Russia: Stray Dogs Master Complex Moscow Subway System - ABC News

Russia: Stray Dogs Master Complex Moscow Subway System - ABC News
This is pretty amazing--it is at the start of the 7 minute segment and well worth watching.

Top 10 Signs Your Community Association is in Financial Trouble

Top 10 Signs Your Community Association is in Financial Trouble

Posted using ShareThis

Board Member Types: “The Has Been”, “The Never Were” and “The Wanna Be”

Board Member Types: “The Has Been”, “The Never Were” and “The Wanna Be”

Posted using ShareThis

Computer snafu is behind at least 50 'raids' on Brooklyn couple's home

Computer snafu is behind at least 50 'raids' on Brooklyn couple's home: "Embarrassed cops on Thursday cited a 'computer glitch' as the reason police targeted the home of an elderly, law-abiding couple more than 50 times in futile hunts for bad guys."
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If you live in New York, this is your tax dollars at work.

More homeowners are opting for 'strategic defaults' - latimes.com

More homeowners are opting for 'strategic defaults' - latimes.com: "Time was when Americans would do almost anything to hang on to their homes. But that commitment appears to be fraying as more people fall behind on their loans while watching the banks and lenders that helped trigger the financial crisis return to prosperity.

Nearly one-quarter of U.S. mortgages, or about 11 million loans, are 'underwater,' i.e. the houses are worth less than the balance of their loans. While home values are regaining ground -- median prices rose 10% in Southern California last month to $275,000 compared with a year earlier -- they remain far below the July 2007 peak of $505,000.

Many homeowners are just coming to grips with the idea that prices will take years to reach the pre-crash peak: as long as 14 years in California, according to economist Chris Thornberg."
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Fourteen years? For a baby boomer that is just way. Too. Long.

Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link and for pointing out that anybody who is strategically defaulting on their mortgage has already strategically defaulted on their HOA/condo assessments as well. The rocky times continue.

Bad math wrongly IDs lagging schools | The Burlington Free Press | Burlington, Vermont

Bad math wrongly IDs lagging schools | The Burlington Free Press | Burlington, Vermont: "Two Vermont schools were mistakenly included in a list of the state’s “persistently lowest achieving schools” released last week, and two others have taken their place, an apologetic Vermont Department of Education announced Tuesday...The revision was prompted by an error in calculation used to rank the schools on the basis of standardized test results. The mistake was noticed Friday by a department staff member and made public Tuesday after a Free Press inquiry into possible miscalculations."
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The nation's public schools have reached the point of self-parody.

C-Span Puts Its Full Archives on the Web - NYTimes.com

C-Span Puts Its Full Archives on the Web - NYTimes.com: "WASHINGTON — Researchers, political satirists and partisan mudslingers, take note: C-Span has uploaded virtually every minute of its video archives to the Internet."
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The Onion should have written that headline. Can you imagine watching 23 years of the House of Representatives in session? Dante could have had that on big screen TV in the inner circle of Hell.

House may try to pass Senate health-care bill without voting on it

House may try to pass Senate health-care bill without voting on it: "After laying the groundwork for a decisive vote this week on the Senate's health-care bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Monday that she might instead attempt to pass the measure without having members vote on it.

Instead, Pelosi (D-Calif.) would rely on a procedural sleight of hand: The House would instead vote on a more popular measure that presumes the health-care bill has passed the chamber."
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Why? Because there might be somebody someplace who still believes that the United States Congress is one of the world's greatest legislative bodies, and it is important to crush that person's faith like a paper cup.

America's Craziest Cities - The Daily Beast

America's Craziest Cities - The Daily Beast: "Move over, Las Vegas. After two years of national doldrums, crazy is on the rise again. From shrinks to drinks, The Daily Beast tallies who’s handling their stress—and who’s losing it."
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No way Chicago should rank so low. And LA is even lower. I protest.

Jim Jubak: Is China broke? Hidden debt burdens Asia giant - MSN Money

Jim Jubak: Is China broke? Hidden debt burdens Asia giant - MSN Money: "All governments lie about their finances. At worst, as in Greece and the United States, the lies are bold and transparent. Everybody knows the emperor has no clothes, but no one want to say so. At best, as in Canada and China, the lies are more subtle -- more like a magician's misdirection than a viking raider's ax. Look at these great numbers, the lie goes, but don't look at those up my sleeve.

There's a good argument to be made that if you look at all the numbers, instead of just the ones the budget magicians want you to see, China is indeed broke."
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Are there any governments that are not broke?

Police: Man Drunk At DUI Sentencing - Omaha News Story - KETV Omaha

Police: Man Drunk At DUI Sentencing - Omaha News Story - KETV Omaha: "PAPILLION, Neb.--Authorities said a drunken driver showed up for his sentencing hearing drunk again. Jason Botos, 30, was driven to court by his father and investigators said he was so drunk that he had to be helped inside and wasn't able to make his court appearance. 'He was unable to get himself out of the vehicle, he was so intoxicated,' said deputy Sarpy County attorney Ben Perlman."
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But he gets points for showing up, right?

