Ritz-Carlton to close 5-diamond Las Vegas hotel in May: "'It's nothing the hotel did. It's a simple lack of business and a decline in the tourism industry,' said Ritz-Carlton spokeswoman Vivian Deuschl."
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
U of I President Stanley Ikenberry on the fiscal crisis
Speeches and statements, President Stanley O. Ikenberry, University of Illinois: "On January 5th I sent a letter to faculty and staff in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, Springfield and elsewhere telling them we were taking a number of drastic steps in order to finish the academic year. As of December 31st we had an unimaginable and unprecedented $436 million in unpaid state invoices. We were, and still are, draining cash balances at an alarming rate. Our immediate concern was to be able to finish this academic year.
In response we cut faculty and staff pay by roughly 5 percent for the balance of the academic year through four furlough days. We cut the pay of senior administrators by about 10 percent for the balance of the fiscal year. We directed units to hold back 6 percent of their State budget. We froze hiring, including academic hires we really should be making. We have provided retirement incentives to trim the payroll. We have cut and will cut again administrative costs and are sending out letters of non-reappointment to staff.
Still, no amount of furloughs and budget cuts can make up for the absence of more than $760 million in direct State support."
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An excellent speech that tells you everything except why the people who run this state continue to destroy the place. As he says, Illinois is just about to become a second California.
In response we cut faculty and staff pay by roughly 5 percent for the balance of the academic year through four furlough days. We cut the pay of senior administrators by about 10 percent for the balance of the fiscal year. We directed units to hold back 6 percent of their State budget. We froze hiring, including academic hires we really should be making. We have provided retirement incentives to trim the payroll. We have cut and will cut again administrative costs and are sending out letters of non-reappointment to staff.
Still, no amount of furloughs and budget cuts can make up for the absence of more than $760 million in direct State support."
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An excellent speech that tells you everything except why the people who run this state continue to destroy the place. As he says, Illinois is just about to become a second California.
FAQs - Codes, Covenants and Regulations
FAQs - Codes, Covenants and Regulations
Fred Fischer sent this link to the city of Gilbert, AZ, web page with helpful hints about how your HOA can do whatever they want to you. Just kidding. But here's an example of the do-what-you're-told mentality. The FAQ reads like it was written by the 8th grade hall monitor:
4. The neighborhood codes do not allow basketball hoops, which seems silly do I really have to comply?
That again is a civil matter, as the Town does not regulate recreation equipment like basketball hoops or swing sets. If your Homeowners regulations prohibit them it would be like any other regulations, you agreed to them so you have to follow the rules.
Fred Fischer sent this link to the city of Gilbert, AZ, web page with helpful hints about how your HOA can do whatever they want to you. Just kidding. But here's an example of the do-what-you're-told mentality. The FAQ reads like it was written by the 8th grade hall monitor:
4. The neighborhood codes do not allow basketball hoops, which seems silly do I really have to comply?
That again is a civil matter, as the Town does not regulate recreation equipment like basketball hoops or swing sets. If your Homeowners regulations prohibit them it would be like any other regulations, you agreed to them so you have to follow the rules.
Will baby boomers bankrupt social security?
Not to worry?: "By 2017, Social Security is expected to start paying out more than it collects in payroll taxes, according to the 2009 Annual Report from the Social Security and Medicare Board of Trustees. There is currently a large surplus, but it will be drained by the year 2037. At that point, Social Security will only be able to pay out 75 percent of its benefits."
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But guess what? "Experts" say we don't have to worry about it. I wonder how these experts did predicting the economic collapse.
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But guess what? "Experts" say we don't have to worry about it. I wonder how these experts did predicting the economic collapse.
Coyotes spotted in Manhattan - NYPOST.com
Coyotes spotted in Manhattan - NYPOST.com: "Wile E. Coyote and friends are invading Manhattan. Three coyotes turned up on the Columbia University campus on Sunday morning, prompting an e-mail alert to students and faculty. A few hours later, a coyote was spotted darting around bushes and across a frozen lake in Central Park. Urban coyote authorities say the dogs will likely be seen more and more in big cities as they fight one another for living space."
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Pretty soon they will be taking the elevator to the penthouse in somebody's condo building looking for tastier treats. Foie gras, perhaps?
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Pretty soon they will be taking the elevator to the penthouse in somebody's condo building looking for tastier treats. Foie gras, perhaps?
Monday, February 08, 2010
Another lawsuit in Campton Hills
AddThis utility frame: "CAMPTON HILLS – A homeowners association has filed suit against its former board seeking nearly $70 million in damages.
According to court papers filed this week, Fox Mill Homeowners Association in Campton Hills is suing its former board and management company, various companies and 13 individuals, claiming that from 1994 to 2008, board members used the association’s dues for their own personal benefit in a scheme to defraud the association."
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I represent an HOA inmate in a different subdivision in Campton Hills, which has proved to be nothing but a litigation incubator since the municipality was incorporated a few years ago. One situation involves alpacas. Don't get me started. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
Sorry I've been so lax in blogging, but I have been at a conference in Philadelphia and just got back last night. Yes, that would be the weekend when Philly got 28.5 inches of snow. Quite an experience.
According to court papers filed this week, Fox Mill Homeowners Association in Campton Hills is suing its former board and management company, various companies and 13 individuals, claiming that from 1994 to 2008, board members used the association’s dues for their own personal benefit in a scheme to defraud the association."
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I represent an HOA inmate in a different subdivision in Campton Hills, which has proved to be nothing but a litigation incubator since the municipality was incorporated a few years ago. One situation involves alpacas. Don't get me started. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
Sorry I've been so lax in blogging, but I have been at a conference in Philadelphia and just got back last night. Yes, that would be the weekend when Philly got 28.5 inches of snow. Quite an experience.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
State lawmakers study homeowners associations - News14.com
State lawmakers study homeowners associations - News14.com: "RALEIGH – Thousands of North Carolinians live in neighborhoods with homeowners associations. Now, North Carolina lawmakers are studying the nonprofit organizations and what rules they have to follow.
The House Select Committee on Homeowners Associations held a public hearing Tuesday afternoon to hear from homeowners, homeowner association board members, attorneys and management companies"
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Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link. He is about as enthusiastic as I am, and points out that here we have another example of the CID Reform Cycle.
The House Select Committee on Homeowners Associations held a public hearing Tuesday afternoon to hear from homeowners, homeowner association board members, attorneys and management companies"
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Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link. He is about as enthusiastic as I am, and points out that here we have another example of the CID Reform Cycle.
Acquiring Shotguns - Federal Business Opportunities: Opportunities
Acquiring Shotguns - Federal Business Opportunities: Opportunities: "The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) intends to purchase sixty Remington Model 870 Police RAMAC #24587 12 gauge pump-action shotguns for the Criminal Investigation Division. The Remington parkerized shotguns, with fourteen inch barrel, modified choke, Wilson Combat Ghost Ring rear sight and XS4 Contour Bead front sight, Knoxx Reduced Recoil Adjustable Stock, and Speedfeed ribbed black forend, are designated as the only shotguns authorized for IRS duty based on compatibility with IRS existing shotgun inventory, certified armorer and combat training and protocol, maintenance, and parts."
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I suggest that you pay your taxes.
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I suggest that you pay your taxes.
Monday, February 01, 2010
Leaked climate change emails scientist 'hid' data flaws | Environment | guardian.co.uk
Leaked climate change emails scientist 'hid' data flaws | Environment | guardian.co.uk: "Phil Jones, the beleaguered British climate scientist at the centre of the leaked emails controversy, is facing fresh claims that he sought to hide problems in key temperature data on which some of his work was based.
A Guardian investigation of thousands of emails and documents apparently hacked from the University of East Anglia's climatic research unit has found evidence that a series of measurements from Chinese weather stations were seriously flawed and that documents relating to them could not be produced.
Jones and a collaborator have been accused by a climate change sceptic and researcher of scientific fraud for attempting to suppress data that could cast doubt on a key 1990 study on the effect of cities on warming – a hotly contested issue."
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The case for human-caused global warming rests entirely on scientists' predictions. The integrity of some of these scientists now appears to be a subject of some debate.
A Guardian investigation of thousands of emails and documents apparently hacked from the University of East Anglia's climatic research unit has found evidence that a series of measurements from Chinese weather stations were seriously flawed and that documents relating to them could not be produced.
Jones and a collaborator have been accused by a climate change sceptic and researcher of scientific fraud for attempting to suppress data that could cast doubt on a key 1990 study on the effect of cities on warming – a hotly contested issue."
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The case for human-caused global warming rests entirely on scientists' predictions. The integrity of some of these scientists now appears to be a subject of some debate.
IllinoisIsBroke.com
IllinoisIsBroke.com: "By July, Illinois will be $130,000,000,000 (that’s BILLION!) in debt. This crushing load hampers the state’s ability to fund public schools and universities, health care, and other essential public services. Most of that money is owed to the state’s pension funds and retiree health care plans. And YOUR SHARE of that debt is $25,000 per household.
How did this happen? Basically, Illinois spends $3 for every $2 it takes in. Only in Springfield is this kind of math possible. The state accomplishes this by borrowing or by simply ignoring its unpaid bills. And it has been doing so for years.
This year alone, Illinois will be short more than $14,000,000,000. Things are so bad that Illinois now has one of the worst budget deficits in the nation. This has to stop! Financial disaster is on the horizon. We can no longer ignore the problem."
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Check out that bottom like: $130 billion in debt. And that's just one state.
How did this happen? Basically, Illinois spends $3 for every $2 it takes in. Only in Springfield is this kind of math possible. The state accomplishes this by borrowing or by simply ignoring its unpaid bills. And it has been doing so for years.
This year alone, Illinois will be short more than $14,000,000,000. Things are so bad that Illinois now has one of the worst budget deficits in the nation. This has to stop! Financial disaster is on the horizon. We can no longer ignore the problem."
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Check out that bottom like: $130 billion in debt. And that's just one state.
White House seeks to privatize space travel :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: 44: Barack Obama
White House seeks to privatize space travel :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: 44: Barack Obama: "WASHINGTON -- Getting to space is about to be outsourced.
The Obama administration today will propose in its new budget spending billions of dollars to encourage private companies to build, launch and operate spacecraft for NASA and others. Uncle Sam would buy its astronauts a ride into space just like hopping in a taxi."
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I think the plan here is for the US government to abandon any commitment to space exploration and turn NASA's gaze around to look at the earth. Or somebody's navel.
The Obama administration today will propose in its new budget spending billions of dollars to encourage private companies to build, launch and operate spacecraft for NASA and others. Uncle Sam would buy its astronauts a ride into space just like hopping in a taxi."
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I think the plan here is for the US government to abandon any commitment to space exploration and turn NASA's gaze around to look at the earth. Or somebody's navel.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Ex-convicts in District flock to apply for census jobs - washingtonpost.com
Ex-convicts in District flock to apply for census jobs - washingtonpost.com: "Although the Census Bureau has in the past hired people with criminal histories, critics say that could jeopardize the accuracy of the census. People who didn't mail in their forms might refuse to invite census takers into their homes and answer their questions. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) has introduced a bill that would ban felons from being census takers."
