Here is a thought experiment. Compare:
1. The US Army in the Viet Nam war with the draft, versus the volunteer army today.
2. The population of CIDs today, most of whom are like draftees, versus what it would be like if only people who wanted that way of life lived in CIDs.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
New Government Policy Imposes Strict Standards on Garage Sales Nationwide - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com
New Government Policy Imposes Strict Standards on Garage Sales Nationwide - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com: "'Those who resell recalled children's products are not only breaking the law, they are putting children's lives at risk,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. 'Resale stores should make safety their business and check for recalled products and hazards to children.'
In order to comply, stores, flea markets, charities and individuals selling used goods — in person or online — are expected to consult the commission's 24-page Handbook for Resale Stores and Product Resellers (pdf) and its Web site for a breakdown of what they can't sell.
Violators caught selling anything on the enormous list face fines of up to $100,000 per infraction and up to $15 million for a related series of infractions."
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There is something so 1970s about the federal government telling us how sneeze and run a garage sale. I am waiting for a federal regulation on how many squares of toilet paper to use.
In order to comply, stores, flea markets, charities and individuals selling used goods — in person or online — are expected to consult the commission's 24-page Handbook for Resale Stores and Product Resellers (pdf) and its Web site for a breakdown of what they can't sell.
Violators caught selling anything on the enormous list face fines of up to $100,000 per infraction and up to $15 million for a related series of infractions."
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There is something so 1970s about the federal government telling us how sneeze and run a garage sale. I am waiting for a federal regulation on how many squares of toilet paper to use.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Neighborhood's Water Shut Off | KOHD
Neighborhood's Water Shut Off | KOHD: "The City says it's never had to turn off an entire private subdivision's water. There were about 40 other homes in the neighborhood, who like Kasowski, did not have water for about two hours.
In this area off of Fifth and Cheyenne, homes are on a master water meter. They pay a billing company every month which then sends money back to the Homeowners Association to pay the City.
Chris Doty the Redmond Public Works Director says
'In this case the subdivision had some difficulty in making payments over the past nine months or so. They had been put on shut off notice before and have always made payments prior to shut off, this time they failed to do that so they were subsequently shut off.'
Neighbors we talked to say they've paid their bill. The Homeowners Association, Northwest Community Property Management declined to comment on the reason for lack of payment."
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It is just unacceptable to place a whole neighborhood's water supply at the mercy of a volunteer board of directors and whatever property manager falls through the transom.
In this area off of Fifth and Cheyenne, homes are on a master water meter. They pay a billing company every month which then sends money back to the Homeowners Association to pay the City.
Chris Doty the Redmond Public Works Director says
'In this case the subdivision had some difficulty in making payments over the past nine months or so. They had been put on shut off notice before and have always made payments prior to shut off, this time they failed to do that so they were subsequently shut off.'
Neighbors we talked to say they've paid their bill. The Homeowners Association, Northwest Community Property Management declined to comment on the reason for lack of payment."
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It is just unacceptable to place a whole neighborhood's water supply at the mercy of a volunteer board of directors and whatever property manager falls through the transom.
Reporter Sneezes the Wrong Way in Front of Secy Sebelius - Political Punch
Reporter Sneezes the Wrong Way in Front of Secy Sebelius - Political Punch
This administration is giving new meaning to the term "Nanny State."
This administration is giving new meaning to the term "Nanny State."
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Thousands Of Abandoned, Foreclosed Homes Threatened By Florida Hurricane | The Onion - America's Finest News Source
Thousands Of Abandoned, Foreclosed Homes Threatened By Florida Hurricane | The Onion - America's Finest News Source: "FORT MYERS, FL—In what forecasters are predicting will be the largest, most devastating disaster to hit Florida since the national economy collapsed, a Category 5 hurricane neared the Gulf coast this week, threatening thousands of repossessed and long deserted homes.
According to meteorologists, the incoming tropical storm could leave as many as 3 million residents every bit as homeless as they've been for the past year or so.
'Those who haven't already lost everything to the housing-market crash are urged to evacuate their homes immediately,' said Robert Menken, head meteorologist at the National Weather Bureau. 'That should be about 10 or 12 of you. Everyone else, please stay where you are, probably on the couch of some in-law who lives near Atlanta.'"
According to meteorologists, the incoming tropical storm could leave as many as 3 million residents every bit as homeless as they've been for the past year or so.