The American Conservative » Sprawling Misconceptions

The American Conservative » Sprawling Misconceptions: "For the 101st time: sprawl — an umbrella term for the pattern of development seen virtually everywhere in the United States — is not caused by the free market. It is, rather, mandated by a vast and seemingly intractable network of government regulations, from zoning laws and building codes to street design regulations. If Stossel wants to expand Americans’ lifestyle choices, he should attack the very thing he was defending, namely, suburban sprawl.

It’s odd that self-described libertarians such as Stossel are so slow to grasp that government planning makes sprawl ubiquitous. You would think that libertarians would instinctively grasp the deeply statist nature of suburban development."
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Libertarian John Stossel thinks (scroll down to his pet peeve #2) that the market created sprawl. Here is a different take on it--government policies are largely responsible for the way people live in suburbia--something that I have been saying for a long time. Seems that some conservatives don't buy the libertarian magic beans.

Court sides with homeowner in dispute over pickup

Court sides with homeowner in dispute over pickup: "A.J. Vizzi has lived in The Eagles golfing community in northwestern Hillsborough County since he built a two-story house on a lake in 1997. For a few years, he parked his pickup in the driveway and didn't hear anything negative about it.

That all changed in 2001, when he said he received a violation notice from his homeowners association. 'Up until 2001, I was here for four years before they ever even told me I was in violation of any of their covenants,' said Vizzi."
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The circuit court ruled in Vizzi's favor. So did the court of appeal. Congratulations! I see the HOA's attorney, Jonathan Ellis of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick in Tampa, was unavailable for comment. I wonder if they will try to take it to the Florida Supreme Court. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.

New round of foreclosures threatens housing market - washingtonpost.com

New round of foreclosures threatens housing market - washingtonpost.com: "The housing market is facing swelling ranks of homeowners who are seriously delinquent but have yet to lose their homes, and this is threatening a new wave of foreclosures that could hit just as the real estate market has begun to stabilize."
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"Seriously delinquent" as in "haven't made a mortgage payment in three months or more." We are getting close to 10% of all US mortgages falling in that category, folks. And from where I sit here in bankrupt Illinois, the job losses are mounting.

Bankruptcy Won't Work!

Bankruptcy Won't Work!
Tyler Berding and Sandra Bonato explain why members get no protection when the association goes under.

HOAs suffer during recession - Las Vegas Sun

HOAs suffer during recession - Las Vegas Sun: "Foreclosures are taking a toll on some Las Vegas homeowner associations, some of which are closing pools and deferring maintenance as they deal with a drop in revenue.

The financial woes faced by the associations come as they are locked in legal and legislative battles with investors in foreclosed homes who complain they are overcharged for fines and fees by the associations and their collection agencies."
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Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link to another story about hard times in Privatopia.

Half of Kansas City's schools to close by fall

Half of Kansas City's schools to close by fall: "The school board narrowly approved the plan Wednesday night to close 29 of the district's 61 schools to try to stave off bankruptcy. The closures have angered many parents, students and teachers, but administrators say they had no choice because without them, the district would have been in the red by 2011."
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It seems that this is not a scare tactic, like the Illinois governor's proposed teacher-firing budget. This appears to be real.

U.S. Sales Tax Rates Hit Record High - Forbes.com

U.S. Sales Tax Rates Hit Record High - Forbes.com: "While President Obama's push to raise federal income taxes for the wealthy gets lots of attention, the continuing upward creep in the sales tax rates imposed by state and local governments has gotten less notice.

But Vertex Inc., which calculates sales tax for Internet sellers, reports that the average general sales tax rate nationwide reached 8.629% at the end of 2009, the highest since the Berwyn, Pa., company started tracking data in 1982. That was up a nickel on a taxable $100 purchase from a year earlier and up nearly 40 cents for the decade. The highest sales tax rate in the country now stands at 12%."
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Here in Illinois the governor proposed yesterday to raise it from a flat 3% to a flat 4%. He called it an education surcharge or something, but it's an income tax hike. The key to understanding this is to stack up all the taxes people pay in a given state. And as we all know, you also need to add on the amount they pay in assessments to their CID if any, because that is really a disguised tax in most cases.

6 of the 10 richest counties in U.S. are in DC area | Washington Examiner

6 of the 10 richest counties in U.S. are in DC area | Washington Examiner:
"America's 25 richest counties
Rank County Population Median household income
1 Loudoun County 277,433 $110,643
2 Fairfax County 1,005,980 $106,785
3 Howard County 272,412 $101,710
4 Hunterdon County, N.J. 129,000 $100,947
5 Somerset County, N.J. 321,589 $100,207
6 Fairfax City 23,281 $98,133
7 Morris County, N.J. 486,459 $97,565
8 Douglas County, Colo. 270,286 $97,480
9 Arlington County 204,889 $96,390
10 Montgomery County 942,747 $93,999"
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It would seem that being close to DC is good for your pocketbook.

Developer-created CC&R requiring listing with particular broker

Just ran across this interesting issue on DIRT-L. I took out the names to protect the privacy of the attorneys who were discussing it:

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Do any states prohibit by statute or case law the practice of a developer (or HOA) requiring subdivision owners to list any future re-sale of their property with the developer's preferred real estate listing brokerage?

In SC, developers put listing with the preferred brokerage into their CCRs (covenants conditions restrictions) that owners must list for a period of time with the preferred brokerage (aka the brokerage of record or the on-site brokerage).

A member of the public called and said that NC, Ga, and California have prohibited this practice.