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Knock knock.
Who's there?
Census taker.
Census taker who?
Census taker who is here to take your stuff.
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Knock knock.
Who's there?
Census taker.
Census taker who?
Census taker who is here to take your stuff.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Duncan: Katrina Was The "Best Thing" for New Orleans School System - Political Punch
Duncan: Katrina Was The "Best Thing" for New Orleans School System - Political Punch: "ABC News' Mary Bruce Reports: Education Secretary Arne Duncan said today that Hurricane Katrina was “the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans” because it gave the city a chance to rebuild and improve its failing public schools."
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Now just imagine for one second that any Republican in the entire nation had said that.
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Now just imagine for one second that any Republican in the entire nation had said that.
Justice Alito’s Reaction - Linda Greenhouse, New York Times
Justice Alito’s Reaction - Opinionator Blog - NYTimes.com: "This time, Justice Alito shook his head as if to rebut the president’s characterization of the Citizens United decision, and seemed to mouth the words “not true.” Indeed, Mr. Obama’s description of the holding of the case was imprecise. He said the court had “reversed a century of law.”
The law that Congress enacted in the populist days of the early 20th century prohibited direct corporate contributions to political campaigns. That law was not at issue in the Citizens United case, and is still on the books. Rather, the court struck down a more complicated statute that barred corporations and unions from spending money directly from their treasuries — as opposed to their political action committees — on television advertising to urge a vote for or against a federal candidate in the period immediately before the election. It is true, though, that the majority wrote so broadly about corporate free speech rights as to call into question other limitations as well — although not necessarily the existing ban on direct contributions."
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It's one thing for ordinary citizens to misunderstand Citizens United v. FCC, given the distorted commentary about it. But for the President to deliberately misstate it in the SOTU, just for a cheap shot at the Court, is sad. And when Linda Greenhouse says he was "imprecise," that is doing him a big favor. He used to teach Constitutional Law.
The law that Congress enacted in the populist days of the early 20th century prohibited direct corporate contributions to political campaigns. That law was not at issue in the Citizens United case, and is still on the books. Rather, the court struck down a more complicated statute that barred corporations and unions from spending money directly from their treasuries — as opposed to their political action committees — on television advertising to urge a vote for or against a federal candidate in the period immediately before the election. It is true, though, that the majority wrote so broadly about corporate free speech rights as to call into question other limitations as well — although not necessarily the existing ban on direct contributions."
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It's one thing for ordinary citizens to misunderstand Citizens United v. FCC, given the distorted commentary about it. But for the President to deliberately misstate it in the SOTU, just for a cheap shot at the Court, is sad. And when Linda Greenhouse says he was "imprecise," that is doing him a big favor. He used to teach Constitutional Law.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Scientists in stolen e-mail scandal hid climate data - Times Online
Scientists in stolen e-mail scandal hid climate data - Times Online: "The university at the centre of the climate change row over stolen e-mails broke the law by refusing to hand over its raw data for public scrutiny."
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Given the certainty with which these folks pronounce their dire conclusions and grim demands for radical change, you would think they'd be more comfortable with free and full and objective disclosure of the data...wouldn't you?
I don't see how people can be true believers on this issue, on either side, at this point. I don't subscribe to the notion that global warming is a hoax hatched by a socialist conspiracy, but neither can I see any need to panic and run around bleating about "saving the planet." I don't think the human contribution to climate change can be calculated with the accuracy that is often claimed, which is why their computer models are wrong and failed to predict the cooling trend that started in the late 1990s. By all means, let's get off fossil fuels and conserve energy (although China and India ignore these demands, so they don't seem to be convinced by the global warming contingent--what's up with that? They aren't Republicans or fundamentalist Christians. Are they "global warming deniers" too?) Even more importantly, reduce the human impact on the oceans, which I think is a far more urgent threat to human existence than greenhouse gases. But ease off the global warming panic button--before some of these grant-grabbing scientists start going to jail.
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Given the certainty with which these folks pronounce their dire conclusions and grim demands for radical change, you would think they'd be more comfortable with free and full and objective disclosure of the data...wouldn't you?
I don't see how people can be true believers on this issue, on either side, at this point. I don't subscribe to the notion that global warming is a hoax hatched by a socialist conspiracy, but neither can I see any need to panic and run around bleating about "saving the planet." I don't think the human contribution to climate change can be calculated with the accuracy that is often claimed, which is why their computer models are wrong and failed to predict the cooling trend that started in the late 1990s. By all means, let's get off fossil fuels and conserve energy (although China and India ignore these demands, so they don't seem to be convinced by the global warming contingent--what's up with that? They aren't Republicans or fundamentalist Christians. Are they "global warming deniers" too?) Even more importantly, reduce the human impact on the oceans, which I think is a far more urgent threat to human existence than greenhouse gases. But ease off the global warming panic button--before some of these grant-grabbing scientists start going to jail.
Public Policy Polling: Fox leads for trust
Public Policy Polling: Fox leads for trust: "Americans do not trust the major tv news operations in the country- except for Fox News.
Our newest survey looking at perceptions of ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, and NBC News finds Fox as the only one that more people say they trust than distrust. 49% say they trust it to 37% who do not."
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And this is the network that Obama decided to ignore...until his approval rating dove below 50%. The left always works by ostracizing people. The first thing they do if you don't toe the party line is cut you off one way or another. That's what they have tried--and failed--to do with Fox News.
Our newest survey looking at perceptions of ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, and NBC News finds Fox as the only one that more people say they trust than distrust. 49% say they trust it to 37% who do not."
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And this is the network that Obama decided to ignore...until his approval rating dove below 50%. The left always works by ostracizing people. The first thing they do if you don't toe the party line is cut you off one way or another. That's what they have tried--and failed--to do with Fox News.
Second judge at odds with district attorney - SignOnSanDiego.com
Second judge at odds with district attorney - SignOnSanDiego.com: "A veteran North County judge who last month openly criticized the District Attorney’s Office for not following rules for turning over evidence to defense lawyers is now being called biased by prosecutors who want him off the case.
A court hearing on the simmering conflict between longtime Superior Court Judge Harry M. Elias and prosecutors is scheduled for this morning in Vista, days after the District Attorney’s Office ended a months-long boycott against a judge in downtown San Diego."
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I worked in the Vista branch office of the San Diego County DAs office for about two years, and I knew Harry Elias then because he was a deputy DA, and one of the hardest-charging prosecutors and most ethical prosecutors I ever saw. It is just bizarre to see the DAs office butting heads with him. The issue of not turning over exculpatory evidence is pretty serious. I don't know the details beyond what's in the article, but it is baffling to see a conflict like this develop.
A court hearing on the simmering conflict between longtime Superior Court Judge Harry M. Elias and prosecutors is scheduled for this morning in Vista, days after the District Attorney’s Office ended a months-long boycott against a judge in downtown San Diego."
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I worked in the Vista branch office of the San Diego County DAs office for about two years, and I knew Harry Elias then because he was a deputy DA, and one of the hardest-charging prosecutors and most ethical prosecutors I ever saw. It is just bizarre to see the DAs office butting heads with him. The issue of not turning over exculpatory evidence is pretty serious. I don't know the details beyond what's in the article, but it is baffling to see a conflict like this develop.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Man caught at airport with 44 lizards in pants
Man caught at airport with 44 lizards in pants
I challenge anybody to locate a better headline than that.
I challenge anybody to locate a better headline than that.
Monday, January 25, 2010
RIGHT BEFORE IT WAS WRONG | Daily Telegraph Tim Blair Blog
RIGHT BEFORE IT WAS WRONG | Daily Telegraph Tim Blair Blog: "Professor Christopher Field, director of the Department of Global Ecology at the Carnegie Institution in California, who is the new co-chairman of the IPCC working group overseeing the climate impacts report, said the 2007 report had been broadly accurate at the time it was written.
He said: “The 2007 study should be seen as “a snapshot of what was known then. Science is progressive. If something turns out to be wrong we can fix it next time around.”"
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So everything is right, until it is wrong. Then the new thing is right until it is wrong. And don't you dare argue about what is right, because it's right. Until it's wrong.
He said: “The 2007 study should be seen as “a snapshot of what was known then. Science is progressive. If something turns out to be wrong we can fix it next time around.”"
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So everything is right, until it is wrong. Then the new thing is right until it is wrong. And don't you dare argue about what is right, because it's right. Until it's wrong.
Some Foundations, Too, Are Quitting California | California Progress Report
Some Foundations, Too, Are Quitting California | California Progress Report: "Gates and Hewlett, two leading foundations that have been generous supporters of major California programs and organizations in education and many other fields are said to be so frustrated by the state’s lack of leadership, its legislative gridlock and the power of public sector unions in blocking reforms that they’re sharply reducing their funding in California.
Although no one will speak on the record, it’s no secret among state education officials and leaders of at least some of the organizations that have been beneficiaries of those foundations that they will probably lose major chunks of their funding. Both foundations, said a Sacramento-based education consultant, “Have in many ways given up on California.”"
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At this rate the Mayan Calendar Doom of 2012 will hit California after there's nobody left to doom. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this depressing story.
Although no one will speak on the record, it’s no secret among state education officials and leaders of at least some of the organizations that have been beneficiaries of those foundations that they will probably lose major chunks of their funding. Both foundations, said a Sacramento-based education consultant, “Have in many ways given up on California.”"
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At this rate the Mayan Calendar Doom of 2012 will hit California after there's nobody left to doom. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this depressing story.
Figures on government spending and debt - Yahoo! Finance
Figures on government spending and debt - Yahoo! Finance: "Figures on government spending and debt (last six digits are eliminated). The government's fiscal year runs Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. Total public debt subject to limit Jan. 22 12,245,872 Statutory debt limit 12,394,000 Total public debt outstanding Jan. 22 12,302,465"
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Great googly moogly, but that is a lot of money.
Bill Gates Says Recovery Will Take Years - Software - IT Channel News by CRN
Bill Gates Says Recovery Will Take Years - Software - IT Channel News by CRN: "Gates said even when the economy does improve the government will have to institute systemic changes in order for any real rebound to take root. 'The budget's very, very out of balance and even as the economy comes back, without changes in tax and entitlement policies, it won't get back into balance. And at some point, financial markets will look at that and it will cause problems,' Gates told Good Morning America.
Gates' struck a similar chord last week in his annual letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 'Although the acute financial crisis is over, the economy is still weak, and the world will spend a lot of years undoing the damage, which includes lingering unemployment and huge government deficits and debts at record levels,' Gates wrote in the letter."
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That's more or less what I keep saying. How can the economy "recover" with every level of government mired in unprecedented levels of debt? I get so tired of hearing all this nonsense about cyles and leading and lagging indicators, and how this so-called "recovery" is inevitable because, well, you know...it just is. No, it isn't. There is nothing automatic about this. It seems to me that there will have to be a major rethinking of what governments are going to pay for and how they are going to pay for it. And a whole lot of things that are taken for granted now will have to go on the chopping block. For example, how about the notion that you can just jack up prison terms for tens of thousands of convicted felons, year after year, subjecting them to automatic long, or even natural life terms, without regard to the costs of incarceration? That is what happened in California from about 1980 to the present. How about the costs of federally-mandated special education and bilingual education programs? And the costs of treating uninsured patients in county hospital emergency rooms?
