Selected by urbantrekker

• Most Topular Stories

• You Too Can Be a Morning Person

  Real Simple Daily Tip

  Ayren Jackson-Cannady

  9 May 2012 | 8:10 am

  Don't let that alarm clock get you down. These 10 tips will help you wake up ready to greet the day.

• Sugar Hiiiiiiiiighs!!!!!

  Cyburbia | Urban Planning Community

  dandy_warhol

  16 May 2012 | 11:43 am

  I don't tend to eat a lot of sugary substances so when I do I can almost pinpoint the moment it enters my bloodstream. La la la la LAAAAAAAAA! Are you prone to sugar highs? I remember reading - SQUIRREL! - about a study that showed that there was no evidence about the effects of sugar on children. Apparently they didn't include my nephew in that study. You can totally tell when he has ingested large amounts of sugary substances.

• Weiss/Manfredi & HM White's BBG visitor's center in the WSJ

  Archinect - News

  Barry Lehrman

  16 May 2012 | 12:55 pm

  The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, entering its second century, is hardly a novice at branding, but at the new Visitor Center it is exercised with comprehensive aplomb. … the green roof is no small engineering feat. With a pitch of up to 27 degrees, it requires complicated networks of special soils held in place with cleats and geo-nets involving drip irrigation systems woven into capillary fabrics, and other impressive techniques with specialized vocabularies known only to au courant gardeners… The Wall Street Journal embraces eco-technical gardening while finding a way to point out…

• Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects to revamp London's Olive Road

  Building Design - All News

  16 May 2012 | 9:03 am

  £6.8 million project aims to “reinvent the suburban semi”

• Portman Prize Awarded to Georgia Tech Architecture Student - Patch.com

  ARCHITECTURE NEWS - Google News

  16 May 2012 | 10:56 am

  Portman Prize Awarded to Georgia Tech Architecture StudentPatch.comForgoing a traditional narrator, “John Portman: A Life of Building” relies on interviews with architecture and art critics, business associates and Portman himself to tell the story of the remarkable career of the acclaimed Atlanta architect.

• 

  Real Simple Daily Tip

• You Too Can Be a Morning Person

  Ayren Jackson-Cannady

  9 May 2012 | 8:10 am

  Don't let that alarm clock get you down. These 10 tips will help you wake up ready to greet the day.

• 

  Cyburbia | Urban Planning Community

• Sugar Hiiiiiiiiighs!!!!!

  dandy_warhol

  16 May 2012 | 11:43 am

  I don't tend to eat a lot of sugary substances so when I do I can almost pinpoint the moment it enters my bloodstream. La la la la LAAAAAAAAA! Are you prone to sugar highs? I remember reading - SQUIRREL! - about a study that showed that there was no evidence about the effects of sugar on children. Apparently they didn't include my nephew in that study. You can totally tell when he has ingested large amounts of sugary substances.

• Gar(b)age Sales

  Maister

  16 May 2012 | 6:59 am

  I confess I like to shop garage sales. It's a good way to be frugal and re-using things instead of buying new stuff is environmentally responsible behavior. That said, the idea of holding our own garage sale turns my stomach like sour milk. What a hassle! Seems like donating all the stuff we no longer want to a place like Goodwill would 1) take a mere fraction of time required for a garage sale, 2) would permit us to name the value (to a point) and take it as a tax write-off; 3) wouldn't have to deal with those god-awful chiselers (like me) always trying to get everything for nothing. Anywho,…

• State planning grants or loans

  urbanidea

  16 May 2012 | 6:34 am

  I'm looking for examples of state urban redevelopment planning grants or loans. Suggestions on state's with good models? Thanks for sharing.

• Happy birthday prana

  Maister

  16 May 2012 | 5:30 am

  Happy Birthday!

• Graduate school choice for landscape and architecture: Ball State or UMass

  lashoolc

  15 May 2012 | 2:05 pm

  I have a question regarding to school choice for my friends (international student). She has been accepted by both Ball state university or Umass for graduate study in Landscape and Architecture. Ball state university (3 years, $500 scholarship) and Umass (in Amherst, 2 years, no scholarship nor financial aid) . She has very hard time to decide. Can you please help her to see which school she should choose in term of employment (intership) opportunity? Any suggestion will be highly appreciated ! :)

• 

  Archinect - News

• Weiss/Manfredi & HM White's BBG visitor's center in the WSJ

  Barry Lehrman

  16 May 2012 | 12:55 pm

  The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, entering its second century, is hardly a novice at branding, but at the new Visitor Center it is exercised with comprehensive aplomb. … the green roof is no small engineering feat. With a pitch of up to 27 degrees, it requires complicated networks of special soils held in place with cleats and geo-nets involving drip irrigation systems woven into capillary fabrics, and other impressive techniques with specialized vocabularies known only to au courant gardeners… The Wall Street Journal embraces eco-technical gardening while finding a way to point out…

• OMA-designed CCTV Headquarters in Beijing completed

  Archinect

  16 May 2012 | 10:40 am

  It is a very big day for Rem Koolhaas and the entire OMA team, as their iconic CCTV building in Beijing—OMA's largest project so far—is being officially completed today. ↑ CCTV/OMA, photographed by Iwan Baan Here is the official release we just received from OMA: Today OMA participated in the official construction completion ceremony for the China Central Television (CCTV) Headquarters in Beijing, which will start to be used later this year. Designed by OMA as a reinvention of the skyscraper as a loop, construction on the building began in 2004. At approximately 473,…

• NY's Whitney Museum Adds a New Shipping Container Art Studio Designed by LOT-EK

  DianePham

  16 May 2012 | 7:42 am

  This week the Whitney Museum inaugurated a brand new exhibition and studio space designed by shipping container architects-extraordinaire LOT-EK. An ultra-modern and eco-friendly addition to complement the museum's 1960s concrete brutalist construction, the new structure was commissioned by the Whitney as a space where the museum could hold special exhibits and house activities for the Whitney education program. More about the project here.

• …China changes you

  Metropolitan Monk

  16 May 2012 | 7:35 am

  MovingCities interviews Dutch architect John van de Water – NEXT ARCHITECTS China – about his book “You can’t change China, China changes you” [010 publisher, 2012]. The book is a a formidable page-turner telling the story of a three-year long architectural discovery in and of China. In the interviews John van de Water talks about his motives to write the book, to come and a set-up office in China, the tension he feels between a Dutch/Western and a Chinese approach to architecture and talks about the discovery and rethinking of two basic design parameters that…

• A Brief History of John Baldessari

  Orhan Ayyüce

  15 May 2012 | 7:43 pm

  John Baldessari believes every young artist should know three things: 1. Talent is cheap 2. You have to be possessed which you can't will 3. Being in the right place in the right time A brief History of John Baldessari, an artful documentary voiced over by Tom Waits because "he has a great voice." previously on Archinect; 1, 2, 3, 4

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  Building Design - All News

• Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects to revamp London's Olive Road

  16 May 2012 | 9:03 am

  £6.8 million project aims to “reinvent the suburban semi”

• OMA's CCTV building completes in Beijing

  16 May 2012 | 7:05 am

  Rem Koolhaas and ex-partner Ole Scheeren take credit on OMA’s largest project yet

• GBS Architects completes dementia care home

  16 May 2012 | 7:03 am

  Oxford facility is a first for the city

• Use authorities to get your wages, RMJM boss advises staff

  16 May 2012 | 1:35 am

  RMJM engineers lodge claims with Dubai’s Ministry of Labour

• Hodder to be next RIBA president

  16 May 2012 | 1:27 am

  Manchester architect only one to stand for post

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  ARCHITECTURE NEWS - Google News

• Portman Prize Awarded to Georgia Tech Architecture Student - Patch.com

  16 May 2012 | 10:56 am

  Portman Prize Awarded to Georgia Tech Architecture StudentPatch.comForgoing a traditional narrator, “John Portman: A Life of Building” relies on interviews with architecture and art critics, business associates and Portman himself to tell the story of the remarkable career of the acclaimed Atlanta architect.

• China's distinctive CCTV headquarters is completed - KWQC 6

  16 May 2012 | 9:33 am

  China's distinctive CCTV headquarters is completedKWQC 6Construction of CCTV's new headquarters officially concluded Wednesday - 10 years after Dutch architectural firm OMA envisioned a skyscraper that would symbolize China's rise on the world's stage. Like the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube - signature and more »

• Architecture Billings Index goes south - Business First

  16 May 2012 | 6:44 am

  Architecture Billings Index goes southBusiness FirstAfter five months of positive numbers, the American Institute of Architects' Architecture Billings Index has fallen into negative territory with a score of 48.4 for April. Any score above 50 represents an increase in billings for the month.and more »

• Enterprise Architecture Solutions: Redefining Enterprise Architecture Management - SYS-CON Media (press release)

  16 May 2012 | 12:42 am

  Enterprise Architecture Solutions: Redefining Enterprise Architecture ManagementSYS-CON Media (press release)By Business Wire Enterprise Architecture Solutions Ltd, sponsors of The Essential Project, have today announced the release of Essential Architecture Manager Version 3, a step-change for the world's leading, free-of-charge, open source enterprise and more »

• Hyatt Announces 2012 Beijing Architecture Forum - EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 am

  Hyatt Announces 2012 Beijing Architecture ForumEON: Enhanced Online News (press release)Coinciding with the “Pritzker Architecture Prize”, which is often called “the Nobel Prize of architecture,” the conference will be co-hosted by the Beijing Municipal People's Government and the Hyatt Foundation; and jointly organized by the Beijing and more »

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  Architecture News

• North Ridgeville hires URS to inspect sewer line

  16 May 2012 | 2:28 pm

  The city will pay URS Corp. about $122,000 to use cameras to inspect about 40,000 linear feet of sewer line running to the French Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Sheffield Village.

• Portman Prize Awarded to Georgia Tech Architecture Student

  16 May 2012 | 11:28 am

  The well-received documentary, "John Portman: A Life of Building," recently was screened at the Atlanta Film Festival and on May 23 will air on Georgia Public Broadcasting.

• Parsons Brinckerhoff To Manage Ann Arbor Bridges Project

  16 May 2012 | 6:29 am

  Parsons Brinckerhoff has been awarded a contract by the City of Ann Arbor in Michigan to provide project management and construction engineering services for the East Stadium Boulevard bridges replacement project.

• Parsons Brinckerhoff sweeps 8M worth of High Speed 2 systems contracts

  16 May 2012 | 2:29 am

  Scheme promoter HS2 Ltd has awarded two design contracts to Parsons Brinckerhoff worth A 8M in total under Lot 2 of its Professional Services Framework covering Railway Systems Design Services.

• Standard & Poor's Announces Changes in the S&P/TSX Canadian Indices

  15 May 2012 | 10:24 pm

  The shareholders of Flint Energy Services Ltd. have accepted the $CDN25.00 cash per share offer from URS Corporation .

• 

  INHABITAT

• Massive Whale Sculpture Pops Up in Patagonian Forest, Warns of a Species Under Threat

  Leon Kaye

  16 May 2012 | 1:20 pm

  Adrián Villar Rojas is a master at creating massive sculptures of clay, wood and cement that remind us about the uncomfortable relationship humans have with nature. My Family Dead, a representation of a life-sized blue whale in the forest outside of his native Ushuaia, Argentina is one such example. When you are not moved by the suffering the magnificent creature appears to have endured, the tree stumps protruding around and out of the whale’s body spark curiosity over what was there first – the whale or the trees. Read the rest of Massive Whale Sculpture Pops Up in Patagonian…

• Zipper8Lighting Transforms Hundreds of Soda Can Tabs into Glowing Lampshades

  Helen Morgan

  16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm

  Zipper8Lighting saved hundreds of soda can tabs to create these shimmering eco-friendly lampshades, which emit a warm glow from beneath the layers of reclaimed materials. The tabs are carefully attached to a cylindrical plastic shade, and when the light shines through it creates a simple but dazzling effect. Hopefully the designer didn’t have to drink all of that soda on their own! Read the rest of Zipper8Lighting Transforms Hundreds of Soda Can Tabs into Glowing Lampshades Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: eco design, eco friendly lamps, etsy, green design, green lamps,…

• Artist Creates Epic Cityscapes Using Vintage Letterpress Pieces

  Lori Zimmer

  16 May 2012 | 12:10 pm

  Read the rest of Artist Creates Epic Cityscapes Using Vintage Letterpress Pieces Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: cityscape sculpture, David B. Smith Gallery, Denver art, eco design, eco-art, green design, Hong Seon Jang, letterpress sculpture, recycled art, recycled sculpture, sustainable design

• Pakmat is a Green Air Mattress that is Stored Inside its Own Air Pump

  Mark Boyer

  16 May 2012 | 11:20 am

  Do you enjoy camping but find it hard to get a good night’s sleep? The Pakmat is a comfortable, eco-friendly, and compact product ideal for outdoor enthusiasts, as well as for emergency use during disaster relief efforts. There is no need to carry a separate pump or rely on an electrical power source, because the PakMat uses a handheld pump with human energy to inflate the bed. It’s the first air pump that is specifically designed to act as a clean storage unit for the airbed it is designed to inflate. + AeroBed Pakmat The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want…

• Wij krijgen Kippen’s Giant Egg Wanders Amsterdam to Provide Green Energy Education

  jeroen bisscheroux

  16 May 2012 | 11:00 am

  “Wij krijgen Kippen,” which roughly translates from the Dutch to ”we pick up chickens,” has an unusual educational tool for informing the public about energy usage — their giant egg wanders through the streets of Amsterdam, and nests itself everywhere that local energy is generated. The group’s objective is to help the borough of Amsterdam Zuid transition from traditional energy sources to new, locally produced green energy. Supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, Wij krijgen kippen is comprised of a growing group of…

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  Planetizen - Urban Planning, Design and Development Network

• Should the Bay Area Have Four Million More Residents?

  Jonathan Nettler

  16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm

  Noting the Bay Area's relatively slow growth rate over the past two decades, Timothy B. Lee argues that the area's "bad housing policies" are harming business growth and investment opportunities in Silicon Valley.read more

• What Does "Creative Placemaking" Look Like?

  Tim Halbur

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Launched one year ago, ArtPlace works to accelerate creative placemaking by making grants and loans. So what does that actually look like on the ground? A new video from ArtPlace gives a glimpse of what they've accomplished so far. read more

• Cities Fight Over Shrinking Convention Pie

  Jonathan Nettler

  16 May 2012 | 11:00 am

  Despite a dramatic decline in the number of, and attendance at, conventions nationwide, cities across America are investing their limited resources in building and upgrading convention centers. Fred A. Bernstein explores the irony.read more

• What Are (Realistic) Options For Federal Transportation Funding?

  Irvin Dawid

  16 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  With the unlikely possibility of the Congressional conference committee agreeing to a new transportation bill, much less an agreement to address the decreasing gas tax revenues to the Highway Trust Fund, Kathryn Wolfe looks at the remaining options.read more

• The Dangers of Walking While Poor

  jerinbrent

  16 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  Low income people are more likely to get hit by cars. Kate Hinds reports on the social and infrastructural factors responsible for the disparity.read more

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  Jetson Green

• Paar House Takes National Green Award

  Preston

  16 May 2012 | 12:13 pm

  This home by North Carolina-based Chandler Design-Build was named Project of the Year in the Small Volume Single Family category of the 2012 National Green Building Awards.  Certified to both Energy Star and the National Green Building Standard, Paar Residence was built with a panelized, double-stud wall system and “serves as a showcase for a cutting-edge, air-to-water heat pump combined with a radiant heat and water heater application,” according to the NAHB.  Plus, it’s a good example of “mainstream green,” said NAHB, with a traditional look that’s…

• Low-VOC Light Sheetrock for Easy Install

  Preston

  15 May 2012 | 11:07 pm

  It turns out lighter gypsum wallboard sells well.  In July 2010, USG Corporation tested the market for Sheetrock UltraLight panels, which are anywhere from 15-24 pounds lighter per panel depending on the size, and they outsold heavier product, according to NYSE Magazine.  Since then, the panels have rolled out to several Home Depot stores and a 40% lighter joint compound was introduced in January this year. In terms of green attributes, the non-combustible core is made with recycled content and the face and back paper is 100% recycled.  In addition, the panels qualify as a low-VOC emitting…

• Clayton Homes Intros Home Energy Guide

  Preston

  14 May 2012 | 11:52 pm

  Clayton Homes, maker of the popular i-House, is the largest producer of homes in the country and accounted for 7% of homes constructed in 2011, according to the annual report of parent Berkshire Hathaway.  They have a large residential footprint, and their efforts to educate home purchasers can go a long way.  So it’s great to learn of their recent announcement of a new home energy label along the lines of what we’ve discussed previously with other builders. The following Home Energy Guide has been rolled out across the country to every new home the company has on display.

• SpinRay Offers UL Listed Solar Appliance

  Preston

  14 May 2012 | 12:43 am

  This is the first and only UL-listed, 120-volt, plug-and-play solar kit in the world, according to SpinRay Energy.  The DeckPower120 comes with one, 240-watt solar panel and can be hung on a deck or elsewhere outdoors using a simple mount bracket.  The system allows for up to 1,300 watts of AC power with five solar panels and should qualify for available federal (and sometimes state) tax credits. Upon installation and plugging into a standard 120-volt outlet (with a continuous use cover), the DeckPower120 starts producing energy for your home. Of course, safety is a critical point of…

• Efficient New Homes, Enormously Overbuilt, Container Contention, + Ecological Games

  Preston

  12 May 2012 | 3:32 pm

  Game over for our climate. Upset over a shipping container house. Planners say U.S. is overbuilt in big houses. Path dependence and the stupidity of LED light bulbs. Does a green credential matter for new products? Building new homes with a HERS Index of 58. Living large in a 133-square-foot home. Solar is number one in Europe. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for updates, article summaries, newsworthy links, and other site news. Also, check out the latest green jobs in our list. Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com: Solar Decathlon: Let The Games Begin! Efficient Modular Zero Homes in Maine…

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  Design feed

• 96 Sq. Foot Finnish Micro-Cabin Built Small To Forego Permits

  Kimberley Mok

  16 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Looking anything but a shack, this minimal but stylish lakeside cabin was built to be just small enough so that it wouldn't require a permit.

• Tiny, Rundown Attic Space Becomes Stunning Rooftop Apartment

  Sami Grover

  16 May 2012 | 3:43 am

  This Barcelona apartment shows that a little vision can create luxury in the unlikeliest of spaces.

• London's Raw Craft Show Focuses on the Essence of Furniture Making

  Bonnie Alter

  16 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  Working in an age of austerity, these furniture makers focus on pure, honest design.

• What We're Looking For at ICFF and New York Design Week

  Lloyd Alter

  15 May 2012 | 7:41 am

  It's a lot more than just furniture.

• A Unique Patch of Native Forest Survives at the Heart of America’s Largest City

  Paula Alvarado

  15 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Smaller than world famous urban green spaces like Central Park or Tijuca, the Trianon park in Sao Paulo holds the native richness of the land before development.

