Urban Dictionary: jingle mail

Urban Dictionary: jingle mail
I am always amazed at the way people are able to use the English language creatively to express the essence of a complex experience.

StamfordPlus.com News - Attorney General calls for condominium commission to protect condo owners

StamfordPlus.com News - Attorney General calls for condominium commission to protect condo owners: "Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, in formal testimony to the Judiciary Committee today, urged establishment of a state board to assist condominium unit owners by ensuring that condominium associations abide by their bylaws and state laws, and tighter licensing requirements for condominium managers. Blumenthal, joined by state legislators and condo unit owners, said that a Connecticut Community Association Commission would review condominium unit owner complaints concerning violations of condominium bylaws or state condominium laws by the association’s board of directors, officers or professional managers."
---------------
Question: at what point can we hear the last of the industry claim that everything is fine and no government oversight or regulation is needed? How many states have to act on this before the industry will acknowledge the facts?

America's new subprime shanty-towns - Boing Boing

America's new subprime shanty-towns - Boing Boing: "In this chilling BBC clip, a newsteam ventures to one of LA's new shantytowns made up of people who've lost their homes in the subprime meltdown and now live in tents, improvised shacks or RVs on abandoned land."
-------------
Thanks to Mystery Reader for the link to this horrifying story. Yikes.

Spring clean of outdated laws...including right to banish noisy brass bands | the Daily Mail

Spring clean of outdated laws...including right to banish noisy brass bands | the Daily Mail: "A little-known law backing irritated householders who try to shoo away a noisy ensemble is one of hundreds of pieces of legislation being scrapped by the Government. The 1839 law, which allows for a 40-shilling fine on street musicians who decline a request to move on, was introduced to deal with a proliferation of Victorian brass bands and street organs."
---------------------
Well, there goes the neighborhood.

Seeking a right to dry, clothesline users are causing flaps | StarNewsOnline.com | Star-News | Wilmington, NC

Seeking a right to dry, clothesline users are causing flaps | StarNewsOnline.com | Star-News | Wilmington, NC: "They say they only want to protect their 'right to dry.' And in three New England states, advocates for clotheslines - strung across the yard, draped with socks and sheets - are pushing for new laws to liberate residents whose neighbors won't let them hang laundry outside.

Homeowners' associations, which enforce bans on clotheslines at thousands of residential developments across the country, say the rules are needed to prevent flapping laundry from dragging down property values. But in an age of paper over plastic, as people try to take small steps to protect the environment, more residents are chafing at the restrictions. And some lawmakers in Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut are taking it a step further, seeking legislation that would guarantee the freedom to let one's garments flutter in the breeze."
---------------
So now the hippies who transplanted themselves to New England are taking on the HOA industry monolith. The "right to dry" is found in which amendment, exactly?

MaineToday.com | News Update: Maine vodka named best in nation

MaineToday.com | News Update: Maine vodka named best in nation: "FREEPORT - Cold River Vodka, a triple-distilled small batch vodka made from Maine potatoes, has been rated the best domestic vodka and 47th among the world's top 111 spirits in 'Kindred Spirits 2' by F. Paul Pacult."
-------------
Even though I was born in Maine, I have a hard time believing that this vodka is better than Tito's Handmade Vodka, which is from Texas. I guess I need to find a bottle of Cold River and give it a try one of these days. Tasting is believing.

Daily Herald | Association issues for future thought

Daily Herald | Association issues for future thought
This is Jordan Shifrin's column, and it is a particularly interesting one. He is thinking about issues of the "near and intermediate future." I suggest reading the whole thing.

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Business -- Keeping the peace

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Business -- Keeping the peace: "Homeowners who feel they've been wronged by the associations that oversee many of California's housing developments may find solace in proposed legislation that would establish a state-level bureau for resolving such disputes."
---------------
But why is the California legislature getting involved, given the state of bliss that prevails in 99.999% of all HOAs, according to the industry? How can it be that the legislature is convinced the situation is bad enough to warrant oversight? Maybe they are getting so many complaints from aggrieved owners that they don't believe the lobbyists' "everything is wonderful" line.

