The Nobel Peace Prize Committee members

Committee members | Nobels fredspris
These are the five people who gave the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama: Thorbjørn Jagland, Kaci Kullmann Five (yes, her name is Five), Sissel Marie Rønbeck, Inger-Marie Ytterhorn, and Ågot Valle. That is Ronbeck on the left. I'm sure they are perfectly nice people. But why is the Nobel Peace Prize considered such a great thing when it is awarded by five unknown Norwegian politicians? Why is it worth more than if I and four friends think Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" video was a greater contribution to world peace than anything Obama did in the last 9 months?

California RealEstateRama | Real Estate News, Press Releases and Articles from California

California RealEstateRama | Real Estate News, Press Releases and Articles from CaliforniaHas links to news about the California real estate industry and market.

Is bankruptcy an option for San Diego?

Is bankruptcy an option for San Diego?: "Less than 500 municipalities have declared bankruptcy since Congress allowed it under Chapter 9 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in 1934, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. Whether San Diego chooses to take that route is a decision left to the city’s elected officers, and first they’d have to prove the city can no longer pay the bills necessary to keep it functioning."
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San Diego's situation has gotten worse than it was when bankruptcy was first proposed.

Homeowners set to sue banks over low interest loans - Business News, Business - The Independent

Homeowners set to sue banks over low interest loans - Business News, Business - The Independent: "Thousands of holders of controversial shared appreciation mortgages (SAMs) have been told they can club together to take on the banks that sold them in court in a US-style class action.

The schemes saw Barclays and Bank of Scotland offering low – or zero – interest loans on homes while taking up to 75 per cent of the increase in value of those homes when the mortgages were repaid. They were hugely popular when sold in 1997 and 1998 before the property boom got under way. Now, however, those who took them out often find themselves trapped in their homes and unable to move."
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The Associated Press: AP, News Corp bosses tell search engines to pay up

The Associated Press: AP, News Corp bosses tell search engines to pay up: "By ALEXA OLESEN (AP) – 7 hours ago

BEIJING — The leaders of two of the world's major news organizations said Friday that it is time for search engines and others who use news content for free to pay up.

The comments from Tom Curley of The Associated Press and News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch come as the media industry struggles in the Internet age. Many news companies contend that sites such as Google have reaped a fortune from their articles, photos and video without fairly compensating the news organizations producing the material."
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And yet note that this story I have reaped a fortune from reproducing comes from...the Associated Press. Ah, the irony.

Investors.com - Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Now FHA

Investors.com - Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Now FHA: "Housing Mess: A huge, government-run housing agency shows massive losses and needs a bailout. Fannie Mae? Freddie Mac? No. It's the Federal Housing Administration, in a bad case of financial-meltdown deja vu.

The FHA, which insures mortgages made by first-time buyers with low down payments, says it may need a bailout because it will have losses of — get this — $54 billion. And how did it lose all that? By backing home loans made to people who couldn't pay them off.

Where have we heard this before?"
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Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize to mixed reviews | Reuters

Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize to mixed reviews | Reuters: "The decision to bestow one of the world's top accolades on a president less than nine months into his first term, who has yet to score a major foreign policy success, was greeted with gasps of astonishment from journalists at the announcement in Oslo."
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You can't blame the guy for being a narcissist. Every time he turns around somebody gives him something he did little or nothing to earn.

Underground City Envisioned in Nevada - Yahoo! News

Underground City Envisioned in Nevada - Yahoo! News: "According to a recent study, over the coming century the Southwest will essentially transition into a state of 'perpetual drought' due to the effects of global warming. This prediction leads to the questions of whether the worsening arid conditions of the Southwest should be called a drought or whether the regional climate is changing.