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  WebUrbanist

• Infamous Footwear: 20 Pairs of ‘Fashion Backward’ Shoes

  Delana

  16 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  [ By Delana in Design & Products & Packaging. ] Oh, the ways women suffer for fashion. One of the most egregious perpetrators of fashion crimes is none other than that object of burning desire, that target of endless lust: the shoe. Shoe designers, like fashion designers, often go for over-the-top looks without really considering functionality. These well-heeled examples are often high on form but short on function, though some manage to come up short in both departments. (image via: Virtual Shoe Museum) Although most people would want to avoid attracting small children to the…

• Mini Rube Goldberg Machine Makes Cool Travel Companion

  Steph

  15 May 2012 | 6:00 pm

  [ By Steph in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ] A man takes a seat on a park bench and opens a pair of suitcases, carefully adjusting a few things inside, placing a few small objects in just the right spot. Then an alarm clock sounds, a pencil comes down onto a trigger and the most entrancing sequence of events takes place, one after the other. Melvin the Mini Machine is the creation of Dutch design studio HEYHEYHEY, and it’s possibly the coolest portable Rube Goldberg machine ever invented. As music starts playing, the choreographed movements begin, flinging objects from one of…

• Sub(limb)inal Criminals: Faux Legs, Arms & Heads as Art

  Steph

  15 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  [ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ] Whether they’re just the arms of a mannequin attached to inanimate urban objects or gory, all-too-realistic hands clutching violent video games, severed limbs are definitely one way to grab the attention of passersby on the street. Detached body parts appear in street art in ways that are both humorous and disturbing. Artist Mark Jenkins is known for using heads, torsos and other body parts for jaw-dropping installations highlight the plight of the homeless or just have fun with unexpected visuals, like the mannequin with a ‘Do…

• Migrant Skyscrapers Roll Up City Streets Inside Giant Wheels

  Urbanist

  14 May 2012 | 6:00 pm

  [ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ] Skip all practical considerations for a second and suspend any disbelief – now imagine what a truly nomadic urban society might look like, devoid of concerns of safety and perhaps some laws of physics. Damian & Rafa? Przyby?a present one such implausible but inspiring vision in the form of a huge vertical halo wrapping in a ring around each building, placing fourth in this year’s Evolo design competition. Their somewhat fanciful future includes the possibility of political (but apparently not structural)…

• Salt Sculptures: 12 Stunning Artworks by Motoi Yamamoto

  Steph

  14 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  [ By Steph in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ] To many people around the world, salt is just a substance that makes food taste better. But to the Japanese, it’s deeply symbolic, an indispensable part of death rituals that imparts purification of the body and soul. Artist Motoi Yamamoto draws upon the role of salt in his culture, using it as a art medium that he painstakingly packs into sculptures or squeezes into intricate drawings. The artist aims to confront viewers with the reality of death, in the form of stark white installations that mimic trailing vines, networks of neural…

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  Art Deco Buildings

• 78 Junction Street, Nowra

  David Thompson

  16 May 2012 | 1:25 am

  A lovely pair of Art Deco shops at 78 Junction Street, Nowra on the south coast of New South Wales.See my prints and t-shirts at www.redbubble.com/people/dct66 and tees and other giftware at www.zazzle.com/davidt66*.

• Roxy Cinema, Nowra

  David Thompson

  12 May 2012 | 7:41 pm

  The Roxy Cinema was opened in 1938. Reference: Nowra Historical Walk Brochure, Shoalhaven City CouncilSee my prints and t-shirts at www.redbubble.com/people/dct66 and tees and other giftware at www.zazzle.com/davidt66*.

• Flats, Goulburn

  David Thompson

  11 May 2012 | 9:48 pm

  I love the porthole windows in the garage door of this block of flats in Goulburn.See my prints and t-shirts at www.redbubble.com/people/dct66 and tees and other giftware at www.zazzle.com/davidt66*.

• A House on the Golf Links Estate, Camberwell

  David Thompson

  11 May 2012 | 4:25 am

  This Spanish Mission style house on Camberwell's Golf Links Estate has a wonderful gate.See my prints and t-shirts at www.redbubble.com/people/dct66 and tees and other giftware at www.zazzle.com/davidt66*.

• Imperial School Photo, Phoenix

  David Thompson

  9 May 2012 | 2:03 am

  Looking a bit sad.See my prints and t-shirts at www.redbubble.com/people/dct66 and tees and other giftware at www.zazzle.com/davidt66*.

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  Freshome.com - Interior Design & Architecture Newsletter

• Beachaus I : LEED Platinum Prefab House by Pb Elemental

  Mihai

  16 May 2012 | 8:43 am

  Seattle-based studio Pb Elemental has recently completed the Beachaus I project for InHaus Development. Distinctly sexy, and functionally chic, this architecturally designed “LEED Platinum” sustainable home is the first of its kind in White Rock’s East Beach community south of Vancouver in British Columbia. Located 200 meters from Semiahmoo Bay, this two-story prefab home was designed for an active family and smart, efficient living. Designed by award winning green Architect Pb Elemental, this ultra contemporary 2085+ sqft 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom homes include a large separate…

• Wooden Textiles : Beautiful Innovation by Designer Elisa Strozyk

  Mihai

  16 May 2012 | 4:37 am

  Initially when you look at these pictures you might think that it could be paper, but in fact it’s actually wood. How cool is that ? These amazing pieces were created by Elisa Strozyk, a young designer from Germany, that is able to turn blocks of wood into delicate paper-like material. So far she has created wooden rugs, bed covers, table cloths and is working on a line of wooden clothes. Elisa Strozyk has been researching ways to provide wood with textile properties in testing methods to make wood flexible and soft, or interweave textile elements. One of the processes to design a flexible…

• 30 Poolside Terrace Ideas to Get Your Home Ready for the Summer

  Lavinia

  16 May 2012 | 2:58 am

  source Vertice Arquitectos Pool terraces are one of the most spectacular ways to expand your home and give it that fresh, holiday feel. And since summer is just around the corner, what better way to welcome it, than preparing our crib for the great moments that come with the season. For today, we decided to dedicate a post to those of you thinking of building a poolside terrace, or remodeling your existing one. We put together a post with thirty photos, each of them displaying ideas that should get you inspired, whether you choose to go with an infinity pool design, or a small pool surrounded…

• 30 Creative Ways of Bringing Letters and Words Into Your Home

  Lavinia

  15 May 2012 | 8:40 am

  Since the cold season is acting up, we thought we would find some decorating ideas that will keep you indoors, enjoying every minute. Bringing letters and words into your home is a great way to add freshness and creativity. This is why, for today, we gathered quite a few colorful and creative interiors, all of them featuring writing decorations. Whether you choose to integrate a single significant letter in your home, or go with a message or a phrase that takes up an entire wall of a room, the result will bring an original touch. Letters of any size and color make for great additions in the…

• Sophisticated Holiday Retreat in the French Alps: White Pearl Chalet

  Lavinia

  15 May 2012 | 6:33 am

  As we are slowly approaching summer, we find these photos of  White Pearl Chalet highly refreshing. Designed by Philippe Capezzone and located between the village of Val d’Isère and the Funival funicular in La Daille, in the French Alps, the rustic home we decided to feature in this post inspires peacefulness and relaxation. Once inside, a potential visitor is likely to be impressed by the elegant interior design blending rustic details with a high level of comfort. The open plan living and dining space sets the tone for a memorable experience. Exposed wooden beams, fluffy cushions, a…

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  Dornob

• Tiny Prefab Hut Keeps North Pole Researchers Warm + Cozy

  Delana

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  [ Filed under Portable & in the Architecture category ] The time-worn adage about necessity and invention is one that may induce some eye-rolling, but it is undeniably true. This is particularly the case in arctic zones which are often extremely inhospitable to humans – yet we as a species continue to venture there in order to learn about our world. To support the mission of these intrepid Arctic explorers, 2-B-2 Architecture designed the Arctic Mobile Unit. The small pre-fab unit provides life support for three people for up to 15 days. Researchers would share the tiny living…

• Conversation Pieces: Puzzling Wall Murals of Tableware

  dornob

  15 May 2012 | 8:00 pm

  [ Filed under More & in the Art of Design category ] Typically, tableware is self-contained in terms of its design, either uniform across a set or at least forming a complimentary series set around the table. These pieces are all parts of a larger puzzle, and could spark quite the discussing during either eating or cleanup at a large meal. Ceramist Molly Hatch uses historical images from major museums as the basis for her pieces, so a savvy art historian might notice something familiar in each part of the whole. Note that though she displays these in museums as well, they might be even…

• Cocoon House Expressively Combines Lines, Curves & Green

  dornob

  15 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  [ Filed under Ultramodern & in the Architecture category ] It starts with a fluid central volume with operable circular windows and skylights for seasonal weather-based temperature flexibility, then spawns a series of additional indoor and outdoor spaces. Scheduled to be constructed on the coast of South Korea by 2015, Planning Korea let each sub-structure reflect its function with respect to the whole, including party rooms, work spaces, bedrooms and lounges that jut out at angles in each direction. A green roof also varies in height, rising toward one end of the site and sinking into…

• Scary Penthouse Bathroom Sits on 15-Floor Elevator Shaft

  dornob

  14 May 2012 | 8:00 pm

  [ Filed under Interiors & in the Bathrooms category ] There is certainly a joke in here somewhere about being scared into going to the bathroom, but you can certainly sort that out for yourself having seen this death-defying floor. Hernandez Silva Arquitecto saw an opportunity in a strangely-unused secondary elevator shaft when updating this top-floor residence, illuminating the void below and situating it (oddly) square with the bathroom above. Nearly as remarkable as the downward view is the lack of pizzazz in the space itself – a simple red-and-white color scheme is almost…

• Unboxed: Surprisingly Spacious Flat-Pack House on Wheels

  dornob

  14 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  [ Filed under Portable & in the Architecture category ] The renderings are as matter-of-fact as the design: a no-nonsense, use-all-spaces approach to mobile and quickly-deployed housing by Mehdi Hidari Badie. The non-directional configuration contains all of the basics centered around a core volume of space – supplementary wings on either side and raised decks front and back. Adjustable metal legs support the primarily wood-and-glass frame structure, adaptable to different ground conditions when the wheels are raised. Solar panels are a clearly dominant feature, providing full…

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  Ask the Builder

• May 15, 2012 AsktheBuilder Newsletter & Tips

  Tim Carter

  15 May 2012 | 7:27 am

  This past weekend Mother Nature treated the Northeast to some delightful spring weather. Saturday and Sunday were spectacular, with Saturday one of those stunning clear days. We get fall in reverse up here. Right now all the deciduous trees that are crimson, orange, yellow, etc. in the fall are various shades of green. The picture below does not do it justice. I should have taken the photo on Saturday when there was less haze. It's stunning to see in person. Next weekend, I'll be volunteering for another worthy cause - The Seacoast Bike Tour. It's a two-day event put on by the Breathe New…

• AsktheBuilder.com Shed Videos – Get Involved!

  Tim Carter

  14 May 2012 | 9:59 am

    Get Involved! Just click that link and get involved in helping to create the most authoritative set of DIY Shed Videos known to man! Help me so I can help you. It's that simple.

• How to Remove Algae

  Tim Carter

  14 May 2012 | 7:53 am

  DEAR TIM: My house must be a magnet for algae. I have green algae on the shaded parts of my deck, it's on my patio and on my vinyl siding. Furthermore, I believe there's black mildew on my siding. Then there's the roof. I have black streaks of algae up there. How can I safely remove the algae from all these surfaces without harming me, my pets and my plants? I've heard I should use bleach, but something tells me that this is not the right approach. What would you do? Caroline B., Jackson, MS DEAR CAROLINE: I have some algae issues at my own home. I have two decks, one on top of another. The…

• May 8, 2012 AsktheBuilder Newsletter & Tips

  Tim Carter

  8 May 2012 | 5:26 am

  I spent the end of last week discovering a way that you and I can start to collaborate on all sorts of exciting building and remodeling projects. I'm blazing a trail into uncharted territory using a new platform called Kickstarter.com. What does all this mean to you? If everything goes as planned, you're going to be treated to some great video content that I've wanted to create for you for years, but simply didn't have the resources to do it. The brilliant minds behind Kickstarter.com have solved that problem. As you can imagine, it's pretty exciting for me to be right at the brink of having…

• Concrete Pier Design

  Tim Carter

  7 May 2012 | 7:51 am

  DEAR TIM: I've heard all kinds of things from friends about concrete foundation piers. To say the least, I'm confused. Some say you just dig a hole and fill it with concrete. Others say you need to be sure it's the right size and shape. Still others say you need to include steel in it. Can you tell me why one would use concrete piers and how you would install them? Are there any products that make it easy for a homeowner? Krista B., Wake Forest, NC DEAR KRISTA: I'm sure you realize that you need to be careful about taking advice from well-intentioned friends. This is true even if one of them…

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  Bathroom Remodel DIY Tips and Ideas

• May 15, Bathroom Design Ideas: The power to say I can design My Own Bathroom

  15 May 2012 | 12:36 pm

  Bathroom design ideas to help you prepare for your new bathroom remodel. Find the design ideas that lets you say I can design my own bathroom.

• May 15, Bathroom Tile Idea for Your New Bathroom Remodel

  14 May 2012 | 6:06 pm

  A Bathroom Tile Idea or bathroom tile ideas to get you started on your bathroom remodel

• May 10, Bathroom Remodeling Project - What should i do?

  9 May 2012 | 7:12 pm

  A bathroom remodeling project

• May 9, Looking for new 56" bathtub

  8 May 2012 | 6:17 pm

  My bathtub is 56 wide. I keep searching the web, but the only ones I find to replace that size are stand alones. Very costly. Does anybody know where

• May 9, How do you install marble baseboard tile?

  8 May 2012 | 6:16 pm

  How do you install marble baseboard tile? Do you use thin set mortar? Do you butt the tiles or use a spacer? Do you use grout? Hi Kate - To lay

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  Old House Web Blog

• Discovering the joy of primitive decorating

  Shannon

  10 May 2012 | 10:17 am

  Long before I owned my first old house, I was dreaming about it. Part of the fuel for that dream was a stack of magazines at least two feet tall. These were magazines I had carefully chosen from the racks at the bookstore, the ones that had only the best pictures of old house decorating. The pages I turned to most often were those that showcased the primitive style. My love of primitive style began with a simple gift from my grandmother — a wooden dough bowl. “This bowl has been in our family for generations,” she said. “So take good care of it.” The wood had…

• New York’s skinniest house is a charmer

  Shannon

  2 May 2012 | 12:26 pm

  I grew up in a big farmhouse in Kentucky. It started out as a small, two-bedroom house but grew over the generations. A new bedroom here, a bathroom remodel there, a basement expansion — why not? — and soon the small farmhouse had turned into a big, rambling monster of a thing. I grew up believing that plenty of space was the only way to go. So you can probably imagine my amazement when I read about the house at 75 1/2 Bedford Street in New York City. Considered the smallest house in the City, it is a whopping 9 1/2 feet wide. Inside the house, you get eight feet and seven inches…

• Montpelier: A lesson in historic sleuthing

  Shannon

  26 Apr 2012 | 12:28 pm

  In 1901, members of the duPont family had big plans for their home in Virginia. The 1760 Federal was already impressive, but they wanted something a bit more. So they added another floor on each wing of the home, almost tripling it in size. They reworked the interior to make it more modern. Finally, they chose to cover the brick facade with stucco, a very progressive move at the time. The old Federal mansion was now an even larger mansion, but just as attractive as the original. Before the restoration. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation. The problem? This historic home was once the…

• How to destroy the planet from the comfort of your own home

  Matt Grocoff

  24 Apr 2012 | 1:56 pm

  IS NATURE SAFE FROM OUR HOMES? Homes exist to shelter us from storms, protect us from the elements, and keep us safe from nature. But, is nature safe from our homes? The continent of Antarctica has been losing more than 100 cubic kilometers (24 cubic miles) of ice per year since 2002. Henry Pollack, author of “A World Without Ice” and who with his colleagues on the International Panel on Climate Change shared the Nobel Prize, says that he’s often asked whether he’s concerned that the surge of eco-tourism will damage the ecosystem of Antarctica. He answers that…

• The old-fashioned charm of pressed-tin ceilings

  Shannon

  19 Apr 2012 | 10:13 am

  Tucked away in the tiny town of Centerville, TN is a cafe on the square. Breece’s Cafe has long been a place of pride for the town, and it shows in the historic touches that have been preserved since the building opened its doors in 1946. That building was already old at that point; how old, who knows? Among the beautiful hardwood staircase and the heavy wooden entry door are the things that I consider favorites: The Dr. Pepper sign that stopped working decades ago but still adorns the high walls, and the pressed tin ceilings that rise at least 20 feet above the tables. I have always…

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  Home Addition

• Review of Master Mechanic's Rotary and Oscillating Tools

  TheBuilder

  15 May 2012 | 6:31 am

  By Mark J. DonovanOver the weekend I got to try out Master Mechanic's new Rotary Tool and Oscillating Tool. Both tools are perfect for the workshop or toolbox. They are also ideal for small crafts projects. They are light weight and easy to hold. Changing bits is also a snap. Each tool comes with a host of accessory bits, blades and sanding materials.Look for them at True Value Stores starting on Fathers Day weekend. They can be purchased separately or as a combo pair. For a complete written and video review, see my article titled "Master Mechanic's Rotary and Oscillating Tools…

• Lower Level Remodel vs Building a Room Addition

  TheBuilder

  11 May 2012 | 3:44 am

  Does it Make More Sense to Remodel your Lower Level than Building a Room AdditionBy Mark J. DonovanIt depends. Remodeling your lower level to create a finished basement living space is typically less expensive to do than building a room addition off the side or back of your home. However, if you have major water issues around your home’s foundation then it could become quite costly to have to excavate and install a perimeter drain around the entire house foundation. If your basement is truly dry then a lower level remodel is the way to go for creating more finished living space, albeit…

• How to Find a Good Bathroom Remodeling Contractor

  TheBuilder

  10 May 2012 | 3:36 am

  Finding the Right Bathroom Remodeling Contractor is Key for a Successful Bathroom Renovation Project By Mark J. Donovan If you’re planning a bathroom renovation project, and you don’t plan on doing the work yourself, it’s important you find the right bathroom remodeling contractor for the job. Hire the wrong one and you could find yourself living through a nightmare. Common problems when hiring the wrong bathroom remodeling contractor include cost overruns, poor craftsmanship, schedule slips, extended interruptions to your home and family due to the schedule slips, and many…

• Finding a Reliable Kitchen Remodeling Contractor

  TheBuilder

  8 May 2012 | 10:23 am

  How to Find a Kitchen Remodeling Contractor that You Can Count OnBy Mark J. DonovanIf you’re planning a kitchen remodeling project and you don’t want to get taken for an emotional and economical ride, it’s imperative that you hire a kitchen remodeling contractor that is truly professional and ethical. Here’s how you screen for a reliable kitchen remodeling contractor.Make sure any kitchen remodeling contractor you interview is a licensed contractor in the state you live in, and confirm that they have proper insurance. Second, check with your local better business bureau or local…

• Be Wary when Hiring a Deck Installation Contractor in the Spring

  TheBuilder

  6 May 2012 | 4:08 am

  Spring time is Peak Demand for Hiring Decking ContractorsBy Mark J. DonovanFinding and hiring a decking contractor in the spring time can be quite the challenge. Homeowners are anxious to start enjoying their decks again, and deck contractors have had all winter to book their spring schedules. Consequently spring time is the most important time of the year to be vigilant about whom you hire for installing a deck. Many guys that can barely use a hammer, saw, and carpenters square often jump into the deck construction business because the barrier of entry is so low. For the naive homeowner that…

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  Home Improvement Blog

• Ceramic Tile vs. Porcelain Tile

  Susan

  15 May 2012 | 1:33 pm

  by StonePeak Ceramics If you were taking the verbal section of the SAT, one of the questions might look similar to this:  A square is to a rectangle, as ___________ is to ceramic tile. The answer of course would be porcelain tile.  Much like a square has stricter credentials, however still meets the qualifications of a rectangle, porcelain tile is just that.  While porcelain tile fits the description of ceramic tile, it takes it a step further in differentiating itself from its close relative. So what’s the Difference? What qualifies something as ceramic tile?  Ceramic tile is usually…

• Kohler’s Contemporary Valet

  Dave

  14 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  by Mecc Interiors The Margaux Valet, K-16257 Though it would seem that Kohler’s Margaux collection is not new, the first time I was introduced to the fabulous valet was at this year’s K|BIS show.   I thought that it was perhaps new to Canada, but it seems that valets simply aren’t popular enough to warrant being pointed out. One of the things I love about the Margaux, aside from the absolute simplicity, is the functionality.  The hanger portion lifts off, making it moveable, while the base remains in place as an extra wall hook!  So one could install multiple valets in various…

• Mr. Rooter Plumbing Weekly TIP: Commercial Faucets and Fixtures

  Dave

  11 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  Plumbing tips aren’t hard to come by, but plumbing tips from the experts are. Mr. Rooter Plumbing has dedicated the space below to answering your questions with knowledge that comes from years of experience. Weekly Plumbing Tip: Commercial Faucets and Fixtures Do your commercial fixtures and faucets meet requirements set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? To be ADA-compliant, commercial faucets must be operable with one hand using no more than five pounds of force. Some commercial fixtures may be governed by height requirements, allowing proper reach and use for people in…

• The Chameleon Cupboard

  Dave

  10 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  by MeCC Interiors Porro's Chameleon Cupboard, designed by Front New from Italy’s Porro is the Chameleon Cupboard, a collaboration with the Sweden’s Front.  Like any chameleon, this cupboard is ever-changing. As Front describes it: “The new Chameleon unit is a magic volume, constantly opening on itself as the game of the Chinese boxes, changing appearance and revealing new finishes…  it consists of a central wood crate, covered by leather layers, which used as hinges, allows it to turn and be revolved, changing its colour and look according to the specific mood.” Exterior views…

• K|BIS 2012 – Kohler’s Bathroom Music

  Dave

  9 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  by Mecc Interiors A close-up of the StereoStik's control panel. Lots of updates and ideas from K|BIS over the next few days,  some of which are new-to-market and some new-to-me. For those who love music and want to hear it all the time, Kohler introduced a couple of great ideas for the those without whole house speakers: StereoStik™ (K-2958) and the Fountainhead® VibrAcoustic™ 72″ drop-in bath (K-1152). It bears immediate mention that the StereoStik (SS) was designed to be used with the CL series of medicine cabinets as a way to “bring audio entertainment to the bathroom in one…

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  The Kitchen Designer

• Joss and Main - Scandinavian Rug Sale

  Susan Serra, CKD

  10 May 2012 | 9:37 am

  We are excited to announce the sale of our rugs fir the first time on Joss and Main - a special sale for the next 72 hours. The rugs that we have curated in our web shop, Scandinavian Made, have these characteristics in common: They are hand woven by an individual artisan All the rugs, whether vintage or new, are made in Sweden They are made with wooden looms They are exclusively runners of different lengths and widths They reflect the unique artistic aesthetic of the weaver and are an original piece of art They have been carefully curated by me (Susan) and Kelly Donovan with our eyes focused…

• Kitchen Design Consulting

  Susan Serra, CKD

  11 Apr 2012 | 1:40 pm

  I've just opened up my schedule to do kitchen design consulting for homeowners who need smart solutions for tough kitchen design issues. I have offered this service before and have helped many homeowners work through important design, construction, product issues and more. To avoid mistakes, design errors or just to get that second opinion to help work through a project that you may only do once or twice in your life, is certainly invaluable. Taking this step makes good sense in the "big picture" of your project. I've purposely reduced my workload in a few significant ways, so I have a little…

• InSinkErator Instant Tap for New Moms

  Susan Serra, CKD

  14 Mar 2012 | 7:33 pm

  We've posted before about our affinity for the InSinkErator instant tap.  However, the lovely folks at InSinkErator were kind enough to send over another unit and this devotion was taken to new heights immediately upon installation.  To clarify, this is the home of a second time new mom, with a newborn and a toddler under the same roof.  For the uninitiated, that means the need for lots and lots of purified water, both cold and hot, meals on the table before you can say "I don't want pasta tonight, mom!" and most importantly, an abundance of coffee.