In SC, many developers use this strategy.

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In Connecticut, such a covenant has been held to violate the state Anti-Trust Act. See State v. Hossan-Maxwell, Inc., 181 Conn. 655 (1980)
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It is also my understanding that this practice is prohibited by statute or regulation. In any event, under the conventional test, the covenant would not "run with the land" and would bind only the first purchaser.

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So there you have it. I haven't researched the issue myself and I'm just passing it along FYI to check out if you are interested.


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The Associated Press: Roberts: Scene at State of Union `very troubling'

The Associated Press: Roberts: Scene at State of Union `very troubling': "Responding to a University of Alabama law student's question, Roberts said anyone was free to criticize the court, and some have an obligation to do so because of their positions.

'So I have no problems with that,' he said. 'On the other hand, there is the issue of the setting, the circumstances and the decorum.

'The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollering while the court — according the requirements of protocol — has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling.'

Breaking from tradition, Obama criticized the court's decision that allows corporations and unions to freely spend money to run political ads for or against specific candidates.

'With all due deference to the separation of powers the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests — including foreign corporations — to spend without limit in our elections,' Obama said in January."
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That was my reaction at the time. Obama has every right to bash the decision in Citizens United v. FEC, but he did it in a crude, boorish way that was intended to bully them in public.

Obama moving to limit fishing access - ESPN

Obama moving to limit fishing access - ESPN: "The Obama administration will accept no more public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing the nation's oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters...Led by NOAA's Jane Lubchenco, the task force has shown no overt dislike of recreational angling, but its indifference to the economic, social and biological value of the sport has been deafening.

Additionally, Lubchenco and others in the administration have close ties to environmental groups who would like nothing better than to ban recreational angling. And evidence suggests that these organizations have been the engine behind the task force since before Obama issued a memo creating it last June."
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I'd like to say that this is from some lunatic fringe, far right wing blog. However, it is from ESPN.

Joseph Brogan, 58, professor at La Salle with Tolkien touch | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/09/2009

Joseph Brogan, 58, professor at La Salle with Tolkien touch | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/09/2009: "Joseph V. Brogan, 58, of Havertown, a La Salle University political-science professor who taught an honors course on The Lord of the Rings, died of lung cancer Wednesday at his home.

Dr. Brogan taught at La Salle for more than 25 years. In addition to courses such as modern and classical political theory, constitutional law, and U.S. politics and federalism, he twice conducted the honors course on J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy."
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I met Joe Brogan through his brother (and my friend and former colleague) Tom Brogan. Joe was just a wonderful person. He was a brilliant scholar and a fantastic teacher. I attended a panel that he chaired at the American Political Science Association on the politics of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was one of the most fascinating theoretical conversations I have ever heard. Whether it was something that elevated, or just sitting and talking with him at a Phillies game, he was a great guy in every way. What a loss for LaSalle, his family, and everybody who knew him.

UIC students, faculty push gov. for more funding - 3/08/10 - Chicago News - abc7chicago.com

UIC students, faculty push gov. for more funding - 3/08/10 - Chicago News - abc7chicago.com
Here's the local media take on the demonstration here at UIC yesterday.

Fans of Donna Berger

Ever since I posted a couple of what I thought were light-hearted observations on the similarity of attorney Donna Berger's blog to mine (see below), I have been getting nasty, mean, and (of course) anonymous personal attacks on me in the comments to those items. I finally started blocking these posts. I don't mind the occasional personal attack on me, and I normally leave things like that up for all to read because they say more about the writer than about me. But this is obviously an orchestrated campaign that came in response to my attempts at humor, and I'm not going to open my blog to this person or persons, whoever she/he/they may be, to carry on in this cowardly and petty fashion.

I wonder who it could be?

Ugly gender war splits country club - Chicago Tribune Archives

Ugly gender war splits country club - Chicago Tribune Archives: "PHOENIX—When the men of the Phoenix Country Club saw their feeding ways in peril, they did not tarry. Some sent nasty e-mail messages, hectored players on the fairway and, for good measure, urinated on a fellow club member’s pecan tree. One of the club’s male members was expelled.

The targets of their ire were the women—and some men—who have dared to speak up against the club’s policy of forbidding women in the men’s grill room, a center of power dining in Phoenix."
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Mystery Reader sent this along. You need to register to read past the third graph, unfortunately. I would have to say that urinating on the pecan tree definitely means war.

Last Decade Spelled Disaster For Older Workers

Last Decade Spelled Disaster For Older Workers: "Washington, DC—Older workers endured a staggering 331% increase in unemployment over the last 10 years, a new analysis conducted by the AARP Public Policy Institute shows. This dramatic rise in older unemployed workers has resulted in declining financial and retirement security for millions of Americans who have little time to make up the losses.

“The last decade has spelled disaster for millions of older workers who have lost their jobs, seen their retirement savings diminish, and had their health care costs continue to skyrocket,” said Nancy A. LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President. “The recession has only made this bad situation worse, as the statistics show clearly that older workers who lose their jobs stay unemployed longer than other groups.”