'Sietch Nevada projects waterbanking as the fundamental factor in future urban infrastructure in the American Southwest. Sietch Nevada is an urban prototype that makes the storage, use, and collection of water essential to the form and performance of urban life. Inverting the stereotypical Southwest urban patterns of dispersed programs open to the sky, the Sietch is a dense, underground community. A network of storage canals is covered with undulating residential and commercial structures.'"
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As the article points out, this sounds a whole lot like Dune.

Crippled man up in arms over NHS | The Sun |News

Crippled man up in arms over NHS | The Sun |News
Another triumph of socialized medicine. Don't click the link because the photo of his arm is not for the faint of heart.

Airports To Screen Passengers For H1N1 Symptoms - wcbstv.com

Airports To Screen Passengers For H1N1 Symptoms - wcbstv.com: "The government warns that some passengers may be asked to pass through a screening device, have their temperatures taken, answer questions about their health, and even be quarantined if someone on the flight shows symptoms of H1N1."
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I hope these are oral thermometers they are talking about. But when we get to the point of quarantining an entire flight of people because of one person, I think things are pretty far over the line.

FHA Shortfall Seen at $54 Billion May Lead to Bailout (Update1) - Bloomberg.com

FHA Shortfall Seen at $54 Billion May Lead to Bailout (Update1) - Bloomberg.com: "The Federal Housing Administration, which insures mortgages with low down payments, may require a U.S. bailout because of $54 billion more in losses than it can withstand, a former Fannie Mae executive said.

“It appears destined for a taxpayer bailout in the next 24 to 36 months,” consultant Edward Pinto said in testimony prepared for a House committee hearing in Washington today. Pinto was the chief credit officer from 1987 to 1989 for Fannie Mae, the mortgage-finance company that is now government-run."
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Well, we taxpayers can just reach into our pot of bailout dollars that we all have in the cupboard and support the good old FHA, right?

Jack LaLanne at 95 / He exercised his personal demons

Jack LaLanne at 95 / He exercised his personal demons: "LaLanne works out two hours a day, mostly swimming and lifting weights, at the LaLanne mansion on the Central Coast.

'I work at living,' he says, leaning close and squeezing an arm. 'Most people work at dying. Dying's easy.'"
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Jack LaLanne has been my hero since I was a kid. Still is.

San Rafael partners with Peacock Gap neighborhood group on median maintenance - Marin Independent Journal

San Rafael partners with Peacock Gap neighborhood group on median maintenance - Marin Independent Journal: "Despite some community objections, the San Rafael City Council signed off on a landscape maintenance pact with a Peacock Gap neighborhood group that could be the way of things to come.

The council on Monday unanimously approved a city partnership with the Peacock Gap Homeowners Association that puts maintenance of the neighborhood's long-neglected medians and other landscaping in city hands with $80,000 of neighborhood funding.

The city will use funding from the association to improve the medians with new irrigation systems and landscaping.

'With all the budget cuts, we are forced to come up with creative solutions to come up with services,' said city spokeswoman Terri Hardesty. 'This is a great example. It could be the beginning of many more partnerships.'"
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Like I keep saying, HOAs are becoming the lowest level of local government. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.

Straighten up that bacon!

Telegram.com - A product of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette: "She had been turning over strips of bacon that were cooking in a pan when Mr. Rutledge became angry because “it wasn’t in a neat line,” she wrote in a statement she gave police. She told police he struck her and told her, “You’re going to cause your own death.”"
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Too bad he couldn't have channeled his impulses for creating order into some more productive vein, such being president of an HOA.

Widow vs. HOA dispute gets HUD's attention | Mesa Arizona News - Mesa News - Mesa AZ news | eastvalleytribune.com

Widow vs. HOA dispute gets HUD's attention | Mesa Arizona News - Mesa News - Mesa AZ news | eastvalleytribune.com: "Federal housing authorities have become involved with the case of an 87-year-old Mesa woman whose homeowners association told her she can't have a grandson live with her as a caregiver because of the community's age restrictions."
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Go, Granny, go!