• Tile Trends - A Brief History Of The Kitchen Backsplash

  Susan Serra, CKD

  13 Mar 2012 | 2:03 pm

  Everywhere I look, I see small rectangular tile used on backsplashes and upper walls in the kitchen. It's getting a little bit worrisome to me. It's worrisome because, having been a kitchen designer since the very late 80s, I have perspective. Perspective helps my clients, and I hope it helps you too. It started (my professional association with tile) with 4x4 ceramic glazed tiles and pretty fruit and vegetable or flower designs, often seen with corner motifs, sort of that Country Floors look. Definitely gorgeous. Funny, I'm seeing it more and more frequently again and it's still every bit as…

• Introducing Scandinavian Made - Unique Ceramics & Hand Woven Rugs

  Susan Serra, CKD

  8 Feb 2012 | 8:53 pm

  As you’ve no doubt noticed, we’ve recently added the newest member to our family of brands under the Susan Serra Associates umbrella, Scandinavian Made.  You’ve heard us talk at length about Scandinavian design and style, as it’s the foundation of not only our heritage but our professional aesthetic as well.   Leveraging this passion, we are now bringing the best of authentic Scandinavian handcraft to your home with a carefully curated selection of one-of-a-kind vintage & newly woven rugs, and handcrafted ceramics direct from a select group of…

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  About.com Home Repair

• Low VOC Paint - The Healthy Choice

  14 May 2012 | 6:32 am

  Some house paints, especially alkyd or oil based enamel paints, contain high amounts of VOC's which can be dangerous. There are some alternative paints available that have very low to practically no VOC content. Also there are non-toxic organic paint alternatives you can consider. But beware of the marketing hype! Like "organic" foods a lot of manufacturers use the term "Low VOC" as more marketing hype than truth....Read Full Post

• Thinking of Finishing Out Your Basement?

  7 May 2012 | 3:49 pm

  Thinking of renovating your basement? If you are you'll need to make sure you have a dry basement which I explain how to achieve in the tutorial Troubleshooting a Wet Basement....Read Full Post

• Refinishing Your Wood Deck

  5 May 2012 | 1:31 pm

  Celebrate the upcoming Memorial Day holiday on your new refinished wood deckand then enjoy the rest of the summer! Refinishing a wood deck is a great summer project that will improve your outdoor living space and extend the life of your deck which is a significant investment in your home. Deck refinishing includes several steps such as: inspection, basic deck board repair (if needed), initial deck board cleaning / brightening, deep cleaning with a power washer, sanding, staining / sealing and the celebration BBQ! There are several tricks and tips I outline for you in How to Refinish a Wood…

• Repairing that Broken Garbage Disposal

  1 May 2012 | 1:59 am

  The garbage disposal is taken for granted but once it stops working we realize how essential an appliance it has become. When this little workhorse stops working dish cleanup can becomes a big inconvenience....Read Full Post

• Friezé to Level Loop and All Carpet in Between

  25 Apr 2012 | 4:52 pm

  We all love the wide variety of carpet styles available but besides the obvious element of color, do you know what creates the different looks of carpet such as the Friezé shown here?...Read Full Post

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  Rambling Renovators

• Oldie: Mini Chair Makeover

  Jen @ RamblingRenovators

  16 May 2012 | 4:30 am

  To celebrate five years of blogging fun, I'm reposting some of my favourite posts this week. Hope you enjoy them the second time around! ***** Originally posted March 24, 2010 8 months, 148 nail tacks, 7 feet of flexible tacking strip, 1.5 yards of fabric, 1 quart of paint, and 2 bloody fingers to take this: to this  and finally this: It's not perfect, but its done :) This is my first reupholstery job and I learned a few things like: - flexible tacking strip is probably well suited for regular sized furniture but is a pain in the butt for a mini chair like this one - flexible tacking…

• Oldie: The Organized Garage

  Jen @ RamblingRenovators

  15 May 2012 | 4:30 am

  To celebrate five years of blogging fun, I'm reposting some of my favourite posts this week. Hope you enjoy them the second time around! ***** Originally posted August 11, 2008 Having spent a lot of time in the garage this past weekend, I finally took a good look around the place. This is the one room that HandyMan was left on his own to 'decorate', and I have to admit, he's done a really good job. Aesthetically, the place is fine, all wood and... sawdust. Functionally though, the place is just awesome. HandyMan has a few organizing tricks up his sleeve. Like those shelf brackets above. See…

• 5 Years

  Jen @ RamblingRenovators

  14 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  Can you believe I forgot my own 5 year blogging anniversary?? Yes, I did. April 23, 2007 is when I started writing this little old blog. Who knew I would still be here, 5 years later? Not me. I'd like to thank each and every one of you who have dropped by here, read a post or two, and left me a comment. You might not realize it, but you make my day. I'm incredibly thankful for all the friendships and opportunities this blog has brought my way. My life wouldn't be the same without it. Funny, but I look around my house and memories of it are intertwined with the blog. Like how HandyMan fell…

• BlogTalk: Privacy

  Jen @ RamblingRenovators

  10 May 2012 | 8:36 pm

  I have to say I was touched by the response to last week's BlogTalk on Honesty. It can be scary when you put yourself out there, but your responses were unexpected and encouraging. Its nice to know that we share much in common and some of you have the same worries and fears. Thank you all for that. Some of you mentioned this topic in last week's comments and its one I think about constantly. There is a line between being honest and keeping private that we tread as bloggers. You want to connect with your readers, share with them. Over time, your readers get to know you. They know what you look…

• Thursday Random

  Jen @ RamblingRenovators

  9 May 2012 | 8:28 pm

  I'm consumed with planning for BlogPodium so today all I have energy for is a random photo post. A few snippets of my life lately. With the basement being worked on, things aren't where they're supposed to be and clutter is everywhere. Case in point: the play kitchen is in Chloe's bedroom and she play cooks all hours of the day and night. I'm happy she's enjoying the kitchen we made her. I'm just wondering when that "clean up" gene kicks in. Chloe and I made some thank you cards a few weeks ago for the birthday gifts she received. Is there anything cuter than seeing little kid signatures?

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  This Old House: How-To And Repair

• How to Install a Ceiling Fan

  12 Jul 2012 | 6:00 am

  A step-by-step guide to putting in a versatile and stylish fixture

• How to Lay a Cork Floor

  5 Jul 2012 | 6:00 am

  An eco-friendly floor that's also easy on the feet

• How to Install a Front-Entry Flagpole

  28 Jun 2012 | 6:00 am

  Hanging the Stars and Stripes will give your house a nice seasonal touch of classic Americana. Here's how

• How to Paint a Room

  21 Jun 2012 | 6:00 am

  Give your interior a new personality in just one weekend

• How to Build an Outdoor Bar Cart

  14 Jun 2012 | 6:00 am

  Offer guests cocktails and brews by wheeling out this dedicated serving station

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  Kitchen Remodeling Ideas Blog

• Kitchen Appliances

  8 May 2012 | 8:46 am

  The latest in kitchen appliances, as well as the old standbys, can be a daunting choice. Find out what's available before you ...

• Kitchen Countertop Ideas, So Many Choices

  8 May 2012 | 8:45 am

  Granite, Soapstone, Tile? With so many choices it's important to get as many kitchen countertop ideas as possible, but where do you ...

• Kitchen sinks are a major part of a kitchen remodel

  8 May 2012 | 8:44 am

  Kitchen sinks have their own styles and are made from a variety of materials.

• Range Hoods, The Selection Is Amazing

  8 May 2012 | 8:43 am

  The available selection of range hoods is immense. Not only in the designs but also the materials . From copper to ...

• Most Popular Kitchen Flooring Choices

  8 May 2012 | 8:42 am

  Kitchen flooring can make a dramatic impact. Find out which one is the best for you.

• 

  GARDENING - Google News

• Concord landscape designer offers tips on vertical gardening - San Jose Mercury News

  Google Inc.

  16 May 2012 | 1:15 pm

  Concord landscape designer offers tips on vertical gardeningSan Jose Mercury NewsAs a landscape designer, Morrison has mastered the art of making use of small space to accommodate all sorts of plants using her simple design philosophy: creating unique and sustainable gardens that fit her clients' lifestyles.Teach your child to be a gardenerLake Country Calendarall 2 news articles »

• Horticultural heroes: Master Gardeners dig deep for answers - DL-Online

  Google Inc.

  16 May 2012 | 10:57 am

  Kansas City StarHorticultural heroes: Master Gardeners dig deep for answersDL-OnlineMaster Gardener Tom Reiffenberger works on a garden in the Detroit Lakes City Park that is maintained by Master Gardeners in the area. When Ardella Triebenbach's children were younger, they were heavily involved with 4-H. Therefore, she was as well.Browne: Garden tour, GAP training and farmers marketsOpelika Auburn NewsStearns County Master Gardeners Plant SalePrinceton Union EagleMaster Gardener Plant Sale proves a successTCPalmBemidji Pioneer -Innisfil Scopeall 14 news articles »

• Lincolnville gardener sold on raised beds - Marion County Record

  Google Inc.

  16 May 2012 | 11:59 am

  Lincolnville gardener sold on raised bedsMarion County RecordShe said 95 percent of the gardening she does is done with raised soil. She said the raised beds allow for better drainage and can be filled with lighter soil. A fenced-in area in front of the berm home contains beds growing multiple flowers and shrubs and more »

• Tiarella, or foamflower, does double duty in the shade garden - Christian Science Monitor

  Google Inc.

  16 May 2012 | 5:39 am

  Christian Science MonitorTiarella, or foamflower, does double duty in the shade gardenChristian Science MonitorBoth Tiarellas are favorites with gardeners who have shade. By Gene Bush / May 16, 2012 The creeping types of Tiarella or foamflower, such as Running Tapestry, shown, spread to cover woodland gardens without crowding out other plants.

• Binetti's Compleat Home Gardener: Make your tomatoes hot and precocious to ... - Bonney Lake and Sumner Courier-Herald

  Google Inc.

  16 May 2012 | 1:15 pm

  Binetti's Compleat Home Gardener: Make your tomatoes hot and precocious to Bonney Lake and Sumner Courier-HeraldBy MARIANNE BINETTI The third week in May has gardeners sending in a lot of great questions on their way to creating beautiful gardens. Here are easy answers to the most-asked questions this spring: Q. Why do some Exbury azaleas go straight to leaf and

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  WashingtonGardener

• Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day May 2012

  WashingtonGardener

  15 May 2012 | 9:45 am

  Here are a few interesting blossoms in my garden this morning. Took these between the rains. We are finally getting some decent precip here in the Mid-Atlantic USA (Zone 7), not just a few spits here and there. I have so much flowering right now, but this is what caught my eye... Nigella (Love in a Mist) -- I threw these seeds in my sidewalk median strip a few years ago, they finally came up for me. I love the true-blue color and the delicate foliage of this plant. Verbena bonariensis (aka Brazilian Verbena or Verbena-on-a-stick) self-seeded along my…

• Great Plant Bargains at GardenMart

  WashingtonGardener

  11 May 2012 | 7:46 pm

  Silver Spring Garden Club's annual GardenMart Plant SaleSaturday, May 12, 2012, 9:00 am - 1:00 pmBROOKSIDE GARDENS - Visitor Center grounds at 1800 Glenallan Ave, Wheaton, MDFREE to attend• Perennials• Herbs• Native Plants• Shrubs• Annuals• Heirloom and Select Tomatoes + Peppers• House Plants• Bedding Plants• Vegetables• Hanging BasketsMother’s Day GiftsFABULOUS Garden RaffleRain or ShineCash or Check only. (Note: No ATM on site.)GREAT Pricing!ALL of our plants are LOCALLY grown and sourced. Many are from member's own gardens and are proven to thrive in our…

• Fenton Friday: Update from my Community Garden Plot

  WashingtonGardener

  11 May 2012 | 10:54 am

  First tomato plant of the season - tip break up eggshells for extra calcium in the plant hole and put in the plant support at same time, because adding the support later can damage the roots and your plant. This one is 'Azoycha' a Hungarian variety I got from a plant swap. one perfect Cherry Belle radish Pile of weeds - just a few scattered around my plot, but they add up especially if you don't keep on top of them.

• Video Wednesday: Bird Bath

  WashingtonGardener

  9 May 2012 | 1:32 pm

• Kill Weeds with Vinegar

  WashingtonGardener

  7 May 2012 | 10:26 am

  We've shared this tip before in Washington Gardener Magazine, but I thought it was worth repeating here for any newbie gardeners:Vinegar is a safe, cheap, and easy weed-killer. This works best on a sunny, not windy day. Spraying with vinegar (full strength from the hardware/cleaning supply stores, not the grocery store kind) with a dash of dish soap added for "clinge." Spray on in the morning and let the sun "fry" the weeds all day. Wait a few days for full die-back and then pull them. This is so helpful in border places like on a fence line and along pavement cracks where…

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  Personal finance news - CNNMoney.com

• Stay-at-home mom fights credit card rule

  16 May 2012 | 9:41 am

  After nearly five years managing her family's finances, Holly McCall, a 34-year old stay-at-home mother of two from Vienna, Va., never thought she would have trouble getting a credit card.

• As student loans grow, so does leadership pay

  16 May 2012 | 9:40 am

  Students graduating with mountains of debt this month might want to ask why their university presidents make so much money.

• A Harvard MBA's radical quest to erase his debt

  16 May 2012 | 7:42 am

  B-school grad Joe Mihalic went on an extreme financial diet to pay down over $90,000 in debt in just seven months and charted his story through an anonymous blogging project.

• Should I stop funding my Roth?

  16 May 2012 | 7:34 am

• 20 weird reasons to quit your job

  16 May 2012 | 7:25 am

  Leaving to take a better offer elsewhere is nice, but pretty dull compared to climbing Mount Everest, or joining the circus.

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  AllFinancialMatters

• A Real-Life Example of People Thinking with Their Hearts and Not Their Brains

  JLP

  16 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  Yesterday’s link to the article about people not saving for retirement, brought back the following memory. I remember back when I was in high school, my dad telling me about how my cousin had withdrawn something like $30,000 out of her Walmart retirement account in order to buy a new car. I know new car prices were nowhere near $30,000 back then so I’m not sure why she took out so much unless she just cashed out. Anyway, based on 20% withholding and a 10% penalty (I believe both existed back then), she would have lost $9,000 right off the top. Then, she would have spent…

• Half of All Americans Aren’t Doing a Thing for Retirement?

  JLP

  15 May 2012 | 9:59 am

  If this is true, it’s sad: Half of All Americans Aren’t Doing a Thing for Retirement Half?!? I’m pretty sure SOME of those people COULD save something if they really wanted to. I don’t know about you but this makes me concerned for our future as a country.

• Interesting: Hope and Poverty

  JLP

  15 May 2012 | 7:36 am

  I read this short piece from the Economist this morning: Free Exchange: Hope Springs a Trap Bottom line: in order for people to move out of poverty, they must have hope. Sounds “new-agey” but it makes a lot of sense. And, in my opinion, being on the government dole has the opposite effect of creating hope. Being told by politicians that you NEED what they have to offer, forces you to become dependent.

• OT: My Daughter’s Mother’s Day Card for Her Mom

  JLP

  14 May 2012 | 10:38 am

  I thought this was pretty funny. It’s the card my daughter made for her mom for Mother’s Day. I think the reason she didn’t just start over with a new piece of paper is becuase that was teh only piece of paper she had that was that size. Anyway, I laughed a lot over this one yesterday. Oh, and I came to the full realization that she is my daughter…hahaha. Anyway, I hope all the moms out there had a very happy Mother’s Day! Sorry this is late. I tried to post this yesterday but wasn’t at my computer and I couldn’t get the picture to upload via my iPad.

• A Little Music to Start Off Your Weekend

  JLP

  11 May 2012 | 4:07 pm

  Love this classic:

• 

  American Consumer News

• Party Planning on a Budget

  Debbie

  20 Apr 2012 | 11:32 am

  Being on a budget is no reason to sacrifice fun or creativity. In fact, some of the best party plans are the result of the need to pinch a few pennies. Here are few ideas to help jumpstart your own creative process. What’s In a Theme? Setting a theme for the night instantly makes it more festive! If you have a large group, a taco night can be a cost effective alternative without sacrificing delicious food. Beans and rice will help fill up your crowd while also providing a tasty vegetarian option. Throw a “Fire and Ice” party and ask all female guests to wear something red while male…

• Summer Fun on a Budget

  Debbie

  19 Apr 2012 | 7:11 pm

  If a full summer vacation is out of reach financially this year, don’t rule out all types of summer entertainment.  There are still many things you can do during the warm summer months to have fun and feel like you are enjoying a vacation or break from the typical routine while still keeping to your budget.  Here are some ideas for summer fun on a budget to get you started, what can you come up with? Camp Out – there’s nothing stopping you from pitching a tent in your backyard or sleeping in your camper even if you can’t take an official trip this year.  Have a small campfire,…

• Finished Your Taxes? It’s Time to Prepare for Next Year

  Debbie

  18 Apr 2012 | 6:38 pm

  The 2011 tax season has officially come to an end, but before you shove everything into a fire safe box or a box at the bottom of your closet – it’s time to prepare for next year’s taxes.  You probably just want to put the finances behind you and breathe a sigh of relief that it’s over for another year – but you can take small steps now to make future tax years easier and less stressful. Set Up a Simple Filing System Having just finished your taxes, you probably have a good idea what kind of receipts and paperwork you needed to gather in order to finish filing.  Instead of waiting…

• How to Save on a Family Movie Theater Excursion

  Debbie

  18 Apr 2012 | 8:20 am

  Taking the family out to the movie theater is no longer an affordable activity the whole family can enjoy. The cost of movie tickets is high and the concession costs are even higher. It can be costly experience even for a family of four once you factor in food and drinks for everyone in addition to the admission fee for the movie. You can easily rack up $100 worth of expenses for a two hour night out on the town. Here are some ways you can cut costs at the theater and still treat your entire family with a flick: Go for the Matinees If you have several theaters in your area, scan the newspaper…

• Yes You Can Save on Organic Products

  Debbie

  16 Apr 2012 | 8:17 am

  With an increased focused on better health, many consumers want to do the right thing and choose better products and foods to feed their family. However, many complain that the cost of buying organic foods exceeds the cost of regular processed foods and they feel there is no way to start eating better, safer foods. It is important to first know what organic means. Organic relates to how the food is grown and involves the farming methods used. Crops must be grown without certain pesticides, man-made fertilizers, sludge, and other elements to be labeled organic. Livestock raised for food must…

• 

  Washington, D.C. Business News - Local Washington, D.C. News | The Washington Business Journal

• Covington & Burling signs letter of intent for CityCenterDC

  16 May 2012 | 12:36 pm

  CityCenterDC has landed Covington & Burling as an anchor tenant at its $900 million mixed-use redevelopment at the old convention center site in D.C., the project's developer said Wednesday. Covington has signed a letter of intent to lease between 350,000 square feet and 400,000 square feet in the development, according to a real estate sources familiar with the deal signed Tuesday. Bill Alsup III, senior vice president at Hines, confirmed the letter but declined to discuss terms of the deal. Representatives...

