Bloomberg.com: Worldwide: "President-elect Barack Obama said he’ll make the “single largest new investment” in roads, bridges and public buildings since the Eisenhower Administration to lift the sagging economy and create jobs.

Obama, in his weekly radio speech today, said his plan to create or preserve 2.5 million jobs will also include making public buildings more energy efficient, repairing schools and modernizing health care with electronic medical records."
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Obama is trying to be the Lincoln/Roosevelt/LBJ sort of president who sees a problem and decides that the only answer is a massive federal government initiative of unprecedented proportions. If you have a superficial understanding of history that makes sense, but if you look closely at all three of these presidents you see that the myth doesn't live up to the reality. You see great accomplishments and...some things that were either not so great or deeply disturbing. Lincoln ended slavery and saved the union, but his record on civil liberties is terrifying. Roosevelt's New Deal was modeled directly on Mussolini's Fascism, and it seems clear now that it was WWII, not the New Deal, that lifted the US economy out of the Great Depression. He also gave away Eastern Europe to Stalin. LBJ's Great Society programs included some monumentally wasteful and destructive efforts, along with great progress in civil rights.

But what did they all have in common? Good intentions backed by the power of the federal government. And Obama has both. What he lacks is what his three role models may also have lacked to some degree: a sense that he and the government he will soon be running have limits to what they can accomplish.

update: I added this photo. The poor guy looks older already, and he hasn't even been elected yet (the electoral college vote is 12/15). He was supposedly giving up his Blackberry for security reasons, but look at his hands: he has TWO of them, along with a huge pile of paper. I'm saying a prayer for him tonight because I don't see how anybody can live up to the expectations he and the voters have placed on his office.

Climate scientists say 2008 will be coolest year of the decade | Environment | guardian.co.uk But this does not, they say, mean that global warming is slowing. Nothing can disprove that. We could be watching battles between woolly mammoths and sabertooth tigers in the driveway and still the scientists would tell us it doesn't disprove global warming.

It was 6 degrees here in Lindenhurst this morning.

In West Hollywood, town houses chic and sheathed - Los Angeles Times: "When architect Lorcan O'Herlihy masterminded the color palette for the Formosa 1140 town houses in West Hollywood, he drew inspiration from Hollywood hot spot Formosa Cafe down the street.

He designed a metallic skin that wraps around the building in shades of red. The skin helps diffuse light and heat, provides privacy for outdoor walkways and gives the building a funky geometric look."
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Funky and geometric, indeed.

Deficiencies in Illinois Condo Act cited : SearchChicago Homes : Condo watch: "The Condominium Advisory Council, in preparation of submitting recommendations to the governor and Illinois Legislature regarding changes to the Illinois Condominium Act, held a series of hearings across the metropolitan area seeking input from the public.

At one on Chicago's Far North Side, about 30 interested individuals affiliated with condominium associations as board members, unit owners, managers and consultants provided their thoughts and suggestions on amending the act. What follows is a summary of the remarks made by these various contributors."
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It's mainly a list of processes that, in their view, need to be refined. But how about this one: "••An office of ombudsman should be established at the state level to hear unit owner complaints against boards. Other than lawsuits, which are too expensive, the only apparent recourse, voting improperly acting board members out of office, is inadequate. The new state ombudsman could be funded by a yearly fee paid by all associations. As an alternative, it was suggested that a separate court be created for condo associations where unit owners could bring complaints against boards." And this one is just completely bonkers: "••Several people spoke against manager licensing, which they contended would be an added financial burden for associations with no assurance that management would improve." So we should just continue along with anybody setting him or herself up as a property manager, without even the minimal credential of a professional license? We don't even let people sell hot dogs or give haircuts without a license. These people are handling (and too often mishandling) millions of dollars of other people's money, and regulating their lives.

FT.com / China / Economy & Trade - Chinese property hunters to raid US

FT.com / China / Economy & Trade - Chinese property hunters to raid US: "SouFun, the biggest real estate website in China, is organising a trip next month to look at properties in California and possibly Nevada. Liu Jian, the company’s chief operating officer, said about 300 people had expressed interest in the idea in the three days since it was advertised, though the company would take only a small group on the first trip...“The US market absolutely terrifies me,” said one Shanghai-based real estate executive. “However, there are plenty of people here who think this a great time for bottom-fishing.”"
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Bottom-fishing? I guess our condos and hoa units are just so many carp.

Ripoffs: Not Even Money Saves You From Foreclosure

Ripoffs: Not Even Money Saves You From Foreclosure: "I recently lost my home to foreclosure. The sad part is I tried for the last 30-40 days before the foreclosure to buy my home from the mortgage company for more than the balance owed on the mortgage. By this time, the mortgage had been referred to a local law firm, which wanted almost $20,000 in fees above the balance of the mortgage. They would not negotiate at all. A friend was helping me try to save my home, but the $20,000 in fees on top of the $100,000 owed was insurmountable."
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Thanks to Mystery Reader who sent the link to this sad story. In HOA and condo foreclosures we hear often of attorney fees being many times more than the amount of assessments owed. Now here is a mortgage company foreclosure where the fees prevented redemption.

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide: "U.S. governors will ask that any federal stimulus plan for the states include as much as $100 billion in aid to help cover the swelling costs of social services, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich said.

Forty-eight governors met with President-elect Barack Obama today to press their case for a federal package to help them weather the U.S. recession that began in December 2007."
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Blagojevich is still a free man, amazingly. Maybe they let him do the talking to the press on this pathetic request because they figure that soon he will be doing the perp walk anyway. Or perhaps I am just getting my hopes up.

In any event, Fred Pilot sent this link to the latest sad episode in the Great Bailout Debacle. States are taxing bodies, unlike banks and insurance companies and auto manufacturers. They are governments that make most of the laws we, and they, live by. For them to go begging to Washington for federal tax dollars is a joke.

Bloomberg.com: California to pay bills with IOUs?: "California, the world’s eighth-largest economy, may pay vendors with IOUs for only the second time since the Great Depression, State Finance Director Mike Genest said."

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

Bloomberg.com: One in ten!: "One in 10 American homeowners fell behind on mortgage payments or were in foreclosure during the third quarter as the world’s largest economy shed jobs and real estate prices tumbled.

The share of mortgages 30 days or more overdue rose to a seasonally adjusted 6.99 percent while loans already in foreclosure rose to 2.97 percent, both all-time highs in a survey that goes back 29 years, the Mortgage Bankers Association said in a report today. The gain in delinquencies was driven by an increase of loans with payments 90 days or more overdue."
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Holy default, Batman!

Milwaukee neighborhoods could print own money -- chicagotribune.com: "Residents from the Milwaukee neighborhoods of Riverwest and East Side are scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss printing their own money. The idea is that the local cash could be used at neighborhood stores and businesses, thus encouraging local spending. The result, supporters hope, would be a bustling local economy, even as the rest of the nation deals with a recession...It's not a new concept—experts estimate there are at least 2,000 local currencies all over the world—but it is a practice that tends to burgeon during economic downturns. During the Great Depression, scores of communities relied on their own currencies.

And it's completely legal."
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This is one of those apparently simple little ideas that could get complicated in a hurry, but it sounds like fun.

Property-tax collections climb as home prices fall - USATODAY.com: "Property taxes are rising across the USA despite the steepest drop in home values since the Great Depression.