'Those who haven't already lost everything to the housing-market crash are urged to evacuate their homes immediately,' said Robert Menken, head meteorologist at the National Weather Bureau. 'That should be about 10 or 12 of you. Everyone else, please stay where you are, probably on the couch of some in-law who lives near Atlanta.'"
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Cameras keep track of all cars entering Medina | Seattle Times Newspaper
Local News | Cameras keep track of all cars entering Medina | Seattle Times Newspaper: "In Medina, a new sign bears this warning: 'You Are Entering a 24 Hour Video Surveillance Area.'
Cameras have recently been installed at intersections to monitor every vehicle coming into the city.
Under the 'automatic license plate recognition' project, once a car enters Medina, a camera captures its license-plate number. Within seconds, the number is run through a database."
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Medina has 3100 people with an average income of $222,000. Note what gave them the idea: "The city looked to nearby Hunts Point as an example. The peninsula-shaped residential community just north of Medina has been using a video-camera setup to record a continuous loop of car traffic in and out of town for more than three years, town administrator Jack McKenzie said. Hunts Point has 433 people and an area of .3 sq. mile. I guess mini-cities like this are hard to distinguish from luxury gated communities.
Cameras have recently been installed at intersections to monitor every vehicle coming into the city.
Under the 'automatic license plate recognition' project, once a car enters Medina, a camera captures its license-plate number. Within seconds, the number is run through a database."
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Medina has 3100 people with an average income of $222,000. Note what gave them the idea: "The city looked to nearby Hunts Point as an example. The peninsula-shaped residential community just north of Medina has been using a video-camera setup to record a continuous loop of car traffic in and out of town for more than three years, town administrator Jack McKenzie said. Hunts Point has 433 people and an area of .3 sq. mile. I guess mini-cities like this are hard to distinguish from luxury gated communities.
Off-the-Grid Living – Self Reliance Through Home Solar and Wind Power and Farming - Popular Mechanics
Off-the-Grid Living – Self Reliance Through Home Solar and Wind Power and Farming - Popular Mechanics: "You may have heard about them: Off-the-gridders living in radical opposition to modern amenities by growing their own food and cutting themselves off from the rest of society. Not so. Sure, more people are choosing to cut their dependence on the power grid, the grocery story and fuel pump. But these new homesteaders are hardly radicals—they are simply DIYers who, for a variety of reasons, revel in self-reliance. This is their story."
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This sort of thing fascinates me. Many years ago I tried to raise money for a film on owner-built homes, meaning homes that were planned and constructed by the owners, not by architects and contractors. I couldn't get the money to produce it, but in doing the research I visited with a number of people who had already done it. They are a hardy and self-reliant bunch, and in most places they have a struggle getting things approved by building inspectors. That's why many of them are in remote rural areas. It sounds like it would be quite an adventure.
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This sort of thing fascinates me. Many years ago I tried to raise money for a film on owner-built homes, meaning homes that were planned and constructed by the owners, not by architects and contractors. I couldn't get the money to produce it, but in doing the research I visited with a number of people who had already done it. They are a hardy and self-reliant bunch, and in most places they have a struggle getting things approved by building inspectors. That's why many of them are in remote rural areas. It sounds like it would be quite an adventure.
What's with all the public outbursts? -- latimes.com
What's with all the public outbursts? -- latimes.com: "Some say it reflects a general collapse of manners, rooted in the anti-authoritarian strains of the late 1960s. Some offer a psychological explanation: that such outbursts reveal the person beneath the mask of a public persona. Some see an element of racial animus at work."
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Kanye West is a jackass, as the President said. Serena Williams is a prima donna with a horrible temper. Joe Wilson's outburst was boorish and shameful. But what about the rest of us? Are we becoming a nation of louts?
I was at a meeting last night of the Lindenhurst Lakes Commission. The main issue was the condition of Potomac Lake, which is right across the street from my house and which had a major fish die-off and a nasty outbreak of algae. About 50 people attended, instead of the usual public participation of 1 or 2. I was astounded by the obnoxious behavior of some of the "citizens." I use quotation marks because that word carries with it a connotation of responsibility that seems to be fast disappearing. Side conversations, interruptions, inappropriate laughter--a bunch of jerks acting like they were watching TV in their living rooms instead of attending the meeting of a government commission.
These days, being a citizen just means you have a perfect right to behave like a boorish ass in public.