• Potomac Mills adds restaurant plaza

  16 May 2012 | 11:58 am

  Bobby's Burger Palace and Cheesecake Factory will open freestanding restaurants at Potomac Mills in a new plaza on the mall's south side and adjacent to its main entrance. A third restaurant for the new plaza is yet to be announced. It will be Bobby's third location in the Washington area and its first in Virginia. There are Bobby's Burger Palace locations in D.C. and College Park. Construction on the new Potomac Mills plaza will start this month and is expected to be completed by November.

• Washington Post's Don Graham sitting on big slice of Facebook

  16 May 2012 | 11:46 am

  Facebook Inc.'s initial public offering is going to make some young people rich. And it’s going to make some old rich people richer. Among that second group: Washington Post Co. CEO Don Graham, who is sitting on 1 million restricted shares of the social media giant. Graham, a Facebook board member, is going to have to wait a bit longer to realize a profit from the initial public offering, since those shares “are subject to vesting conditions not expected to occur within 60 days of March 31,...

• Maryland House passes income tax hike, teacher pension shift

  16 May 2012 | 11:45 am

  Maryland's House of Delegates passed bills on Wednesday hiking the income tax rate on higher-income Marylanders and transferring a portion of teacher pension costs from the state to counties. The passage of the bills concluded a brief special session convened by Gov. Martin O’Malley after lawmakers failed to agree on a budget during the regular General Assembly session which ended in April. The House passed both bills handily. Delegates approved the tax increase bill, Senate Bill 1802, by a 77-60...

• Central Springfield renewal: Restaurants, hotels replace blight

  16 May 2012 | 11:30 am

  A revitalized gas station is rarely something to celebrate. Neither is a Noodles & Co., or a Homewood Suites. But when they all go up at the same time, on the same block along the same aging commercial corridor, it suggests a revival is stirring. Central Springfield’s Old Keene Mill Road corridor, between the Springfield Interchange and Commerce Street, was crushed a decade ago with the launch of the Mixing Bowl overhaul. Restaurants, such as Long John Silver’s, Chi Chi’s and Al’s Place,...

• 

  Frozen Tropics

• Fate of a Salesman Screening Tomorrow

  16 May 2012 | 10:20 am

  I received an interesting email from a man by the name of Ben Crosbie. He's DC filmmaker working on an H Street focused documentary called Fate of a Salesman. Here's the summary from the film's Facebook page: "After 60 years of business, Willie Carswell and his fellow salesmen are fighting to keep their store alive on a rapidly changing street in Washington, DC."He's still working on the final product, but you can view the work in progress tomorrow night at GWU at 7pm. A facilitator will moderate an audience feedback session after the film. Suggested donation is $10.

• A New Day For Ward 5

  16 May 2012 | 7:18 am

  As I'm assuming everyone has heard, Kenyan McDuffie won by a landslide last night. Though I expected him to win, I thought it might be a pretty close election. Through the hard work of a broad coalition of awesome individuals, McDuffie was able to get nearly 45% of the vote. He took home 4,085 votes out of a total of 9,175. The total number of votes in itself was impressive for a special election (especially one held on a rainy day).I'm excited about this because it's a clear mandate for an ethical candidate for Ward 5, and one who will bring a brighter future to all of us. He leans more…

• CP: A Gas Station Grows Near H Street

  11 May 2012 | 8:03 am

  Photo provided by the creators of the Shell No websiteHousing Complex has the latest on that pesky gas station coming to 14th & Maryland. The developer has sought for sometime to build a gas station at that location (which was previously a used car lot). The community has pushed back hard against the idea, even launching a major campaign against it in 2008. The developers have not been the best of neighbors over the past few years, freely allowing a very noticeable homeless encampment to develop.Recently, however, the developers obtained permits to build their station (or actually to…

• Great Video from Kenyan McDuffie for Ward 5

  10 May 2012 | 7:48 am

  I love this video from Kenyan McDuffie. I think it highlights some of what I wrote in my endorsement of him the other day. On a day when some Ward 5 email lists are seeming especially race baity, it's nice to see a video about people coming together.

• WP: Ward 5 Election Comes at an Anxious Time

  10 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  I've been reading and rereading this article while discussing it with friends over email this morning. It's Washington Post coverage of Ward 5 just prior to our special election on Tuesday. Maybe I'm groggy from the meds, but there's a lot that strikes me as absurd about this article. Take a gander, and tell me if I'm off.

• 

  DCBlogs

• DC Blogs Noted

  dcblogs

  15 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  Is this the trend among blogs generally? Your Drop in Comments Explained: The Incredible Shrinking Blog. Stirrup Queens. A Funny Story About My Mom and a 300 square foot studio apartment. Slinderwink on Daily Kos. The Secret to Every Successful Relationship. Sassy Marmalde. What she has learned in her 33 years. Heading into the Unknown. Comparing graduation with swimming in the Anacostia. Deborah Yi. The Mini Cooper as the car of choice in Alexandria. LIT’s Living on Capitol Hill (Hell!?) The earliest photograph of Glover Park, Red Hill, 1861. Glover Park History.

• DC Blogs Noted

  dcblogs

  14 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  Former DC blogger now in NC, writes: It has been a heartbreaking week to be a North Carolinian. Dancing through NC. Also writing on the marriage issue is the Preacher on the Plaza: I see so many of my pastoral colleagues being afraid to say anything at all out of fear of what their congregations might do to them. How does this happen? Terrifying Experience. Collective Action for Safe Spaces, formerly Holla Back DC. Dog Owner Seeks Info on Attack Dog in Glover Park. All Life if Local republishes the story of the incident. The account was originally posted on the Glover Park Listserv. ‘Dark…

• DC Blogs Noted

  magnolia

  11 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  Pretty pictures of fish at I Flip for Food. In the words of the old song, what the world needs now is love, sweet love. Fitting then, perhaps, that Hey, Love brings us this little dose of everyday kindness. The title of this piece could easily be Suburban Sweetheart, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Hamburgers. (Especially that last one…) Another week, another media controversy about mothering. Stirrup Queens wrestles with this week’s highly inflammatory (and NSFW, in your humble editor’s opinion) Time magazine cover. Oh, the dangers of suggestion algorithms. Shopping…

• DC Blogs Noted

  dcblogs

  10 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  Observant reporting: A Five Step Guide to Getting a Girl’s Number on Metro. Adventures of a Florida girl in DC is impressed. From IU to DC shows a little of IU in the post My Brother’s home! From a deployment in Afghanistan. The short story of a short documentary: ”One Day, They will run the world.” Une francophone à Washington. The blogger’s documentary work on women’s issues. Affordable to Whom? About the cost of housing in DC. R.U. Seriousing Me? DC Gentrification Story Goes Global, reports DCentric.

• DC Blogs Noted

  dcblogs

  8 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  First, The Girl With the Red Stethoscope must deal with the identity theft problem, and then there’s the strange smell in the apartment. That post is called: This Day Just Keeps Getting Better and Better. Average Blogger writes: Long story short: I had an opportunity, I blogged about it, and that was the end of that. A Wash of Paint gets past the theft of her iPhone on the Metro and looks at the broader issues and emotions. She writes: You never know how you’ll react in those situations, and I did the best I could. I did fight back, even if I didn’t fight back enough, and at the…

• 

  DCist

• Kenyan 'The Mailman' McDuffie Delivered

  Martin Austermuhle

  16 May 2012 | 1:45 pm

  Kenyan McDuffie, a former letter carrier, can truly be said to have delivered during yesterday's win in Ward 5's special election. [ more › ]

• Arts Agenda

  Angela Kleis

  16 May 2012 | 1:30 pm

  Artomatic is the big news and big opening this week. But don't overlook The Subliminal Seduction of Spring, a tour of MidCity Artists and more. [ more › ]

• This Week in Jazz

  Sriram Gopal

  16 May 2012 | 1:20 pm

  Atlas pays tribute to Gil Evans, Veronneau CD release, Kris Funn and Darius Jones @ the Caverns—all that and more is happening This Week in Jazz. [ more › ]

• And the Readers' Pick for Politics & Prose Is...

  Benjamin R. Freed

  16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm

  What It Was, George Pelecanos' latest hard-boiled detective novel set in 1970s-era D.C., will join Martin and Ben's book picks at Politics & Prose next month. [ more › ]

• Presented By:

  16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm

• 

  Environmental News Network

• European Airlines provide early data on carbon emissions, show slight reduction

  16 May 2012 | 5:42 am

  Airlines operating in and out of European airports have complied with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) and handed over data despite the refusal of carriers from China and India. The airlines have provided emission information ahead of the introduction of mandatory reporting. And according to the latest information provided by Member State registries released today, emissions of greenhouse gases from all installations participating in the ETS decreased by more than 2% last year.

• Radiation and DNA

  16 May 2012 | 5:34 am

  Radiation exposure is not too good for one's health and well being. But how much is enough and how much is deadly? A new study from MIT scientists suggests that the guidelines governments use to determine when to evacuate people following a nuclear accident may be too conservative. The study, led by Bevin Engelward and Jacquelyn Yanch and published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found that when mice were exposed to radiation doses about 400 times greater than background levels for five weeks, no DNA damage could be detected.

• Wind, Solar...Coconuts: Small Island Developing States Commit to Renewable, Sustainable Energy for All

  15 May 2012 | 1:20 pm

  Typically heavily reliant on the cost of high and volatile diesel and fossil fuel imports, small island developing states are also on the front line when it comes to having to cope with climate change. Now they're realizing there's a lot in the way of cleaner, more efficient and less costly power and fuel resources right at home. They're increasingly, if belatedly, establishing ambitious renewable energy programs and setting aggressive targets to employ local renewable energy resources to reduce CO2 and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, working with a range of international development…

• Africa may struggle to extract groundwater, experts say

  15 May 2012 | 11:10 am

  Vast groundwater resources have been revealed in Africa by the first continent-wide quantitative maps. But the resources may not be easily accessible because of political and technical challenges and costs, say experts.

• Collapsing Volcanos

  15 May 2012 | 10:24 am

  The bottom of the sea to many must be perfectly calm and placid. Well maybe not so... Volcanoes on the seafloor can grow or collapse tens of meters in just a few days, a new study has found, suggesting that the seabed is much more unstable than previously thought. Researchers, led by Professor Tony Watts of Oxford University’s Department of Earth Sciences, report in Nature Geoscience how they surveyed the topography of the active Monowai volcano, a submarine volcano on the southwest Pacific Ocean floor near Tonga, in May and June 2011.

• 

  NYT > Environment

• Green Blog: Paul Weston, Founder of Sea Shepherd, s Arrested in Germany

  By WILLIAM MCCAULEY

  16 May 2012 | 1:12 pm

  Paul Watson, the founder and president of the controversial group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is in a German jail, where he is being held on a warrant involving a boating operation in Costa Rica.

• Green Blog: Clouds and Climate, Redux

  By JUSTIN GILLIS

  16 May 2012 | 12:58 pm

  For people further interested the role of clouds in climate, "Atmosphere, Clouds, and Climate," a new book written by Dr. Randall and published by the Princeton University Press, can help.

• Scientist at Work Blog: Artifacts From a Time of Many Droughts

  By LISA J. LUCERO

  16 May 2012 | 12:55 pm

  After finding more water jar pieces, researchers plan their return to Cara Blanca, Belize, to further study the Maya world and how its inhabitants survived multi-year droughts.

• South Kingstown Journal: In Rhode Island, Protecting a Shoreline and a Lifeline

  By JESS BIDGOOD

  16 May 2012 | 11:13 am

  Coastal erosion near Matunuck has imperiled seafront structures and threatened the only road that residents can use to get in and out.

• Boca Sanibeni Journal: Dam Project Would Displace Villages in Jungle Valley of Peru

  By AARON NELSEN

  16 May 2012 | 11:08 am

  A hydroelectric dam supported by the country’s president would send thousands of people to live elsewhere.

• 

  GreenBiz.com Green and Sustainable Business News

• Data spurs competition for high-performance buildings

  Derek Top

  16 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  HonestBuildings.com hopes to jumpstart the commercial-real-estate market by connecting building owners and service providers via data and Web-based tools.

• What is the media's 'brainprint' for sustainability?

  Jennifer Inez Ward

  16 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  The Global Reporting Initiative has recently come out with comprehensive guidelines on sustainability in the media industry, but will major media companies adopt key measures?  

• Why curbing agriculture's climate impacts is a growing challenge

  Stephen Russell

  16 May 2012 | 4:30 am

  So much uncertainty surrounding how to report agricultural emissions hinders measurement and reduction efforts in the sector, spurring the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to develop industrywide best practices.

• How to defeat the massive plug-load monster

  Tolga Tutar

  16 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  The plug-load threat is emerging like a monster against building energy-efficiency efforts. Here are some easy-to-implement, cost-effective ways to tame loads. 

• Sustainability through software: Q&A with SAP's Peter Graf

  Jennifer Kho

  15 May 2012 | 3:40 pm

  In advance of SAP's largest user conference this week, Chief Sustainability Officer Peter Graf spoke with GreenBiz about decoupling emissions from revenue growth, employee engagement and what's next.

• 

  Buildings & Facilities

• How to defeat the massive plug-load monster

  Tolga Tutar

  16 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  The plug-load threat is emerging like a monster against building energy-efficiency efforts. Here are some easy-to-implement, cost-effective ways to tame loads. 

• Cool buildings, parched cities? EDF and AT&T target water savings

  Gwen Ruta

  15 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  A new partnership between EDF and AT&T dives into the looming challenge of water shortages for thirsty commercial buildings. Through a water analysis, AT&T will potentially reduce the water its facilities use by millions of gallons per year.

• The world is running out of water -- now what?

  Jon Freedman

  12 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  The new documentary 'Last Call at the Oasis' shines a light on growing global concerns about water scarcity -- and what companies and governments large and small are doing to keep the glass half-full.

• 

  How can I recycle this?

• How can I reuse or recycle toilet seats?

  louisa

  30 Apr 2012 | 4:14 am

  Apologies for the break in blogging – I’ve been super busy with other things over the last month. And in my absence, Recycle This had its sixth birthday! Happy Birthday website! :D Anyway, moving on: we’ve had an email from Stephanie about toilet seats: I just came into about 25 toilet seat all different colors (red, yellow, green, blue….) I know they can be reused but I’m stuck. I thought the game horse shoes but they don’t have the open front, I was even suggested picture frames! Please help. An unusual thing to suddenly acquire but they would make very…

• How can I reuse or recycle empty bottled gas/propane cylinders?

  louisa

  2 Apr 2012 | 5:06 am

  Lyndon has emailed to ask about reusing – or recycling – propane gas canisters (the ones for heating, barbecues or patio heaters etc): Trying to tidy up the yard at work, what can I do with some old gas bottles? If there is a company name on the bottles (like Calor Gas, Flo Gas or TotalGaz – to name but three), the safest/laziest thing might be to contact them to see if they could pick them up – gas bottles get reused again and again by gas supply companies and if the canisters are still in reusable condition, they might be more than willing to take them off your hands…

• How can I reuse or recycle large (catering size) food cans?

  louisa

  30 Mar 2012 | 4:42 am

  Sam has emailed asking about large food cans: I have a number of large metal food cans, some zinc lined, which are called #10 size. They hold about 5 or 6 lbs (just under 3kg) of beans, or other foods. Now that they’re empty, they are open on one end, with no plastic lid to fit them. Any ideas? Surely I’m not the only one faced with this. I can recycle them, but would like to reuse them. They sound like pretty big tin cans – probably similar to what we call “catering size” in the UK. I think at least some of the ideas we have for regular size tin cans could be…

• She recycled that! Upcycling novelty hats into bunting/pennants

  louisa

  29 Mar 2012 | 3:47 am

  Last September, Karen emailed us about the vast collection of novelty jester hats that her boyfriend had collected at various carnivals and festivals over the years. She wanted to know how she could reuse or recycle them as she hadn’t had much success giving them away. Lots of people made suggestions – including trying to give them to local schools/drama groups/groups that did clowning classes or making them into a purse or tea cosy – but Karen loved Meg’s suggestion of turning them into bunting/pennants: Last year I sent an email about novelty jester hats and of the…

• How can I reuse or recycle wallpaper samples?

  louisa

  28 Mar 2012 | 4:57 am

  Following on from the paint tester pots the other week, I’ve got some wallpaper samples that have served their purpose too. I really can’t wait for our renovations to be over! Like the paint, the samples were to check out ideas/colours/designs in-situ. Some of them were torn from rolls in shops (with permission! I’m not just a random vandal ;) ) and are about 60cm/2ft wide by about the same long, while others are A4 sheets that I’ve had posted out to check colours. They’re all thick, heavy paper as you would expect from wallpaper. Obviously the best thing would…

• 

  Consumer Reports News

• Range features that cut cooking time and add convenience

  Consumer Reports News

  15 May 2012 | 12:30 pm

  Getting dinner on the table night after night can be one fine juggling act. Fortunately, many of the ranges on the market today have new features that trim cooking time and offer flexibility. If you haven't replaced your range in a decade or so, you'll be happy to see models with one or two high-powered elements, warming drawers and elements, and convection oven modes that speed baking. For the fastest cooktop heating of all, induction takes the cake. Induction was typically 25 percent faster than electric smoothtops in Consumer Reports' range tests. And induction has come down in price. The…

• Keep cooling costs down as the mercury rises

  Consumer Reports News

  15 May 2012 | 11:00 am

  After two of the hottest summers on record, homeowners are now assessing their cooling needs for the coming months and budgeting ways to pay for them. Cooling accounts for nearly 20 percent of a home's utility bill, according to Energy Star. And if you have a leaky central air conditioning system or a window unit that's the wrong size for the room, you'll spend even more and get less cooling. But there are ways to save even on hot summer days. For starters, keep whatever system you currently have in good working order with regular maintenance. If you're adding or replacing your room or…

• Five ways to botch your backyard barbecue

  Consumer Reports News

  15 May 2012 | 4:01 am

  A backyard barbecue skips the formalities and fills a patio with friends who answer the call of "come and get it" when steaks and corn on the cob are hot off the grill. This simple fare promises to taste even more delicious when eaten outdoors where the mood is relaxed, unless a problem flares up. Here are five gas grill goofs that guarantee your cookout will be unforgettable, although not in the way you intended. Assembling the grill incorrectly. If the gas tank hose is too close to the firebox or the grease pan is a bit off, the risk of fire shoots up. Carefully read the manual before…

• Think safety when turning over mowing tasks to your teen

  Consumer Reports News

  14 May 2012 | 3:10 pm

  With a long summer of mowing ahead, parents of teens and pre-teens may be wondering when it's safe for a child to take over this chore. Children under 18 suffer 13 percent of the 68,000 mower injuries treated annually in emergency rooms, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. With that in mind, the AAP recommends that no child younger than 12 operate a walk-behind mower, that no teen younger than 16 drive a riding mower and that children never be allowed to ride along as passengers. Fortunately, today's mowers come with some standard safety features that put the operator at less…

• Folding step stools recalled due to break dangers

  Consumer Reports News

  11 May 2012 | 9:30 am

  Over 1.6 million folding step stools from Kennedy International Inc. of Dayton, N.J., are being recalled. The Kennedy stools can break or unexpectedly collapse during use warns, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and its Canadian counterpart, Health Canada. According to the CPSC, Kennedy International has received at least 15 reports of its folding step stools cracking or breaking. Three of those incidents involve injuries to users, including a report of a fractured leg. Safety experts at Consumer Reports note that there have been safety issued with other, non-folding step stools…

• 

  Sustainablog

• How Austin Residents Learned to Coexist with the Barton Springs Salamander

  Guest Author

  16 May 2012 | 8:27 am

  Barton Springs Pool has been a popular attraction in Austin, Texas since the mid-nineteenth century. In 1918, the property containing the pool was ceded over to the city of Austin. In the 1920s, the city enlarged the swimming hole by damming the springs and surrounding it with concrete barriers. Since then the pool has been a sort of retreat for Austin residents who can swim in the cool water and read or sunbathe on the grassy banks. On any given Summer weekend, the pool is packed with families, couples and kids. But all of this almost came to an end in 1997 when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife…

• Avoiding Food Waste with Your Smart Phone

  Jeff McIntire-Strasburg

  15 May 2012 | 8:51 am

  Ever bitten into a piece of fruit or a vegetable and found that it wasn’t nearly as fresh and tasty as it looked? Sure, we’ve all had that happen… and, as we’ve discussed before, this is a major source of resource waste in our food supply. There’s really not a whole lot you can do about it right now other than check your produce as closely as possible when you buy it… and, even then, you’re bound to face some disappointment. Scientist at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute are working on technology that can eliminate even more of that food waste by…

• LEGO Upcycling Ideas: What to Do with those Extra LEGO Bricks

  Ann Smarty

  14 May 2012 | 8:22 am

  I don’t know what it is about LEGO bricks, but it is impossible to get rid of them. I have told myself a dozen times in my adult years that I was going to donate them, sell them, even throw them out after occasionally stepping one hidden in the carpet. But I always held back, saying I should keep them for my kids or just for nostalgia’s sake. The truth is that I just love the things too much. Even as a grown up, I look at them with the same wide eyed excitement I did when I got my first set at six-years-old. And why shouldn’t I? They are fun, creative and require rational…

• How to Restore Your Old Bicycle to Working Condition

  Guest Author

  11 May 2012 | 6:19 am

  Bicycle commuting is on the rise in many American cities. Both Chicago and Long Beach, California have declared that they will become the most bike-friendly communities in the country. New York City is in the process of building a bike-share network designed specifically for bike commuters. Everyone’s getting excited. And why shouldn’t they? After all, biking to work has so many benefits. Cyclists save money on gas and get to enjoy the outdoors every day. They burn calories, decrease traffic congestion and lower air pollution levels. Cycling also helps build a sense of community. Instead…

• Egocentricity and Environmentalism: Strange Bedfellows?