Home values dropped 17% in the third quarter compared with the same period in 2007, reports the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index. At the same time, property tax collections across the USA rose 3.1%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis."
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My assessment went up this year, even though obviously my house isn't worth as much as it was a year ago.

I can imagine a tax revolt against public and private local taxation. People are getting hit from all sides and it seems the demands increase even if they give you less. I hope they march past my house because I am ready to grab a pitchfork and a torch and join the crowd.

Buyers flock to condo auction, ready to snap up bargains - MarketWatch: "LOMBARD, Ill. (MarketWatch) -- Voices shout dollar amounts across the packed hotel ballroom until the bids stop flowing, the hammer falls and the auctioneer cries, 'Sold!'
Backed by applause and the sounds of a live rock band playing 'Money (That's What I Want),' the winner marches through the crowd to claim his prize -- the $416,000, three-bedroom condominium unit he's just bought for $260,000. At the back of the room, a bartender stands poised to serve customers drinks during a brief intermission."
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I'm sure he read the CC&Rs carefully from front to back before getting drunk. Would any libertarians care to explain how this mob scene constitutes a contract to conform to all the rules and regulations that exist now or might be adopted in the future?

Tallahassee homeowners association files for bankruptcy | tallahassee.com | Tallahassee Democrat: "The homeowners association of an upscale Tallahassee neighborhood has filed for bankruptcy to get out of paying lawyers’ fees after losing a lawsuit against two of its members, a lawyer for the couple said."
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Nice try, but the association's members can't get out of paying the judgment brought upon them by their elected leadership's bad decision to sue the members. Bankruptcy of the association just means that, if necessary, the judge will appoint a receiver to impose a special assessment on the owners, secured by a lien on their units, which will be sold to pay the assessment if necessary.

This little bankruptcy maneuver has been tried before by associations that lost lawsuits. No dice.

Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.

Home prices are now undervalued, economists say - MarketWatch
The enormous volume of foreclosure homes being dumped by failing banks has driven home prices below their "fundamental valuations." So say the economists. And they also say there is "no end in sight to the downward spiral of house prices."

I other words, your house isn't worth a bucket of warm spit. Now get out there and borrow some money and buy some stuff. Merry Christmas.

The Associated Press: Chicago would get $1.1B in parking meter lease: "The proposed lease in Chicago is the latest for a city that has already cut deals to lease other property to raise money — including Midway Airport and the Chicago Skyway."
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Daley is privatizing transportation infrastructure all over the place. The parking rates are going to double immediately. It is politically unpopular to raise tolls and parking rates, so instead you sell--excuse me, "lease"--the facilities with the understanding that the price you received for the facilities (in this case, the parking meters) is justified only if the private company is going to double the rates. The private company knows it, and the city knows it. But the idea (for the Daley Machine) is that the morons who vote--and that's what the Machine thinks they are--don't get that the government in effect just doubled their parking rates. Instead they will blame the selfish, evil, profit-seeking corporate insect. I guess they are right, because despite waste, incompetence, graft, corruption, and criminal convictions, the voters keep trotting off and re-electing Daley, et al.

Ah, privatization--the gift that keeps on giving to local government.

Bloomberg.com: News

Bloomberg.com: Plans to help mortgage market: "The Treasury, which already has a program to buy mortgage- backed securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, could step up those purchases to drive down interest rates on some loans to 4.5 percent, the official said on condition of anonymity. The plan is preliminary and could change.

The deliberations come as President-elect Barack Obama pledges fresh action to help American homeowners, and follow a $600 billion initiative announced by the Federal Reserve last week to buy mortgage debt. Mortgage applications surged by a record last week and the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate loan dropped to 5.47 percent, the lowest level since June 2005, the Mortgage Bankers Association said yesterday."
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Sure--let's all borrow more money and things will be fine.

The Libertarian Moment: Despite all leading indicators to the contrary, America is poised to enter a new age of freedom. - Reason Magazine

The Libertarian Moment: Despite all leading indicators to the contrary, America is poised to enter a new age of freedom. - Reason Magazine: "We are in fact living at the cusp of what should be called the Libertarian Moment, the dawning not of some fabled, clichéd, and loosey-goosey Age of Aquarius but a time of increasingly hyper-individualized, hyper-expanded choice over every aspect of our lives, from 401(k)s to hot and cold running coffee drinks, from life-saving pharmaceuticals to online dating services. This is now a world where it’s more possible than ever to live your life on your own terms; it’s an early rough draft version of the libertarian philosopher Robert Nozick’s glimmering “utopia of utopias.” Due to exponential advances in technology, broad-based increases in wealth, the ongoing networking of the world via trade and culture, and the decline of both state and private institutions of repression, never before has it been easier for more individuals to chart their own course and steer their lives by the stars as they see the sky. If you don’t believe it, ask your gay friends, or simply look who’s running for the White House in 2008."
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Here is Nick Gillespie answering the "Libertarianism is Dead" argument (see below for that).

How the financial collapse killed libertarianism. - By Jacob Weisberg - Slate Magazine: "The best thing you can say about libertarians is that because their views derive from abstract theory, they tend to be highly principled and rigorous in their logic. Those outside of government at places like the Cato Institute and Reason magazine are just as consistent in their opposition to government bailouts as to the kind of regulation that might have prevented one from being necessary. 'Let failed banks fail' is the purist line. This approach would deliver a wonderful lesson in personal responsibility, creating thousands of new jobs in the soup-kitchen and food-pantry industries.

The worst thing you can say about libertarians is that they are intellectually immature, frozen in the worldview many of them absorbed from reading Ayn Rand novels in high school. Like other ideologues, libertarians react to the world's failing to conform to their model by asking where the world went wrong."
----------------
This article got a lot of attention from libertarians who, of course, claim he doesn't grasp the subtle nuances of libertarianism. But I think the true believers in free markets have some major soul-searching to do. I have been arguing for a long time now that the libertarian defense of CIDs is misguided. Their theory tells them that private repression is actually freedom because it is based on contract law. They see these entities as superior to, and eventual replacements for, municipalities. The fact is that the nation's private governments are at even greater risk than the cities and counties, who have it hard enough right now.

Homeless encouraged to move into foreclosed houses - Telegraph

Homeless encouraged to move into foreclosed houses - Telegraph: "In Miami, an anti-poverty activist group called Take Back The Land not only matches up the homeless with empty properties but provides them with second-hand furniture, cleaning supplies and gardening assistance.

Some property owners in Atlanta, where officials describe foreclosures as an 'epidemic', have gone so far as to pay homeless people to live in their abandoned homes as a security measure.

Meanwhile, poverty campaigners in Cleveland, Ohio, are negotiating with the city authorities to allow homes people to move into and repair empty, dilapidated homes.

'We're matching homeless people with people-less homes,' said Max Rameau, a co-founder of Take Back The Land."
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Coming to an HOA near you: the homeless.

UNCOVERED: Federal Bailout Application Form

UNCOVERED: Federal Bailout Application Form
This is form EZ-CASH, so let's get those condos and HOAs applying ASAP.

Local government nightmare | The San Diego Union-Tribune

Local government nightmare | The San Diego Union-Tribune: "the budget stress now felt in the state Capitol is about to become the norm for every last local government in California.