It isn't that there is something unworthy about such expenditures. The problem is that you can make a case for each of them individually and dozens more as well. But how do you make a case for cutting any of them from the budget when taken together there is no way to pay for all of them?
Gates' struck a similar chord last week in his annual letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 'Although the acute financial crisis is over, the economy is still weak, and the world will spend a lot of years undoing the damage, which includes lingering unemployment and huge government deficits and debts at record levels,' Gates wrote in the letter."
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That's more or less what I keep saying. How can the economy "recover" with every level of government mired in unprecedented levels of debt? I get so tired of hearing all this nonsense about cyles and leading and lagging indicators, and how this so-called "recovery" is inevitable because, well, you know...it just is. No, it isn't. There is nothing automatic about this. It seems to me that there will have to be a major rethinking of what governments are going to pay for and how they are going to pay for it. And a whole lot of things that are taken for granted now will have to go on the chopping block. For example, how about the notion that you can just jack up prison terms for tens of thousands of convicted felons, year after year, subjecting them to automatic long, or even natural life terms, without regard to the costs of incarceration? That is what happened in California from about 1980 to the present. How about the costs of federally-mandated special education and bilingual education programs? And the costs of treating uninsured patients in county hospital emergency rooms?
It isn't that there is something unworthy about such expenditures. The problem is that you can make a case for each of them individually and dozens more as well. But how do you make a case for cutting any of them from the budget when taken together there is no way to pay for all of them?
December home sales down nearly 17 percent - Yahoo! Finance
December home sales down nearly 17 percent - Yahoo! Finance: "WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sales of previously occupied homes took the largest monthly drop in more than 40 years last month, sinking more dramatically than expected after lawmakers gave buyers additional time to use a tax credit."
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One analyst says "It's 'exit stage left' for first-time homebuyers." And thanks to the anonymous commenter who sent a link to this cartoon.
What if America’s Urban Economies Were National Ones?
Streetsblog Capitol Hill » What if America’s Urban Economies Were National Ones?: "The U.S. Conference of Mayors released a report this week with some dire conclusions for the nation's cities: Even the payroll growth that many prognosticators anticipate this year won't make a dent in double-digit urban unemployment. Half of the 363 biggest metro areas won't return to their pre-recession jobs levels until 2013 or beyond.
All this despite the fact that those 363 cities accounted for 90 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) last year and 86 percent of all jobs."
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Why do people think 2013 will be so much better than 2010? Did those people predict that 2008 and 2009 would be catastrophic? I don't think so.
All this despite the fact that those 363 cities accounted for 90 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) last year and 86 percent of all jobs."
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Why do people think 2013 will be so much better than 2010? Did those people predict that 2008 and 2009 would be catastrophic? I don't think so.
Public's Priorities for 2010: Economy, Jobs, Terrorism: Summary of Findings - Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Public's Priorities for 2010: Economy, Jobs, Terrorism: Summary of Findings - Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Guess what problem comes in dead last in priority with the public, out of 21 issues? Here's a hint: its initials are G W.
Guess what problem comes in dead last in priority with the public, out of 21 issues? Here's a hint: its initials are G W.
Obama Administration Steers Lucrative No-Bid Contract for Afghan Work to Dem Donor
FOXNews.com - Obama Administration Steers Lucrative No-Bid Contract for Afghan Work to Dem Donor: "Despite President Obama's long history of criticizing the Bush administration for 'sweetheart deals' with favored contractors, the Obama administration this month awarded a $25 million federal contract for work in Afghanistan to a company owned by a Democratic campaign contributor without entertaining competitive bids, Fox News has learned.
The contract, awarded on Jan. 4 to Checchi & Company Consulting, Inc., a Washington-based firm owned by economist and Democratic donor Vincent V. Checchi, will pay the firm $24,673,427 to provide 'rule of law stabilization services' in war-torn Afghanistan."
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I can hear the reasoned reply from the left now: "Yeah, but...but...HALLIBURTON!!! FOX NEWS!!! DICK CHENEY!!!"
The contract, awarded on Jan. 4 to Checchi & Company Consulting, Inc., a Washington-based firm owned by economist and Democratic donor Vincent V. Checchi, will pay the firm $24,673,427 to provide 'rule of law stabilization services' in war-torn Afghanistan."
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I can hear the reasoned reply from the left now: "Yeah, but...but...HALLIBURTON!!! FOX NEWS!!! DICK CHENEY!!!"
The search for aliens should start on Earth not outer space, says scientist - Telegraph
The search for aliens should start on Earth not outer space, says scientist - Telegraph: "Prof Davies said: We need to give up the notion that ET is sending us some sort of customised message and take a new approach.'
He suggested that the search could focus on deserts, volcanic vents, salt-saturated lakes and the dry valleys of Antarctica - places where ordinary life struggles to survive - to find 'weird' microbes that belong to a 'shadow biosphere'."
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Not only are we surrounded by aliens--what about the Neanderthals among us?
He suggested that the search could focus on deserts, volcanic vents, salt-saturated lakes and the dry valleys of Antarctica - places where ordinary life struggles to survive - to find 'weird' microbes that belong to a 'shadow biosphere'."
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Not only are we surrounded by aliens--what about the Neanderthals among us?
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Daredevil Space Diver To Leap Toward World's First Supersonic Free-Fall From 120,000 Feet | Popular Science
Daredevil Space Diver To Leap Toward World's First Supersonic Free-Fall From 120,000 Feet | Popular Science: "Dubbed the Red Bull Stratos and sponsored by the energy drink company, the jump will send Baumgartner to the stratosphere in a small space capsule, lifted by a helium-filled balloon. Once he reaches 120,000 feet after three hours of ascension, ground control will give him the “all clear” sign and he’ll pop open the door and jump, as video cameras on the capsule and his suit record his descent. Within 35 seconds or so, Baumgartner will hit supersonic speeds and break the sound barrier. No one really knows what will happen at that point, but the scientists seem confident that he’ll maintain consciousness. He will free fall for roughly six more minutes, pulling his chute at about 5,000 feet and coasting for 15 minutes back to solid ground."
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As the article notes, "don't die" is part of the plan as well.
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As the article notes, "don't die" is part of the plan as well.
Gallup Daily: Obama Job Approval
Gallup Daily: Obama Job Approval
Hello, Mr. Approval Line. I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Disapproval Line.
Hello, Mr. Approval Line. I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Disapproval Line.
Glacier scientists says he knew data had not been verified | Mail Online
Glacier scientists says he knew data had not been verified | Mail Online: "The scientist behind the bogus claim in a Nobel Prize-winning UN report that Himalayan glaciers will have melted by 2035 last night admitted it was included purely to put political pressure on world leaders.
Dr Murari Lal also said he was well aware the statement, in the 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), did not rest on peer-reviewed scientific research.
In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, Dr Lal, the co-ordinating lead author of the report’s chapter on Asia, said: ‘It related to several countries in this region and their water sources. We thought that if we can highlight it, it will impact policy-makers and politicians and encourage them to take some concrete action."
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It has been a bad year for the global warming crowd, and the winter isn't over yet. February 2 is Groundhog Day, and I'll bet Punxsutawny Phil will deliver more bad news to them.
Steve Chapman: Free Speech for Corporations
RealClearPolitics - Free Speech for Corporations: "During the 2008 campaign, a group called Citizens United put together a documentary, 'Hillary: The Movie.' Remember seeing it on cable TV? No, you don't, because the organization decided it couldn't show the film without the risk of felony prosecution. It had every reason to be afraid.
The problem was that the movie was not only about Clinton but made the case that she should not be president. Worse, it was supposed to be shown during -- get this -- an election campaign. That, under the federal law, made it verboten."
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Good commentary on Citizens United v. FCC, the recent USSC decision that says corporations have political free speech rights. Much of the lefty reaction to this decision raises the specter of multinational business corporations flooding the airwaves with pro-capitalist propaganda. I have not waded entirely through the gigantic pile of opinions the court generated in this case, including a 90 page dissent, but I am not sure these fears are realistic. It should be kept in mind that Citizens United is a not-for-profit corporation that was formed to do political advocacy from a conservative perspective. They didn't show their political documentary during an election campaign because it would have been a felony. As Chapman points out, there is something pretty disturbing about that.
The problem was that the movie was not only about Clinton but made the case that she should not be president. Worse, it was supposed to be shown during -- get this -- an election campaign. That, under the federal law, made it verboten."
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Good commentary on Citizens United v. FCC, the recent USSC decision that says corporations have political free speech rights. Much of the lefty reaction to this decision raises the specter of multinational business corporations flooding the airwaves with pro-capitalist propaganda. I have not waded entirely through the gigantic pile of opinions the court generated in this case, including a 90 page dissent, but I am not sure these fears are realistic. It should be kept in mind that Citizens United is a not-for-profit corporation that was formed to do political advocacy from a conservative perspective. They didn't show their political documentary during an election campaign because it would have been a felony. As Chapman points out, there is something pretty disturbing about that.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Housing bust keeps consuming California jobs - latimes.com
Housing bust keeps consuming California jobs - latimes.com: "Payrolls shrank by 38,800, marking the worst month for job losses since September. The unemployment rate remained flat at 12.4%, but only because more than 100,000 workers left the labor force and are no longer counted. Many of them have given up looking for work or have moved out of state.
Economists expect the state's labor market to remain weak this year largely because the bellwether housing sector continues to struggle. Over the last two years, California has lost more than 1 million jobs."
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Fred Pilot flagged this. The housing construction sector drove the economy for years, in large part because it employs so many people, and you can find many statements to that effect from the 1990s and up to 2008. It hasn't started to come back yet, despite blips of life here and there, and until it does I see no way for the US to have a real economic recovery.
Economists expect the state's labor market to remain weak this year largely because the bellwether housing sector continues to struggle. Over the last two years, California has lost more than 1 million jobs."
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Fred Pilot flagged this. The housing construction sector drove the economy for years, in large part because it employs so many people, and you can find many statements to that effect from the 1990s and up to 2008. It hasn't started to come back yet, despite blips of life here and there, and until it does I see no way for the US to have a real economic recovery.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Air America, the Talk Radio Network, Will Go Off the Air - NYTimes.com
Air America, the Talk Radio Network, Will Go Off the Air - NYTimes.com: "Air America, the long-suffering progressive talk radio network, abruptly shut down on Thursday, bowing to what it called a “very difficult economic environment.”
The chairman of Air America Media, Charlie Kireker, said in a statement that the company would file under Chapter 7 bankruptcy “to carry out an orderly winding-down of the business.”"
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This is not a reorganization. It is a wipeout. Goodbye, Air America. It's been real.
Thanks to Fred Pilot for flagging this sinking, sunk, sunken ship.
The chairman of Air America Media, Charlie Kireker, said in a statement that the company would file under Chapter 7 bankruptcy “to carry out an orderly winding-down of the business.”"
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This is not a reorganization. It is a wipeout. Goodbye, Air America. It's been real.
Thanks to Fred Pilot for flagging this sinking, sunk, sunken ship.