  Guest Author

  10 May 2012 | 6:52 am

  A recent report by psychologists shows an alarming increase in egocentricity among young adults. In psychological parlance it is called a narcissistic personality disorder. This potentially spells bad news for the environment. Psychologists Jean Twenge and W. Keith Campbell are the authors of The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement. In it they report that narcissistic personality traits have become so pervasive in American culture that they threaten to transform us into a nation of egomaniacs. The condition is particularly common among young adults where its prevalence…

• 

  All MNN Content

• Watch: Breaking up with your bank

  Melissa Hincha-Ownby

  16 May 2012 | 9:29 am

  Leaving your bank is kind of like leaving a relationship.

• The Paperpedic: Flat-pack furniture gives making your bed a whole new meaning

  mhickman

  16 May 2012 | 9:25 am

  I have a bed frame problem. More specifically, I have a problem with those platform beds with the wood slatted bases sold by a certain Swedish retailer that starts with “I” and ends in “A.” The thing is, the slates always seem to fall through which eventually leads to full-on bed frame malfunction. I’ve gone through two of the suckers within the last few years.

• Want the freshest fruit? New sensor improves on the human nose

  John Platt

  16 May 2012 | 9:23 am

  How often does this happen to you? You bite into an apple only to find that it isn't quite ripe yet. Or you peel open a banana to find that it's already browning inside and past its prime.   A new device developed at MIT could help avoid these unwelcome fruity discoveries and save grocery stores millions of dollars in spoiled produce.   The device, which is still in the concept phase, uses carbon nanotubes to detect the gas ethylene, which fruits emit as they mature, causing them to ripen.

• Low-tech food preservation

  Networx.com

  16 May 2012 | 9:21 am

  The gardening season is coming to a close. Many of us mourn a bit for the true freshness of summertime garden pickings as the days grow shorter and colder.

• Photo: Cricket stars in the making

  cleary

  16 May 2012 | 8:24 am

  Photo: Hamish Blair/Getty Images Vanuatuan kids hone their skills at clinic

• 

  Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit

• The Avon Lady Comes to Mozambique, Hawking Cookstoves

  Jen Boynton

  16 May 2012 | 2:22 am

  CleanStar invests in, builds, and scales triple-bottom-line business models in emerging markets around the world. CleanStar Mozambique, their latest and fastest growing project, was founded to tackle the cook stove problem with a bilateral solution: new clean-burning stoves and an ethanol processing facility to fuel them. But how do they gain traction in a saturated market?

• Interview: Matt Bannick, Managing Partner, Omidyar Network

  Nick Aster

  16 May 2012 | 2:15 am

  TriplePundit's Nick Aster sits down with with Matt Bannick, Managing Partner for Omidyar Network to look for some perspective.

• Chevron’s 2011 CSR Report Provides a (Too) Rosy Picture of the Company

  Raz Godelnik

  16 May 2012 | 2:14 am

  Few years ago a CSR report released by an oil company sounded like an oxymoron. Even later on when these reports have become more common, it still looked to many people as a greenwashing attempt. After all, can a company really show it cares about the environment and stakeholders when its core business is oil production? I was hoping Chevron’s 2011 CSR report would prove this assumption to be wrong and that the “bad guys try to be better.” Is it too much to ask in 2012? Apparently yes, although to be honest, there is no simple answer of Yes or No to this question. While it does look…

• Patagonia Maps Out Its Supply Chain For Even More Transparency

  Leon Kaye

  16 May 2012 | 2:13 am

  Patagonia has released its Footprint Chronicles, one tool to help customers and stakeholders learn more about the the company’s global operations and suppliers.

• Largest U.S. Mutual Funds Not Passing Climate Change Resolutions

  Gina-Marie Cheeseman

  16 May 2012 | 2:12 am

  Although the three largest mutual fund companies in the U.S. (American Funds, Fidelity and Vanguard) voted on a number of shareholder resolutions related to climate change, none of the resolutions passed.

• 

  Green Living

• Take out the Triclosan

  GreenLiving

  16 May 2012 | 7:05 am

  Learn more about the antibacterial chemical polluting our world and our bodies. read more

• Your New Favourite Appetizer!

  azawadzka

  14 May 2012 | 9:34 am

  Blue cheese beet cakes with hot pepper cream Pure Green Magazine Photo credit:  ©Pure Green Magazine Blue cheese beet cakes with hot pepper cream. read more

• Help Us Double Canada's Urban Forest!

  azawadzka

  14 May 2012 | 8:27 am

  By Green Living Editors Photo credit:  iStockphoto.com We envision a future in which Canadians recognize the environmental, economic and social benefits of trees in cities and get personally involved in planting and maintaining trees across the country. read more

• Q&A with eco-designer Sonja den Elzen

  azawadzka

  14 May 2012 | 7:58 am

  By Celine MacKay Sonja is the creator behind Thieves, a line of sustainable clothing made in Toronto. Her garments marry quietly sophisticated lines, a celebration of body and self, and modern confidence. read more

• Eco-Chic Fashion

  azawadzka

  11 May 2012 | 11:08 am

  Sustainable style you’ll love By Green Living Editors Sustainable style you’ll love... read more

• 

  Go Green: DIYs, How-tos and Recipes - Editorial Staff Picks - SustainLane

• Subways 'share universal structure', research suggests

  SustainLane

  16 May 2012 | 11:07 am

  A study of the world's largest subway networks has revealed that they are remarkably mathematically similar. The layouts seem to converge over time to a similar structure regardless of where or over how long they were built.The study, in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, analysed 14 subway networks around the world.It found common distributions of stations within the networks, as well as common proportions of the numbers of lines, stations, and total distances.In some senses, it is unsurprising that the study found that networks tended over time to comprise a dense core of central…

• The rise of the $1-a-day statistic

  SustainLane

  9 Mar 2012 | 10:48 am

  It's shocking to learn how many people live on less than $1 day - and regular publication of the figures over the last two decades has helped fuel anti-poverty campaigns. But could the statistic actually have done more harm than good? By Ruth Alexander, BBC NewsIn the late 1980s, a group of economists at the World Bank in Washington DC noticed that a number of developing countries drew their poverty lines at an income of about $370 a year.This reflected the basic amount that a person needed to live. Each country had a different sense of what the essentials were, but the figure of roughly $370…

• Recipe for Seeded Buckwheat Cookies

  SustainLane

  23 Feb 2012 | 12:12 pm

  These crisp, crumbly cookies combine the nut butter of your choice with whatever seed mix sounds right. Flax, hemp, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, the flavors don't stop! Active Time: 15 minutesTotal Time: 30 minutesIngredients6 tablespoons pre-ground flax seeds (make sure they're not rancid)4 tablespoons mixed seeds (sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds)1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon buckwheat flour (substitute any other kind of interesting flour, or just use all wheat flour)1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon…

• 

  Transportation feed

• Beautiful and Powerful: Audi's E-Bike Wörthersee

  Michael Graham Richard

  16 May 2012 | 10:05 am

  After Daimler and its Smart Electric Bike, it is now Audi's turn to unveil a special electric bike design.

• After Walkability and Transit Quality, Walk Score Now Ranks Cities by Bikeability

  Michael Graham Richard

  15 May 2012 | 12:13 pm

  These types of rankings are important because they help put pressure on under-performing cities to improve, and they highlight the best practices of top cities for others to copy.

• Elegant Bike Light That's Hard to Steal

  A.K. Streeter

  15 May 2012 | 3:19 am

  Seat post light that is bright, beautiful, and mostly (we never say completely when it comes to bike thievery) theft proof.

• Nissan to Follow LEAF with 3 New Electric Cars Models

  Michael Graham Richard

  14 May 2012 | 12:19 pm

  Nissan has made a big bet on electric cars. They are not just making a couple thousand units to get favorable PR and meet quotas in places like California. They have invested billions to make hundreds of thousands of EVs.

• Toyota Launches Pixis Epoch Minivehicle in Japan (70 MPG US for

  Michael Graham Richard

  14 May 2012 | 8:47 am

  Toyota has just launched the Pixis Epoch in Japan. It's a front-wheel drive minivehicle with a starting price of ¥795,000, which converts to under $10,000.

• 

  WSJ.com: Commercial Real Estate

• If Kids Can Play, Will Mom Shop?

  15 May 2012 | 7:26 pm

  In their bid to keep shoppers from deserting to the Internet, more malls are adding sprawling play spaces.

• Brookfield to Spin Off Holdings

  15 May 2012 | 4:22 pm

  Brookfield Asset Management plans to bundle together its wide array of commercial-property holdings into a new publicly traded subsidiary, with an eye toward further growth.

• Pointed Spat Over World Trade Spire

  10 May 2012 | 11:52 am

  One World Trade Center's owners are sparring with their architects over what goes on top—a dispute that could stop the structure being recognized as America's tallest.

• Tax Terms Amended in Empire State Building IPO

  9 May 2012 | 8:15 am

  The Malkin family that controls the Empire State Building has agreed to change the terms of the skyscraper's public offering, making the tax treatment less punitive to small investors.

• Plots & Ploys: Looks Don't Matter

  9 May 2012 | 6:30 am

  Strange looks of a building apparently aren't enough to scare off big-name investors. That's the case with 100 Federal Street in Boston—the so-called "pregnant building" recently purchased by Boston Properties.

• 

  WSJ.com: Real Estate

• On the (Old) Road to New York

  16 May 2012 | 8:49 am

  This 18th-century estate in New York's Westchester County includes a centuries-old milestone used to direct stagecoach drivers and once had its own baseball team.

• Asian Contemporary in Bel Air

  16 May 2012 | 12:56 am

  A dynamic art collection and a soothing verdant backdrop led to the marriage of Asian influences in this 5,375-square-foot Southern California home.

• If Kids Can Play, Will Mom Shop?

  15 May 2012 | 7:26 pm

  In their bid to keep shoppers from deserting to the Internet, more malls are adding sprawling play spaces.

• Ex-Wife of Pavarotti Hits Some Low Notes

  15 May 2012 | 7:15 pm

  Nicoletta Mantovani, the second wife of the late Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti, has been getting a crash course in New York City real estate of late.

• Billings Slip Back

  15 May 2012 | 7:12 pm

  After five months of positive readings, the Architecture Billings Index slipped back into negative territory during April, an indication that demand for design services declined.

• 

  NYT > Real Estate

• Streetscapes | Central Park: Central Park/Streetscapes - Changing Times on the Reservoir Path

  By CHRISTOPHER GRAY

  16 May 2012 | 1:38 pm

  In the early years of Central Park, the dirt path around the reservoir — now commonly called the “runners’ track” — was mostly the domain of walkers — and very few of them, at that.

• Square Feet: The Business of Retired Planes Attracts Investors

  By CHRISTINE NEGRONI

  16 May 2012 | 1:08 pm

  Marana Aerospace Solutions in Arizona is one of a number of maintenance and repair operations where retired airliners are sent to be refurbished or broken up for scrap.

• The 30-Minute Interview : The 30-Minute Interview: Adam Ginsburg

  By VIVIAN MARINO

  16 May 2012 | 12:40 pm

  Mr. Ginsburg, 46, is a co-chairman of GDC Properties, which specializes in retail and residential development.

• Square Feet: Westchester’s Cross County Shopping Center Gets a Makeover

  By ELSA BRENNER

  16 May 2012 | 12:10 pm

  At a busy intersection, the 58-year-old Cross Country Shopping Center withstood the recent recession, but is now trying to lure more upscale businesses and customers.

• Habitats: Habitats | The Fun Starts Here

  By CONSTANCE ROSENBLUM

  16 May 2012 | 11:47 am

  Eric Zimmerman and Nathalie Pozzi live in a colorful apartment that reflects her architectural background and his career as a game designer.

• 

  Commercial Real Estate Industry News Headlines | Bizjournals.com

• Kansas Speedway gets rolling on reconfiguration, road race track

  16 May 2012 | 12:55 pm

  The sound of roaring engines can be heard at the Kansas Speedway, but it’s coming from construction equipment instead of race cars. Kansas Speedway is in the midst of a track reconfiguration and repaving project, along with construction of a new road race track on the infield. The project started after the STP 400 NASCAR race on April 22 and must be completed before the Hollywood Casino 400 NASCAR race on Oct. 21. See photos The reconfiguration will give the track, now banked at 15 degrees,...

• Metro capital budget: $4.6 billion in biz opportunity

  16 May 2012 | 12:38 pm

  Tax-hike debate aside for a moment, taking a look at the Metro Nashville budget yields a range of business opportunities. Some $4.6 billion worth, when you get down to it. While the Metro Council mulls the merits of Mayor Karl Dean's proposed tax increase, the capital improvement budget outlines projects the administration hopes to fund. Assuming this budget stands — the council could judge some of the expenditures unnecessary during the tax fight — it stands to offer businesses work, whether...

• SLU to break ground on $3 million bone marrow transplant center

  16 May 2012 | 12:37 pm

  Saint Louis University will break ground this week on an approximately $3 million, 9,000 square-foot outpatient bone marrow transplant center, according to Alex Lovshin, director of special projects at Saint Louis University Hospital. The center, the first outpatient bone marrow transplant center in the region, will be located within the Saint Louis University Cancer Center on the main hospital’s campus in a space previously used as an operating suite by Bethesda Health Group. The new center...

• Covington & Burling signs letter of intent for CityCenterDC

  16 May 2012 | 12:36 pm

  CityCenterDC has landed Covington & Burling as an anchor tenant at its $900 million mixed-use redevelopment at the old convention center site in D.C., the project's developer said Wednesday. Covington has signed a letter of intent to lease between 350,000 square feet and 400,000 square feet in the development, according to a real estate sources familiar with the deal signed Tuesday. Bill Alsup III, senior vice president at Hines, confirmed the letter but declined to discuss terms of the deal. Representatives...

• Legend Communities buys, plans to expand Harborwalk in Galveston

  16 May 2012 | 12:25 pm

  Legend Communities Inc., an Austin-based developer, has acquired the 550-acre Harborwalk project in Galveston from Birmingham, Ala.-based bank BBVA Compass. The purchase price was not disclosed. The transaction with the bank was handled by Austin-based Legacy International Resort Properties. The deal was originally announced earlier this year, and in February Philip Jalufka, president of Legacy International, told the Houston Business Journal the 9-year-old property was originally designed for...

• 

  ICSC SmartBrief

• RECon 2012 Las Vegas the place to be for retailers starting May 20

  16 May 2012 | 11:26 am

  The International Council of Shopping Centers' annual convention kicks off May 20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and expe -More- 

• Johnson: J.C. Penney needs to explain pricing tiers

  16 May 2012 | 11:26 am

  Even though the use of Ellen DeGeneres and a new marketing campaign strategy hasn't prevented J.C.  -More- 

• Federal Realty sees golden opportunity in this year's RECon:

  16 May 2012 | 11:26 am

  Federal Realty CEO Don Wood said that ICSC's annual RECon convention in Las Vegas comes at an ideal moment to promote his com -More- A New Approach to Best Practices in Retail Planning and Site Selection. Improve decision quality by using human intuition supported by good systems and analytics. Learn how pattern recognition, decision loops, company culture, and the right approach to analytics can positively impact profitability. Download part 3 of this FREE whitepaper series.

• Top real estate banker Peter Baccile joins UBS in latest big hire

  16 May 2012 | 11:26 am

   -More- Identify your best locations using up-to-date demographic data online, 24/7 with Nielsen SiteReports and Sitewise. Come visit us at ICSC RECon Booth #1009 to see how you can access Nielsen demographic reports on your connected device with the new Sitewise app and enter to WIN an iPad® and one-year subscription!

• Regional retail centers are still a strong play for investors

  16 May 2012 | 11:26 am

  Regional retail centers are well-positioned to compete against other retailers, despite the slow-growing spending capacity of -More- 

• 

  msnbc.com: Real estate

• Mortgage delinquency rate hits four-year low

  16 May 2012 | 7:26 am

  The delinquency rate on U.S. home mortgages fell in the first quarter to the lowest level since 2008, though the share of homes in the foreclosure process inched higher.

• Back from foreclosure to homeownership

  16 May 2012 | 7:17 am

  When Jennifer Anderson's family could no longer afford their mortgage and lost their home, she expected many years to pass before they would again become property owners.

• Housing starts rev up, although permits slip

  16 May 2012 | 5:53 am

  The nation's homebuilders broke ground on a higher-than-expected number of homes in April, laying the foundation for what could be an improving housing market after a long housing slump.

• Sponsored By:

  16 May 2012 | 5:53 am

• Listing of The Week: A 'Hobbit House' at Lake Tahoe

  15 May 2012 | 9:55 am

  885 Hill Lane, Lake Tahoe, Nevada For sale: $3,700,000 When Paul Arnold and his wife Elizabeth decided to build their custom home, they wanted something beyond fun. They wanted something fantastic. Hence, "The Hobbit House" was born.

• 

  Residential Real Estate Industry News Headlines | Bizjournals.com

• California mortgage, consumer debt drops

  16 May 2012 | 1:02 pm

  The average Californian owes less in credit card and mortgage debt than they did last year, according to a new report, but credit scores still dropped a little. According a monthly report from Credit Karma, Californians owed $303,745 in mortgage debt in April, compared to $309,579 in March and $311,551 in April 2011. Californians also owed an average $5,674 in credit card debt, compared to $5,900 in March and $6,384 in the year earlier period. Student loan debt fell to $29,069, but auto debt rose...

• California mortgage, consumer debt drops

  16 May 2012 | 12:27 pm

  The average Californian and Sacramentan owes less in credit card and mortgage debt than they did last year, according to a new report, but credit scores still dropped a little. According a monthly report from Credit Karma, Californians owed $303,745 in mortgage debt in April, compared to $309,579 in March and $311,551 in April 2011. Californians also owed an average $5,674 in credit card debt, compared to $5,900 in March and $6,384 in the year earlier period. Student loan debt fell to $29,069,...