Loudoun Times: One HOA doing its part to prevent economic recovery

Loudoun Times: "Residents of CountrySide are upset that members of the community's board of directors are considering a plan to restrict home businesses, threatening operations such as home day cares.

According to a draft of the resolution, permission to operate any business would have to be obtained from all adjacent property owners and from the board of directors."
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Can you imagine a worse time to do this?

Hotel defaults, foreclosures rise in California -- latimes.com

Hotel defaults, foreclosures rise in California -- latimes.com: "More California hotels are being pushed into foreclosure as tourists and businesses alike scale back their travel plans and owners are unable to pay their mortgages.

Statewide, more than 300 hotels were in foreclosure or default on their loans as of Sept. 30 -- a nearly fivefold increase since the start of the year, according to an industry report released Tuesday.

The list of troubled properties includes the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point, the downtown Los Angeles Marriott, the Sheraton Universal and the W hotel in San Diego."
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This is just the beginning of a meltdown in the commercial real estate market.

WBBM 780 - Chicago's #1 source for local news, traffic and weather - Naperville restricts sleeping downtown

WBBM 780 - Chicago's #1 source for local news, traffic and weather - Naperville restricts sleeping downtown: "NAPERVILLE, Ill. (STNG) -- Scott Huber plans to stay put under his tarp outside the central parking deck in downtown Naperville, despite a new law designed to keep him out.

Huber has been camping on the sidewalk for eight years in what he calls a protest against the city for taking away his lifestyle and electronics business. Under a new city ordinance effective in 30 days, Huber will need a special event permit or a new location to continue -- or face daily fines of up to $100 and a court injunction."
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How would Naperville look if a few thousand people decided to save money by living under a tarp in a pubic parking garage?

Illinois State Comptroller Dan Hynes Says State Finances A Mounting Crisis, Things Getting Worse - cbs2chicago.com

Illinois State Comptroller Dan Hynes Says State Finances A Mounting Crisis, Things Getting Worse - cbs2chicago.com: "The State of Illinois' pile of unpaid bills has grown to a record-breaking $3 billion. Comptroller Dan Hynes said Tuesday it's never before been this bad at this point in any previous fiscal year. CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports that some social service agencies that rely heavily on state reimbursement warn they will soon be forced out of business.

Hynes said that things are likely to get worse before the state's bleak revenue picture begins to improve."
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They aren't even paying the dental bills for their employees. The state deducts money from our paychecks for this coverage, and then we pay our share directly to the provider, but the state won't pay what they owe. So the provider--take my kids' dentist, for example--threatens to turn me over to a collection agency if I don't pay it. So I pay the state's share. Then, someday down the road, the state will pay the dentist what they owe, and the dentist will have been paid twice. Will the dentist notify me? Probably not. So how will I know that they made that payment at long last? I won't, unless I call the dentist relentlessly.

Illinois Review: Bill Ayers' admits he wrote "Dreams of My Father"

Illinois Review: Bill Ayers' admits he wrote "Dreams of My Father": "Then, unprompted he said--I wrote Dreams From My Father. I said, oh, so you admit it. He said--Michelle asked me to. I looked at him. He seemed eager. He's about my height, short. He went on to say--and if you can prove it, we can split the royalties."
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In the blogosphere what Ayers did is called a "troll." But the conservative bloggers who are repeating this endlessly don't get the joke. Do they really think that Ayers confessed the biggest literary fraud of the century to a right wing activist who had just taken his picture in an airport? Come on, people.

UIC's education building, where he teaches, is right across Harrison Street from the Behavioral Sciences Building, where I work. Yesterday when I was leaving the office for Union Station, I walked past Ayers as he was trying to hail a cab at the corner of Harrison and Morgan. I stood there for minute waiting for the light to change. It was raining and he seemed frustrated when a cab drove right past him. Can't blame him. I guess sometimes being rich and famous doesn't mean a thing. Not that I would know.