My Way News - Edwards says he's father of Rielle Hunter's child
My Way News - Edwards says he's father of Rielle Hunter's child: "Frances was born Feb. 27, 2008, indicating that the child was conceived in the middle of 2007, several months after Hunter stopped working for Edwards. John and Elizabeth Edwards renewed their wedding vows in July of 2007 to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.
Elizabeth Edwards, whose cancer returned in an incurable form in March 2007, has stood by her husband despite the affair. She has said that it does not matter to her whether her husband fathered a child with Hunter, saying, 'that would be a part of John's life, but not a part of mine.'"
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Let's see. Nine months before Feb. 27, 2008...that means John Edwards was cheating on his wife just about May 27, 2007, which would be just two months after Elizabeth Edwards learned she had incurable out-of-remission cancer. And then, just six weeks after conceiving little Frances with his mistress, John Edwards renewed his wedding vows to his incurably ill wife. It will soon be revealed that he set up an elaborate scam whereby one of his campaign aides was induced to claim that he, not Edwards, was the father of Frances. They set up Reille Hunter in a house of her own in this aide's gated community, as I recall.
So: while this reptile was one of the leading Democratic candidates for President of the United States he was cheating on his terminally ill wife and lying about it to the country.
Outside of the tabloids, little press attention paid was paid to this particular candidate and his scandal, and even now that it all comes out it is just a blip. How does it stack up with the press attention paid to the much less significant foibles of Sarah Palin?
John Edwards is morally unfit to hold any public office, but he came pretty close to the presidency. I think maybe his supporters ought to think deeply about their own judgment.
Elizabeth Edwards, whose cancer returned in an incurable form in March 2007, has stood by her husband despite the affair. She has said that it does not matter to her whether her husband fathered a child with Hunter, saying, 'that would be a part of John's life, but not a part of mine.'"
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Let's see. Nine months before Feb. 27, 2008...that means John Edwards was cheating on his wife just about May 27, 2007, which would be just two months after Elizabeth Edwards learned she had incurable out-of-remission cancer. And then, just six weeks after conceiving little Frances with his mistress, John Edwards renewed his wedding vows to his incurably ill wife. It will soon be revealed that he set up an elaborate scam whereby one of his campaign aides was induced to claim that he, not Edwards, was the father of Frances. They set up Reille Hunter in a house of her own in this aide's gated community, as I recall.
So: while this reptile was one of the leading Democratic candidates for President of the United States he was cheating on his terminally ill wife and lying about it to the country.
Outside of the tabloids, little press attention paid was paid to this particular candidate and his scandal, and even now that it all comes out it is just a blip. How does it stack up with the press attention paid to the much less significant foibles of Sarah Palin?
John Edwards is morally unfit to hold any public office, but he came pretty close to the presidency. I think maybe his supporters ought to think deeply about their own judgment.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Schwarzenegger: Martha Coakley shouldn't have tried to assume the Kennedy legacy | California Politics | Los Angeles Times
Schwarzenegger: Martha Coakley shouldn't have tried to assume the Kennedy legacy | California Politics | Los Angeles Times: "“Anyone else that tries to use that name and to step in and says, ‘And I’m going to protect the Kennedy legacy’ – that didn’t work,” Schwarzenegger said as he emerged from a meeting with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “Because the people know that there’s only one that can really protect the Kennedy legacy and this was Teddy, or, you know, one from that family. But not someone from the outside.”"
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And of course Fred Pilot skewers the Governator with this terse comment: "Caroline should have run...you know?" Let's face it. Has subtlety ever been Arnold's strong suit? I don't think so. But there is a problem. Caroline lives in Caleeforneea, not Mahsseeechuusetts. Yet, Arnold thinks he may yet be President even though he was born in Austria, so I think these residency issues are always negotiable in his mind.
Illinois enters a state of insolvency | Crain's Chicago Business
Illinois enters a state of insolvency | Crain's Chicago Business: "While Illinois doesn't have the option of shutting its doors or shedding debts in a bankruptcy reorganization, it seems powerless to avert the practical equivalent. Despite a budget shortfall estimated to be as high as $5.7 billion, state officials haven't shown the political will to either raise taxes or cut spending sufficiently to close the gap.
As a result, fiscal paralysis is spreading through state government. Unpaid bills to suppliers are piling up. State employees, even legislators, are forced to pay their medical bills upfront because some doctors are tired of waiting to be paid by the state. The University of Illinois, owed $400 million, recently instituted furloughs, and there are fears it may not make payroll in March if the shortfall continues."
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See? I'm not the only one who says these things.
As a result, fiscal paralysis is spreading through state government. Unpaid bills to suppliers are piling up. State employees, even legislators, are forced to pay their medical bills upfront because some doctors are tired of waiting to be paid by the state. The University of Illinois, owed $400 million, recently instituted furloughs, and there are fears it may not make payroll in March if the shortfall continues."
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See? I'm not the only one who says these things.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) -- statesman
On to Plan C - Ben Smith - POLITICO.com: "In many ways the campaign in Massachusetts became a referendum not only on health care reform but also on the openness and integrity of our government process. It is vital that we restore the respect of the American people in our system of government and in our leaders. To that end, I believe it would only be fair and prudent that we suspend further votes on health care legislation until Senator-elect Brown is seated."
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Once upon a time, there was something called a "statesman," and that was a rank or two above "politician." The mark of the statesman was saying things like this--and meaning them, which he does. It means putting the interests of your country above short-term gain for your party. Senator Webb stands for something, and I think the Senate would be a better place with a few more like him.
Monday, January 18, 2010
A Whiter Shade of Pale
The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - Shades of beige: "Homeowner's associations have sprung up rapidly since 1970, said Evan McKenzie, an associate professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
In 1960, there were fewer than 500 HOAs. Today, there are about 300,000, McKenzie said.
McKenzie said he could spend days talking about problems with HOAs, but one of the biggest is how residential governments have changed the cultural landscape by invading residents' personal space.
'Nobody wants to live under a nitpicky level of government,' McKenzie said. 'HOAs manage an aspect of peoples lives that have always been private.'"
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Thanks to Shu Bartholomew for locating this one. Where is Procol Harum when you need them? (I think my cultural reference may be lost on the younger set, but can I get an amen here?)
In 1960, there were fewer than 500 HOAs. Today, there are about 300,000, McKenzie said.
McKenzie said he could spend days talking about problems with HOAs, but one of the biggest is how residential governments have changed the cultural landscape by invading residents' personal space.
'Nobody wants to live under a nitpicky level of government,' McKenzie said. 'HOAs manage an aspect of peoples lives that have always been private.'"
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Thanks to Shu Bartholomew for locating this one. Where is Procol Harum when you need them? (I think my cultural reference may be lost on the younger set, but can I get an amen here?)
FT.com: US Public Pensions Face $2 Trillion Deficit | Benzinga.com
FT.com: US Public Pensions Face $2 Trillion Deficit | Benzinga.com: "Much like we were early citing the coming fiscal disaster that are state budgets [Dec 16, 2007: California in a State of Fiscal Emergency - Coming to a Theater Near You] so will be early to the disaster that is the US public pension system. As we clearly now see, there is no political will to make hard decisions that alienate any of the potential voting public. So, much like the state (and city) budget crisis, I expect the nation to continue to kick the can, doling out pensions we cannot afford to the public worker - until we run into a wall at 180 mph. And then your grandchildren will be asked to foot the bill 'in the public interest' or 'to keep the system stable' or 'this is what we promised'. And when the bill for Medicare comes due sometime later in the decade - perhaps when it starts eating up 20%+ of all US GDP - we'll hear the same thing. At some point there will be no extra sources to borrow from, so Federal Reserve Chief Geithner? Summers? will be printing new US pesos at a rate that makes Ben Bernanke's quantitative easing look like child's play. It's all the same pattern - played over and over, just in different future liability accounts."
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You can read the details of what is coming toward us at light speed.
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You can read the details of what is coming toward us at light speed.
U of Illinois President Ikenberry: ‘we may in fact have to do some layoffs’ | The Daily Illini
Ikenberry: ‘we may in fact have to do some layoffs’ | The Daily Illini: "DI: What is the worse case scenario for the University right now for the budget crisis? Will there be any consolidation or layoffs in any academic or administrative units?
SI: Yes, there will be."
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Oh, yes. There will be. The state of Illinois is insolvent, and there has been no adult supervision for the state legislature, in the form of a sane and honest governor, since...who knows when...12 years? First the crook Ryan, then the crook and lunatic Blagojevich, and now the airhead do-gooder Quinn. The state is now in the process of destroying the University of Illinois system. And I am not exaggerating. The situation will be so bad in a few months that entire departments will be eliminated and faculty positions along with them. You can say what you want about rebuilding, but there is no chance of this state ever (in the remotely forseeable future) being able to get out from under its existing obligations to fund rebuilding of the U of I. To take only one crisis, the State of Illinois has systematically, over many years, underfunded its public pension plans in the amount of $80 billion dollars.
Eighty. Billion. Dollars.
And despite not making those payments, and despite not paying the U of I $400 billion dollars, and despite not paying doctors and social service agencies and despite ignoring crumbling infrastructure, and a host of other such bogus and shortsighted money-saving policies...the State of Illinois is running a budget deficit this year of $13 billion.
So, once this system is reduced to a shadow of itself, which will have happened by a year from now, there will never be the resources to restore it. It would take a national economic boom the likes of which this country hasn't seen since 1946. And even if there were such a time (which I think would be possible to envision only after smoking a big fat bag of crack), the U of I's reputation will have been wrecked in the academic hiring market forever. If you were a first-rate job candidate, and you were on the market a few years from now, would you go to a university that has just gone through radical downsizing of departments and now promises that, don't worry, your job is safe?
Here's the irony--our tuition revenues are up, and our enrollments are up, and to all appearances the institution is thriving, as long as you don't know about the fiscal nightmare that is unfolding.
SI: Yes, there will be."
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Oh, yes. There will be. The state of Illinois is insolvent, and there has been no adult supervision for the state legislature, in the form of a sane and honest governor, since...who knows when...12 years? First the crook Ryan, then the crook and lunatic Blagojevich, and now the airhead do-gooder Quinn. The state is now in the process of destroying the University of Illinois system. And I am not exaggerating. The situation will be so bad in a few months that entire departments will be eliminated and faculty positions along with them. You can say what you want about rebuilding, but there is no chance of this state ever (in the remotely forseeable future) being able to get out from under its existing obligations to fund rebuilding of the U of I. To take only one crisis, the State of Illinois has systematically, over many years, underfunded its public pension plans in the amount of $80 billion dollars.
Eighty. Billion. Dollars.
And despite not making those payments, and despite not paying the U of I $400 billion dollars, and despite not paying doctors and social service agencies and despite ignoring crumbling infrastructure, and a host of other such bogus and shortsighted money-saving policies...the State of Illinois is running a budget deficit this year of $13 billion.