Bloomberg.com: U.S.

Bloomberg.com: U.S.: Big Las Vegas developments in trouble: "March 15 (Bloomberg) -- Two Las Vegas housing projects have each missed an interest payment in recent weeks on about $765 million of debt and are holding talks with lenders, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing development partner Focus Property Group. The Inspirada and Kyle Canyon Gateway ventures, which include Toll Brothers Inc., KB Home and Lennar Corp., have received default notices, the newspaper said, citing Focus Chief Executive Officer John Ritter. The 2,000-acre Inspirada project was expected to develop as many as 13,500 homes over the next seven years, though only about 162 homes have been sold so far, the Journal cited Ritter as saying. He now expects the project to last between 10 and 15 years because of a severe housing downturn in Las Vegas, the Journal said."
------------
Being near a failed real estate development is bad news. I say that as one who lives a mile or so from two of them, courtesy of bankrupt Neumann Homes.

San Diego's Caped Crusaders - FOX6 San Diego

San Diego's Caped Crusaders - FOX6 San Diego: "Don’t be alarmed if you see two masked men walking the streets of San Diego over the next few days. Not if they go by the names Mr. Extreme and Shadow Hare. The duo call themselves “Real Life Superheroes.” This week, their mission is to find the suspect accused of attacking people with a skateboard in the Chula Vista area. Mr. Extreme and Shadow Hare patrol during the day and night warning community members to be on alert. “Be careful on the streets,” says Mr. Extreme to a couple walking their dog, as he hands them a home-made wanted flyer, with a composite sketch of the skateboard suspect. “You don't know what this guy is capable of.” Mr. Extreme is the President and Founder of Extreme Justice League, a division of the global “Real Life Superheroes” movement, with a membership of roughly 200 people."
-------------------
Maybe in this era of declining real estate values, volunteer superheroes make more sense than private security services. Something to think about if you live in a budget gated community.

L.A. Now : Los Angeles Times : Good fences don't necessarily make good neighbors in Santa Monica

L.A. Now : Los Angeles Times : Good fences don't necessarily make good neighbors in Santa Monica: "In June, after about two years of study, the city of Santa Monica is expected to begin hearing complaints about front-yard hedges and walls that exceed the city's long-standing but mostly ignored 42-inch height limit. The city called a time-out to look at the issue after hedge-height offenders were threatened with $25,000-a-day fines and Bobby Shriver, a nephew of JFK, was elected to the City Council on a pro-hedge platform."
----------
The People's Republic of Santa Monica is as far from a gated community as you can get, but still they seem to be privatizing their security with sky-high hedges. Maybe they have gated community envy.

Rising Foreclosure Rates Cause HOAs To Fall Into Bankruptcy - News Story - WFTV Orlando

Rising Foreclosure Rates Cause HOAs To Fall Into Bankruptcy - News Story - WFTV Orlando

Fred Pilot sent this link. I have been talking about this for a long time and now it is becoming news.

Home Prices Plunge Across California: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

Home Prices Plunge Across California: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance: "LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Median home prices plunged in many of California's most populous counties in February, with Southern California leading the slide with an overall drop of 17.9 percent compared to a year earlier, according to new housing data released Thursday. The drops reflect a deepening housing crisis in the state, which saw home values soar during the housing boom then decline sharply in most areas. Median home prices fell this year in 15 major counties, DataQuick Information Systems said."
----------------
I guess at some point people just can't hold onto these homes anymore. Either they have to sell, or they let the bank foreclose and then the bank sells it at a loss rather than keep it. But this is really awful and it seems the slump hasn't bottomed out yet.

Fed takes boldest action since the Depression to rescue US mortgage industry - Telegraph

Fed takes boldest action since the Depression to rescue US mortgage industry - Telegraph: "The US Federal Reserve has taken the boldest action since the 1930s, accepting $200bn of housing debt as collateral to prevent an implosion of the mortgage finance industry and head off a full-blown economic crisis."
------------------
The situation of Fannie Mae could turn out to be the biggest problem in the near future.