The new analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by AARP’s Public Policy Institute shows a dramatic 331.4% increase in the number of unemployed Americans age 55+ and over from January 2000 through December 2009. For age 65+ workers, the increase in the number of unemployed was lower, but still a massive 235%."
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Now add to that the impending collapse of many private and public pension funds. Add to that the meltdown in home equity. Add to that the loss of many public services that I believe will hit all levels of government over the next few fiscal years, as governments make cuts that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. This thing we once called "retirement" could become rather interesting for those now aged 55 to 65.

California Proposition 14, Top Two Primaries Act (June 2010) - Ballotpedia

California Proposition 14, Top Two Primaries Act (June 2010) - Ballotpedia: "A California Top Two Primaries Act ballot proposition is on the June 8, 2010 ballot in California as a legislatively-referred constitutional amendment.

If approved by voters, the proposal will require that candidates run in a single primary open to all registered voters, with the top two vote-getters meeting in a runoff. The new system would take effect in the 2012 elections.[1]

Specifically, it would provide for a 'voter-nominated primary election' for each state elective office and congressional office in California. Voters could vote in the primary election for any candidate for a congressional or state elective office without regard to the political party affiliations of either the candidate or the voter. Candidates could choose whether or not to have their political party affiliation displayed on the ballot.

The proposition also prohibits political parties from nominating candidates in a primary, although political parties would be allowed to endorse, support or oppose candidates. Elections for presidential candidates, and for members of political party committees and party central steering committees would not fall under the 'top two' system."
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This already failed in 2004. Apparently the idea is to produce two moderate candidates in the general election, instead of a left-wing democrat and a right-wing republican nominated by the foaming-at-the-mouth partisans of their respective parties. The Greens and Libertarians and other minor parties think, correctly, that this will wipe them out entirely because they will never, ever, be number one or number two in the primary, so they won't be on the general election ballot at all.

Congressional estimates show grim deficit picture - Yahoo! News

Congressional estimates show grim deficit picture - Yahoo! News: "The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicts that Obama's budget plans would generate deficits over the upcoming decade that would total $9.8 trillion. That's $1.2 trillion more than predicted by the administration.

The agency says its future-year predictions of tax revenues are more pessimistic than the administration's. That's because CBO projects slightly slower economic growth than the White House.

The deficit picture has turned alarmingly worse since the recession that started at the end of 2007, never dipping below 4 percent of the size of the economy over the next decade. Economists say that deficits of that size are unsustainable and could put upward pressure on interest rates, crowd out private investment in the economy and ultimately erode the nation's standard of living."
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And it seems that the electorate is now thinking about the deficit as a major issue. It took Ross Perot to put that issue out front in 1992 because the major parties didn't want to talk about it. But now the federal budget deficit, and debt in general, have become mainstream concerns--not that our politicians seem to be doing anything about it...

Sole occupant of 32-story Fort Myers condo wants out | news-press.com | The News-Press

Sole occupant of 32-story Fort Myers condo wants out | news-press.com | The News-Press: "Only a handful of purchasers who put down deposits closed on their condos in the building, and except for Vangelakos, they've accepted deals with developer The Related Group to swap for units in Tower 2.

But Vangelakos, who paid $430,000 for the home, closed in November 2008 and insisted on taking possession. He, his wife Cathleen, and their three children use the condo as a vacation home when he can get away from his job as a Weehawken, N.J., firefighter.

Neither side is happy with the arrangement - the company is spending money because it can't shut down the building altogether and the Vangelakos family considers the arrangement creepy, especially at night."
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This would be too much like The Shining for me.

HOA Rules - Why is it Necessary in Home Buying - International Business Times

HOA Rules - Why is it Necessary in Home Buying - International Business Times: "Moreover, they set the allowable number of occupants per house, the kind of pets that are permitted and the race of persons who can stay in the community."
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I linked to this ridiculous article below, and an astute commenter highlighted the language that I am re-posting. For many decades, HOAs were used to keep African-Americans and other minorities from buying suburban housing. The Supreme Court declared them unenforceable in 1948, but they remain on the books of many an HOA to this day. This "Flynna Jones" person seems to have an interesting perspective on race restrictions.

HOA Rules - Why is it Necessary in Home Buying - International Business Times

HOA Rules - Why is it Necessary in Home Buying - International Business Times: "Being a member of a homeowners association can give you a lot of benefits. As soon as you enter into such group, you can be assured of a safe and orderly community to live. This organization is tasked to look after the homeowners, enforce rules and asks the residents to pay certain fees. And in exchange, the group will keep the peace and comfort of the area, provide the best amenities, different advantages and develop living condition. It can get rid the issues of other residents too. Through this, the relationship of everyone in the community is peaceful."
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Mika Brainy says if you want a good laugh, read this article.

The Galveston County Daily News

The Galveston County Daily News: "GALVESTON — A homeowners association in an affluent West End neighborhood is accusing one of its members of falsely portraying himself as its president and signing documents that would release hurricane-damaged beach-front houses to the city in a controversial buyout program."
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Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link to a story about a $21 million buyout program.

BBC News - Swiss ask whether animals need lawyers

BBC News - Swiss ask whether animals need lawyers: "Swiss voters will go to the polls on Sunday to decide on a proposal to appoint state-funded lawyers across the country to represent animals in court. Supporters of the initiative say such lawyers would help deter cases of animal cruelty and neglect, by making sure that those who did abuse or neglect animals would be properly punished."
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I guess the Swiss must have a lot of extra money lying around to even be considering this. Thanks to Marty Muloski for the link.