So, once this system is reduced to a shadow of itself, which will have happened by a year from now, there will never be the resources to restore it. It would take a national economic boom the likes of which this country hasn't seen since 1946. And even if there were such a time (which I think would be possible to envision only after smoking a big fat bag of crack), the U of I's reputation will have been wrecked in the academic hiring market forever. If you were a first-rate job candidate, and you were on the market a few years from now, would you go to a university that has just gone through radical downsizing of departments and now promises that, don't worry, your job is safe?
Here's the irony--our tuition revenues are up, and our enrollments are up, and to all appearances the institution is thriving, as long as you don't know about the fiscal nightmare that is unfolding.
Libertarian paradise emerging in post-earthquake Haiti
Lynch mobs turn on looters amid Haiti aid crisis - Times Online: "Six days after the Port-au-Prince earthquake large areas of the city remain untouched by the global aid effort as bottlenecks continue to clog the airport and looting threatens to descend into wholesale violence."
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I would be interested in hearing the libertarian perspective on why, when Haiti's government collapsed along with the government buildings, people didn't immediately begin ordering their affairs with voluntary and efficient contracts. Instead, with no government and a long delay before external aid appears, Haiti is offering a good look at Thomas Hobbes' vision of life in a state of nature: "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
This is also a good lesson for the survivalist wingnuts who can't wait for the the US to collapse so they can grab their bugout bag and a .223 and machete-hack their way through the marauding gangs to a patch of open land where they will set up a homestead and live off venison and home grown mung beans. Good luck with that.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Foreclosure Expert: The Worst is Yet to Come - Foreclosure filings reach nearly 3 million in 2009, record high | foreclosure, shutters, million - Local News - The Star Online : The Newspaper of Cleveland County
Foreclosure Expert: The Worst is Yet to Come - Foreclosure filings reach nearly 3 million in 2009, record high | foreclosure, shutters, million - Local News - The Star Online : The Newspaper of Cleveland County: "Some of those mortgages are simply walking away from homes because the outstanding principal on the mortgage is higher than the home’s value. Adding to the problem are mortgage companies, which also walk away from homes because of back taxes, lawyers’ fees and homeowners’ association fees.
“The problem is working its way up in income levels,” said Gardner.
Overall, he expects the number of foreclosures to increase at least until 2012 as they extend into wealthier neighborhoods, targetting professionals such as doctors, accountants and lawyers, he said.
And because of that Gardner has a simple message for consumers: The worst is yet to come."
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I think he's right. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this depressing but true perspective.
“The problem is working its way up in income levels,” said Gardner.
Overall, he expects the number of foreclosures to increase at least until 2012 as they extend into wealthier neighborhoods, targetting professionals such as doctors, accountants and lawyers, he said.
And because of that Gardner has a simple message for consumers: The worst is yet to come."
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I think he's right. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this depressing but true perspective.
Columbia Association cuts gym towels from budget - baltimoresun.com
Columbia Association cuts gym towels from budget - baltimoresun.com: "Members of the Columbia Association's three gyms can wave their free towels goodbye starting Nov. 1, the result of an austere budget proposed for the next two years that would also reduce employee pay raises but leave residents' property lien fees unchanged"
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The horror. The horror.
Thanks to Fred Pilot for this sign of the apocalypse.
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The horror. The horror.
Thanks to Fred Pilot for this sign of the apocalypse.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Joe Biden update: He meets on transparency today. But the meeting is closed | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times
Joe Biden update: He meets on transparency today. But the meeting is closed | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times
Between Obama's people singing the praises of Guantanamo (maybe a future condo for Haitian refugees?) and Biden morphing into Dick Cheney with secret transparency meetings, the Irony Meter is headed for the red line.
For my part, I wish I were blogging from an undisclosed location. However, I am at home. Full disclosure.
FOXNews.com - U.S. Preparing for Potential New Wave of Haitians Fleeing North
FOXNews.com - U.S. Preparing for Potential New Wave of Haitians Fleeing North: "A top military official told reporters on Thursday that his department is hoping to prevent a mass exodus of Haitians by working 'very aggressively' to 'mitigate their tragedy,' particularly through major relief efforts.
'We've got a lot of work to do, and we're securing and getting those relief efforts in there,' said Gen. Douglas Fraser, commander of U.S. Southern Command. 'That's what we're going to continue to do, and that's the best way we can reduce the aspect of people wanting to leave the island.'
If those efforts fail and Haitians do try to flee, several 'options are on the table,' one official said.
Among the options being considered is use of part of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."
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oh, the irony. Obama has been screaming about closing Gitmo for two years. And now...maybe it comes in handy for him. If they can't use Gitmo, they either turn back these poor people to anarchy, dysentery, and possible starvation...or let them move to Miami.
'We've got a lot of work to do, and we're securing and getting those relief efforts in there,' said Gen. Douglas Fraser, commander of U.S. Southern Command. 'That's what we're going to continue to do, and that's the best way we can reduce the aspect of people wanting to leave the island.'
If those efforts fail and Haitians do try to flee, several 'options are on the table,' one official said.
Among the options being considered is use of part of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."
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oh, the irony. Obama has been screaming about closing Gitmo for two years. And now...maybe it comes in handy for him. If they can't use Gitmo, they either turn back these poor people to anarchy, dysentery, and possible starvation...or let them move to Miami.
HOA demand restrictions in federal buyout
The Galveston County Daily News: "GALVESTON — Some West End homeowners, worried about the city’s plans for beach-front properties acquired through a federal buyout program, want the city to restrict what it does with the newly public land in their neighborhoods. As part of its agreement to buy 64 hurricane-damaged houses under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the city asked those property owners to obtain releases from the homeowners associations so the city wouldn’t have to pay association fees or follow deed restrictions. Homeowners associations typically have some legal authority through deed covenants over how property is used. However, some homeowners associations are refusing to release the properties until the city agrees to leave the land as open space, City Attorney Susie Green said.
Although the federal government allows it, neighbors don’t want the city to transform the properties into camping sites, public bathrooms or unpaved parking lots, she said."
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And of course the city council isn't interested in being dictated to by a bunch of HOA directors. Thanks to Bill Davis for this fascinating story.
Although the federal government allows it, neighbors don’t want the city to transform the properties into camping sites, public bathrooms or unpaved parking lots, she said."
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And of course the city council isn't interested in being dictated to by a bunch of HOA directors. Thanks to Bill Davis for this fascinating story.
Internet Argument Techniques | Cracked.com
Internet Argument Techniques | Cracked.com
If you can find anything funnier than this, please tell me what it is.
If you can find anything funnier than this, please tell me what it is.
Obama staffer wants ‘cognitive infiltration’ of 9/11 conspiracy groups | Raw Story
Obama staffer wants ‘cognitive infiltration’ of 9/11 conspiracy groups | Raw Story: "In a 2008 academic paper, President Barack Obama's appointee to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs advocated 'cognitive infiltration' of groups that advocate 'conspiracy theories' like the ones surrounding 9/11."
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Coming to a blog near you?
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Coming to a blog near you?
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Coakley cites GOP ‘stalkers’ in D.C. dust-up - BostonHerald.com
Coakley cites GOP ‘stalkers’ in D.C. dust-up - BostonHerald.com: "Bay State Attorney General Martha Coakley blamed GOP “stalkers” today for triggering tensions outside a Washington, D.C., fund-raiser last night where a Weekly Standard reporter said he was roughed up by a Coakley campaign volunteer."
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Great spin by the Boston Herald. Her (Democrat) staffer shoves a reporter to the ground. What's the headline? It's the fault of the Republican Party. That's what the (Democrat) candidate says, so that's the angle.
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Great spin by the Boston Herald. Her (Democrat) staffer shoves a reporter to the ground. What's the headline? It's the fault of the Republican Party. That's what the (Democrat) candidate says, so that's the angle.
Cash for saving energy? California considers this and first statewide green building code - Green House - USATODAY.com
Cash for saving energy? California considers this and first statewide green building code - Green House - USATODAY.com: "California, long a trendsetter for eco-friendly living, is breaking ground again this week. It's set, as early as today, to adopt the nation's first statewide green building code, which environmentalists say is not tough enough, and is also considering paying residents to cut their energy use."
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California is indeed a trend setter. If the trend is going broke. And now they are adding yet more government-imposed limitations on the construction industry in the middle of the worst housing market collapse in 70 years.
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California is indeed a trend setter. If the trend is going broke. And now they are adding yet more government-imposed limitations on the construction industry in the middle of the worst housing market collapse in 70 years.
5 Cities Where Homes Aren't Selling - Yahoo! Real Estate
5 Cities Where Homes Aren't Selling - Yahoo! Real Estate
Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tampa, Miami, and...where else? Motown. This is based on decline in prices and time on market. All these places except Detroit are CID Central.
Thanks to Fred Fischer for this link.
Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tampa, Miami, and...where else? Motown. This is based on decline in prices and time on market. All these places except Detroit are CID Central.
Thanks to Fred Fischer for this link.
California Creditors Dread IOUs With Aid Plea Failing (Update3) - Bloomberg.com
California Creditors Dread IOUs With Aid Plea Failing (Update3) - Bloomberg.com: "California’s hopes are fading for federal help in closing a projected $19.9 billion deficit that has caused the lowest-rated state’s borrowing costs to rise 24 percent since September.
“We recognize they have enormous problems,” David Axelrod, senior adviser to President Barack Obama, said in an interview. “But we can’t solve all of those problems from Washington.”"
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Yes. And there isn't any cavalry riding to the rescue of California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, or any other insolvent state. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the update.
“We recognize they have enormous problems,” David Axelrod, senior adviser to President Barack Obama, said in an interview. “But we can’t solve all of those problems from Washington.”"
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Yes. And there isn't any cavalry riding to the rescue of California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, or any other insolvent state. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the update.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
HOA Wants Police Precinct - Detroit Local News Story - WDIV Detroit
Neighborhood Wants Police Precinct - Detroit Local News Story - WDIV Detroit: "Residents in the Jefferson-Chalmers area said they deal with break-ins and gunshots daily.
'We need a police station in our area, that would help. That's the first step,' said resident James Jackson.
The Jefferson-Chalmers Homeowners Association is pushing for its own police precinct, which residents said will hopefully stand right in the heart of the neighborhood"
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Thanks to Fred Pilot for this story about an HOA that is turning to local government for help. They are leveraging their organizational capacities and numbers. But all the libertarians tell us that HOAs are better than cities. Go figure.
'We need a police station in our area, that would help. That's the first step,' said resident James Jackson.
The Jefferson-Chalmers Homeowners Association is pushing for its own police precinct, which residents said will hopefully stand right in the heart of the neighborhood"
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Thanks to Fred Pilot for this story about an HOA that is turning to local government for help. They are leveraging their organizational capacities and numbers. But all the libertarians tell us that HOAs are better than cities. Go figure.
Rotten stinking foreclosure in Galvestion
The Galveston County Daily News: "GALVESTON — A West End property owner is suing Bank of America Corp., asserting its agents mistakenly seized a vacation house he owns free and clear, then changed the locks and shut the power off, resulting in the smelly spoiling of about 75 pounds of salmon and halibut from an Alaska fishing trip and other damages."
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Another grabby bank. Not yours.
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Another grabby bank. Not yours.