These governments – cities, counties, school, water and fire districts, redevelopment agencies and more – have been somewhat insulated from the revenue downturn so far because most are largely reliant on property taxes. These levies are lagging indicators of the economy's strength, since they depend on annual assessments and a drawn-out payment system. But beginning with the 2009-10 fiscal year, Beacon forecasts a plunge of more than 10 percent in property tax revenue."
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Think this won't have any impact on HOAs?

Deer gets revenge after hunter shoots him - Yahoo! News: "The buck rose up, knocked Goodman down and attacked him with his antlers in what the veteran hunter called '15 seconds of hell.' The deer ran a short distance and went down, and died after Goodman fired two more shots."
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Don't mess with Bambi.

USATODAY.com

USATODAY.com:Cities cut back, citing shortfalls: "Battered by record foreclosures and falling tax revenue, cities are laying off workers, raising fees and closing libraries and recreation centers. 'Almost every city in the country is feeling the impact,' says Chris Hoene, director of policy and research at the National League of Cities. A survey in September found that city finance officers expect revenue from property, sales and income taxes to decrease 4.3% this year, Hoene says.

The problem will be worse next year, he says, because there is a lag between current economic conditions and when they affect city revenue. 'Local officials know that if things are tight now,' he says, 'tougher choices are coming.' The survey found that 79% of cities expect their finances to worsen in 2009."
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The housing boom comes full circle.

Retiree Havens Turn Younger to Combat the Housing Bust - WSJ.com: "At 'active adult' developments across the U.S., residents are debating whether to scrap the age restrictions that have helped define their way of life for almost five decades. Proponents of 'age desegregation,' as it's known in the industry, say opening the doors to people under 55 is the only way their once-idyllic enclaves can stay afloat amid a worsening economic climate."
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The lure of seniors communities mystifies me. I can't understand wanting to be surrounded by nothing but old people. But who knows...maybe in 10 years I'll change my mind and join the "Get off my lawn" demographic.

Lawsuit on political signs may help clarify confusion about HOAs
An opinion piece on the significance of the Colorado banning-signs-despite-a-state-statute case.

New Condominium Laws: A Lot to Digest - Business - MiamiHerald.com

New Condominium Laws: A Lot to Digest - Business - MiamiHerald.com
Some of the changes to the Florida Condominium Act.

Research on mice links fast food to Alzheimer's | Science | Reuters

Research on mice links fast food to Alzheimer's | Science | Reuters: "LONDON (Reuters) - Mice fed junk food for nine months showed signs of developing the abnormal brain tangles strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease, a Swedish researcher said on Friday.

The findings, which come from a series of published papers by a researcher at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet, show how a diet rich in fat, sugar and cholesterol could increase the risk of the most common type of dementia."
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I think anybody who ate as much fast food as they fed those mice would be dead long before dementia set in.

Credit card industry may cut $2 trillion of lines: analyst - Yahoo! News: "The U.S. credit card industry may pull back well over $2 trillion of lines over the next 18 months due to risk aversion and regulatory changes, leading to sharp declines in consumer spending, prominent banking analyst Meredith Whitney said.

The credit card is the second key source of consumer liquidity, the first being jobs, the Oppenheimer & Co analyst noted.

'In other words, we expect available consumer liquidity in the form or credit-card lines to decline by 45 percent.'"
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Merry Christmas, ho ho ho.

I suspect the big toy for Christmas 2009 will be hand-carved wooden soldiers. Carved by parent, that is.

RBS to be taken over by British government: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

RBS to be taken over by British government: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance: "LONDON (AP) -- The British government will take over Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC with a majority stake of almost 60 percent after the shareholders of the nation's second-largest bank shunned an emergency share issue."
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Just $31 billion, that's all. The bank's share value has dropped by 85%.

David Holwerk: It takes an entire state to make a budget debacle this big - Bee Opinion Columns - sacbee.com

David Holwerk: It takes an entire state to make a budget debacle this big - Bee Opinion Columns - sacbee.com: "Yep, ultimately the blame for this mess falls on us, the citizens of the great state of California.

After all, we elected the governor and the members of the Assembly and Senate. We passed the various initiatives that have hamstrung the state's ability to deal with falling tax revenues. We elected a governor who simultaneously promised to cut taxes and end crazy deficit spending.

And now, with schools, community colleges and universities struggling, with the prisons overflowing, with truly needy disabled people likely to lose the support they depend on, with cities and counties broke, we can't seem to grasp the seriousness of the moment."
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Fred Pilot sent this along. It seems like a cliche to say, "we, the people, are ultimately to blame." But in this case it is just a fact. The people of California have voted directly for many of the measures that are destroying the state, they elected the representatives who are presiding over the annual budget debacle, and they seem unable to grasp that the ship is sinking.

The same could be said for the citizens of Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and a few other states that are facing insolvency with an oblivious public.

Fannie Mae Taps CFO: Former Hartford Finance Chief David Johnson - - CFO.com

Fannie Mae Taps CFO: Former Hartford Finance Chief David Johnson - - CFO.com
The article goes on to describe the major scandals that erupted at Cendant and Hartford when Johnson was CFO for those companies. I'm sure he just happened along at the wrong time. Both times.

Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford arrested on federal charges - Breaking News from The Birmingham News - al.com

Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford arrested on federal charges - Breaking News from The Birmingham News - al.com: "A special grand jury for several months has been investigating county bond deals and Langford's financial dealings. Langford was Jefferson County Commission president 2002-06."
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Jefferson County is likely to file for bankruptcy protection.

Op-Ed Contributor - What They Hate About Mumbai - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Contributor - What They Hate About Mumbai - NYTimes.com: "The terrorists’ message was clear: Stay away from Mumbai or you will get killed. Cricket matches with visiting English and Australian teams have been shelved. Japanese and Western companies have closed their Mumbai offices and prohibited their employees from visiting the city. Tour groups are canceling long-planned trips.

But the best answer to the terrorists is to dream bigger, make even more money, and visit Mumbai more than ever. Dream of making a good home for all Mumbaikars, not just the denizens of $500-a-night hotel rooms. Dream not just of Bollywood stars like Aishwarya Rai or Shah Rukh Khan, but of clean running water, humane mass transit, better toilets, a responsive government. Make a killing not in God’s name but in the stock market, and then turn up the forbidden music and dance; work hard and party harder."
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Impressive essay by an NYU journalism professor who is headed back to Mumbai to have a beer.

Lawyers call for international court for the environment - Telegraph

Lawyers call for international court for the environment - Telegraph: "Stephen Hockman QC is proposing a body similar to the International Court of Justice in The Hague to be the supreme legal authority on issues regarding the environment.

The first role of the new body would be to enforce international agreements on cutting greenhouse gas emissions set to be agreed next year.

But the court would also fine countries or companies that fail to protect endangered species or degrade the natural environment and enforce the 'right to a healthy environment'."
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I wonder what position our multilateralist, internationalist, global-warming-believer incoming President will take on this.