Despite Chicago 2016 Olympic loss, White House new sports office to continue - Lynn Sweet

Despite Chicago 2016 Olympic loss, White House new sports office to continue - Lynn Sweet: "WASHINGTON--With some fanfare, the White House created the first-ever Office on Olympic, Paralympic, and Youth Sport to help bolster Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid. Chicago suffered an embarrassing loss last Friday in Copenhagen--getting knocked out in the first round of voting. Turned out Chicago never had a chance. But the Sun-Times has learned that the Obama sports office will continue, even though the Chicago bid flamed out."
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Of course. Because the Administration is full of people who think there is no such thing as an unnecessary government agency. Which is a convenient rationale for making sure that all your buddies keep their government jobs at taxpayer expense.

Biting pupil pried from Ohio teacher's arm

Biting pupil pried from Ohio teacher's arm: "DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - Police said an Ohio elementary school student bit a teacher on the arm and had to be pried off by a school official."
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No wonder they want four-day weeks.

As Obama Advocates Longer School Year, Teachers' Unions Push for Shorter Weeks - Political News - FOXNews.com

As Obama Advocates Longer School Year, Teachers' Unions Push for Shorter Weeks - Political News - FOXNews.com: "In order to save everyone's job, teachers' union organizers in many states and school districts are advocating payless furloughs for all employees -- getting four days' pay for four days' work.

But critics say the teachers are putting their own priorities above the students they're supposed to be nurturing, and that payless furloughs will cost the kids services and class time."
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Sigh.

Aging in America: Why seniors are not getting swine flu | Latest News | WFAA.com

Aging in America: Why seniors are not getting swine flu | Latest News | WFAA.com
Until the 1990s few people bothered to get flu shots. So they got the flu, and the prevalent attitude was, so what? There once was a time when getting the flu was not considered a major event unless you were especially vulnerable. And now the older you are, the more antibodies you have. Ironic.

Girl in box seat, mom on hot seat :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Nation

Girl in box seat, mom on hot seat :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Nation: "A police spokesman said the 37-year-old woman was arrested Sunday after police received a call about a minivan on a state highway with a child riding on top.

The woman told police the box was too big to go inside the van, and that her daughter was inside the box to hold it down, police said.

Police said the mother told officers it was safe because she had the box secured to the van with a clothes hanger."
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Sweet home Alabama.

Criminalizing everyone - Washington Times

Criminalizing everyone - Washington Times: "Chairman Robert C. Scott, Virginia Democrat, and ranking member Louie Gohmert, Texas Republican, conducted a truly bipartisan hearing (a D.C. rarity this year).

These two leaders have begun giving voice to the increasing number of experts who worry about 'overcriminalization.' Astronomical numbers of federal criminal laws lack specifics, can apply to almost anyone and fail to protect innocents by requiring substantial proof that an accused person acted with actual criminal intent."
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Read about the 66 year old retiree who spent two years in prison for selling orchids from his home without the proper paperwork.

Pa. Woman Mauled To Death By Bear - cbs3.com

Pa. Woman Mauled To Death By Bear - cbs3.com: "Authorities say Kelly Ann Walz, 37, of Ross Township in Monroe County, was attacked by her 350 pound pet bear while cleaning its cage at about 5 p.m. Sunday. Walz had reportedly thrown a shovelful of dog food to one side of the cage to distract the bear while she cleaned the other side, but the animal turned on her and attacked."
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Darwin would probably have something to say about this.

William Saletan: No smoking in your own apartment. - By William Saletan - Slate Magazine

No smoking in your own apartment. - By William Saletan - Slate Magazine: "Two years ago, Belmont, Calif., outlawed smoking in apartments and condos with shared floors or ceilings. Then last year, two New York condo owners sued their neighbor for lighting up in her apartment and 'causing smoke to enter into the common hallway.' Now comes another court fight: According to the Dallas Morning News, a local woman is suing her ex-neighbor and her ex-landlord 'for damage she says was caused by cigarette smoke wafting through adjoining walls of her high-end townhome.'"
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At some point you have to wonder if the issues are more psychological than physiological.