My take on this is that popular culture has degenerated into a sewer of narcissism where public self-exposure is validated as the right of each and every dunce in the nation. People watch Oprah, Jerry Springer, and these "reality" shows and think there is some innate human right to display their every emotion as publicly as possible. And with luck, maybe you get your own show!
What happened to the notion of public decorum--the idea that you behave better in public than in private? For people who are immersed in popular culture, public decorum doesn't exist. The bonehead culture has erased the distinction between private and public behavior in the interest of luring us into watching losers melt down in front of us.
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Kanye West is a jackass, as the President said. Serena Williams is a prima donna with a horrible temper. Joe Wilson's outburst was boorish and shameful. But what about the rest of us? Are we becoming a nation of louts?
I was at a meeting last night of the Lindenhurst Lakes Commission. The main issue was the condition of Potomac Lake, which is right across the street from my house and which had a major fish die-off and a nasty outbreak of algae. About 50 people attended, instead of the usual public participation of 1 or 2. I was astounded by the obnoxious behavior of some of the "citizens." I use quotation marks because that word carries with it a connotation of responsibility that seems to be fast disappearing. Side conversations, interruptions, inappropriate laughter--a bunch of jerks acting like they were watching TV in their living rooms instead of attending the meeting of a government commission.
These days, being a citizen just means you have a perfect right to behave like a boorish ass in public.
My take on this is that popular culture has degenerated into a sewer of narcissism where public self-exposure is validated as the right of each and every dunce in the nation. People watch Oprah, Jerry Springer, and these "reality" shows and think there is some innate human right to display their every emotion as publicly as possible. And with luck, maybe you get your own show!
What happened to the notion of public decorum--the idea that you behave better in public than in private? For people who are immersed in popular culture, public decorum doesn't exist. The bonehead culture has erased the distinction between private and public behavior in the interest of luring us into watching losers melt down in front of us.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Resident of gated community shot, sues HOA and manager
Man sues gated communityThe Four Maples condominium complex in the Donelson area has a gate that requires residents to swipe a pass or remotely unlock it for visitors. But Marquette Weaver said in a lawsuit filed in Davidson County Circuit Court that the gate meant to keep non-residents out was not working in June and had been broken for a month prior. That’s when people broke into his home at 2 a.m. and shot him several times, Weaver said, and he’s seeking $750,000 in damages, saying the home invaders couldn’t have gotten near his Coursey Drive home.
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There is this strange legal paradox that the more effort you go through to make things safe, the more responsibility you take on when things turn out not to be safe enough. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.
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There is this strange legal paradox that the more effort you go through to make things safe, the more responsibility you take on when things turn out not to be safe enough. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Drying For Freedom | a film about clotheslines
Drying For Freedom | a film about clotheslines
The people making this documentary will be interviewing me tomorrow. I have been talking with Steven Lake for a couple of months, and I think this will be a fascinating film.
The people making this documentary will be interviewing me tomorrow. I have been talking with Steven Lake for a couple of months, and I think this will be a fascinating film.
Clotheslines a hang-up for some communities - USATODAY.com
Clotheslines a hang-up for some communities - USATODAY.com: "'What we're talking about here is a cultural shift,' says Alexander Lee, founder of pro-clothesline group Project Laundry List. 'It would be nice to go from community association to community association to have this discussion and change the rules, but there are 300,000 of them, and we need to hurry along now if we're going to cope with climate change...Laws with varying levels of protections for clotheslines passed in May for Vermont, in June for Maine and in July for Hawaii, joining existing laws in Florida, Utah and Colorado.
That doesn't sit well with some local associations, who feel states are stepping into decisions that should be made by local association boards.'"
That doesn't sit well with some local associations, who feel states are stepping into decisions that should be made by local association boards.'"
Clothesline dispute pits aesthetics vs. energy savings | CITIZEN-TIMES.com | Asheville Citizen-Times
Clothesline dispute pits aesthetics vs. energy savings | CITIZEN-TIMES.com | Asheville Citizen-Times: "Air drying is one of the simple, old-fashioned ways the 42-year-old computer programmer and his wife try to make their life in a leafy Chapel Hill subdivision kinder to the environment.
So when their homeowners' association told them to take down the clothesline, they organized their neighbors."
So when their homeowners' association told them to take down the clothesline, they organized their neighbors."