• Housing more affordable than ever before

  16 May 2012 | 12:26 pm

  The National Association of Realtors said its measure of housing affordability reached an all-time high last quarter, as prices, mortgage rates and family incomes converged. At the same time, home prices increased in the Austin market by 4.8 percent in March when compared to the same month last year. The real estate agent's trade group said the only thing missing from the equation is a return to normal lending standards. NAR bases its index on median housing prices, median family incomes and average...

• Legend Communities buys, plans to expand Harborwalk in Galveston

  16 May 2012 | 12:25 pm

  Legend Communities Inc., an Austin-based developer, has acquired the 550-acre Harborwalk project in Galveston from Birmingham, Ala.-based bank BBVA Compass. The purchase price was not disclosed. The transaction with the bank was handled by Austin-based Legacy International Resort Properties. The deal was originally announced earlier this year, and in February Philip Jalufka, president of Legacy International, told the Houston Business Journal the 9-year-old property was originally designed for...

• Champ d'Or buyer identified as Tabani Group affiliate

  16 May 2012 | 12:17 pm

  It's been more than a month since an unnamed buyer purchased the luxury French chateau Champ d'Or for an undisclosed sum at an auction. But deed records reveal that an affiliated company of Dallas-based real estate investment firm Tabani Group was behind the purchase. T Chateau Event Center LLC — located at the same address as the Tabani Group — acquired the 48,000-square-foot luxury mansion and property, which had an auction reserve price of $10.3 million, according to Denton County deed records. Zaffar...

• 

  Bubble Meter

• Why did America's housing bubble decline more than in other countries?

  James

  27 Apr 2012 | 9:52 pm

  Much of the developed world (especially America and Europe) had a housing bubble. The Economist asks why America's fell so much faster than the bubbles in Europe:Perhaps the difference is institutional. American banks had poorer lending standards and have been quicker to foreclose on properties; borrowers have been readier to walk away from their homes. In European countries, owners have been able to sit tight in the hope that prices will recover. European markets are certainly a lot less liquid. Irish transaction volumes dropped by 83% from their peak and Spanish ones by 64%, but American…

• Updated housing graphs

  James

  19 Apr 2012 | 4:02 am

  I have updated my national housing bubble graphs to reflect the latest data available. It covers home prices from 1970-2011. It looks like U.S. home prices are fairly valued, although it varies by metro area. As I said in the past, I don't expect any significant overshooting nationally. I stick by that prediction.Here, the red line represents inflation-adjusted housing prices, and the blue line reflects nominal housing prices: The graph below compares the change in home prices to the change in owner-equivalent rents over time. Without any bubbles, they should increase at roughly the same rate…

• S&P/Case-Shiller national HPI shows 4% fall in home prices

  James

  28 Feb 2012 | 10:05 am

  U.S. home prices fell 4.0% during 2011:Data through December 2011, released today by S&P Indices for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, showed that all three headline composites ended 2011 at new index lows. The national composite fell by 3.8% during the fourth quarter of 2011 and was down 4.0% versus the fourth quarter of 2010. Both the 10- and 20-City Composites fell by 1.1% in December over November, and posted annual returns of -3.9% and -4.0% versus December 2010, respectively. These are worse than the -3.8% respective annual rates…

• Warren Buffett is a housing bull

  James

  27 Feb 2012 | 8:51 am

  Billionaire investor Warren Buffett believes housing is a better investment than stocks right now:Warren Buffett says along with equities, single-family homes are a very attractive investment right now.Appearing live on CNBC's Squawk Box, Buffett tells Becky Quick he'd buy up "millions" of single family homes if it were practical to do so.If held for a long period of time and purchased at low rates, Buffett says houses are even better than stocks. He advises buyers to take out a 30-year mortgage and refinance if rates go down.His housing recommendation is likely based on the fact that…

• Happy Valentine's Day, renters!

  James

  14 Feb 2012 | 3:22 am

  We get no respect, no respect at all:In a survey of 1,000 single people, more than a third of women and 18% of men said they would much rather date a homeowner than a renter.Ouch!Only 2% of women said they preferred to date a man who rents, while only 3% of men said they would choose a woman who rents over one that owns her home, according to the survey, which was conducted by Harris Interactive for real estate site Trulia.Both sexes also clearly prefer it when there's no roommate in the picture; 62% of survey respondents, men and women, prefer to date singles who live alone. ...Trulia also…

• 

  Paper Economy - A US Real Estate Bubble Blog

• New Residential Construction Report: April 2012

  SoldAtTheTop

  16 May 2012 | 7:28 am

  Today’s New Residential Construction Report showed gains in April with single family permits increasing from March while starts also increased over the same period. Single family housing permits, the most leading of indicators, increased a notable 1.9% from March to 475K single family units (SAAR), and increased 18.5% above the level seen in April 2011 but still remained  an astonishing 73.58% below the peak in September 2005. Single family housing starts increased 2.3% from March to 492K units (SAAR), and climbed 18.8% above the level seen in April 2011 and remained a stunning 73.01%…

• Index of Stress: May 2012

  SoldAtTheTop

  14 May 2012 | 7:17 am

  The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis recently began publishing a new weekly index that seeks to track the general level of financial stress.As periods of financial stress come and go a whole host of fundamental economic indicators immediately adjust to meet the near and long term expectations of market participantsInterest rates, yields spreads, popular market volatility indices all move in real time giving observers unequivocal evidence of changes general sentiment.The St. Louis Fed has devised a method of crunching eighteen of these sensitive indices down into one convenient index it calls…

• On The Stamp: Food Stamp Participation February 2012

  SoldAtTheTop

  9 May 2012 | 6:46 am

  As a logical consequence of the prolonged economic downturn it appears that participation in the federal food stamp program is continuing to rise.In fact, household participation has been climbing so steadily that it has far surpassed the last peak (which looks like a minor blip by comparison) set as a result of the immediate fallout following hurricane Katrina.The latest data released by the Department of Agriculture shows that in February, 123,385 recipients were removed from the food stamps program with the current total still increasing 4.81% on a year-over-year basis while household…

• Reading Rates: MBA Application Survey – May 09 2012

  SoldAtTheTop

  9 May 2012 | 6:33 am

  The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) publishes the results of a weekly applications survey that covers roughly 50 percent of all residential mortgage originations and tracks the average interest rate for 30 year and 15 year fixed rate mortgages as well as the volume of both purchase and refinance applications. The purchase application index has been highlighted as a particularly important data series as it very broadly captures the demand side of residential real estate for both new and existing home purchases. The latest data is showing that the average rate for a 30 year fixed rate…

• Radar Watching: March 2012

  SoldAtTheTop

  8 May 2012 | 7:48 am

  As I have noted in the past, since the home price index data provided by Radar Logic is more timely, unadjusted and un-smoothed it is particularly useful for gaining deeper visibility over our housing markets. As for the latest trends, it’s important to note that the 25-MSA Composite is showing significant year-over-year declines while prices continue to bounce from the lows set in late-January.The latest data shows that as of early-March, prices have declined 2.71% below the level seen in March 2011 continuing the pattern of past years with prices now heading higher as the data moves into…

• 

  Home mortgage rates and real estate news - CNNMoney.com

• Mortgage delinquencies drop to 4-year low

  16 May 2012 | 7:21 am

  The percentage of borrowers who have dropped behind on their mortgage payments fell to a four-year low in the first three months of 2012, a bankers' group said Wednesday.

• George Lucas proposes affordable housing plan

  16 May 2012 | 4:56 am

  The film emperor may be striking back. For 25 years, filmmaker George Lucas tried to persuade his Marin County, Calif., neighbors to let him build a digital production studio on his ranch there, but the area's residents thwarted the plan.

• BofA offering up to $30K for short sales

  15 May 2012 | 3:37 pm

  Bank of America is offering some struggling homeowners payments of up to $30,000 if they sell their homes in a short sale and avoid ending up in foreclosure.

• Park Ave. co-op sells for record $52.5M

  15 May 2012 | 11:18 am

  A recent sale in New York's famed 740 Park Avenue apartment building marked the highest price ever paid for a co-op in the city's history.

• Artist's habitat in the Jersey woodlands

  11 May 2012 | 8:16 am

  Ricky Boscarino is a sculptor, painter and jewelry maker whose biggest art project for the past 23 years has been his home on five quiet acres.

• 

  Yahoo! News - Latest News & Headlines

• Vietnam War hero receives posthumous Medal of Honor

  16 May 2012 | 12:56 pm

  Leslie Sabo Died a Hero at Age 22 in 1970

• Romney calls Democratic attacks over Bain ‘misguided’

  16 May 2012 | 12:45 pm

  Mitt Romney called Democratic criticism over his record at Bain Capital "misguided" and chided President Barack Obama for approving the attacks while at the same time raising cash from other members of the private equity industry. In an interview with Hot Air's Ed Morrissey, the presumptive Republican nominee denounced an ad launched this week by [...]

• Ex-Syracuse coach's wife suing ESPN, says life is 'destroyed'

  16 May 2012 | 12:42 pm

  The wife of fired Syracuse University assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine claimed Wednesday that ESPN maliciously trampled her reputation by broadcasting salacious stories about her and about claims that her husband molested ball boys.

• ‘Haunted’ L.A. hospital being converted into senior living home

  16 May 2012 | 12:29 pm

  Would you want your grandma living in an abandoned hospital so well known for its creepy atmosphere and alleged hauntings that it has been used in various Hollywood productions by folks like Rob Zombie and the makers of the horror film "Se7en"? The L.A. Times says the 107-year-old Linda Vista Community Hospital may soon earn [...]

• Skechers to pay $40 million over toning shoe claims

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Skechers advertised that its toning shoes would help people lose weight, build muscle and get in shape, claims that will now cost the company $40 million in a settlement with U.S. regulators.

• 

  Real Estate Investing For Real | A BiggerPockets Investment Property Blog

• Using High Interest Private Financing is Still Better Than Cash

  Ken Corsini

  16 May 2012 | 5:16 am

  With investors battling a tight credit market, the opportunity to obtain financing for investment properties can often times prove more difficult than expected for some investors. Five years ago many of these same investors had no problem walking into their local lender’s office and getting approved for a loan. Nowadays, it seems like underwriters need a blood sample to approve a loan for an investor (even when that investor could pay cash for the house 5 times over).There are any number of reasons why perfectly good borrowers cannot get approved for conventional financing…

• When Investing In Real Estate – There’s Planning and There’s PLANNING

  Jeff Brown

  15 May 2012 | 1:14 pm

  The concept of planning is used and abused, especially when it comes to real estate investing for retirement. I know, cuz I’ve seen me do it. The hardest, most expensive lessons I’ve learned came from planning instead of PLANNING. Investors whose end game is retirement income, simply can’t afford to rely on planning. It’s not that they won’t accomplish their goal(s), as many will. It’s just that their goals were originally set using the limited options menu provided by planning vs the much thicker menu available to those who PLAN.The AnalogyKnew a guy in…

• 3 Key Factors in Buy and Hold Real Estate Investing Success

  Michael Zuber

  15 May 2012 | 5:10 am

  As a Buy and Hold Investor for 10+ years I have seen a lot of things, made some mistakes and met a lot of people in the real estate business.  This collection of experience has lead me to form an opinion on what makes a Buy and Hold Investor Successful. In this article I will focus on 3 characteristics or strategies that I find are key to long term success in Buy and Hold Investing.You Make Money When You BuyThe first thing I want to discuss is the standard statement of “You make your Money when you Buy.” When I started investing I thought I knew what this meant but in reality I had no…

• How to Address Closing Cost Credits in Short Sale Transactions

  Melissa Zavala

  15 May 2012 | 4:20 am

  Agents, buyers and sellers are abuzz because it’s a seller’s market again. Just a few weeks ago an agent friend of mine received 24 offers on his short sale listing, and another property in my area got 10 offers the very same weekend.When reviewing short sale offers with clients, it is important to look at the type of loan that the buyer will obtain: VA, FHA, or conventional financing. And, will the buyer require a closing cost concession from the seller?One of the unknown factors often associated with a short sale is whether the bank will approve the closing cost concession. For…

• Setting Up Your Database for Your Real Estate Investing Business

  Sharon Vornholt

  14 May 2012 | 5:06 am

  If you’ve been following my past few articles on direct mail campaigns and the use of databases to help manage thee campaigns, you’re probably asking how exactly to set up such a database. Once you have decided on a database for your real estate business, the next thing you need to do is set it up.  I gave this a considerable amount of thought before I dove into this process.  Your database needs to be easy to use; in the end, I decided it would be much easier to manage if I had everyone in groups.I have a number of different groups and sub-groups in my database, but I am just…

• 

  Construction Industry News - Construction Industry News Headlines | Bizjournals.com

• Kansas Speedway gets rolling on reconfiguration, road race track

  16 May 2012 | 12:55 pm

  The sound of roaring engines can be heard at the Kansas Speedway, but it’s coming from construction equipment instead of race cars. Kansas Speedway is in the midst of a track reconfiguration and repaving project, along with construction of a new road race track on the infield. The project started after the STP 400 NASCAR race on April 22 and must be completed before the Hollywood Casino 400 NASCAR race on Oct. 21. See photos The reconfiguration will give the track, now banked at 15 degrees,...

• Metro capital budget: $4.6 billion in biz opportunity

  16 May 2012 | 12:38 pm

  Tax-hike debate aside for a moment, taking a look at the Metro Nashville budget yields a range of business opportunities. Some $4.6 billion worth, when you get down to it. While the Metro Council mulls the merits of Mayor Karl Dean's proposed tax increase, the capital improvement budget outlines projects the administration hopes to fund. Assuming this budget stands — the council could judge some of the expenditures unnecessary during the tax fight — it stands to offer businesses work, whether...

• SLU to break ground on $3 million bone marrow transplant center

  16 May 2012 | 12:37 pm

  Saint Louis University will break ground this week on an approximately $3 million, 9,000 square-foot outpatient bone marrow transplant center, according to Alex Lovshin, director of special projects at Saint Louis University Hospital. The center, the first outpatient bone marrow transplant center in the region, will be located within the Saint Louis University Cancer Center on the main hospital’s campus in a space previously used as an operating suite by Bethesda Health Group. The new center...

• Covington & Burling signs letter of intent for CityCenterDC

  16 May 2012 | 12:36 pm

  CityCenterDC has landed Covington & Burling as an anchor tenant at its $900 million mixed-use redevelopment at the old convention center site in D.C., the project's developer said Wednesday. Covington has signed a letter of intent to lease between 350,000 square feet and 400,000 square feet in the development, according to a real estate sources familiar with the deal signed Tuesday. Bill Alsup III, senior vice president at Hines, confirmed the letter but declined to discuss terms of the deal. Representatives...

• Legend Communities buys, plans to expand Harborwalk in Galveston

  16 May 2012 | 12:25 pm

  Legend Communities Inc., an Austin-based developer, has acquired the 550-acre Harborwalk project in Galveston from Birmingham, Ala.-based bank BBVA Compass. The purchase price was not disclosed. The transaction with the bank was handled by Austin-based Legacy International Resort Properties. The deal was originally announced earlier this year, and in February Philip Jalufka, president of Legacy International, told the Houston Business Journal the 9-year-old property was originally designed for...

• 

  Mortgage News Daily

• Judicial States Continue to Skew Foreclosure Statistics

  Jann Swanson

  16 May 2012 | 1:18 pm

  Posted To: MND NewsWireThere were substantial improvements in delinquency rates during the first quarter of 2012 according to the National Delinquency Survey for the period released this morning by the Mortgage Bankers Association. At a conference call for media accompanying the release, Jay Brinkmann, MBA's Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research and Education said that the combined percentage of loans in foreclosure or at least one payment past due was 11.33 percent, a 120 basis point (bp) decrease from last quarter and 98 from one year ago. This was the lowest that this…

• MBS RECAP: Another Logical Day Of Record Highs

  Matthew Graham

  16 May 2012 | 1:11 pm

  Posted To: MBS CommentaryMBS Live : MBS Afternoon Market Summary We characterized yesterday as "logical and well contained" with the benefit of some hindsight. While today's session wasn't "well contained," it was rather logical in that it went where you'd expect it to go given the events. Merkel surprisingly supportive of Greece remaining in the Euro-zone? Bond markets selling = logical. ECB wires saying certain MoPo operation with certain Greek banks is on hold? Bond markets bouncing back = logical. FOMC Minutes from a meeting that took place BEFORE the recent round of Euro-drama ramped up…

• Mortgage Rates Steady At All-Time Lows Thanks To Europe And The Fed

  Matthew Graham

  16 May 2012 | 12:21 pm

  Posted To: Mortgage Rate WatchMortgage Rates are steady to slightly improved today following as Europe's fiscal woes continue providing downward pressure on US interest rates. The forces at work keeping rates low were joined today by "minutes" from the most recent FOMC meeting. All told, several notable lenders are offering their all-time lowest interest rates while others remain close. Markets actually got off to a shaky start as far as rates were concerned. Had it not been for the European headlines and the FOMC Minutes , we'd likely be looking at slightly higher rates today.

• Concerns Grow Over Freddie/Fannie Price Dislocations

  Bill Berliner

  16 May 2012 | 11:15 am

  Posted To: Secondary MarketsOne of the themes discussed at the MBA’s recent conference in New York was the idea of “a merger” of the mortgage-backed securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  The FHFA itself now lists one of its goals to "build a single securitization platform" in the Strategic Plan for 2013-2017 this morning.  MBA President David Stevens recently addressed the concept, expressing concerns about the growing price and economic disparity between Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securities. Before continuing, it will be helpful to discuss the…

• "Mega-Lenders" Lagging Smaller Ones in Processing Time

  Jann Swanson

  16 May 2012 | 11:09 am

  Posted To: MND NewsWireSmall and medium-sized lenders and community banks appear to be closing loans for refinancing faster than their "mega-lender" counterparts according to the Origination Insight Report for April released Wednesday by Ellie Mae. The company, which samples loan applications that are processed through its loan management software, reported that, "While the average refinance going through our platform took five days longer in April than in March, it still only took 47 days." Ellie Mae contrasted this to a report from The Wall Street Journal which recently said that the…

• 

  Trulia Corporate Blog

• Bay Area Real Estate Information Services Announces Direct Syndication to Trulia

  Mark Weiss

  10 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  We are pleased to welcome Bay Area Real Estate Information Services, Inc. (BAREIS MLS®) to the list of MLS’s working directly with Trulia as we continue to help the real estate industry with online listing quality. Today Trulia announced a strategic alliance with Bay Area Real Estate Information Services, Inc. (BAREIS MLS®) to directly syndicate the listings of its 8,000 members to Trulia, providing consumers with the most accurate information on homes for sale in five Northern San Francisco Bay Area counties including Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano. With the addition of…

• Trulia Overhauls Industry Offerings

  Pete Flint, CEO

  7 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  A Message from Trulia CEO Pete Flint Over the past three months, our industry team and our senior executives logged more than 100,000 miles on the road meeting with leading brokers across the country. We met with franchisors, large regional brokerages, and smaller brokers in their local markets to collaborate and identify how we can strengthen our relationship and help you succeed. We listened closely and gathered feedback from partners like Houlihan Lawrence, @properties, RE/MAX Results, The Keyes Company and dozens more. I am delighted to say we are putting that feedback into action. In the…

• Announcing the First Mobile Advertising Platform for Real Estate Agents

  Stephen Rossi

  3 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  Full screen ad with "Call Now" button Over the past two years, we’ve watched a new audience of consumers emerge who are passionate about using Trulia’s top-rated mobile apps find their next home.   These buyers are deeply involved in the home search process, using their mobile phones to browse listings as they drive through neighborhoods and visit open homes.   Most interestingly, these on-the-go buyers often request the help of a real estate agent—our research has found that consumers on Trulia’s mobile apps are 60% more likely to contact an agent during their home…

• Trulia Named One Of SF Bay Area’s Best Places To Work

  Vanessa Villatoro, PR Specialist

  20 Apr 2012 | 5:05 pm

  For the past six years Trulia has been built on six core values: I.M.P.A.C.T. Innovate. Make a Difference. People Matter. Act with Integrity. Customer Obsessed. Trust & respect each other. Fully understanding that People Matter is the key to any company’s success and each day our senior management strives to push the envelope for our Trulians so that we can offer a fun, innovative and exciting place to work. How are we doing, you ask? Well, our Trulians have spoken. Based on employee feedback, Trulia has been named one of the Bay Area’s 2012 Best Places to Work by the San Francisco…

• Production Innovation and Industry Relationships Lead to Record Traffic in 2012

  Ken Shuman

  16 Apr 2012 | 5:00 am

  Spring is upon us and the first part of 2012 is in the review mirror.  It has been another busy start to the year for Trulia and we wanted to take a minute to share some Truli-a-mazing milestones and achievements. Let’s start with a few key milestones: In March 2012 (source: comScore) we overtook Realtor.com in unique users for the first time in Trulia’s history March 2012 was a record month in mobile visits March 2012 was the largest traffic month in company history We welcomed another member to the ranks of our senior management team-Lee Clancy joined the Trulia family as our…

• 

  The Real Estate Bloggers

• Government Intrusion Forces The National Association of Home Builders To React

  Tom Royce

  11 May 2012 | 7:30 am

  One of the most subservient organizations to the federal government has had enough of government regulations and is fighting back. The National Association of Home Builders has gone along with the myriad of government programs that lined the pockets of the connected and delayed the recovery of the housing industry for the past 5 years. Now they have finally seemed to recognize that the government intrusion into the housing industry has created a crisis and home construction, a vital part of our economy, will not recover until the American families see some relief from the rampant increase in…

• Real Estate Blogging is Dying – Fast

  Tom Royce

  7 Apr 2012 | 11:17 am

  Coming from the guy who “went” by the name of the real estate blogger, I am calling this game… Real Estate Blogging is dying, fast. If you want to learn more, contact me on Twitter – @tomroyce or call me at 770-755-1503. Thanks for reading this post. If you would like to see more articles like this, please come visit The Real Estate Bloggers. where it was originally published.Real Estate Blogging is Dying – Fast Related posts: Real Estate Trends of the Baby Boomers Real Estate Investor Conference – BiggerPockets Style

• NAR Sales Data Continues to be Wrong

  Tom Royce

  22 Feb 2012 | 3:05 pm

  An open letter to the National Association of Realtors members from one of our readers. Dear REALTORS, With their latest press release, it seems that the National Association of REALTORS has completely given up being a credible source of housing data.  Therefore, I would strongly advise against using any of their data or information that they disseminate from their offices.  And I would definitely not cut and paste their propaganda into anything you send out to clients and customers via blogs, Facebook or any other social media platform.  It will almost certainly turn out to be incorrect…

• Want To Buy The Empire State Building?