Monday, January 11, 2010
White House opens door to money talks with financially strapped states | D.C. Now | Los Angeles Times
White House opens door to money talks with financially strapped states | D.C. Now | Los Angeles Times: "Facing criticism about how healthcare overhaul will hurt already financially strapped states, the White House today left the door open for working with state leaders to deal with their problems.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been leading the charge to get more federal funds for his state, hoping to fill a $19.9-billion hole. The governor argues that California should get $6.9 billion from the federal government."
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It seems that some governors are ticked off that Nebraska got a big pot of Medicare money as part of Obama, Inc., buying Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson's vote. Now the White House is willing to "talk" about doing the same for everybody else. And if they give money to California, don't they have to copy that all around as well? There are 50 of these little hungry mouths to feed, and 2/3 of them are in rocky financial shape.
Thanks to Fred Pilot for this LA Times link.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been leading the charge to get more federal funds for his state, hoping to fill a $19.9-billion hole. The governor argues that California should get $6.9 billion from the federal government."
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It seems that some governors are ticked off that Nebraska got a big pot of Medicare money as part of Obama, Inc., buying Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson's vote. Now the White House is willing to "talk" about doing the same for everybody else. And if they give money to California, don't they have to copy that all around as well? There are 50 of these little hungry mouths to feed, and 2/3 of them are in rocky financial shape.
Thanks to Fred Pilot for this LA Times link.
Neighborly ties survive even when HOAs rule
Neighborly ties survive even when HOAs rule: "John Kolodziej did not care if his neighborhood had a homeowners association when he moved to Glendale's 80th Lane more than a decade ago.
But now he is glad that his neighbors dropped their restrictions and let the HOA die. He finds them to be more neighborly."
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But the article claims a study shows associations don't kill the sense of community.
But now he is glad that his neighbors dropped their restrictions and let the HOA die. He finds them to be more neighborly."
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But the article claims a study shows associations don't kill the sense of community.
State of the states? Broke and going broker
State of the states? Broke and going broker: "As of December, the National Conference of State Legislatures fiscal survey found: “Thirty-six states already report another round of gaps since FY 2010 began. The total now hit $28.2 billion, and the fiscal year for most states doesn’t end until June.” They already are in the hole despite raising taxes, cutting spending, squandering “rainy day” funds and using federal debt and accounting tricks to close $146 billion in cumulative budget gaps.
Those shortfalls pale against the lurid reality of unfunded promises to retirees, deferred public works projects and years of accounting tricks hiding true deficits.
Compounding all that is the fact that $248 billion in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds stop Dec. 31, halfway through most states’ fiscal years."
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Remember how the housing market was obviously going to crash, and a few people were predicting it but the mainstream media didn't bother to cover it until it happened? Well, now a few people are saying that most of the states are in major financial trouble. And what do the media giants have to say about it? Very little. They talk about their own states finances, but not the bigger picture, which is that most of the state governments will have to radically raise taxes or radically cut spending in the next 12 months.
Those shortfalls pale against the lurid reality of unfunded promises to retirees, deferred public works projects and years of accounting tricks hiding true deficits.
Compounding all that is the fact that $248 billion in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds stop Dec. 31, halfway through most states’ fiscal years."
------------
Remember how the housing market was obviously going to crash, and a few people were predicting it but the mainstream media didn't bother to cover it until it happened? Well, now a few people are saying that most of the states are in major financial trouble. And what do the media giants have to say about it? Very little. They talk about their own states finances, but not the bigger picture, which is that most of the state governments will have to radically raise taxes or radically cut spending in the next 12 months.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Foreclosure filings on a roll in coastal North Carolina | StarNewsOnline.com | Star News | Wilmington, NC
Foreclosure filings on a roll in coastal North Carolina | StarNewsOnline.com | Star News | Wilmington, NC: "Figures from the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts compiled by the N.C. Justice Center show foreclosure filings last year rose in 67 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, reaching a record of 63,341."
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Thanks to Cynthia Stephens for this link.
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Thanks to Cynthia Stephens for this link.
Friday, January 08, 2010
The Volokh Conspiracy » Blog Archive » Underfunded Public Pensions as “Stranded” Costs? Two Trillion Dollars?
The Volokh Conspiracy » Blog Archive » Underfunded Public Pensions as “Stranded” Costs? Two Trillion Dollars?: "Two trillion dollars? One question about these obligations is whether taxpayers will stick around to pay them, or instead will vote with their feet. (“Vote with their feet” is something that has been discussed in various ways at VC — as an aspect of a federal system and states with their own laws.) Many of these pension obligations have been incurred by municipalities and others by states, and in some cases the obligations are intertwined. But what happens if voters-taxpayers move out?"
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What, indeed?
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What, indeed?
Matthew Yglesias » The Looming Public Pension Disaster
Matthew Yglesias » The Looming Public Pension Disaster: "High up on my list of sources of national doom that people don’t talk about enough is the looming fiasco in pensions for state and local public employees. For obvious reasons, no governor or mayor wants to raise taxes or cut spending to give public employees a raise. But a public employee strike is also bad politics. So you can promise people generous amounts of money in the future via a defined benefit pension plan, and kick the can down the road."
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This is going to be a train wreck.
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This is going to be a train wreck.
The Way We Live Now - Walk Away From Your Mortgage! - NYTimes.com
The Way We Live Now - Walk Away From Your Mortgage! - NYTimes.com: "Time was, Americans would do anything to pay their mortgage — forgo a new car or a vacation, even put a younger family member to work. But the housing collapse left 10.7 million families owing more than their homes are worth. So some of them are making a calculated decision to hang onto their money and let their homes go. Is this irresponsible?"
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You be the judge.
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You be the judge.
Mesa offers classes on how to run, live in HOAs
Mesa offers classes on how to run, live in HOAs: "THIS IS THE CITY'S CONCERN?
Yes. Mesa keeps track of homeowners associations in the city and currently has 412 of them on file. The Neighborhood Services Department regularly works to connect them with city resources and help them deal with their particular challenges."
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Six sessions at ten bucks each, and Nirvana is just around the corner.
Yes. Mesa keeps track of homeowners associations in the city and currently has 412 of them on file. The Neighborhood Services Department regularly works to connect them with city resources and help them deal with their particular challenges."
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Six sessions at ten bucks each, and Nirvana is just around the corner.
Let that process server in!
Condo Law: "In this time of increasing foreclosure lawsuits, many communities are likely to see a new visitor at their gates-the process server!"
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So no call-aheads from the front gate so the deadbeat can flee.
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So no call-aheads from the front gate so the deadbeat can flee.
Fannie Mae Launches 'Special Approval' Designation to Support Florida Condo Market
Fannie Mae Launches 'Special Approval' Designation to Support Florida Condo Market: "Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) announced today that it is undertaking a comprehensive review of hundreds of condominium projects in the state of Florida in an effort to allow additional projects to become Fannie Mae-eligible through a new 'Special Approval' designation."
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That's because Fannie Mae killed the Miami condo market when they stiffened up their eligibility requirements a while back. Now they are going to discover all sorts of exceptions that allow these sales to go through. Then lots of people who have no job will be able to buy condos--just like before summer of 2008! Won't that be great! Just kidding. The US government would never do a thing like that.
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That's because Fannie Mae killed the Miami condo market when they stiffened up their eligibility requirements a while back. Now they are going to discover all sorts of exceptions that allow these sales to go through. Then lots of people who have no job will be able to buy condos--just like before summer of 2008! Won't that be great! Just kidding. The US government would never do a thing like that.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
State Bar Persecution of 70 yr old Jailed Attorney Richard Fine: Full Disclosure Network(R) TV Series -- WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
State Bar Persecution of 70 yr old Jailed Attorney Richard Fine: Full Disclosure Network(R) TV Series -- WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
This is a press release about what appears to be a nasty situation--I don't know who did what to whom, but it looks ugly.
This is a press release about what appears to be a nasty situation--I don't know who did what to whom, but it looks ugly.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Somali Pirates Diversify Activities With Savvy Real Estate Investments - Somali pirates - io9
Somali Pirates Diversify Activities With Savvy Real Estate Investments - Somali pirates - io9
Kenya is their favorite country for investment purposes.
Kenya is their favorite country for investment purposes.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
2010 Furlough Announcement
2010 Furlough Announcement
The University of Illinois has told us that all administrators and faculty are now being furloughed. Four days without pay.
In the press, it is business as usual. Will Lovie Smith be fired as coach of the Bears? Rod Blagojevich will be on Donald Trump's show! But while the press and the sheeple go about their business, the State of Illinois is following Michigan and California into the fiscal toilet. The state isn't paying doctors. It isn't even sending agencies like the U of I the funds the legislature appropriated for them. The state is tens of billions in arrears to the state employee pension funds.
As the President of the U of I says:
"...we now face a cash crisis
triggered by the state’s financial situation which is grim
and worsening. The state budget is out of balance with a
backlog of unpaid bills nearing $5 billion and short-term
borrowing covering roughly a comparable amount. The
state’s credit rating has been recently downgraded and
among the 50 states only California is worse."
Only California is worse. But with the government we have here in Illinois, no doubt we can plunge below the Golden State in short order.
The University of Illinois has told us that all administrators and faculty are now being furloughed. Four days without pay.
In the press, it is business as usual. Will Lovie Smith be fired as coach of the Bears? Rod Blagojevich will be on Donald Trump's show! But while the press and the sheeple go about their business, the State of Illinois is following Michigan and California into the fiscal toilet. The state isn't paying doctors. It isn't even sending agencies like the U of I the funds the legislature appropriated for them. The state is tens of billions in arrears to the state employee pension funds.
As the President of the U of I says:
"...we now face a cash crisis
triggered by the state’s financial situation which is grim
and worsening. The state budget is out of balance with a
backlog of unpaid bills nearing $5 billion and short-term
borrowing covering roughly a comparable amount. The
state’s credit rating has been recently downgraded and
among the 50 states only California is worse."
Only California is worse. But with the government we have here in Illinois, no doubt we can plunge below the Golden State in short order.
Vegas Court Shooter Johnny Lee Wicks Set Condo on Fire Before Deadly Attack - ABC News
Vegas Court Shooter Johnny Lee Wicks Set Condo on Fire Before Deadly Attack - ABC News: "Friends and family told ABC News that Johnny Lee Wicks, 66, was so upset that his monthly Social Security check was being reduced that he set fire to his home in a gated retirement community around 5 a.m. Monday."
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Then he went to the courthouse with a shotgun and opened fire.
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Then he went to the courthouse with a shotgun and opened fire.
Change of Subject: Time to get serious about prison terms
Change of Subject: Time to get serious about prison terms
In which reliably liberal columnist Eric Zorn finally figures out what prisons are for. He has spent more ink crusading against prosecutors and police than anybody on the Tribune staff--but the Derrick King case (see below) set him off.
In which reliably liberal columnist Eric Zorn finally figures out what prisons are for. He has spent more ink crusading against prosecutors and police than anybody on the Tribune staff--but the Derrick King case (see below) set him off.