Homo Ludens: ARCHITECTURE OF FEAR: "I am reading Mike Davis’s magnificently detailed Planet of Slums. \Davis describes two trends which have defined how people have lived in the last 30 or so years. The first is the inexorable movement of the world’s population from country to city. In 1950, there were 86 cities in the world; there are now more than 400. The urban workforce has more than doubled in my lifetime. Given the extraordinary numbers of people in every part of the world required to shift these percentages, this is one of the most extraordinary and exponential developments in human history. The second, which Davis iterates and reiterates in Planet of Slums, is as fundamental: the rate at which the richest in the world have got richer and, by consequence, the poorest have got poorer."
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The writer of that blog is a Mike Davis fan. Urban theorist Mike Davis is a Marxist who believes the world is in the late stages of capitalism. This means an increasingly intolerable division between rich and poor, and that in turn will lead to revolution by the proletariat against the bourgeoisie. Cities are the place for that to happen because that's where the contrasts between rich and poor are the most intense. Gated communities are the perfect example of fortified wealth, from his perspective. Not being a Marxist myself, I find him a bit overwrought, but he puts together the best examples of the worst situations.

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt :

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt :: "Police yesterday seized approximately $170,000 worth of marijuana from a house at a gated community in East Trinidad."
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Those gates come in handy sometime.

The price of dissent on global warming | The Australian

The price of dissent on global warming | The Australian: "Global warming is part of a natural cycle and there's nothing we can actually do to stop these cycles. The world is now facing spending a vast amount of money in tax to try to solve a problem that doesn't actually exist.

And how were we convinced that this problem exists, even though all the evidence from measurements goes against the fact? God knows."
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David Bellamy is a scientist who has written 35 books. He has been a dissenter on the global warming theory since the mid-1990s.

Many people speak casually about this issue, accepting the conventional wisdom that of course we are destroying the planet. What they never take seriously is the consequence of that belief. If you believe in human-caused global warming, you should believe governments must immediately mandate radical changes. It may even be too late for any of that, if you listen to Al Gore. But that isn't what people say, or what they do. That disconnect between the theory people claim to believe in and their own actions suggests that maybe they don't really, truly, believe it in the first place.

In other words, maybe all of us, including Al Gore, are global warming skeptics.

The Gillette News-Record: Today

Convicted HOA fund embezzler now facing state charges after doing federal time: "She testified Wednesday that she wouldn’t have taken the plea deal in federal court if she had known she’d later face state charges. “I was assured there was going to be no state charges,” Deliramich said.

Local prosecutors waited until she finished her federal sentence before bringing state charges.

In his ruling, District Judge Michael “Nick” Deegan said there was no deal because there was never a meeting of the minds, or common understanding, between the two attorneys. Deegan believed both lawyers were telling the truth. This probably was a misunderstanding, he said.

The decision means the state can pursue its case against Deliramich. She has pleaded not guilty to 11 felony counts ranging from forgery to embezzlement. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in state prison for each count.

The charges came to light in 2003 when the homeowner’s board realized that four unauthorized loans had been made from First Interstate Bank. Deliramich, 56, allegedly forged board members’ signatures to obtain the loans."
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Another HOA embezzlement case--thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.

Mumbai photographer: I wish I'd had a gun, not a camera. Armed police would not fire back - World news, News - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk: "But what angered Mr D'Souza almost as much were the masses of armed police hiding in the area who simply refused to shoot back. 'There were armed policemen hiding all around the station but none of them did anything,' he said. 'At one point, I ran up to them and told them to use their weapons. I said, 'Shoot them, they're sitting ducks!' but they just didn't shoot back.'"
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Police are hardly ever much use at the time a crime is happening. Most of the time (unlike in Mumbai), they are not around until after it is all over, so all you can reasonably expect from them is a good investigation. In Mumbai it seems that the police were slow to respond. Maybe they were shocked into passivity. The government eventually brought in the special forces types who did all anybody could expect, to the point where many of them lost their lives.

I agree with all the analysts who say we can expect this type of attack to be repeated, and there is no reason to think it couldn't happen in the US. How hard is it for a terrorist organization to arm ten people with illegal military weapons and send them into a shopping mall, hotel, restaurant, or train station? There are too many soft targets to protect. There is no way to place armed guards in all these places, let alone expect any better than what happened the Mumbai train station.

The only way to have an immediate response in these situations is to have a significant percentage of civilians licensed to carry concealed firearms. Many people blanch at that prospect, but there is no other way, short of turning the nation into a police state. D'Souza said it himself: "I only wish I had a gun rather than a camera."

Citiwire.net » In An Epic Fiscal Storm, New Strategies Sprout

Citiwire.net » In An Epic Fiscal Storm, New Strategies Sprout: "The recession is driving America’s city governments into an epic fiscal storm. Unlike earlier downturns, all three big revenue sources–income, property and sales taxes–are falling together. Cumulative budget shortfalls are already in the tens of billions and rising."
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Neal Pierce has been writing about cities for a long time, and he knows what he is talking about. He says to expect municipalities to make cuts in all services, including police and fire protection.

Luxury condo 'a bully building,' unit owners say | ajc.com

Luxury condo 'a bully building,' unit owners say | ajc.com: "Residents won’t gain control of Aqua’s homeowner association until Tivoli Properties, the developer, sells 80 percent of the units. A condo glut and consumer lack of confidence have slowed sales.

Until that threshold is reached, Tivoli and a company it hired, Fifth Street Management, are in charge.

“When we bought into this we assumed the homeowners would take over pretty quickly,” said Larry Smith, who with his wife bought a two-bedroom unit in September after living in a single-family home in Morningside.

“I feel it’s a bully building,” added Judy Toussel, who lives in a three-bedroom unit. “They refuse any input from a homeowner. A homeowner is nonexistent.”"
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That's not "bully" in the Teddy Roosevelt sense.

Sundown for California
Grim but not apocalyptic piece on the future of California. One main point is that the state has declined because the left wing of the Democratic party has taken over the state and they have run the richest state in the nation right into the ground. The author, Joel Kotkin, is a respected writer and not an ideological conservative. Here is the way he puts it:

"California’s shift to the Democrats had become inexorable and, with the fading of a GOP counterweight, influence within the party flowed to its more radical factions further to the political left. As a result, the state moved decisively away from the economic growth focus of Pat Brown. It seemed determined to wage war against its own economy. As pet social programs, entitlements, and state employee pensions soared, infrastructure spending—the hallmark of the Pat Brown regime and once 20 percent of the state budget—shrank to less than 3 percent.

The educational system, closely aligned with the Democrats in the legislature, accelerated its secular decline. Once full of highly skilled workers, California has become increasingly less so. For example, California ranks second in the percentage of its 65-year-olds holding an associate degree or higher and fifth in those with a bachelor’s degree. But when you look at the 25-to-34 age group, those rankings fade to 30th and 24th.

Instead of reversing these trends, the state legislature decided to spend its money on public employees and impose ever more regulatory burdens on business."

Obama's small donor base image is a myth, new study reveals | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times

Obama's small donor base image is a myth, new study reveals | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times: "Everybody knows how President-elect Barack Obama's amazing campaign money machine was dominated by several million regular folks sending in hard-earned amounts under $200, a real sign of his broadbased grassroots support.

Except, it turns out, that's not really true.

In fact, Obama's base of small donors was almost exactly the same percent as George W. Bush's in 2004 -- Obama had 26% and the great Republican satan 25%. Obviously, this is unacceptable to current popular thinking. But the nonpartisan Campaign Finance Institute just issued a detailed study of Obama's donor base and its giving. And that's what the Institute found, to its own surprise."
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News from The Associated Press

Tutoring the jocks in luxury at U. of Illinois: "CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) -- At the University of Illinois, being an athlete gets you access to a $6 million facility with oversized leather chairs and Oriental rugs.