FOXNews.com - California Considers Tracking Animal Abusers Like Sex Offenders

FOXNews.com - California Considers Tracking Animal Abusers Like Sex Offenders
Having solved all of California's other problems, the state legislature has made time to do this?

Banks shuttered in Fla., Ill., Md., Utah - Yahoo! Finance

Banks shuttered in Fla., Ill., Md., Utah - Yahoo! Finance: "The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over Sun American Bank, based in Boca Raton, Fla., with $535.7 million in assets and $443.5 million in deposits. Also seized were Bank of Illinois of Normal, Ill., with $211.7 million in assets and $198.5 million in deposits; Waterfield Bank in Germantown, Md., with $155.6 million in assets and $156.4 million in deposits; and Centennial Bank in Ogden, Utah, with $215.2 million in assets and $205.1 million in deposits."
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I guess these bank closings are another "lagging indicator" in this glorious economic revival that we are experiencing.

'Chop, chop from the top!'

'Chop, chop from the top!': "“Chop, chop from the top! Don’t balance the budget on the backs of the students and staff!” chanted students, staff and faculty Thursday at the University of Illinois’ Chicago campus.

A financial crisis at UIC, precipitated by the state’s budget crunch, continues to foment uncertainty on campus. Recent cuts have been made at the university, including furlough days for faculty. Now, some employees are losing their jobs."
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I saw some of this after teaching my classes yesterday. Decent sized group and lots of noise. There is huge resentment against the UIC administration right now among students, staff, and faculty. I assume the same is true at the Urbana-Champaign and Springfield campuses. People perceive them as overpaid, underwhelming, and out of touch. I think many people wonder why these people get paid $200,000 to $400,000 per year, and get the best staff, resources, and other support, but still have no idea how to protect this institution from disaster. All they do is look down the ranks and cut the people who make the place work.

Poll: 86 percent say government 'broken' - Andy Barr - POLITICO.com

Poll: 86 percent say government 'broken' - Andy Barr - POLITICO.com: "Wide majorities of Americans do not trust elected officials and think the federal government is “broken,” according to excerpts of a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Monday.

Eighty-six percent of the 1,023 Americans surveyed nationwide said that the government is “broken” compared to only 14 percent who said it is not.

However, only 5 percent of the 86 percent who think government is “broken” believe that it “cannot be fixed.”"
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Those two sentiments in combination--government is broken but it can be fixed--mean that the Democratic Party should expect to be the target of voter rage in November, at the federal and state levels. The only way people can vote to "fix" government in our two-party system is to vote for the party that isn't currently in control. Unless there is some major good news on the economic front between now and election day, the Democrats are in trouble. I see no way such news can be forthcoming. The employment picture just can't turn around by then. Some indicators are positive, but voters don't care about the Dow-Jones average.

New ghost towns: Industrial communities teeter on the edge - USATODAY.com

New ghost towns: Industrial communities teeter on the edge - USATODAY.com: "Whether it's textiles in the Carolinas, paper in New England or steel in the Midwest, most industrial cities and mill towns 'are on pins and needles,' says Donald Schunk, an economist at Coastal Carolina University. 'Day to day, week to week, any manufacturing facility seems vulnerable. People don't know if they'll be there.'

That's true in:

• Georgetown, S.C. (pop. 9,000), where the closing of the local steel mill last year left International Paper as the last major private employer.

• Madawaska, Maine (pop. 4,000), where workers voted last month to take an 8.5% wage cut to keep the financially strapped paper mill going.

• Glenwood, Wash. (pop. 500), where flat lumber prices and rising land prices are crippling the forest products industry."
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If you add up all the seriously troubled states, cities, and CIDs, it starts to look like a whole lot of ordinary people are going to be wondering who to blame.

Scientists defend warning after tsunami nonevent - Science- msnbc.com

Scientists defend warning after tsunami nonevent - Science- msnbc.com
Right, wrong...who cares. The important point is...THE DEBATE IS OVER, YOU TSUNAMI-DENIERS!

Help for Donna Berger's blog! Here is the label of my shirt!

In answer to numerous queries, I have managed to locate the magic shirt that I was wearing in my online photo. Now if Donna Berger can find one, she can have herself photographed wearing it and make her condo law blog exactly like mine (see below).

California is a greater risk than Greece, warns JP Morgan chief - Telegraph

California is a greater risk than Greece, warns JP Morgan chief - Telegraph: "Jamie Dimon, chairman of JP Morgan Chase, has warned American investors should be more worried about the risk of default of the state of California than of Greece's current debt woes."
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And the state comptroller says he may have to start paying state workers with IOUs again.

Condo and HOA Law by Donna DiMaggio Berger, Esq.

Condo and HOA Law by Donna DiMaggio Berger, Esq.
Now, where do you think Donna Berger got the idea for the layout of her condo law weblog? Hmmmm.
Thanks to Fred Pilot for pointing this out.

Brutal death sours cup joy | World news | The Observer

Brutal death sours cup joy | World news | The Observer: "The incident is the clearest demonstration yet that many of Rio's favelas are so lawless they are 'parallel states', with their own leaders and rules. Estimates put the membership of drug gangs at 100,000 - more than the entire police force. With an armoury of about 65,000 firearms too, the traffickers are a parallel army. 'They are the law, the only law, and you have to obey them whether you like it or not,' said Clarissa Fonseca de Bastos, a street vendor who lives in a favela known as the Morro da Formiga, or Anthill.