ABC News: Bald Eagles: Menace to Alaska Town

ABC News: Bald Eagles: Menace to Alaska Town: "Homer, Alaska, may be the one place on Earth where bald eagles rule, and some humans are beginning to feel endangered.

It is a place where the majestic symbol of America can be found on movie theaters, cars, and light posts; there are dozens at a time on rooftops. They sometimes collide with traffic and are accused of stealing pets out of yards."
---------------
With photo reminiscent of Hitchcock.

abc13.com: Katy homeowner loses fight over landscaping at her home 3/08/08

abc13.com: Katy homeowner loses fight over landscaping at her home 3/08/08: "The homeowner thought the yard was beautiful. However, the homeowner's association disagreed and took drastic measures to resolve the situation. Now it's the homeowner who says her trees and her rights were pruned back too far.

On a blustery morning, Lisagay Wright surveys what's left of a yard she's spent the past 17 years landscaping."
___________________
The Taste Police strike again. What fun it must be to live at the whims of your neighbors.

BBQ-smoker-turned-'Robocop' chases off drug dealers - CNN.com

BBQ-smoker-turned-'Robocop' chases off drug dealers - CNN.com
It's a barbecue smoker mounted on a three-wheeled scooter, and armed with an infrared camera, spotlight, loudspeaker and aluminum water cannon that shoots a stream of icy water about 20 feet.

Operated by remote control, the robot spotlights trespassers on property down the street from his bar, O'Terrill's. Using a walkie-talkie, Terrill belts out through the robot's loudspeaker, "That's private property. You guys need to get out of here."
---------------
So which is better: a developer creating a gated community with a hugely expensive security system, or a guy with a barbecue smoker? I leave it to you.

Condo owners seek more power - Greenwich Time

Condo owners seek more power - Greenwich Time: "A bill pending before the state legislature would create an eight-member Connecticut Community Association Commission within the state Department of Consumer Protection. Appointed by the governor, the group would have the authority to investigate and resolve complaints lodged against condominium associations and their governing boards. The bill has the backing of state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who testified in favor of the legislation yesterday before the General Law Committee. Blumenthal said yesterday the rights of condominium owners are 'all too frequently disregarded.'"
----------------------
Yet another state is added to the list of places where the state legislature recognizes that owners rights are suffering at the hands of HOA and condo boards. California, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Colorado, Virginia, Maryland...and on, and on. Now, Connecticut. Apparently these legislators don't accept the message from the industry that everything is just fine in Privatopia.

PROPERTY FOCUS: Neighbour Vs. neighbour - Business news

PROPERTY FOCUS: Neighbour Vs. neighbour - Business news: "The draft bill of Bulgaria’s Condominium Act is ineffective and has been written in such a way as to serve the interests of the heating, water and electricity utility companies, professor Vladimir Petrov from the Civil Association against Corruption and Illegal Construction said, as quoted by Dnevnik daily."
----------------
Different country, same general idea?

HeraldTribune.com - News - Chinch bugs, Florida law, HOA craziness: "PARRISH -- A homeowner who faces fines for installing a Florida-friendly yard is among a group campaigning to oust the homeowner association board in River Woods. Jim Copas has been in dispute with the board of the subdivision off Old Tampa Road since he and his wife, Cynthia Zanella, ripped out their chinch bug-ridden lawn and laid shell last year. Their yard is certified by Manatee County as a Florida-friendly yard, one that conserves water and needs almost no fertilizers or pesticides. A 2001 state law prohibits homeowner associations from banning Florida-friendly yards. River Woods board members, however, say the couple needed permission to change the landscape and that it could harm property values in the community."
-------------------
Another HOA board that is "stuck on stupid"? Maybe there is something about the position of HOA director that brings out the worst in otherwise decent people.

By the way, what is a "chinch bug" and can I rest assured that they don't like Illinois winters?