But it's not a fancy country club - it's a tutoring center.

The Irwin Academic Services Center helps only about 550 of the school's 37,000 students. And places like this in schools across the country leave critics fuming."
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The longer I spend in academia the more convinced I am that intercollegiate sports are on balance an overwhelmingly negative influence on higher education.

Costumes optional at nudist meal

Costumes optional at nudist meal
If you are interested in a nudist gated resort community, this is the place for you.

The Condo Crunch - washingtonpost.com: "More than two years into the housing slump, the challenges facing Washington's condos are mounting. Sales prices are falling and are not expected to stabilize soon. The number of condo owners not paying their association fees is rising along with foreclosure rates, creating a budget crunch weighing down many communities.

In the face of budget shortfalls, some associations are taking drastic steps to cope, including delaying maintenance and hiking monthly assessments. Others are setting aside part of their budget to cover delinquencies for a time or looking for ways to help owners catch up on payments."
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Slowly the media minds begin to pick up on what is happening. The invisible governments are in trouble all over the nation. State, county, and municipal governments are lining up for bailouts. But nobody is putting the whole picture together. What happens when condos and HOAs are struggling, non-federal governments are staring at looming insolvency, and the federal government is stretched thin to fund wars, corporate bailouts, and those tax cuts Obama promised almost all of us?

GPS guides Norwegian tourists into trouble in Rio - Yahoo! News: "RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Three Norwegian tourists came under fire and one was shot after the satellite navigation system in their car guided them straight into one of Rio de Janeiro's most dangerous slums."
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Wrong turn, wrong neighborhood. And apparently the bargain bin GPS system.

Fiscal Focus - Illinois Comptroller's Office

Fiscal Focus - Illinois Comptroller's Office: "Illinois’ state pension systems continue to be seriously underfunded with the latest calculations placing the unfunded liability at over $40 billion. As of June 30, 2006, the five pension systems primarily supported by the state (the Downstate Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), the State Universities Retirement System (SURS), the State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS), the Judges’ Retirement System (JRS), and the General Assembly Retirement System (GARS)) had accumulated $103.1 billion in actuarial liabilities for pension, disability, and death benefits. The systems held assets valued at $62.3 billion leaving $40.7 billion in unfunded obligations, or a funded level of only 60.5%."
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One state--Illinois. $40 billion underfunded. You can find a similar situation in a number of other states.

Pension Tsunami

Pension Tsunami: "That approaching wave of pension debt is bigger than it looks. The purpose of this site is to provide an overview of the multiple pension crises that are about to drown America's taxpayers."
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Here is a weblog that focuses on the impending pension fund debacle.

HOA sues homeowners over signs

HOA sues homeowners over signs: "An election-season dispute between homeowners displaying political signs in their front yards and the Grand View subdivision’s homeowners association, who removed the signs, has spilled into the courts.

Six homeowners in the 198-home subdivision, northeast of Patterson and 28 roads, were served notice this week that the Grand View Homeowners Association has filed a lawsuit against them in Mesa County District Court.

In late October, the association’s president, Tom Lowrey, removed several political signs from front yards. Lowrey said the signs were a violation of the HOA’s covenants, conditions and restrictions. Homeowners, many of whom replaced the signs in their yards after their removal, say they are protected under the Constitution and Colorado state law.

“After the election we took the signs out and thought it was over and done with, and then lo and behold, he served us these papers,” said Jim Rozman, a homeowner in the subdivision. “He (Lowrey) is on a one-man mission, it seems to me.”

The lawsuit requests a judge to award damages to the HOA in the amount of $15 per sign for every day the political signs were displayed in people’s yards."
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Imagine being a judge and having to spend your time on this. What I can't imagine is how an HOA officer could think this is worth a lawsuit.

New land-use law's message: build near transit: "Many California planning and environmental groups are heralding the passage of legislation designed to address global warming by curbing suburban sprawl as a watershed moment, perhaps the state's most important land-use law in more than 30 years."
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SB 375 is supposed to be some sort of sea change in development policy, where California stops "sprawl." Build near transportation hubs, discourage driving, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save the planet. But here is one little wrinkle: "...there is a firm industry conviction that not all of the projected growth in California can be accommodated in multifamily urban properties, nor do all consumers want to live in such homes."

You got that right. Matter of fact, I suspect that not all that many consumers want to live in "multifamily urban properties," which are better known as condominium and apartment buildings. I'll go a step further and say that among families with kids, the percentage who want to get crammed into an LA condo is pretty small.

This is the left at war with the housing market. Most Americans don't want to live like people do in Hong Kong. There's nothing wrong with high density urban life, but if people don't have the taste for it they will be unhappy living that way, and there is no point premising development policy on unpopular options.

MUNI WATCH: Land-Secured Deals Ailing In Current Economy

MUNI WATCH: Land-Secured Deals Ailing In Current Economy: "NEW YORK --A developer in Florida this year reportedly used $409 million of tax-exempt bonds to build upscale golf course residential communities in 10 counties. The firm suddenly stopped payment on all of them as the battered housing market and tightened bank lending practices in the Sunshine State caught up with it.

The incident marks just one example of how the municipal bond market is feeling the pain and agony accompanying the current downturn, especially as it impacts a sliver of the market loosely known as land-secured deals.

'Tax increment financing deals have not done well in this environment because they are speculating on continued property tax increases,' which are anything but a given in this economy, said Matt Fabian, senior municipal market analyst for Municipal Market Advisors, based in Concord, Mass. 'I think these bonds are going to feel a lot more credit pressure.'"
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This is worth reading to understand how development strategies of municipalities--TIFs, CIDs, etc.--that once were sure things have now turned into potential disasters.

FACTBOX-Ships held by Somali pirates | Reuters
According to this list there are at least 11 ships currently being held by pirates. Pirates. In the year 2008, the world has a pirate problem.

Worker dies at Long Island Wal-Mart after being trampled in Black Friday stampede

Worker dies at Long Island Wal-Mart after being trampled in Black Friday stampede: "A Wal-Mart worker died after being trampled when hundreds of shoppers smashed through the doors of a Long Island store Friday morning, police and witnesses said.

The 34-year-old worker, employed as an overnight stock clerk, tried to hold back the unruly crowds just after the Valley Stream store opened at 5 a.m.

Witnesses said the surging throngs of shoppers knocked the man down. He fell and was stepped on. As he gasped for air, shoppers ran over and around him."
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Homo economicus at his worst?

Rugged individualism, beer linked

Rugged individualism, beer linked: "In Hollywood lore, the lone cowboy tamed the Wild West with two six-guns by day and drank warm beer with both fists in dusty saloons at night.

That stereotype of the rugged individualist who enjoys tipping back a few might not be so off the mark, according to a newly published study by marketing professors at the University of Texas at San Antonio. They found that places where individualism is valued over the collective good also tend to be places where a lot of beer is consumed."
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So what does this tell us about life in common interest housing developments? Too much beer? Too little beer?