In some slums, say residents, drug lords decide when shops will open and close, who can enter or leave and where and how houses can be built. Their influence is also beginning to extend to middle-class areas and their growing boldness was shown a fortnight ago when the windows of Rio's mayoral office were shattered by bullets."
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We talk about outlaw private governments, but in Brazil they really have them.

Fannie Seeks $15.3 Billion in U.S. Aid After 10th Straight Loss - Bloomberg.com

Fannie Seeks $15.3 Billion in U.S. Aid After 10th Straight Loss - Bloomberg.com: "Feb. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Fannie Mae, the mortgage-finance company under federal conservatorship, said it will seek $15.3 billion in aid from the U.S. Treasury after posting a 10th straight quarterly loss. A fourth-quarter net loss of $16.3 billion, or $2.87 a share, pushed the company to request its fifth draw on an unlimited lifeline from the government..."
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This is going so well. I suppose we can file this in that bulging folder called "lagging indicators"?

HOA? No. The City of Orange.

Orange County's law-breaking landscapers | MNN - Mother Nature Network: "An Orange County, California, couple face steep fines — and possibly jail time — for replacing a conventional grass lawn with drought-tolerant landscaping."
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You might think that a city named after a fruit would be a little more tolerant of an herb garden. But no. Not with all those HOAs around that the city has to imitate!

Wet Mountain Tribune - Protip: weed burner and propane leak don't mix

Wet Mountain Tribune - Page 1 - 2/25/2010: "Alice French, who has lived in the trailer for a number of years, had called her son, Brad, to help thaw a frozen water line. Apparently, Brad was using a weed burner, which is a device hooked to a small propane tank, to thaw the water line under the trailer. “The underside of the trailer caught fire,” said Livengood. “I suspect there was a propane leak under the trailer because Brad reported hearing a ‘whoosh’ immediately before the fire started.” Livengood also said Alice had mentioned smelling propane a few days before."
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And that's a slice of life from Wet Mountain, Colorado.

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - CNN Poll: Majority says government a threat to citizens’ rights « - Blogs from CNN.com

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - CNN Poll: Majority says government a threat to citizens’ rights « - Blogs from CNN.com: "Fifty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say they think the federal government's become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens. Forty-four percent of those polled disagree.

The survey indicates a partisan divide on the question: only 37 percent of Democrats, 63 percent of Independents and nearly 7 in 10 Republicans say the federal government poses a threat to the rights of Americans."
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If we end up with federal government employees running the health insurance industry that number will go up.

Obama May Prohibit Home-Loan Foreclosures Without HAMP Review - Bloomberg.com

Obama May Prohibit Home-Loan Foreclosures Without HAMP Review - Bloomberg.com: "Feb. 25 (Bloomberg) -- The Obama administration may expand efforts to ease the housing crisis by banning all foreclosures on home loans unless they have been screened and rejected by the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program.

The proposal, reviewed by lenders last week on a White House conference call, “prohibits referral to foreclosure until borrower is evaluated and found ineligible for HAMP or reasonable contact efforts have failed,” according to a Treasury Department document outlining the plan."
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How does this "ease the housing crisis"? All it does is keep people in the homes they can't pay for. The HAMP program isn't really making all that big a difference.

Aloha Segregation - The Editors - National Review Online

Aloha Segregation - The Editors - National Review Online: "A bill expected to pass the House today with overwhelming Democratic support would accomplish something peculiar for a liberal republic in the 21st century: It would partly disenfranchise a portion of one state’s residents, create a parallel government for those meeting a legislated criterion of ethnic purity, and would portend the transfer of public assets, land, and political power from those who fail to satisfy the standard of ethnic purity to those who do. For these reasons and many more, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act richly deserves opposition."
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This is a conservative perspective on what I think could turn out to be an interesting law--if it passes the Senate and gets President Obama's signature. The fact that he was born in Hawaii and grew there makes it especially intriguing.

Climate scientists withdraw journal claims of rising sea levels | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Climate scientists withdraw journal claims of rising sea levels | Environment | guardian.co.uk: "Scientists have been forced to withdraw a study on projected sea level rise due to global warming after finding mistakes that undermined the findings."
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This past six months has just been one blow after another to the scientific basis for global warming. Personally, I think there has been a clear warming trend since 1850 or so. But you have to question the most dramatic predictions, which appear to rest on projections from data that have some significant problems.

Bad economies in states to worsen: governors | Reuters

Bad economies in states to worsen: governors | Reuters: "The situation is fairly poor for a lot of states around the country. In fact, most states,' Vermont Governor Jim Douglas, who is chairman of the association, said at a press conference at its annual meeting.

'What we're finding out from a fiscal standpoint is that the worst is yet to come,' Douglas said.

In a survey conducted last week of 45 of the 50 states, the group found that states have $18.8 billion of budget gaps yet to be closed in fiscal 2010. This comes after they have already imposed measures to eliminate budget imbalances totaling $87 billion in the fiscal year, which for most started last summer.

