds before responding.
“I’m not somebody who believes that constantly talking about race somehow solves racial tensions,” Mr. Obama said. “I think what solves racial tensions is fixing the economy, putting people to work, making sure that people have health care, ensuring that every kid is learning out there. I think if we do that, then we’ll probably have more fruitful conversations.”"
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Sounds like a sensible answer to me.
“I’m not somebody who believes that constantly talking about race somehow solves racial tensions,” Mr. Obama said. “I think what solves racial tensions is fixing the economy, putting people to work, making sure that people have health care, ensuring that every kid is learning out there. I think if we do that, then we’ll probably have more fruitful conversations.”"
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Sounds like a sensible answer to me.
Gated-community residents snarl over pit bulls | www.tennessean.com | The Tennessean
Gated-community residents snarl over pit bulls | www.tennessean.com | The Tennessean: "In 2006, the old board amended the association's bylaws to prohibit pit bulls, Doberman pinschers, rottweilers, chow chows, wolf hybrids and any dogs trained to attack or fight. But a judge ruled that the amendment was invalid and restrained the board from enforcing it.
A year later the board declared that the Cains' pit bulls, Max and Isabella, were an 'annoyance and obnoxious' and prohibited them from being in Crockett Springs. Two residents, who were also board members, said they had seen the dogs 'completely out of control.' Pat Hyde said that on July 17, 2006, the dogs surrounded a landscaper after running away from Byrd Cain."
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The owners found these two dogs by the side of the road a few years ago and decided they are just lovable little fur balls. Some of the neighbors don't see it that way.
This whole pit bull lover syndrome is really sick. People get these dogs for one reason: they want dogs that make them feel powerful and scare their neighbors. Then when the neighbors complain, the pit bull owners haul out the usual nonsense about how the dogs are harmless. If pit bulls could be rendered harmless by giving them Niceness Pills, the pit bull owners wouldn't want them. They would want Fila Brasilieros or Presa Canarios or some other vicious breed that was created to kill.
Every pit bull in the country should be sterilized, along with all the other breeds that were created by sociopaths to kill other animals.
A year later the board declared that the Cains' pit bulls, Max and Isabella, were an 'annoyance and obnoxious' and prohibited them from being in Crockett Springs. Two residents, who were also board members, said they had seen the dogs 'completely out of control.' Pat Hyde said that on July 17, 2006, the dogs surrounded a landscaper after running away from Byrd Cain."
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The owners found these two dogs by the side of the road a few years ago and decided they are just lovable little fur balls. Some of the neighbors don't see it that way.
This whole pit bull lover syndrome is really sick. People get these dogs for one reason: they want dogs that make them feel powerful and scare their neighbors. Then when the neighbors complain, the pit bull owners haul out the usual nonsense about how the dogs are harmless. If pit bulls could be rendered harmless by giving them Niceness Pills, the pit bull owners wouldn't want them. They would want Fila Brasilieros or Presa Canarios or some other vicious breed that was created to kill.
Every pit bull in the country should be sterilized, along with all the other breeds that were created by sociopaths to kill other animals.
Community associations in Virginia are experiencing a collections blip | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Community associations in Virginia are experiencing a collections blip | Richmond Times-Dispatch: "As the recession widens and more people lose their jobs, some condo and homeowner associations are having trouble collecting fees to pay for upkeep of walking trails, pools and landscaping.
More than half of the 10,000 community associations in Virginia, regardless of location, are experiencing a collections blip, real estate experts and community managers say."
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A blip? I think the economic situation has moved the needle well above blip status.
More than half of the 10,000 community associations in Virginia, regardless of location, are experiencing a collections blip, real estate experts and community managers say."
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A blip? I think the economic situation has moved the needle well above blip status.
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