KTNV ABC,Channel 13,Las Vegas,Nevada,News,Weather,Sports,Entertainment,KTNV.com,Action News .:. Mike Tyson Has Run In With Las Vegas Police On Thanksgiving

KTNV ABC,Channel 13,Las Vegas,Nevada,News,Weather,Sports,Entertainment,KTNV.com,Action News .:. Mike Tyson versus the Gate: "Action News Reporter Rikki Cheese was in the southern part of the Valley at Monarch Estates. Sources in the upscale gated community say that around 7:45am, Tyson drove up in a late-model black Escalade. He went to the visitor's gate, but instead of driving through the gate when it opened, he veered off and hit the closed resident's gate. Tyson reportedly backed up and ripped the gate down. Metro was called, and Tyson got a ticket. He was allowed back inside the home he was there to visit."
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They let him in? What is security for?

Inflation-adjusted U.S. house prices--graphs | Les Jones: "The graph shows the bubble taking off in 1998 and the market peaking in 2005-06. That latter date is generally considered the market peak by many sources.

Note that this graph completely contradicts the chirpy real estate agent advice that “home values always go up!” Home values tend to hold their value relative to inflation, which is no small feat. Your home also gives you a place to keep your stuff dry, which is something you can’t say about T-bills and mutual funds. However, significant appreciation relative to inflation was seen almost entirely in the housing bubble era.

We’re now in an era in which home prices are depreciating. Based on the graph above prices may have to decline an additional inflation-adjusted 15-25% to be back within historical norms."
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Take a look at these two graphs and you will see how the 1998-2005 boom and bust appear in historical context. Astounding.

Barack Obama forced to deny abandoning 'change' amid insider appointments - Times Online

Barack Obama forced to deny abandoning 'change' amid insider appointments - Times Online: "He [Obama] said he would be foolish, at such a “critical time in our history”, to pick people who “had no experience in Washington whatsoever”."
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Can't argue with that.

ABC News: Cities Cut While Hoping for Government Aid

ABC News: Cities Cut While Hoping for Government Aid: "Think fewer libraries, fewer public works projects, fewer after-school programs, fewer police officers and fewer public employees overall.

Thanks to the whimpering economy, some city officials say such reductions will match their significantly smaller budgets. But they're also hoping the federal government will be able to ease at least some of the pain."
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I notice that there are no responses yet to the municipal requests for federal aid. Many cities are asking for bailout funds--Atlanta, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Detroit, and others--but so far the only actual commitments I have seen are to major corporations. What about the counties? What about the states? Illinois, California, New Jersey, and a few others are deep in the hole.

How can there possibly be a federal solution to all the different problems that created these governmental budget deficits?

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis: State of New Jersey Is Insolvent

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis: State of New Jersey Is Insolvent: "The state of New Jersey is insolvent. Bankrupt might be a better word. New Jersey is $60 billion in the hole on pension funding and the Governor is planning on skipping payments in a 'pension payment holiday' until 2012 so as to not increase property taxes."
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California, Illinois, New Jersey...how many more states are insolvent? I found this link on Instapundit.

Timeshare owners unknowingly aided PAC: "Timeshare owners in Florida and elsewhere were misled into donating to the political fund-raising arm of the U.S. vacation ownership industry while paying their regular property fees, according to a new federal audit report.

Tens of thousands of small contributions - most $3 to $5 - were collected by property management firms around the country and funneled to a political action committee set up by the American Resort Development Association....Auditors found the American Resort Development Association-Resort Owners Coalition PAC also violated other federal election laws.

Their report, focusing on the 2003-04 election cycle, says the PAC secretly raised and spent more than $1.8 million during that time. The PAC also accepted thousands of dollars of prohibited contributions from corporations and foreign nationals, it said."
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Cute. Doesn't say who they contributed to, but there are ways of finding that out. In the meantime, here is what they raised and shelled out in the 2008 election. They had receipts of $5.2 million and spent $4.1 through October 15.

COMMITTEE NAME RECEIPTS DISB CASH DEBT THROUGH


ARDA (PAC, ROC) $5,203,682 $4,178,867 $2,460,366 $0 10/15/2008

MyFox Lake Charles | Turkey Farmer in Sarah Palin Video Speaks Out: Brian Tomes told 'Inside Edition' he didn't realize he was in her shot.

'I thought they had panned in on her face…I did try and block the process,' he said.

Tomes has worked at the Triple D Turkey Farm in Palin's hometown of Wasilla for nine years. He offered support for the former vice-presidential candidate.

'The only thing I can say is, 'Don't mess with my governor!''"
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Right. Especially not while he has that knife in his hand. I have been waiting for that frozen turkey carcass to go up on Ebay but so far I guess it hasn't surfaced. Imagine what it would be worth. Maybe as much as that corn flake shaped like the state of Illinois.

Program Targets Consumer Spending, Mortgage Rates

Program Targets Consumer Spending, Mortgage Rates: "The Federal Reserve and Treasury moved today to boost consumer spending and lower home mortgage rates, committing up to $800 billion to make it easier for households to borrow money for cars, tuition bills and new homes as part of a broad effort to rekindle economic growth.

The new program puts the balance sheet of the country's central bank behind two critical but troubled parts of the economy -- consumer spending and housing. It is largely separate from the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, administered by the Treasury Department and focused on shoring up the country's financial system."
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It's about time. Good news at last. This money won't be used for mergers and acquisitions--except maybe acquisition of a plasma television or a home.

Ho, ho, nope! FGCU to limit holiday decor | news-press.com | The News-Press

Florida Gulf Coast University bans holiday decor | news-press.com | The News-Press: "FGCU administration has banned all holiday decorations from common spaces on campus and canceled a popular greeting card design contest, which is being replaced by an ugly sweater competition. In Griffin Hall, the university's giving tree for needy preschoolers has been transformed into a 'giving garden.'

The moves boil down to political correctness."
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The president wants to "observe the season in ways that honor and respect all traditions." How does that translate into banning all holiday decorations from all traditions?

Rainy forecast means mudslide threat in burn areas - Los Angeles Times

Rainy forecast means mudslide threat in burn areas - Los Angeles Times: "Rain is expected to reach Southern California tonight, raising fears among fire authorities over mudslides further damaging hillside communities already ravaged by this month's wildfires."
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If there are mudslides in occupied areas there could be a big wave of insurance claims and construction defect lawsuits to follow, many of them from CIDs.

ESPN - Sources: Pacman Jones threatened with life ban by NFL commish Roger Goodell: "Adam 'Pacman' Jones may finally be down to his last chance."
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Deja vu all over again.

Fla. builders: Bank practices driving them to ruin: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

Fla. builders: Bank practices driving them to ruin: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance: "TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Home builders are being driven to ruin by 'extreme' banking practices adopted in response to the nation's financial meltdown, including calling in good loans, Florida builders said Monday.

Lenders are also hoarding federal bailout money while dissolving lines of credit and many times are simply eliminating construction financing, the builders say."
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This may all be true, but is it not also true that we are suffering from an oversupply of housing relative to the demand? If banks give construction financing to builders, new homes will go on the market and compete with the large supply of foreclosed homes that are being unloaded by those very banks. At least, that's the way it looks to me.

Should we resurrect the Neanderthals? - By William Saletan - Slate Magazine: "The full genome of the Neanderthal, an ancient human species probably driven to extinction by the first modern humans that entered Europe some 45,000 years ago, is expected to be recovered shortly. If the mammoth can be resurrected, the same would be technically possible for Neanderthals."
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Sure. Let's get with it. As one New York Times fellow says, this would let us answer all sorts of interesting questions, such as whether Neanderthals could speak.