  Tom Royce

  13 Feb 2012 | 12:47 pm

  This is not something that will only be asked by native New Yorkers to the rubes visiting from out of town. Instead, Empire State Realty Trust, owners of the Empire State Building have announced it will take the company public. Yes, you too can own the most iconic building in Manhattan. Empire State Realty Trust, owners of the iconic Empire State Building, filed to sell up to $1 billion of its Class A common stock, giving ordinary investors a chance to own a piece of the building that has been fought over by billionaires. The tower, once the tallest in the world, has seen several owners…

• Sh*t Real Estate Agent Say

  Tom Royce

  6 Feb 2012 | 8:30 pm

  The meme has hit the real estate world, courtesy of Brian Copeland and Maura Neill the folks at RETSO.   See home many real estate memes you can find… Thanks for reading this post. If you would like to see more articles like this, please come visit The Real Estate Bloggers. where it was originally published.Sh*t Real Estate Agent Say Related posts: Officially Real Estate Has Double Dipped Economic Turmoil Not Helping Real Estate Sales

• 

  About.com Real Estate Business

• NAR Member Profile 2012 - Website Answers

  15 May 2012 | 3:30 am

  The NAR Member Profile for 2012 is out, and you can download it here.   There is a lot of information about NAR members, but for this post, just a few website numbers I thought were interesting....Read Full Post

• How Important Are You? - To a Prospect?

  4 May 2012 | 1:23 pm

  I have written about this before, but it keeps happening so I keep ranting in the hopes that some real estate agents will figure out that some spam avoidance mechanisms are costing them perhaps thousands of dollars every year!  Apparently, someone subscribed to one of my courses, and here's part of the email I got back:...Read Full Post

• Open Houses are the SPAM of Real Estate Marketing

  3 May 2012 | 1:11 pm

  OK, so I wanted a headline to get your attention.  However, I don't believe that open houses do anything to sell the subject homes in 99%+ of cases, and NAR's annual survey pretty much verifies that.  Here's an open house article quoting Realtors who like them, those who do not, and a consumer advocate who tells buyers and sellers to "just say no" to open houses.

• Short Sales About to Surge?

  28 Apr 2012 | 2:31 am

  With the announcement that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are introducing new rules for lenders in handling short sales, there just may be more of them in the near future.  While some lenders have already been more inclined to process short sales to avoid the delays and costs of foreclosure, these new rules are designed to speed up their responses to short sale offers.  With some response required within 30 days and a final result in 60 days or weekly reports thereafter, there should be a smoother and shorter road to a short sale closing.  Check out this step-by-step short sale…

• Good at SEO? How About SVI?

  27 Apr 2012 | 3:03 am

  Real estate professionals have come a long way in learning the ropes for SEO, Search Engine Optimization, of their real estate website content.  However, many still complain that they don't get enough qualified leads from their websites, and they wonder if their SEO efforts are worth it....Read Full Post

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  Lansner on Real Estate

• Home prices, sales rise in 28 O.C. ZIPs! Yours?

  Jon Lansner

  16 May 2012 | 12:07 pm

  Spring homebuying got off to a decent start with home sales counts and median selling prices rising in tandem in roughly 1-in-3 Orange County ZIPs last month vs. 2011! For calendar month April 2012 — DataQuick’s freshest stats — the Orange County real estate market had homebuying patterns showing: Click for priciest homes! 28 of 83 local ZIPs had both sales gains and price gains in the period. (Highlighted in green below!) These double-gainers had combined sales volume equal to 34% of the Orange County market. 38 of O.C.’s 83 ZIP codes with gains in their respective…

• 2,000-plus new homes coming to Lake Forest

  Jon Lansner

  16 May 2012 | 10:30 am

  Model homes in the first seven communities planned for the Shea Baker Ranch project might be toured by prospective buyers by the end of 2013. The Register’s Erika Ritchie tell us that the grand opening of the first phase is projected for spring 2014. City Council has approved a plan for as many as 2,379 homes may be built there. Read more HERE! 2,000-plus new homes coming to Lake Forest is a post from: Lansner on Real Estate

• O.C.’s April home sales hit 6-year high

  Jon Lansner

  16 May 2012 | 9:40 am

  DataQuick’s homebuying report for last month found the fastest April home-selling pace since 2006. Source: DataQuick; click for larger image Overall, house shoppers bought 2,920 residences last month, up 17.5% in a year. Median selling price was $420,000 — down 2.3% in a year. Last time we had a better April? 3,563 sales in April 2006. Median selling price that month? $630,000! It’s a serious spring boost. The 17.5% gain last month in sales vs. the previous month compares to an average 0.7% advance for the same period since 1988. Home sales have gained 12 times in this…

• O.C. housing mood: Taste of honey

  Jon Lansner

  16 May 2012 | 9:26 am

  O.C. homebuying mood defined as the market’s key slices vs. year ago, per DataQuick stats! Slices GAINING in prices/sales are GREEN; MIXED trends are YELLOW ; and FALLING prices/sales RED! For calendar month April 2012 … Slice Price Ch. Sold Ch. House $485,000 -2% 1,951 +23% Condo $279,000 -3% 853 +15.0% New $625,500 +17% 116 -26% All OC $420,000 -2% 2,920 +18% Source: DataQuick | CHANGING MOODS | TREND INFO | ZIP-BY-ZIP RESULTS O.C. housing mood: Taste of honey is a post from: Lansner on Real Estate

• Builder optimism hits 5-year high

  Jon Lansner

  16 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  One measure of homebuilder psyche — the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index — shows developers in the West a tad nervous this month as nationally it’s the best climate in 5 years. Meanwhile, housing starts jumped 30% nationwide. The NAHB/Wells index for the West in May was 29 — that is down 2 points vs. April yet up 13 vs. a year ago. Using a three-month average, Western builder confidence ran 30.7 March to May vs. 17.0 a year earlier. NAHB/Wells index comes from a builder survey that tabulates “a seasonally adjusted index where…

• 

  Realty Times Real Estate News Channel

• Ask the HOA Expert

  15 May 2012 | 11:00 pm

  We have a complete board turnover coming at the upcoming Annual Meeting. Some owners want to self-manage because our management company is not performing. Does this group, assuming they are elected, have the right to fire the manager and just take over with self-managing our 64 units? Does this require the vote of the entire membership?

• Mortgage Applications Increasing as Mortgage Rates Fall Again

  15 May 2012 | 11:00 pm

  ith the Euro-zone back in the news, it was inevitable that mortgage rates would fall again. Investors have become quite uncertain about austerity measures in Europe, especially with Greece, where opposition continues to grow. Here in the U.S., the Mortgage Banker's Association reported that mortgage applications increased 1.7% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending May 4th.

• Why Spring Listings Blossom

  15 May 2012 | 11:00 pm

  Nature is in full bloom across the nation. Many of today’s homeowners are unaware that Spring can be the ultimate time to list a home for sale. From beautiful lawns to temperate weather it’s prime time to lure in buyers.

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  Inman News Headlines

• Prudential California Realty accepting bids online

  inmannews

  16 May 2012 | 10:47 am

  Firm may get both sides of deal when buyer is unrepresentedread more

• Appraisals are lagging behind the market

  inmannews

  16 May 2012 | 10:37 am

  Letter to the Editorread more

• Home staging on a budget

  tomkelly

  16 May 2012 | 8:59 am

  Know which items to pack away and when to leave the shower curtain openread more

• Your time is worth nothing until you close

  alisha.braatz@inman.com

  16 May 2012 | 8:29 am

  Make every action contribute to your bottom line, and beneficial to your clientread more

• Pros' tips for installing grab bars

  billkevinburnett

  16 May 2012 | 8:09 am

  Never rip them out of the wall againread more

• 

  Developments

• Single-Family Rentals Keep Pulling In Investors

  Robbie Whelan

  16 May 2012 | 10:33 am

  The push is on to turn single-family rental homes into an asset class that can be bought and sold on Wall Street.

• Report: Sellers Boosted Prices in April

  Nick Timiraos

  16 May 2012 | 4:21 am

  Median list prices rose by 0.7% in April from March to their highest level in nearly one year, even as the number of homes listed for sale stood at levels down nearly 19% from one year ago, according to a report released Wednesday.

• Regulator Laments Role of Largest Mortgage Lenders

  Alan Zibel

  15 May 2012 | 3:33 pm

  The U.S. mortgage industry has become too concentrated in the hands of a few large players, a leading housing regulator said Tuesday.

• Homes Are Within Reach; Credit, Not So Much

  Dawn Wotapka

  15 May 2012 | 1:27 pm

  Buying a home is more affordable than ever, helped by depressed prices and record-low mortgage rates.

• Ryan Seacrest Buys Ellen DeGeneres’s Beverly Hills Estate

  WSJ Staff

  15 May 2012 | 12:47 pm

  Ryan Seacrest is in escrow to purchase Ellen DeGeneres’s Beverly Hills estate for $37 million, according to a person close to the transaction.

• 

  WSJ.com Video - Real Estate

• Ryan Seacrest Buys Ellen DeGeneres's Home for $37M

  16 May 2012 | 9:34 am

  Ryan Seacrest is in escrow to purchase Ellen DeGeneres's Beverly Hills estate for $37 million. Lauren Schuker has details on Lunch Break. Photo: Celebrityhomephotos/Newscom.

• Mortgage Delinquencies Decline

  16 May 2012 | 9:30 am

  The percentage of homeowners delinquent on their mortgages in the first quarter fell to the lowest level since the end of 2008, but the share of loans in the foreclosure process remains high. Dawn Wotapka has details on Lunch Break. Photo: AP.

• Malls Look to Play Areas to Lure Shoppers

  15 May 2012 | 9:45 am

  Shopping-mall designers see indoor shopping mall playscapes as a way to lure in more shoppers and get them to stay longer. Kris Hudson on Lunch Break looks at the most innovative playscapes in malls across the U.S. and what's next.

• The House That Kayaking Built

  11 May 2012 | 9:44 am

  Tao Berman has made enough money as a professional whitewater kayaker to build a 3,500-square-foot contemporary house, perched above the Columbia River Gorge. Nancy Keates has details on Lunch Break. Photo: Wiqan Ang for The Wall Street Journal.

• Is Bel Air Home the Next WSJ House of the Week?

  11 May 2012 | 9:38 am

  Stefanos Chen on Lunch Break shows us the four properties vying to be the next WSJ House of the Week, including a Manhattan duplex condo, a Bel Air Midcentury home, modern traditional in Sag Harbor and old Europe on the Upper East Side.

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  BBC News - Your Home

• House market back in the doldrums

  8 May 2012 | 2:05 am

  The brief flurry of activity in the property market has come to an end, says the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

• House prices 'fluctuate widely'

  4 May 2012 | 1:13 am

  House prices in the UK fell back sharply in April after the end of the stamp-duty holiday for first-time buyers, the Halifax says.

• 'Spring bounce' for house sales

  24 Apr 2012 | 1:54 am

  The number of homes sold in the UK rose sharply in March as the typical spring bounce took hold, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) says.

• Mortgage dash to beat stamp duty

  23 Apr 2012 | 3:05 am

  Mortgage lending rose sharply in March as buyers rushed to complete sales before the end of a stamp duty holiday, lenders say.

• Mortgage rates rise for new deals

  20 Apr 2012 | 6:28 am

  Mortgage rates for new borrowers are continuing to rise, with least 10 lenders charging more for certain deals this week.

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  NYT > Foreclosures (2012 Robosigning and Mortgage Servicing Settlement)

• States Diverting Mortgage Settlement Money to Other Uses

  14 May 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Some states are diverting their share of $2.5 billion they were awarded in a mortgage settlement, money intended to help homeowners and mitigate the effects of foreclosures.

• Marijuana Growers Move to the Suburbs

  6 May 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Marijuana growers are shifting to the suburbs from rural and commercial areas, helped by a housing crisis that created a glut of affordable houses for indoor farming.

• Mortgage Aid Pilot Programs Were Halted, Papers Show

  1 May 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Pilot programs to reduce mortgage principal were ended abruptly by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to the documents released on Tuesday.

• Mortgages — Avoiding Mortgage Relief Scams

  21 Apr 2012 | 9:00 pm

  An alert from the Federal Trade Commission warns against so-called mass joinder lawsuits from businesses purporting to be law firms.

• The Largest Marginal Tax Rate Ever?

  18 Apr 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Changes the Treasury has made in mortgage modification programs for people facing foreclosure impose enormous marginal tax rates, an economist writes.

• 

  Housing News

• Southern California home prices climb in April

  16 May 2012 | 12:27 pm

  A research firm says Southern California home prices rose last month as the supply of properties for sale remained tight.

• Can you refinance an underwater home without HARP?

  16 May 2012 | 9:27 am

  It can be quite easy to refinance if you're underwater and the loan is backed by the FHA or VA.

• Finding the real lesson from JPMorgan's trading debacle

  16 May 2012 | 7:27 am

  Automobiles pass a JPMorgan Chase building on May 10 in New York. JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, said Thursday that it lost $2 billion in the past six weeks in a trading portfolio designed to hedge against risks the company takes with its own money.

• Canadian home prices flatten in April

  16 May 2012 | 3:12 am

  Price gains in two of Canada's largest housing markets have slowed considerably, but the national average price in April continues to inch higher.

• Foreclosed Americans find way back to homeownership

  15 May 2012 | 11:03 pm

  A quick-fix on the day's news published with Reuters videos and award-winning news photography and delivered at your choice of one of four times during the day.

• 

  Foreclosure News

• Oakland expands crackdown on blighted homes

  16 May 2012 | 12:49 pm

  Oakland officials are expanding efforts to cut down on blighted homes by going after properties in the earliest stages of foreclosure.

• Mortgage Delinquencies Drop To 4-Year Low

  16 May 2012 | 8:44 am

  The percentage of borrowers who have dropped behind on their mortgage payments fell to a four-year low in the first three months of 2012, a bankers' group said Wednesday.

• Crossroads announcing $25 million ad push

  16 May 2012 | 5:40 am

  An independent group favoring Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney is launching a $25 million, monthlong advertising campaign in 10 states against President Barack Obama, further escalating an expensive TV ad war in presidential battlegrounds six months before Election Day.

• Business Highlights

  16 May 2012 | 1:35 am

  The CEO of JPMorgan Chase offered a quick but blunt apology to shareholders Tuesday for a $2 billion trading loss that "should never have happened" and survived a push to strip him of the title of chairman of the board.

• Foreclosed Americans find way back to homeo...

  16 May 2012 | 1:35 am

  When Jennifer Anderson's family could no longer afford their mortgage and lost their home, she expected many years to pass before they would again become property owners.

• 

  HUD Press Releases

• HUD ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT WITH NEBRASKA LANDLORD TO SETTLE HOUSING DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT

  10 May 2012 | 5:07 am

  WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has reached a $22,500 settlement agreement with the owner and managers of at Cheyenne Villa Apartments, a 56-unit, HUD-assisted townhome complex in Sydney, Nebraska. The settlement resolves a complaint filed by a resident who uses a wheelchair and walker, who alleged that management the development failed to accommodate her request to transfer to the first available ground-floor unit. The resident also claimed that management denied requests for a parking space and a ramp to ease her access to her…

• HUD, HUD INSPECTOR GENERAL AND U.S. ATTORNEY ANNOUNCE $202 MILLION SETTLEMENT WITH DEUTSCHE BANK AND MORTGAGEIT

  10 May 2012 | 5:07 am

  Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Stuart F. Delery, the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, Helen Kanovsky, General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD"), and David A. Montoya, Inspector General of HUD, announced today that the United States has settled a civil fraud lawsuit against DEUTSCHE BANK AG, DB STRUCTURED PRODUCTS, INC., DEUTSCHE BANK SECURITIES, INC. (collectively "DEUTSCHE BANK" or the "DEUTSCHE BANK defendants") and MORTGAGEIT, INC.

• HUD AWARDS MORE THAN $40 MILLION IN GRANTS TO COMBAT HOUSING DISCRIMINATION

  9 May 2012 | 5:07 am

  WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded nearly $41.18 million to 99 fair housing organizations and other non-profit agencies in 35 states and the District of Columbia to assist people who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination (see attached list of grantees). Read a complete project-by-project summary of the programs awarded grants today.

• OHUD AWARDS OVER $2.5 MILLION IN GRANTS TO REDUCE HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARDS IN HOUSING

  8 May 2012 | 5:07 am

  WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded $2.58 million in grants to four projects intended to protect children and families from health hazards in their homes. The awards will be made to academic and non-profit institutions that advance the recognition and control of residential health and safety hazards to improve our understanding of the link between housing and health. Read a complete project-by-project summary of the programs awarded grants today.

• HUD LAUNCHES OVERHAUL OF CONSOLIDATED PLANNING PROCESS

  7 May 2012 | 5:07 am

  WASHINGTON - It used to be that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development would require more than 1,200 cities, counties and states to undergo a paper-based, time-intensive and costly planning process as a condition of receiving billions of dollars in federal funding. No more. Today, HUD is launching the eCon Planning Suite, a set of 21st Century data and technology tools to help communities ensure that scarce federal dollars are targeted to where they are needed most and can achieve the biggest impact.

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  Planetizen - Urban Planning, Design and Development Network

• Should the Bay Area Have Four Million More Residents?

  Jonathan Nettler

  16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm

  Noting the Bay Area's relatively slow growth rate over the past two decades, Timothy B. Lee argues that the area's "bad housing policies" are harming business growth and investment opportunities in Silicon Valley.read more

• What Does "Creative Placemaking" Look Like?

  Tim Halbur

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Launched one year ago, ArtPlace works to accelerate creative placemaking by making grants and loans. So what does that actually look like on the ground? A new video from ArtPlace gives a glimpse of what they've accomplished so far. read more

• Cities Fight Over Shrinking Convention Pie

  Jonathan Nettler

  16 May 2012 | 11:00 am

  Despite a dramatic decline in the number of, and attendance at, conventions nationwide, cities across America are investing their limited resources in building and upgrading convention centers. Fred A. Bernstein explores the irony.read more

• What Are (Realistic) Options For Federal Transportation Funding?