Monday, January 04, 2010
Chicago justice system--a farce in action
LiveLeak.com - VIOLENT ATTACK SHATTERS LIVES,but attacker released early
Here is the Chicago "justice" system in action. In August 2008, Derrick King, a homeless piece of garbage living at the Pacific Garden Mission (1458 S. Canal St., Chicago) and his bum companion, Joyce Burgess, demanded cigarettes from a couple leaving a convenience store at Wabash and Roosevelt in downtown Chicago. The couple turned them down. King and Burgess attacked them. King kicked out most of her teeth and left her with brain damage. Read the details if you can stand it. She will never fully recover, physically or emotionally.
His sentence? Three years in prison for robbery. Apparently these two maggots stole a Blackberry after the attack. The sentence is a joke to begin with. It should have been more like 30 years instead of three. That is the Chicago judiciary for you.
But it gets worse. Our liberal Democrat, soft-touch, nice-guy governor, Pat Quinn, authorized an early release program called the "Meritorious Good Time Program" for 1700 convicts. King was one of them. He spent 13 months in the Cook County Jail while his case dragged on in the Chicago court system. Then he copped a plea, went into prison to start his 3 year joke sentence on October 6, 2009, and was released on October 20, 2009, two weeks later. Quinn and his flacks claim that no violent offenders were released under this program. Right. Keep lying.
But it gets even worse. The day King was released, October 20, 2009, he did the same thing again. He accosted a woman, demanded cigarettes, was told no, and then attacked her, saying, "Remember the couple who got beat real bad for not giving a cigarette? That was me!"
He's back in jail again.
There are violent, angry homeless people demanding money all around the Chicago downtown area. They know the system is a big farce and are not the least bit afraid of it. Why should they be? Yet we can't carry guns or any other significant weapon to protect ourselves from them.
World freezes into a popsicle as global warming proceeds apace
As Britain told to expect snow for 'next 10 days', how is the rest of the world is coping with this Arctic weather? | Mail Online: "...as Britain struggles to cope with the freezing weather conditions, other countries throughout the world are also finding themselves in the same predicament."
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This weekend it was about zero to 5 above in the morning here in Lake County, IL. On Friday and Saturday we just froze all day but yesterday it warmed up to 15 or so. Can we have some global warming, please?
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This weekend it was about zero to 5 above in the morning here in Lake County, IL. On Friday and Saturday we just froze all day but yesterday it warmed up to 15 or so. Can we have some global warming, please?
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Mortgage Modifications Are Seen as Adding to Housing Woes - NYTimes.com
Mortgage Modifications Are Seen as Adding to Housing Woes - NYTimes.com: "The Obama administration’s $75 billion program to protect homeowners from foreclosure has been widely pronounced a disappointment, and some economists and real estate experts now contend it has done more harm than good."
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The housing and financial markets collapsed because millions of people bought homes they couldn't afford. Obama & Co. decided the fix for that was to keep people in homes they couldn't afford for a few months longer. It was never a fix to begin with. It was just delaying the inevitable, which in turn is prolonging the recession that Obama & Co. say is over.
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The housing and financial markets collapsed because millions of people bought homes they couldn't afford. Obama & Co. decided the fix for that was to keep people in homes they couldn't afford for a few months longer. It was never a fix to begin with. It was just delaying the inevitable, which in turn is prolonging the recession that Obama & Co. say is over.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
SSRN-Terms of Use by Mark Lemley
SSRN-Terms of Use by Mark Lemley: "Ten years ago, courts required affirmative evidence of agreement to form a contract. No court had enforced a shrinkwrap license, much less treated a unilateral statement of preferences as a binding agreement. Today, by contrast, it seems widely (though not universally) accepted that if you write a document and call it a contract, courts will enforce it as a contract even if no one agrees to it."
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New law review article that talks about the increasing use of standardized adhesion "contracts."
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New law review article that talks about the increasing use of standardized adhesion "contracts."
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Home prices are flat for second month in a row -- latimes.com
Home prices are flat for second month in a row -- latimes.com: "Home prices were flat for the second month in a row, according to a closely watched national index, indicating that the nascent housing recovery may be losing some steam. Brisk sales fueled by low interest rates, inexpensive properties and a popular tax credit for first-time buyers helped bolster home prices this summer. Now many experts expect some of that activity to slow down."
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In other words, the "nascent housing recovery" never existed. Banks have been dumping their foreclosed properties and the feds are keeping interest rates very low and handing out borrowed money. That isn't a recovery.
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In other words, the "nascent housing recovery" never existed. Banks have been dumping their foreclosed properties and the feds are keeping interest rates very low and handing out borrowed money. That isn't a recovery.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
New Restrictions Quickly Added for Air Passengers - NYTimes.com
New Restrictions Quickly Added for Air Passengers - NYTimes.com: "The government was vague about the steps it was taking, saying that it wanted the security experience to be “unpredictable” and that passengers would not find the same measures at every airport — a prospect that may upset airlines and travelers alike."
---------------
The man who did this was so obviously dangerous that his own father had warned the US Embassy about him. He was on a list of people known to have terrorist connections. He had been going to places like Yemen, where the bomb was built by some Al Qaeda maniac (so the stories say at this point). But he had a US visa and hopped on a plane that was to land in Detroit--except that he tried to blow it up with explosives in his underwear.
So--what does the government learn from this huge security failure? Don't let anybody get out of their seat or hold anything in their lap for the last hour of the flight.
This nation is being run by idiots. No other conclusion is possible.
---------------
The man who did this was so obviously dangerous that his own father had warned the US Embassy about him. He was on a list of people known to have terrorist connections. He had been going to places like Yemen, where the bomb was built by some Al Qaeda maniac (so the stories say at this point). But he had a US visa and hopped on a plane that was to land in Detroit--except that he tried to blow it up with explosives in his underwear.
So--what does the government learn from this huge security failure? Don't let anybody get out of their seat or hold anything in their lap for the last hour of the flight.
This nation is being run by idiots. No other conclusion is possible.
biggest-losers-where-americans-are-not-moving: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance
biggest-losers-where-americans-are-not-moving: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance
Biggest population loser: California, followed by New York, Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio.
Biggest population loser: California, followed by New York, Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
The War Over California - Ross Douthat Blog - NYTimes.com
The War Over California - Ross Douthat Blog - NYTimes.com: "The argument about what went wrong with California is really an argument about the future of America. To the right, the Golden State’s ongoing crisis is a case study in liberal failure: A big-spending state that lived far beyond its means, and let its public-policy priorities be dictated by the appetites of liberal interest groups instead of the common good. To the left, it’s a case study in how a malign nexus of conservative intransigence and institutional sclerosis can thwart good governance. The problem in California isn’t the spending, liberals argue: It’s the supermajority requirements that prevent a liberal majority from raising the taxes necessary to pay for it."
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Why do people think California is the only state going under? Illinois isn't far behind California. Neither are New Jersey, New York, Michigan, Ohio, and a few others. If you take them all together, I think some common factors are obvious:
1. Federal unfunded mandates in education, health, and other social services can be devastating to state and local governments that have to serve a large low-income population.
2. States with powerful public employee unions have been forced into assuming crippling pension and health care burdens.
3. The major sources of revenue relied upon by state and local governments are political dynamite. Property taxation has been a source of voter revolt for 30 years. Sales tax increases drive business elsewhere and in any event these revenues decline in recession. And just begin the conversation about increasing state income tax and watch the fireworks.
4. And the neat little privatization and special district gimmicks that state and local governments have been using--CIDs, TIFs, SIDS, SADS, BIDs, etc.--are proving to be short term wonders and long term problems.
The recession made things worse, but a whole lot of states were already in big, big structural trouble.
-----------------
Why do people think California is the only state going under? Illinois isn't far behind California. Neither are New Jersey, New York, Michigan, Ohio, and a few others. If you take them all together, I think some common factors are obvious:
1. Federal unfunded mandates in education, health, and other social services can be devastating to state and local governments that have to serve a large low-income population.
2. States with powerful public employee unions have been forced into assuming crippling pension and health care burdens.
3. The major sources of revenue relied upon by state and local governments are political dynamite. Property taxation has been a source of voter revolt for 30 years. Sales tax increases drive business elsewhere and in any event these revenues decline in recession. And just begin the conversation about increasing state income tax and watch the fireworks.
4. And the neat little privatization and special district gimmicks that state and local governments have been using--CIDs, TIFs, SIDS, SADS, BIDs, etc.--are proving to be short term wonders and long term problems.
The recession made things worse, but a whole lot of states were already in big, big structural trouble.
Recession Slows Growth of Population in Sun Belt - NYTimes.com
Recession Slows Growth of Population in Sun Belt - NYTimes.com: "States in the South and the West that grew by exceptional leaps and bounds during the real estate boom of just a few years ago are now experiencing sharply slower growth in population, the Census Bureau said Wednesday."
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May as well stay put here in the snow belt, says I.
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May as well stay put here in the snow belt, says I.
Seven-year-old caught ploughing in Germany - Yahoo! News
Seven-year-old caught ploughing in Germany - Yahoo! News: "BERLIN (AFP) – A seven-year-old boy was stopped by police in northern Germany while trying to plough snow with a front loader he borrowed from his parents' business, authorities said."
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See what happens when you try to take a little initiative?
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See what happens when you try to take a little initiative?
Ancient Homeowner Association Rules | Arts & Culture | Smithsonian Magazine
Ancient Homeowner Association Rules | Arts & Culture | Smithsonian Magazine: "In the interests of achieving a pleasing harmony and a clene appearance for the community, the colour of the exterior of each abode shall not be changed without leve. If leve be granted, the abode may then be peynted only with one of the following colours: riverbed clay grey, cow dung brown or farm field burnt umber."
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Thanks to Shu for locating this fascinating piece of ancient urban archaeology.
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Thanks to Shu for locating this fascinating piece of ancient urban archaeology.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
State can no longer leave colleges in 'crisis mode' :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Commentary
State can no longer leave colleges in 'crisis mode' :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Commentary: "Here are some of the numbers: The state is in arrears $445 million to the University of Illinois system, $125 million to Southern Illinois University, $37 million to Northern Illinois University and $28 million to Western Illinois University. The state's other universities are in similar straits.
As a short-term solution, the universities have imposed hiring freezes, used up reserves and delayed paying vendors. They are considering furloughs and layoffs. At WIU, President Al Goldfarb said the school has even postponed repairing an elevator in the university's library to help save enough money to meet the payroll.
'All of the state's universities are in crisis mode right now,' said SIU President Glenn Poshard."
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I keep hearing all this Obama/Democratic Party rhetoric about how the recession is over and the recovery is under way. This is just one example of many institutions in this society that are in an untenable position. It isn't a temporary thing. It is a structural thing. And the same can be said of many, many cities and counties and even states.
As a short-term solution, the universities have imposed hiring freezes, used up reserves and delayed paying vendors. They are considering furloughs and layoffs. At WIU, President Al Goldfarb said the school has even postponed repairing an elevator in the university's library to help save enough money to meet the payroll.
'All of the state's universities are in crisis mode right now,' said SIU President Glenn Poshard."
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I keep hearing all this Obama/Democratic Party rhetoric about how the recession is over and the recovery is under way. This is just one example of many institutions in this society that are in an untenable position. It isn't a temporary thing. It is a structural thing. And the same can be said of many, many cities and counties and even states.