Spengler strikes again

Asia Times Online :: Asian news and current affairs: "The parallels between America in 2009 and Japan in 1989 are uncanny. An asset price bubble has collapsed, just before a tsunami of prospective retirements that the asset bubble was supposed to fund. Demand for savings is bottomless, and the government satisfies demands for savings by running a huge deficit and issuing debt. The crippled banking system borrows at an interest rate of zero and buys government securities. And the economy shrivels up and dies."
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I hope he's wrong, but his explanation is persuasive.

The Associated Press: Police chiefs endorse anti-terror community watch

The Associated Press: Police chiefs endorse anti-terror community watch: "DENVER — A store clerk's curiosity about why Najibullah Zazi was buying large quantities of beauty supply products indicated that something about the transaction wasn't quite right — and it's an example of the kind of citizen vigilance that can combat terror, a police commander said Saturday.

Los Angeles police Cmdr. Joan McNamara cited this summer's incident as police chiefs meeting in Denver adopted a model for a nationwide community watch program that teaches people what behavior is truly suspicious and encourages them to report it to police."
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Great. Citizens informing local police about the "suspicious" activities of their neighbors...what could possibly go wrong?

FTC to Regulate Blogging - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News - FOXNews.com

FTC to Regulate Blogging - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News - FOXNews.com: "The Federal Trade Commission will try to regulate blogging for the first time, requiring writers on the Web to clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products.

The FTC said Monday its commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the final Web guidelines, which had been expected. Violating the rules, which take effect Dec. 1, could bring fines up to $11,000 per violation. Bloggers or advertisers also could face injunctions and be ordered to reimburse consumers for financial losses stemming from inappropriate product reviews."
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This is so ridiculous. What a complete waste of taxpayers' money.

Man shoots neighbor over leaves in Randolph

Man shoots neighbor over leaves in Randolph: "BOSTON -- A Randolph man pleaded not guilty to armed assault with intent to murder after police said he shot his neighbor over a leaf-dumping dispute."
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Just your average neighbor who "always carried his gun, even when cutting the lawn or playing with the kids."

Dismissal of Obama birthplace lawsuit argued - Total Buzz - OCRegister.com

Dismissal of Obama birthplace lawsuit argued - Total Buzz - OCRegister.com: "“It would be disastrous if a single circuit court judge had the power to remove a president from office,” said Assistant United States Attorney Roger West."
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My mother was Roger West's secretary for years before her retirement at age 79.

California: Red light camera ripoff declared illegal

California: Another Appellate Court Strikes Down Cost Neutrality: "A second appellate ruling has struck down a California city's red light camera program as illegal. On September 22, the California Superior Court for the County of San Mateo, Appellate Department overturned motorist Al Bullock's $387 conviction for making a right turn on red. Presiding Judge Mark R. Forcum concisely found that San Mateo's cost neutral contract with an Australian company, Redflex Traffic Systems, was in direct violation of state law.

'Reversed,' Forcum wrote in a one-word decision.

California law explicitly bans local jurisdictions from rewarding red light camera companies with payments based on the number of citations issued or as a percentage of fines generated. At least fifty cities have attempted to skirt this requirement with a clever arrangement known as cost neutrality. These contract provisions allow a city to pay the contractor based on the number of citations issued up to a certain monthly amount. After this cap is reached, the city keeps all of the revenue generated. The provisions are designed to ensure that cities can only profit from photo ticketing and will never pay to operate the program."
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Nice to see that some appellate courts are standing up to these grasping local governments.

My Way News - Great time for US consumers: America is on sale

My Way News - Great time for US consumers: America is on sale: "The Great Recession has caused massive job losses and hardship for millions, but it has also fostered a shoppers' paradise. Anyone who still has the means to spend can find unheard of deals."
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So get out there and borrow some money and buy a bunch of stuff.