In the budgets they are drafting for fiscal 2011, states foresee shortfalls of $53.6 billion and for fiscal 2012 $61.6 billion."
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And there is more of this "lagging indicator" stuff. This one's different, folks. This isn't cyclical. It's structural.

Banks in Calif., Ill., Fla., Texas are shut down - Yahoo! Finance

Banks in Calif., Ill., Fla., Texas are shut down - Yahoo! Finance: "WASHINGTON (AP) -- Regulators shut four banks from California to Florida on Friday, boosting to 20 the number of U.S. bank failures this year following the 140 closures last year in the worst financial climate in decades."
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And the carnage continues.

Does deal with feds encourage foreclosures?

Does deal with feds encourage foreclosures?: "A bank can make a bigger profit by foreclosing on a homeowner rather than modifying the mortgage, according to two California real estate entrepreneurs. They blame a sweetheart deal that a new bank negotiated with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

The California men produced a video that has now gone viral on the internet, outlining a sweetheart deal for billionaire investors who came together to buy out troubled IndyMac Mortgage Services. The newly formed OneWest Bank haggled with the FDIC to buy out IndyMac's mortgages for 70 cents on the dollar, then convinced the feds to cover nearly all their losses with at least 80 cents on the dollar of the original loan values."
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The video link is here.

San Diego Reader | Home Owner Association Horror Stories

San Diego Reader | Home Owner Association Horror Stories: "In a way, the whole HOA is a sucker’s game set up by a collusion of developers and local governments. Unpaid HOA boards use HOA assessment fees to pay for what should be the municipality’s responsibility, such basics as roads, electricity, sewage, and water. Developers create high-profit, high-density housing and then hand it over, lock, stock, and all financial and legal responsibilities to these amateur boards not only to run what often amount to million-dollar businesses, but also to keep on paying property taxes to local government for the infrastructure services those authorities didn’t actually have to provide or keep up. No wonder cities love them just as much as developers. No wonder HOA-run condo complexes have mushroomed sixfold, from 7000 in California 20 years ago to about 43,000 today, housing around 10 million, maybe a quarter of the state’s entire population."
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The San Diego Reader's Bill Manson lays down the smack on HOAs. Quite a story. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.

Printing money, local currencies, communities and the economy - MSN Money

Printing money, local currencies, communities and the economy - MSN Money: "Last year, two Detroit tavern owners were sitting at the bar, sampling their beverages and bemoaning the local economy -- no one in the city had cash, and when they did, they spent it in the suburbs. Then the pair hit on a solution: Print their own money.

It is, after all, perfectly legal for anyone to issue currency, as long as it doesn't look too much like a U.S. dollar. Thus was born the Detroit cheer, a local scrip accepted by a handful of city businesses, including a pizzeria, an electrician and a doggy day care center."
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I think this story ends with people exchanging live pigs for baskets of apples.

Move Over China: Beijing Sells Whopping $34.2 Billion Treasuries In December As Japan Becomes Largest Official Holder Of US Debt | zero hedge

Move Over China: Beijing Sells Whopping $34.2 Billion Treasuries In December As Japan Becomes Largest Official Holder Of US Debt | zero hedge: "Gradually we are getting confirmation that Chinese 'posturing' about offloading US debt is all too real. The most recent TIC data confirmed the Treasury's greatest nightmare: China is now dumping US bonds. In December China sold $34.2 billion of debt ($38.8 billion in Bills sold offset by $4.6 billion in Bonds purchased), lowering its total holdings $755.4 billion, the lowest since February 2009, and for the first time in many years relinquishing the top US debt holder spot to Japan, which bought $11.5 billion (mostly in Bonds, selling $1.4 billion Bills) bringing its total to $768.8 billion."
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Frustrated Owner Bulldozes Home Ahead Of Foreclosure - Cincinnati News Story - WLWT Cincinnati

Frustrated Owner Bulldozes Home Ahead Of Foreclosure - Cincinnati News Story - WLWT Cincinnati: "The Moscow man used a bulldozer two weeks ago to level the home he'd built, and the sprawling country home is now rubble, buried under a coating of snow.

'As far as what the bank is going to get, I plan on giving them back what was on this hill exactly (as) it was,' Hoskins said. 'I brought it out of the ground and I plan on putting it back in the ground.'"
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Hey, fair is fair.

Las Vegas Mayor Goodman rejects Obama invitation - KTNV ABC,Channel 13,Las Vegas,Nevada,News,Weather,Sports,Entertainment,KTNV.com,Action News .:.

Las Vegas Mayor Goodman rejects Obama invitation - KTNV ABC,Channel 13,Las Vegas,Nevada,News,Weather,Sports,Entertainment,KTNV.com,Action News .:.: "Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) - Mayor Oscar Goodman has refused an invitation to meet with President Obama when he arrives in town on Thursday. Mayor Goodman called President Obama a slow learner after he told Americans not to blow money on a weekend in Las Vegas if they were saving to put their kids through college.

'I've got other things to do quite frankly for my constituents here in Las Vegas who rely on me to do the right thing as a mayor,' explained Mayor Goodman."
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No beer and apologies for Mayor Goodman...

National Debt, Budget Deficit Scary Forecast for Taxpayers: Obama to Sign Fiscal Reform, Economists Predict Cutbacks, Tax Increases - ABC News

National Debt, Budget Deficit Scary Forecast for Taxpayers: Obama to Sign Fiscal Reform, Economists Predict Cutbacks, Tax Increases - ABC News: "Over the past year alone, the amount the U.S. government owes its lenders has grown to more than half the country's entire economic output, or gross domestic product.