School Board sues lawmaker over rent :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education
School Board sues lawmaker over rent :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education: "State Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) has been occupying a rent-free Chicago Board of Education building for seven years and owes more than $500,000 in rent, leaseholder taxes and penalties on it, a new report by the schools inspector general indicated Monday."
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What a surprise to see that "(D-Chicago)" thing after her name.
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What a surprise to see that "(D-Chicago)" thing after her name.
Small-business bankruptcies rise 81% in California -- latimes.com
Small-business bankruptcies rise 81% in California -- latimes.com: "As credit lines have shrunk and consumers have cut back on spending, thousands of small businesses have closed their doors over the last year. The plight of struggling firms has been aggravated by the reluctance of banks to lend money, said Brian Headd, an economist at the Small Business Administration's office of advocacy.
'While bankruptcies are up, overall, small-business closures are up even more,' Headd said."
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But this article starts off with the party line about how the rest of the economy is "stabilizing." I just don't see it. Government budgets at all levels are in terrible shape. The stimulus created a small improvement in unemployment, but when that wears off, what then? You can't get the economy going by borrowing money from the Chinese to fix potholes.
'While bankruptcies are up, overall, small-business closures are up even more,' Headd said."
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But this article starts off with the party line about how the rest of the economy is "stabilizing." I just don't see it. Government budgets at all levels are in terrible shape. The stimulus created a small improvement in unemployment, but when that wears off, what then? You can't get the economy going by borrowing money from the Chinese to fix potholes.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Left To Die: Did Off-Duty NYC EMTs Refuse To Help? - wcbstv.com
Left To Die: Did Off-Duty NYC EMTs Refuse To Help? - wcbstv.com: "Dead is 25-year-old Eutisha Rennix, who was six months pregnant. She was a cashier at a bakery in downtown Brooklyn, near the fire department's headquarters. The victim's family said Eutisha Rennix suffered shortness of breath and collapsed with two off-duty EMTs in the store buying breakfast. 'After she collapsed they asked for help. They were told, call it in … because they were on a break. They got their bagels and coffee and left,' Cynthia Rennix said."
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Your stimulus package dollars at work.
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Your stimulus package dollars at work.
Las Vegas Woman Victim of Foreclosure Mistake - Las Vegas Now
Las Vegas Woman Victim of Foreclosure Mistake - Las Vegas Now: "As Mauck walks around her now empty condo, she can't help but remember how things used to look. Every room in the home is empty and Mauck says the reason is a mistake of address numbers. Her address is 1157, which is close to 1156, a condo that is in foreclosure."
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They "trashed out" the wrong condo--meaning "the Brenkus Team of Keller and Williams Realty" threw away every single thing she owned. And now of course they are disputing her claim concerning how much they owe her, and won't talk to the press about it.
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They "trashed out" the wrong condo--meaning "the Brenkus Team of Keller and Williams Realty" threw away every single thing she owned. And now of course they are disputing her claim concerning how much they owe her, and won't talk to the press about it.
10 Housing Markets Where Prices Have Gone Up - Yahoo! Real Estate
10 Housing Markets Where Prices Have Gone Up - Yahoo! Real Estate: "The ten metro areas that enjoyed the greatest home-price increases over the past year (through June 30, 2009) largely missed the housing boom and didn't indulge in subprime-lending excesses.
With no boom, these cities had no need to bust. Instead, their housing markets have plugged along at 4% annual price appreciation, below the national average of 6% annually between 1968 and 2008, according to the National Association of Realtors. Most of these areas are relatively small, with populations less than 200,000."
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Texarkana, here I come. Not.
With no boom, these cities had no need to bust. Instead, their housing markets have plugged along at 4% annual price appreciation, below the national average of 6% annually between 1968 and 2008, according to the National Association of Realtors. Most of these areas are relatively small, with populations less than 200,000."
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Texarkana, here I come. Not.
Sacramento's fast-tracking of projects hits snag - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee
Sacramento's fast-tracking of projects hits snag - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee: "Underfunded cities and counties have struggled to keep up with demand for residential and commercial inspections and plan reviews. And owners of large projects have long chafed at too much oversight and burdensome delays.
That conflict helped produce the city's fast-track program. And while the idea of green-lighting some makeovers with only verbal authority alarmed some people, the plan's backers said the program did not compromise public safety or work quality."
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Oh, no. Of course not. Perish the thought.
That conflict helped produce the city's fast-track program. And while the idea of green-lighting some makeovers with only verbal authority alarmed some people, the plan's backers said the program did not compromise public safety or work quality."
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Oh, no. Of course not. Perish the thought.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
A power struggle in Carson -- latimes.com
A power struggle in Carson -- latimes.com: "Southern California churns with homeowner association disputes, but the one that has consumed a sprawling complex of town homes in Carson is in a whole different stratosphere -- disputed elections, a city official threatened with arrest and armed guards stationed at the association headquarters. Even the Boys and Girls Club got caught in the middle."
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Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link to another example of HOA dysfunction.
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Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link to another example of HOA dysfunction.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Top 7 insane homeowners association rules - THE WEEK
Top 7 insane homeowners association rules - THE WEEK
You know HOA madness has made the big time when you start getting lists like this. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
And once again--has the industry begun to get the picture yet? Let me spell it out: you have lost the public relations war.
You know HOA madness has made the big time when you start getting lists like this. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
And once again--has the industry begun to get the picture yet? Let me spell it out: you have lost the public relations war.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Jack Lalanne recovering after surgery
WBBM 780 - Chicago's #1 source for local news, traffic and weather - Jack Lalanne recovering after surgery: "Fitness pioneer Jack LaLanne is recovering from heart valve surgery at his home in Morro Bay.
LaLanne's publicist, Ariel Hankin, said Tuesday that the 95-year-old underwent the procedure at a Los Angeles hospital on Dec. 8.
Hankin says that before the surgery LaLanne told his family, 'I can't die, it would wreck my image.'
The weightlifting guru is doing fine and expected to make a full recovery."
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Go, Jack. You're good for another 95 years now.
LaLanne's publicist, Ariel Hankin, said Tuesday that the 95-year-old underwent the procedure at a Los Angeles hospital on Dec. 8.
Hankin says that before the surgery LaLanne told his family, 'I can't die, it would wreck my image.'
The weightlifting guru is doing fine and expected to make a full recovery."
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Go, Jack. You're good for another 95 years now.
10 Real Houses Inspired by Cartoons - Oddee.com
10 Real Houses Inspired by Cartoons - Oddee.com
I want the hobbit house. And note that none of these could have been built with an HOA around.
Man accused of choking neighbor over Christmas lights - NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral & Naples, Florida
Man accused of choking neighbor over Christmas lights - NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral & Naples, Florida: "BOKEELIA: The president of a local homeowners association says he was choked by one of his neighbors after a disagreement over Christmas lights Monday. Lee County sheriff's deputies responded to 16958 Captains Drive after 67-year-old Robert Dale Burkett reported that he'd been assaulted. Burkett says he told the neighbor, who has not been named, that he and his wife weren't following the rules regarding Christmas lights."
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As Bing Crosby sang, "I'm dreaming of...CHOKING MY HOA PRESIDENT!!"
Thanks to Fred Pilot. Ho ho ho.
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As Bing Crosby sang, "I'm dreaming of...CHOKING MY HOA PRESIDENT!!"
Thanks to Fred Pilot. Ho ho ho.
Old race restrictive covenant surfaces
NAACP: Homeowners group discriminatory - UPI.com: "The state and local NAACP filed a complaint in 2007 with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee for posting a sample deed that contained an almost-100-year-old clause stating that 'people of the Caucasian race only' could own or live in a Myers Park house, the Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday."
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These old covenants are still around. From the 1880s to the 1940s they were commonplace, so plenty of old associations have them, even though they have been unenforceable since 1948. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
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These old covenants are still around. From the 1880s to the 1940s they were commonplace, so plenty of old associations have them, even though they have been unenforceable since 1948. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
FOXNews.com - Not So Private Property?: Clean Water Restoration Act Raises Fears of Land Grab
FOXNews.com - Not So Private Property?: Clean Water Restoration Act Raises Fears of Land Grab: "The Clean Water Restoration Act currently pending in the U.S. Senate could reach to control even a 'seasonal puddle' on private property.
Eleven senators and 17 representatives in the U.S. House have sent a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasting the measure as one of the boldest property grab attempts of all time.
This bill is described by opponents as a sweeping overhaul of the Clean Water Act that could threaten both physical land and jobs by wiping out some farmers entirely."
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The EPA has jurisdiction over "navigable" waters. This bill removes the word "navigable." You know that puddle in your back yard?
Eleven senators and 17 representatives in the U.S. House have sent a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasting the measure as one of the boldest property grab attempts of all time.
This bill is described by opponents as a sweeping overhaul of the Clean Water Act that could threaten both physical land and jobs by wiping out some farmers entirely."
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The EPA has jurisdiction over "navigable" waters. This bill removes the word "navigable." You know that puddle in your back yard?
D.C. vouchers on life support - washingtonpost.com
D.C. vouchers on life support - washingtonpost.com: "IT IS DISTRESSINGLY clear that congressional leaders never really meant it when they said there would be a fair hearing to determine the future of the District's federally funded school voucher program. How else to explain language tucked away in the mammoth omnibus spending bill that would effectively kill the Washington Opportunity Scholarship Program?"
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The teachers unions are the only critics of this program. And Dick Durbin (Ambulance Chaser-IL) is probably the Senator who let this happen.
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The teachers unions are the only critics of this program. And Dick Durbin (Ambulance Chaser-IL) is probably the Senator who let this happen.
Canada freezes as snow storm strands thousands - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Canada freezes as snow storm strands thousands - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): "People in the north-central part of the Canadian province of Ontario are digging out after one of the worst snow storms on record.
Some areas north of Toronto received as much as 100 centimetres of snow over the past three days."
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Global warming strikes again.
Some areas north of Toronto received as much as 100 centimetres of snow over the past three days."
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Global warming strikes again.
Monday, December 14, 2009
U.S. To Pay $3.4 Billion to Settle Native American Suit - Law Blog - WSJ
U.S. To Pay $3.4 Billion to Settle Native American Suit - Law Blog - WSJ
Another voting bloc locked up for the Demcocrats for 2010. And it cost only $3.4 billion of our money.
Another voting bloc locked up for the Demcocrats for 2010. And it cost only $3.4 billion of our money.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Dan Walters: A two-tier California is now reality - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee
Dan Walters: A two-tier California is now reality - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee: "The most graphic statistical evidence of California's two-tier economy, however, is found in a new study released by the United Ways of California. It found that 30 percent of California households lack enough income to cover 'bare-bones living expenses.'"
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Fred Pilot sent this along. I am one of the people who talked about a two-tier society, way back in the mid 1980s. But I always figured the top tier would include the people living in private communities. Now it looks as though it isn't that simple--many of the casualties in the current recession are living in CIDs.
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Fred Pilot sent this along. I am one of the people who talked about a two-tier society, way back in the mid 1980s. But I always figured the top tier would include the people living in private communities. Now it looks as though it isn't that simple--many of the casualties in the current recession are living in CIDs.
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