Vegas Casinos Fold on Expansion Plans - WSJ.com

Vegas Casinos Fold on Expansion Plans - WSJ.com: "LAS VEGAS -- After a six-year building frenzy that transformed this city, casino companies are shifting strategies dramatically toward slower growth, paying down debt and cutting back on spending.

Many casino executives don't expect to break ground on another major building project in Las Vegas for at least 10 years."
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Think about how many jobs these projects create, then consider the consequences of not having them.

Group offers homeowner's board training The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper

Group offers homeowner's board training The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper: "Anyone who serves on a homeowner association board knows the responsibility usually comes with little training. Some groups are barely equipped with enforceable bylaws.

The Community Associations Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, has launched a program to address that gap in association-governance knowledge. The group is offering a free online training course that could help new board members get their bearings."
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I love the way the local press just takes press releases and plugs them right into the newspaper as if they were news or something. Anyway, CAI is taking their training online.

New York City to Establish Surveillance Network in Midtown - NYTimes.com

New York City to Establish Surveillance Network in Midtown - NYTimes.com: "Asked Sunday about criticism of the increased surveillance, Mr. Bloomberg said: “We live in a world where we have to have a balance. We can’t just say everybody can go everyplace and do anything they want.”"
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Politicians love these straw man arguments. As if anybody had suggested that in New York City, there should be no restrictions on anybody's movements and activities.

Homeowners are challenging property-tax assessments at a record rate | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/04/2009

Homeowners are challenging property-tax assessments at a record rate | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/04/2009: "With the ebbing of the real estate market, a record-bursting tide of property-tax appeals is inundating assessment offices all over the region - and the nation - with appeal numbers double and triple what they were last year."
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My sense of the situation--and it is just anecdotal--is that assessments have not been lowered to reflect the decline in property values. That would account for the wave of challenges.

Barack Obama furious at General Stanley McChrystal speech on Afghanistan - Telegraph

Barack Obama furious at General Stanley McChrystal speech on Afghanistan - Telegraph: "In London, Gen McChrystal, who heads the 68,000 US troops in Afghanistan as well as the 100,000 Nato forces, flatly rejected proposals to switch to a strategy more reliant on drone missile strikes and special forces operations against al-Qaeda.

He told the Institute of International and Strategic Studies that the formula, which is favoured by Vice-President Joe Biden, would lead to 'Chaos-istan'. When asked whether he would support it, he said: 'The short answer is: No.' He went on to say: 'Waiting does not prolong a favorable outcome. This effort will not remain winnable indefinitely, and nor will public support.'

The remarks have been seen by some in the Obama administration as a barbed reference to the slow pace of debate within the White House."
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So then Obama and McChrystal had their little tete-a-tete in Copenhagen, and now the White House is leaking these items about how they are unhappy with his rhetoric. And over the weekend the Taliban made headlines with an attack that killed ten Americans.

Will California become America's first failed state? | World news | The Observer

Will California become America's first failed state? | World news | The Observer: "The crisis is so deep that Professor Kenneth Starr, who has written an acclaimed history of the state, recently declared: 'California is on the verge of becoming the first failed state in America.'"
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Yes, indeed. Things are that bad. The state and local governments are in a state of budgetary crisis and political paralysis. The problems are structural, not temporary. The public schools are horrible, the great system of public higher education is in trouble, infrastructure is crumbling, the middle class is leaving and the poor are still arriving in droves, the prison system is overflowing, the housing market is in chaos, and on and on. The state is at this point impossible to govern. But if you go to California, as I did this summer, you will find that the people who live there are going about their lives as usual and not even talking about this sort of thing except in passing.

Wile E. Coyote chases the roadrunner until he runs off a cliff, but he doesn't fall until he looks down.