Clipper Estates lawsuit dismissed by federal judge - Louisiana Politics | State Legislature News - NOLA.com
Clipper Estates lawsuit dismissed by federal judge - Louisiana Politics | State Legislature News - NOLA.com: "A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by nearly 50 people who live in Clipper Estates near Slidell, saying the residents couldn't sue the man who developed their subdivision and runs its homeowners association for violations under the RICO Act.
U.S. District Court Judge Martin L. C. Feldman issued the ruling Friday, saying the residents did not have standing to sue under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act because their purported injuries are not distinct from those allegedly suffered by the Clipper Estates Master Homeowners Association, said Kyle Schonekas, an attorney representing one of the defendants in the case."
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This issue comes up sometimes where a group of owners wants to bring their own action, either because the HOA isn't suing or isn't handling the case the way the owners' group thinks it should.
U.S. District Court Judge Martin L. C. Feldman issued the ruling Friday, saying the residents did not have standing to sue under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act because their purported injuries are not distinct from those allegedly suffered by the Clipper Estates Master Homeowners Association, said Kyle Schonekas, an attorney representing one of the defendants in the case."
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This issue comes up sometimes where a group of owners wants to bring their own action, either because the HOA isn't suing or isn't handling the case the way the owners' group thinks it should.
Press Accuracy Rating Hits Two Decade Low: Overview - Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Press Accuracy Rating Hits Two Decade Low: Overview - Pew Research Center for the People & the Press: "...only about a quarter (26%) now say that news organizations are careful that their reporting is not politically biased, compared with 60% who say news organizations are politically biased."
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And they hold conferences to figure out why newspaper circulation and network TV news viewing are plummeting. Part of it is the internet, but bias is the other part. The bias is so obvious that a person would have to be a complete fool not to see it, and when you can't trust the news coverage, why not figure it out yourself from the web? All the Brokaw types are pontificating about how badly we need them to serve as a "filter," but that would only be true if they weren't filtering it with such a blatant agenda. The coverage (and non-coverage) of the conservative march on Washington over the weekend is a great example.
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And they hold conferences to figure out why newspaper circulation and network TV news viewing are plummeting. Part of it is the internet, but bias is the other part. The bias is so obvious that a person would have to be a complete fool not to see it, and when you can't trust the news coverage, why not figure it out yourself from the web? All the Brokaw types are pontificating about how badly we need them to serve as a "filter," but that would only be true if they weren't filtering it with such a blatant agenda. The coverage (and non-coverage) of the conservative march on Washington over the weekend is a great example.
Schools may sell naming rights
Front page news - newsjournalonline.com: "It would give School Partnerships, a company founded last spring by longtime Volusia school supporter Nancy Holman, exclusive rights to sell naming rights for school facilities and advertising to appear on district property, uniforms, Web sites or printed materials."
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Maybe they could do the same with the cop cars and fire trucks. It would like a NASCAR race.
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Maybe they could do the same with the cop cars and fire trucks. It would like a NASCAR race.
New meltdown looms as Sacramento-area commercial vacancy rate rises - Sacramento Business, Housing Market News | Sacramento Bee
New meltdown looms as Sacramento-area commercial vacancy rate rises - Sacramento Business, Housing Market News | Sacramento Bee: "Sacramento's troubles are worse than most, according to national analysts, but the threat looms across the entire country. With the national economy seemingly poised for a recovery, some experts fear the recession could be prolonged if commercial loans go bust like residential mortgages."
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See below. I don't buy any of this "poised for a recovery" conventional wisdom. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.
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See below. I don't buy any of this "poised for a recovery" conventional wisdom. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.
South Florida banks facing a new wave in real-estate crisis - South Florida - MiamiHerald.com
South Florida banks facing a new wave in real-estate crisis - South Florida - MiamiHerald.com: "Just as the housing market is showing signs of life, here comes another real-estate crisis.
Squeezed by plunging rents, empty storefronts, the credit crunch and a dearth of buyers, a growing number of commercial property owners are defaulting on their loans, which could unleash a new wave of bank failures and slow the region's economic recovery."
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The commercial real estate market is about to go into a major meltdown that will intensify during 2010.
Squeezed by plunging rents, empty storefronts, the credit crunch and a dearth of buyers, a growing number of commercial property owners are defaulting on their loans, which could unleash a new wave of bank failures and slow the region's economic recovery."
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The commercial real estate market is about to go into a major meltdown that will intensify during 2010.
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