What could possibly go wrong?

New Florida condo law is about to take effect | HeraldTribune.com | Southwest Florida's Information Leader

New Florida condo law is about to take effect | HeraldTribune.com | Southwest Florida's Information Leader: "In a situation that might qualify as a 'be careful what you wish for' tale, several new Florida laws related to condominium insurance policies are slated to go into effect Jan. 1. The problem is they are essentially unworkable as currently written -- leaving many condo owners, community associations and insurance agents in a state of confusion about how to proceed.

At issue is a bill passed during the last legislative session, one which was pushed in large part by condominium associations looking to deal with a particular problem: how to deal with condo units that became damaged or destroyed inside, but whose owners lacked homeowner's insurance policies to fix them."
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What you wish for? Did the people of Florida wish for laws that are "essentially unworkable as currently written"? I kind of doubt that.

The problem being spoken of here is that under the new law, every condo owner has to buy insurance on his/her own unit. How enforced? Well, the association has to verify that they did so, and if the owner doesn't buy it the association pays for it and assesses the owner.

Sounds good. Unfortunately, though, the insurance industry doesn't sell insurance that way. The condo association can't buy these policies on the individual units. So the law is "unworkable" in the sense that the legislature has required associations to do something they are unable to do.

George Soros warns 'hedge funds will be decimated' - Times Online: "Hedge funds will be decimated by the global financial meltdown and the crisis will wipe out as much as three quarters of the money they manage, George Soros, the billionaire investor, predicted in Washington yesterday."
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Soros has been about six months ahead of the curve so far, and I won't be surprised if he turns out to be right about the hedge funds.

Community Associations Institute (CAI): Press Room: Press Releases

Community Associations Institute (CAI): Press Room: Press Releases
Monica Sadler and Fred Pilot both sent me links to this CAI press release:

ALEXANDRIA, VA, NOVEMBER 24, 2008 – Community Associations Institute (CAI) announced today that the 29,000-member organization has joined the Fix Housing First coalition, a national effort to address the current housing crisis and broader economic downturn.

The Fix Housing First coalition brings together a variety of stakeholders—including homeowners associations, builders, manufacturers, suppliers and others—united by the concern that home prices and property values continue to decline dramatically across the country, affecting hard-working Americans everywhere.

The Fix Housing First coalition supports a stimulus package that effectively addresses the root of the current economic crisis—housing—by offering incentives to encourage Americans to buy homes again. Specifically, the coalition is urging Congress to adopt a meaningful, non-refundable tax credit and a mortgage rate reduction for all home buyers.
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There's a lot more, including some specific recommendations. I gather this coalition is mainly for lobbying purposes, to keep Congress and the president focused on housing. It will be interesting to see how deeply Congress digs into why the housing market boomed, collapsed, and started the chain reaction.

Police: Oregon panhandlers raking in the green | KOMO News - Seattle, Washington | Local & Regional: "COOS BAY, Ore. - A police survey says panhandlers outside Wal-Mart in Coos Bay can make $300 a day. Inside, it takes a clerk a week to make that much."
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That's quite a daily take, especially when you consider that there is no withholding. But the benefits aren't so good. All things considered I'll stick with what I'm doing, but I have to admit this is tempting.

Diving: New York City Water Nightmare is an Underwater Gadget Lover's Dream

Diving: New York City Water Nightmare is an Underwater Gadget Lover's Dream: "A giant aquifer, completed in 1944, is leaking up to 36 million gallons of water a day. For New Yorkers, who on average use 150 gallons per day, that's unacceptable. Trouble is, fixing the leak involves some extreme diving, 14 tractor trailer trucks worth of gear, and a 24-foot room that divers will live in for a month, breathing helium.

The five-year, $22 million diving project is underway today, and that means six lucky divers are presently 700 feet beneath the NYC surface, trying to find where one of the bigger leaks is hiding. They're living in a 24-foot pressurized tube that includes 'showers, a television and a Nerf basketball hoop,' and they're breathing air that is 97.5% helium and 2.5% oxygen."
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This is a flippant story about a pretty amazing repair project.

Oberlin Council President Dave Sonner charged after shooting skunk that lived under his porch - Cleveland.com

Oberlin Council President Dave Sonner charged after shooting skunk that lived under his porch - Cleveland.com: "Oberlin - City Council President Dave Sonner grew tired of the pungent stench created by a skunk living under his porch. When the critter reared its head Nov. 7, Sonner shot it dead.

The shooting attracted the attention of police and prosecutors who have now charged Sonner with a misdemeanor crime."
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He should have used a bow and arrow.

WBBM 780 - Chicago's #1 source for local news, traffic and weather - Few Will Cook Turkey This Thanksgiving

Few Will Cook Turkey This Thanksgiving: "While 82 percent of Americans plan to eat turkey this Thanksgiving, most will leave the cooking to someone else.

Only 30 percent of households will actually prepare a turkey on Thanksgiving Day, according to the NPD Group, a market research company.

NPD finds that typically two households are the guest of another on Thanksgiving Day, which amounts to an average of nine people at each Thanksgiving table, according to a release from NPD."
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70% of the nation's households go somewhere else. No wonder there is so much traffic.

Obama skips church, heads to gym - Jonathan Martin and Carol E. Lee - Politico.com

Obama skips church, heads to gym - Jonathan Martin and Carol E. Lee - Politico.com: "President-elect Barack Obama has yet to attend church services since winning the White House earlier this month, a departure from the example of his two immediate predecessors.

On the three Sundays since his election, Obama has instead used his free time to get in workouts at a Chicago gym.

Asked about the president-elect's decision to not attend church, a transition aide noted that the Obamas valued their faith experience in Chicago but were concerned about the impact their large retinue may have on other parishioners. "Because they have a great deal of respect for places of worship, they do not want to draw unwelcome or inappropriate attention to a church not used to the attention their attendance would draw," said the aide."
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So he goes to the gym instead of church to show his deep respect for churches, unlike Bush and Clinton, who showed their contempt for churches by going to church.

The speed trap set by your neighbour: Police recruit amateur army in crackdown on motorists | Mail Online

The speed trap set by your neighbour: Police recruit amateur army in crackdown on motorists | Mail Online: "Motorists will face amateur speed traps run by local volunteer groups in towns and villages across the country, it was revealed yesterday.

Under rules to be sent to police forces in the new year, bands of volunteers will be supplied with speed detection equipment and asked to use it to identify drivers exceeding limits in their area."
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Another example of municipalities acting like homeowners' associations?

Bloomberg.com: Exclusive

BFed Pledges Top $7.4 Trillion to Ease Frozen Credit : "Nov. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government is prepared to lend more than $7.4 trillion on behalf of American taxpayers, or half the value of everything produced in the nation last year, to rescue the financial system since the credit markets seized up 15 months ago."
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At some point won't we have to say that capitalism is just a pretense for an economy that is run by the government?

Needed: Network bailout? - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety: "It's D-Day for the broadcast networks.

They've been living on borrowed time for the better part of two decades, thanks to advertisers willing to toss in more cash each year even as ratings slowly trended ever lower.

But with the economy in a tailspin -- and the Big Three auto manufacturers, some of TV's best advertisers, near ruin -- the biz may finally have to pull the emergency cord."
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In our house nobody watches the major networks. I haven't seen an episode of a prime-time television show since the X-Files went off the air. Major sporting events are about it for me. I couldn't stomach a network news program to save my life. The kids watch the specialty children's channels for cartoons and Hannah Montana.