Even more alarming, experts say, is that those figures will climb to an unprecedented 200 percent of GDP by 2038 without a dramatic shift in course."
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The CID revolution was accelerated by measures that cut or capped property taxes. Imagine what kinds of institutional changes are in store for us. These gigantic deficits at all levels of government will force cuts in services that we think today are essential, and tax increases that we think nobody could afford.

States renege on local aid

States renege on local aid: "“For the last three recession cycles, it’s been common for states to reduce financial support for local governments during the recession, and once they come out of it, they restore most of what they’ve cut,” says Michael Pagano, dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois-Chicago. This time is different. Now local officials are wondering whether that money will ever come back."
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Wondering? Why are they wondering? The money isn't coming back.

Will San Diego go bankrupt?

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence. - Explainer: Are Pensions Fair Game in Bankruptcy?: "Since last fall, talk of municipal bankruptcy has wormed its way back into public debate at the city of San Diego."
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The city has a $2.1 billion obligation to the public employee pension funds. There is a difference of opinion over whether they can make this go away by filing for municipal bankruptcy.

In Elkhart, Ind., Fear for the Day When Housing Aid Ends - NYTimes.com

In Elkhart, Ind., Fear for the Day When Housing Aid Ends - NYTimes.com: "ELKHART, Ind. — Over the next six months, the federal government plans to wind down many of its emergency programs for housing. Then it will become clear if the market can function on its own.

People here are pretty sure the answer will be no."
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Me, too. I'm pretty sure the answer will be NO in CAPS. On the bright side, though, there are great YouTube videos on how to pitch a tarp-tent and live off fried wood lice. So we do have options to that suburban lifestyle.

My Way News - Schools face big budget holes as stimulus runs out

My Way News - Schools face big budget holes as stimulus runs out: "SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The nation's public schools are falling under severe financial stress as states slash education spending and drain federal stimulus money that staved off deep classroom cuts and widespread job losses.

School districts have already suffered big budget cuts since the recession began two years ago, but experts say the cash crunch will get a lot worse as states run out of stimulus dollars.

The result in many hard-hit districts: more teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, smaller paychecks, fewer electives and extracurricular activities, and decimated summer school programs.

The situation is particularly ugly in California, where school districts are preparing for mass layoffs and swelling class sizes as the state grapples with another massive budget shortfall."
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So how does the national economy recover? State and local governments and school districts across the nation are standing on swiss cheese.

World may not be warming, say scientists - Times Online

World may not be warming, say scientists - Times Online
“The temperature records cannot be relied on as indicators of global change,” said John Christy, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, a former lead author on the IPCC.
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So now the "deniers" include "a former lead author on the IPCC" and another scientist "who was invited by the panel to review its last report." And there are many others as well, who say that the temperature measurements upon which the global warming theory is based "are contaminated with surface effects from industrialization and data quality problems. These add up to a large warming bias."

I guess it is time for the global warming crowd to fire up their sarcasm machine, throw some ridicule bombs, and launch the ad hominem missles. Because, as Al Gore says, the debate is over. Except that it isn't.

Climategate U-turn: Astonishment as scientist at centre of global warming email row admits data not well organised | Mail Online

Climategate U-turn: Astonishment as scientist at centre of global warming email row admits data not well organised | Mail Online: "# Data for vital 'hockey stick graph' has gone missing
# There has been no global warming since 1995
# Warming periods have happened before - but NOT due to man-made changes"
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But other than that...

Desolate malls, empty offices may come soon - Real estate- msnbc.com

Desolate malls, empty offices may come soon - Real estate- msnbc.com: "Over the next several years, failed commercial real estate loans could litter American cities with empty stores and office complexes, cause hundreds of bank failures and weaken the economy, a watchdog report says.

Banks face up to $300 billion in losses on loans made for commercial property and development, according to a report released Thursday by the Congressional Oversight Panel."
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Nice to see somebody waking up to this situation. I've been predicting a commercial real estate meltdown, but maybe it will be a slow collapse. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.

Scourge of global warming skirts all 50 of the United States

OU Student Collecting Pictures of Snow in All 50 States - NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |: "Marsh, a student employee at the NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, is currently trying to collect photos of snow on the ground in all 50 states.

'On Friday afternoon, I'm going to begin asking for photos of the snow,' Marsh said. 'Hopefully I'll get photos from all 50 states, and if I do, I'll put them into a Google Earth map and make a snow snapshot of America.'

Marsh said Florida is the only state without snow on the ground at this point, but he said two to four inches of snow is forecasted on Friday in some parts of the state. There is currently even snow on some of the mountain tops in Hawaii."
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Ritz-Carlton to close 5-diamond Las Vegas hotel in May

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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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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

Obama aide Rahm Emanuel in trouble not for #$%^&* comment but for saying 'retarded' | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times

Obama aide Rahm Emanuel in trouble not for #$%^&* comment but for saying 'retarded' | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times: "&@#$*&"
What a &@#$*& jackass.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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 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?

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.

Gallup Daily: Obama Job Approval

Gallup Daily: Obama Job Approval
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.