Sometimes I wonder who is watching all this programming. Apparently their numbers are dwindling. Soon it will be just that guy with the banjo from Deliverance.

White House says unaware of any Citigroup rescue talks | Reuters: "ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said on Sunday she knew of no talks going on between banking giant Citigroup and the federal government for financial aid."
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And yet we see stories to the effect that the plan is "near approval."

Maybe the headline writer should have said "Dana Perino says SHE is unaware of any Citigroup rescue talks."

Or maybe the headline is right, and President Bush is deemed inessential to multi-billion dollar bailout decisions.

City bankruptcies may signal trouble for California - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

City bankruptcies may signal trouble for California - Sacramento Bee: "Rio Vista and Isleton face budget shortfalls and massive debt. Their leaders are looking at the same bankruptcy option that Vallejo chose in May.

If other cities follow suit, it may mean trouble across the state.

'The more that start talking about it, the more that start filing, investors will stop investing in municipal securities,' unless governments are willing to pay more in interest, said Matthew Fong, former state treasurer who oversaw California's finances in the wake of Orange County filing for bankruptcy protection in late 1994."
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Slippery slope?

Senate Democrat sees stimulus up to $700 bln | Politics | Reuters: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An influential U.S. Senate Democrat said on Sunday a large economic stimulus package of up to $700 billion was needed to lift the American economy out of its current downturn."
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Senator Schumer is speaking of an additional $700 billion, on top of the $700 billion already committed to restoring the health of the financial system.

You know, with $700 billion here, $700 billion there...pretty soon this will add up to a lot of money.

Fire pits latest to go on the city's chopping block | The San Diego Union-Tribune: "This is not the kind of city budget cut that brings out the big “D” words – devastating or draconian.

But San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders' proposal to snuff out the fire pits at city beaches to save $173,000 in maintenance costs has some residents wondering: Has it really come to this?"
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Good grief. People have been hanging out around those fire pits for generations. It is part of being young in California.

Worst of financial crisis yet to come: IMF chief economist

Worst of financial crisis yet to come: IMF chief economist: "The IMF's chief economist has warned that the global financial crisis is set to worsen and that the situation will not improve until 2010, a report said Saturday.

Olivier Blanchard also warned that the institution does not have the funds to solve every economic problem."
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He said that the investments being withdrawn from developing nations could be hundreds of billions of dollars, and "We do not have this money. We never had it." They spend one-fifth of its $250 billion fund over the last two weeks, according to Blanchard. I assume this means life could become much harsher in emerging countries over the next two years. We here in the West will have some hardship, but imagine how bad things will get elsewhere.

The Obamas Walk Away from Public Schools (Cato @ Liberty)

The Obamas Walk Away from Public Schools (Cato @ Liberty): "When they move from Chicago to D.C., Malia and Sasha Obama will be moving from the prestigious private Lab School to the prestigious private Sidwell Friends school — Chelsea Clinton’s old stomping ground.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. In fact, it’s wonderful that the Obamas had such a broad range of public and private school choices available to them. What’s puzzling is that the president-elect opposes programs that would bring that same easy choice of schools within reach of families who lack his personal wealth"
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Not puzzling at all, and there is something wrong with it: hypocrisy. Democrats like Obama get massive campaign donations from the public school teachers' unions, in exchange for demanding more money from taxpayers to pay the teachers. They even criticize people who moved out of cities to find decent public schools for their kids. But send their own kids to public schools? Not a chance. Their support for public schools is only deep enough to get those millions of dollars in bundled checks from public school teachers.

Biden's kids went to private schools, of course, but Sarah Palin's kids attended public schools in Wasilla, according to this.

The Uncertain Future of Common Interest Developments
Attorney Tyler Berding strikes again, with a carefully reasoned essay that a whole lot of public officials and developers should read. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
Update: Tyler Berding sent me an email explaining that there is a more complete version of "Uncertain Future" in book form, available as a .pdf file, here.

Antelope Valley homeowners left hanging by developer - ContraCostaTimes.com

Antelope Valley homeowners left hanging by developer - ContraCostaTimes.com: "LANCASTER - The families who moved into Westview Estates were expecting to live in a lovely gated neighborhood of new homes, built on former farmland in this desert city.

But shortly after the first families - some paying up to $400,000 for a new home - moved in around spring 2007, they started noticing problems with the water systems.

Water stopped flowing in midshower, washing machines halted midcycle, or no water came out at all. Residents could not shower and water lawns at the same time, and fire alarms went off in the middle of the night.

Residents say problems with the water - not just the economy - have turned what was planned as a 425-home development into a ghost town where homes sit vacant amid graded dirt lots choked with weeds. Only 23 homes were sold before the developer walked away, according to residents.

Angry and feeling betrayed, the few residents left feel imprisoned in their problem-plagued homes that they cannot sell."
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I used to ride my dirt bike out in the desert that is Lancaster, and now it is all subdivisions. Living in a desert with no water supply is about as bad a deal as you can get.

Remains of devoured planet discovered - 22 November 2008 - New Scientist: "A DUST cloud around a dead star may be all that's left of a planet that was eaten like a peach."
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Life imitates art.

Galactus!

Notable & Quotable - WSJ.com

Notable & Quotable - WSJ.com: "One of the things we clearly want to do with these prisoners is to have an ability to interrogate them and find out what their future plans might be, where other cells are located; under the Geneva Convention that you are really limited in the amount of information that you can elicit from people.

It seems to me that given the way in which they have conducted themselves, however, that they are not, in fact, people entitled to the protection of the Geneva Convention. They are not prisoners of war. If, for instance, Mohamed Atta had survived the attack on the World Trade Center, would we now be calling him a prisoner of war? I think not. Should Zacarias Moussaoui be called a prisoner of war? Again, I think not."
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Q. Who said that in 2002?

1. Dick Cheney
2. George Bush
3. Darth Vader
4. Attila the Hun
5. Eric Holder, Barack Obama's soon-to-be Attorney General

Halperin at Politico/USC conf.: 'extreme pro-Obama' press bias - Alexander Burns - Politico.com: "Media bias was more intense in the 2008 election than in any other national campaign in recent history, Time magazine's Mark Halperin said Friday at the Politico/USC conference on the 2008 election.

'It's the most disgusting failure of people in our business since the Iraq war,' Halperin said at a panel of media analysts. 'It was extreme bias, extreme pro-Obama coverage.'"
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Yes, it was all of that and more. I think Halperin was comparing coverage of Obama to the coverage of the first Gulf War, which was also incredibly superficial and one-sided. The press did a whole lot of self-examination after that and took steps to avoid being manipulated by the government again. But here they did something different. It wasn't that they allowed themselves to be manipulated by a powerful government that had control of all the information. Here they did it all by themselves. It was a blatant double standard--refusing to examine Obama and Biden the way they have always examined other candidates. They were scrutinizing Biden himself until he became Obama's VP candidate, at which time the Media Cone of Silence descended over him as well.

This is a questionable approach on several grounds, including their own self-interest. If you look at the way newspaper readership has plummeted, you see an industry that was in free-fall even before the housing market tanked. People have more choices now, so I would think the national media would try to broaden their appeal instead of alienating almost half the population.