  Irvin Dawid

  16 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  With the unlikely possibility of the Congressional conference committee agreeing to a new transportation bill, much less an agreement to address the decreasing gas tax revenues to the Highway Trust Fund, Kathryn Wolfe looks at the remaining options.read more

• The Dangers of Walking While Poor

  jerinbrent

  16 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  Low income people are more likely to get hit by cars. Kate Hinds reports on the social and infrastructural factors responsible for the disparity.read more

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  HousingWire

• FOMC eases position on QE3

  16 May 2012 | 12:32 pm

  If the recovery loses momentum, several members indicated that additional monetary policy accommodation could be necessary, a change from just a "couple members" at the Federal Open Market Committee's last meeting. read more

• Nationstar deal to buy ResCap comes with AG settlement strings

  16 May 2012 | 11:23 am

  Nationstar Mortgage Holdings agreed to assist Ally Financial in the robo-signing consent order and settlement if its bid to purchase Residential Capital goes through. But the agreement with state attorneys general is somewhat muddied. read more

• Home prices tick up in Southern California

  16 May 2012 | 10:52 am

  Southern California is beginning to see signs of a tepid recovery with the median sales price in the area edging up to $290,000 in April, according to real estate analytics firm DataQuick. read more

• Multifamily supply could hinder rent growth by 2013 in some markets

  16 May 2012 | 10:50 am

  Analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods said new apartment supply could hamper rent rates by 2014. But in areas with new supply expected next year, including Dallas, Seattle and Washington, rental costs could taper off earlier. read more

• Mortgage delinquency rate falls in first quarter

  16 May 2012 | 9:07 am

  While mortgage delinquencies normally fall during the first quarter of the year, declines were even greater than the normal seasonal adjustments. read more

• 

  housing market

• Leaving Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac As Is Risks Another Housing Bubble

  15 May 2012 | 11:00 am

  Housing is heavily subsidized in the United States and that was the ultimate cause of our housing woes

• HARP 3.0 Rumor Mill: What a Possible Extension Means for Homeowners

  10 May 2012 | 2:58 pm

  Another incarnation of the government's refinancing assistance program could be on the way.

• Will Mortgage Principal Reductions Work?

  10 May 2012 | 2:03 pm

  Some say principal reductions will save the housing market, but are they missing the downsides?

• Marijuana Growers Moving to Suburbia

  10 May 2012 | 1:58 pm

  High housing affordability in the suburbs is attracting marijuana cultivators looking for room to grow.

• Top 10 Turnaround Towns

  10 May 2012 | 8:21 am

• 

  Business Insider

• In Pictures: Why Troops Themselves Make The Best Defense Reporters

  Eloise Lee and Robert Johnson

  16 May 2012 | 1:56 pm

  We had a treat last weekend and attended the 2012 Milblogging Conference in Arlington, Va. As a direct testament to this digital era of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media — we kept recognizing bloggers before being formally introduced. It was great to finally meet the good people behind the names we often write about here at BI Military & Defense. As blogger Boston Maggie (of fierce U.S. Navy pride) said: "Milblogging is about building a bridge between those who serve and others, on any platform." We couldn't agree more. Now check out who's who.Laptops powered on as soon as…

• This Conference Shows Why Troops Themselves Make The Best Defense Reporters

  Eloise Lee

  16 May 2012 | 1:55 pm

  At Business Insider Military & Defense, one of the things we're encouraging is the inclusion of military voices and bloggers — active duty, veteran, or retired — on our vertical. Because they tell it like it is. And there is incredible value in that. Last weekend, we attended the 2012 Milblog Conference hosted by Military.com. Recognized bloggers, defense reporters from high-brow papers such as the Washington Post and the New York Times, representatives from the military's own social media teams, a congressman, and the creator of the hit movie Act of…

• These Homeowners Turned Missile Silos And Train Carriages Into Luxury Digs

  Zillow

  16 May 2012 | 1:53 pm

  Get out your Ouija boards and crystal balls. That’s what it might take to solve the double past lives of  these unique homes. See the luxury digs > On the outside, they all have the appearance of single-family homes. But upon closer investigation, it’s pretty clear these interesting structures were originally designed for different purposes, and were home to other sorts of tenants — like school kids, congregants and even missiles. Related: House of Week: Mushroom House in Cincinnati (VIDEO) Glassy Home was Rumored Rendezvous for Marilyn Monroe and JFK (VIDEO)…

• Salesforce.com Has An 'Airing Of Grievances' Chat Room (CRM)

  Owen Thomas

  16 May 2012 | 1:51 pm

  Last night at dinner, we asked Salesforce.com COO George Hu if his employees were really enthusiastic users of his company's internal chat service, Chatter. No surprise, he said they are. But here's how Hu proved it: He gave us an all-too-brief glimpse on his iPhone of his Chatter stream. One of the groups he showed us was titled "Airing of Grievances." People use it to complain about things like double-booking of conference rooms at Salesforce.com's downtown San Francisco office towers. (The fast-growing company needs more space—just not the crazy-looking campus it was thinking about…

• INFOGRAPHIC: How We Purchase By Politics

  Mandi Woodruff

  16 May 2012 | 1:50 pm

  States may be divvied up by political leaning – Red vs. Blue – but online bill-pay site Billeo decided to see whether our differences in the polls extend to our shopping habits as well.  Turns out they do. Majority Republican states are 40 percent more likely to spend on home repairs, while Blue states pump 40 percent more into travel and vacations (they're also bigger spenders when it comes to electronics and books). Blue states also spend about 4 percent more shopping online, though Red states drop 6 percent more when they pay bills online. See the infographic below…

• 

  Credit.com News + Advice

• CFPB Still Pushing for Clearer Credit Card Agreements

  Credit.com

  16 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  When it gained full regulatory power over the financial services industry last year, the federal agency tasked with protecting consumers from predatory or misleading lending practices has as its primary goal the creation of simpler lending agreements that were easier to understand. However, in the intervening months, there has been little in the way of action toward that goal. Now, though, one of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s top officials says that the need for a uniform, simplified lending disclosure for credit card agreements is still very much on the…

• How I’m Repaying $120,000 in Student Loans

  Eric Bell

  16 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  In less than a month, I will graduate from my MBA program at Georgetown University with more than $120,000 in student loans at 7% interest.  Six months after graduation, my grace period will end, and I will have to start repaying more than $1,000 per month.  Here is my strategy for repayment. Earn Baby, Earn The first thing I have to figure out is how to increase my income from its current level.  Without more money coming in, there is no chance for me to pay down my debt and maintain my current lifestyle.  Some student loan repayment strategies I’m considering are…

• Why It’s Important to Teach Kids About Credit

  Credit.com

  16 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  Millions of Americans are still struggling financially, but likely do not want to pass the kind of money problems and related stresses they feel onto their kids. One of the best ways to help youngsters avoid these problems in the future is by taking the time to instill good, basic advice about money while they’re young. Even if consumers have had trouble sticking to what they know to be good credit practices in the past, it can still be extremely helpful to kids to learn the basics of smart account management at a relatively young age, according to a report from Tulsa, Oklahoma,…

• Discover Tops List of Best Credit Card Websites

  Kali Geldis

  16 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  When it comes to website security and functionality, Discover tops a new list from Forrester Research. The Forrester study, titled “2012 U.S. Credit Card Secure Website Rankings,” was conducted from March 6-9 and compared the top six U.S. issuers on 50 different criteria. [Free Resource: Check your credit score and report card for free before applying for a credit card While Discover didn’t get a perfect score, it did achieve an 80 out of 100, the highest among all of the issuers. The issuer ranked highly  in the online servicing category and the site’s security…

• Defaults Rise Slightly for Capital One

  Credit.com

  16 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  Since the end of the recession, consumers have been repeatedly cutting the rates at which they feel behind on their credit card payments and repeatedly failed to pay the bills, but that trend might be reversing itself. Analysts recently suggested that the record-low instances of delinquency and default observed by credit card lenders since the end of the recession were expected to bottom out at some point this year, and already, this might be taking place for at least one major lender, according to a report from Dow Jones Newswires. In its monthly filing with the Securities and Exchange…

• 

  NHC Open House Blog

• Let’s not drive blind—keep the American Community Survey

  14 May 2012 | 8:29 am

  by Ethan Handelman, National Housing Conference You wouldn’t drive your car with your eyes closed, so why should we make multi-billion dollar policy decisions that way? Last week, the House approved an amendment to eliminate the American Community Survey, a part of the U.S. Census that collects essential data on Americans’ housing and transportation choices, among many other data. Those data are how we see the results of policy choices, how we know whether what we’re doing to provide safe, decent, and affordable housing opportunities are actually working, how we avoid costly policy…

• Serious mortgage delinquency is rising two years after the foreclosure crisis' peak. Why?

  9 May 2012 | 9:34 am

  by Maya Brennan, Center for Housing Policy For more than a year, serious mortgage delinquencies seemed to be stabilizing. The average serious delinquency rate in the nation’s 100 largest metro areas would creep down slightly one quarter, hold steady another. Through this period of stabilization, the rate remained shockingly high from a historical perspective, but seemed to be in a holding pattern — quarter after quarter of marginal improvements. The latest data show something different. The serious mortgage delinquency rate is rising again. The warning signs were there even as the rate…

• What's making mortgages so hard to get?

  4 May 2012 | 6:53 am

  by Ethan Handelman, National Housing ConferenceBuying a home is uncommonly affordable these days. Indeed, mortgage rates hit 3.84% according to Thursday’s survey from Freddie Mac—the lowest they’ve ever been. Home prices are low, too. So why are housing markets so slow to respond? Much of the answer is that it’s still very hard to get a mortgage. Mortgage lending has overcorrected from the too-lax standards during the boom, and there’s no sign of relaxation back to more normal underwriting. A survey conducted by the Federal Reserve found that a majority of banks were less likely to…

• Hearing highlights foreclosure crisis and response

  27 Apr 2012 | 7:13 am

  by Ethan Handelman, National Housing Conference On April 26th, the Congressional Progressive Caucus invited testimony from experts on the foreclosure crisis and ways to ameliorate it. Testifying at the were:   New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who testified on the recent settlement between state attorneys-general and mortgage servicers and his Task Force’s ongoing investigations. John Griffith of the Center for American Progress, who spoke to the need for shared appreciation mortgages to restructure deeply underwater loans into sustainable loans, thereby preventing…

• Mom and pop, your local real estate moguls

  26 Apr 2012 | 7:00 am

  by Laura Williams, Center for Housing Policy   The National Association of Realtors recently released its 2012 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey, and my own reaction was something along the lines of, “Finally!” Not that NAR was delayed in their release or anything, but that survey data is beginning to pick up some trends those of us in the foreclosure field had been suspecting for some time: individual investors are becoming a significant portion of existing home sales, with the idea of creating Mom and Pop rental options for single family homes.    As NAR’s…

• 

  "climate change" - Google News

• Climate change brews up trouble for coffee - Business Daily Africa

  16 May 2012 | 12:31 pm

  Business Daily AfricaClimate change brews up trouble for coffeeBusiness Daily AfricaPhoto/Joseph Kanyi By NGONDI MBURU (email the author) As the world grapples with climate change, Kenya coffee and tea farmers are being forced to wake up to the reality of these new conditions as scientists paint grim prospects for the cash crops.

• "Climate Impacts Day" Connects Dots Between Global Climate Change and Extreme ... - Between The Lines

  16 May 2012 | 11:54 am

  Between The Lines"Climate Impacts Day" Connects Dots Between Global Climate Change and Extreme Between The LinesOn May 5, all around the world, environmental activists held what they called “Connect the Dots” events to draw a link between recent extreme weather events and climate change. The “Climate Impacts Day” action was a project of 350.org,

• Effects of Climate Change on Wildlife and Habitat - HealthNewsDigest.com

  16 May 2012 | 11:53 am

  HealthNewsDigest.comEffects of Climate Change on Wildlife and HabitatHealthNewsDigest.comBy Staff Editor (HealthNewsDigest.com) - Visitors to national wildlife refuges are concerned about the impact of climate change on America's fish, wildlife and plants ─ as well as the habitat that supports them, a new survey just released by the U..

• USGS details effects of climate change on water availability in 14 local ... - Phys.Org (press release)

  16 May 2012 | 8:21 am

  USGS details effects of climate change on water availability in 14 local Phys.Org (press release)Climate change projections indicate a steady increase in temperature progressing through the 21st century, generally resulting in snowpack reductions, changes to the timing of snowmelt, altered streamflows, and reductions in soil moisture, and more »

• Is climate change research holding back advances in weather forecasting? - Washington Post (blog)

  16 May 2012 | 8:12 am

  Is climate change research holding back advances in weather forecasting?Washington Post (blog)The bottom line is that the computational power available for climate simulations, for understanding and predicting climate change over the next few decades to a century, absolutely dwarfs what is available for predicting the weather and for

• 

  Real Time Economics

• Labor Department Error Overstates Female Job Losses

  Phil Izzo

  16 May 2012 | 1:27 pm

  There are more women working for the postal service than the Labor Department originally thought. That has the potential to alter some much-reported numbers, but isn't likely to change the underlying trend of the recovery.

• Housing Less Dilapidated, but Still a Fixer-Upper

  Kathleen Madigan

  16 May 2012 | 12:41 pm

  Home construction data support the idea that housing is no longer the dilapidated wreck it was in past years. But bottoming out shouldn't be confused with a robust recovery.

• Fed Debates Falling Labor Force Participation

  David Wessel

  16 May 2012 | 11:19 am

  Fed officials agreed that understanding the reasons behind the decline in the labor force participation rate is “important for understanding unemployment dynamics going forwards,” according to minutes of the meeting.

• Bullard: Fed on Hold Because Existing Policy Already Ultra-Easy

  Cynthia Lin

  16 May 2012 | 9:59 am

  A top Federal Reserve official said the U.S. economic recovery is outperforming expectations and that current monetary policy is already very accommodative and risks igniting inflation.

• Has Canada Contracted Dutch Disease?

  Karen Johnson

  16 May 2012 | 9:14 am

  Asking whether Canada's economy is suffering from Dutch disease is a bit like asking whether the country's red-hot housing sector is in the midst of a bubble. It's hard to call definitely until you hear the pop.

• 

  Paul Krugman

• When Good Things Happen to Bad Ideas

  By PAUL KRUGMAN

  16 May 2012 | 10:11 am

  The story of the past 30 years.

• Sweden - Sweden!!! - as Conservative Icon

  By PAUL KRUGMAN

  16 May 2012 | 7:29 am

  But the data say different, as usual.

• Extremists and Enablers

  By PAUL KRUGMAN

  16 May 2012 | 5:49 am

  Working together to destroy America.

• Jogging for the Exit

  By PAUL KRUGMAN

  16 May 2012 | 5:42 am

  Has the end begun?

• Thing Falls Apart

  By PAUL KRUGMAN

  15 May 2012 | 10:38 am

  Americans Elect won't elect any Americans.

• 

  Calculated Risk

• Report: Housing Inventory declines 18.9% year-over-year

  CalculatedRisk

  16 May 2012 | 1:27 pm

  From Realtor.com: April 2012 Real Estate DataOn the national level, inventory of for-sale single family homes, condominiums, townhouses and co-ops declined by -18.85% in April 2012 compared to a year ago, and declined in all but five of the 146 markets covered by Realtor.com.Realtor.com also reports that inventory was up 2.0% from the March level. Inventory usually increases seasonally from March to April. Over the last 11 years, the average increase was close to 9% since many people typically list their homes in the spring, hoping to move during the summer months. If the NAR also reports a…

• FOMC Minutes: "Several members indicated that additional monetary policy accommodation could be necessary" if economy slows

  CalculatedRisk

  16 May 2012 | 11:00 am

  The Fed's program to "extend the average maturity of its holdings of securities" (aka Operation Twist) is schedule to end in June. Now analysts are looking for clues about the possibility of QE3. Although there was no discussion of easing alternatives, several members indicated they'd support additional monetary policy accommodation if the economy slows. This was an increase from a "couple" members in the previous meeting. From the Fed: Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, April 24-25, 2012 . Excerpt: Several members indicated that additional monetary policy accommodation could be…

• Q1 MBA National Delinquency Survey Comments

  CalculatedRisk

  16 May 2012 | 8:19 am

  A few comments from Jay Brinkmann, MBA’s Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Research and Education, and Michael Fratantoni, MBA's Vice President, Vice President of Research and Economics, on the conference call. • All delinquency categories were down in Q1, both seasonally adjusted (SA) and NSA. • The 30 day delinquency rate is back to normal (at the long term average). (This means a normal amount of loans are going delinquent each month) • This was the largest quarter-to-quarter drop in delinquencies in history (there is usually a large seasonal drop in Q1, but this was…

• MBA: Mortgage Delinquencies decline in Q1

  CalculatedRisk

  16 May 2012 | 7:02 am

  The MBA reported that 11.79 percent of mortgage loans were either one payment delinquent or in the foreclosure process in Q1 2012 (delinquencies seasonally adjusted). This is down from 11.96 percent in Q4 2011 and is the lowest level since 2008. From the MBA: Delinquencies Decline in Latest MBA Mortgage Delinquency Survey The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties decreased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 7.40 percent of all loans outstanding as of the end of the first quarter of 2012, a decrease of 18 basis points from the fourth quarter of 2011, and…

• Industrial Production up in April, Capacity Utilization increases

  CalculatedRisk

  16 May 2012 | 6:33 am

  From the Fed: Industrial production and Capacity Utilization Industrial production increased 1.1 percent in April. Output is now reported to have fallen 0.6 percent in March and to have moved up 0.4 percent in February; previously, industrial production was estimated to have been unchanged in both months. Manufacturing output increased 0.6 percent in April after having decreased 0.5 percent in March. Excluding motor vehicles and parts, which increased nearly 4 percent, manufacturing output moved up 0.3 percent, and output for all but a few major industries increased. Production at mines rose…

• 

  Econbrowser

• Oil and gasoline prices

  James Hamilton

  16 May 2012 | 8:41 am

  Here I comment on some recent developments affecting oil and gasoline prices. There is no oil shortage in the central United States, and has not been for some time, thanks to increased production from Canadian oil sands, North Dakota, and the Midwest United States: Source: Borenstein and Kellogg (2012). At the same time, demand in the U.S. is down, as Americans are driving fewer miles than in 2008 with more fuel-efficient cars: Source: EIA. The result has been that oil is piling up in the central U.S. With inadequate pipeline capacity to transport that crude so that it could replace more…

• The housing market and the case for higher inflation targets

  Menzie Chinn

  15 May 2012 | 1:00 pm

  From a VoxEU column today, by me and Joshua Aizenman: Might more inflation be good for the US and Europe? This column looks at the housing market in the US and argues that, with houses dropping in price, buyers are playing a waiting game. And as buyers keep delaying, the price drops further. Given the importance of property in many economies, the knock-on effects are severe. Yet one way to break this vicious cycle is with inflation. The eloquent advocacy for moderate inflation at times of peril goes back to Irving Fisher’s seminal paper on the debt deflation: “In summary, we find that:…

• Gasoline Prices Implied by Futures

  Menzie Chinn

  14 May 2012 | 10:21 pm

  Downward, and downwardly revised. Following up on this post several weeks ago, it seems that futures prices are confirming downward movements in gasoline prices. A simple bivariate regression using the lagged log futures price and log gasoline prices (all formulations) yields the following estimates: (1) pgast = 0.514 + 0.719 × fgast-1 + ut Adj-R2 = 0.97; SER = 0.034; DW = 1.90; smpl = 2005M11-2012M03; n = 77 Using this relationship, and the futures prices as of April 19, one can infer the path of future gasoline prices, and for May 13. I show the result in Figure 1: Figure 1: Actual…

• JP Morgan and systemic risk

  James Hamilton

  13 May 2012 | 9:54 am

  For some time, financial observers have been discussing the large positions in bond-index derivatives amassed by a trader known as the London Whale, now revealed to be Bruno Iksil working for JP Morgan Chase. On Thursday we learned that JP Morgan has lost over $2 billion in the space of two weeks as a result of the trades. On Friday the stock price fell by 9.3%, wiping out $14.4 billion of the company's value. How do you lose so much money so quickly? The short answer is, leverage. Although details are not known, one likely scenario ([1], [2]) involves derivatives constructed from the riskier…

• Dispatches (XXI): Governor Walker only 244,100 Short of 250,000 New Private Sector Jobs by 2015!

  Menzie Chinn

  12 May 2012 | 2:19 pm

  From Milwaukee Journal Sentinel All Politics Blog: Gov. Scott Walker recommitted Saturday to his pledge to create 250,000 private-sector jobs by 2015, a promise all the more difficult to achieve since he first made it because of anemic job growth during his tenure. In my April 30th post, which addressed Governor Walker's fears that Wisconsin net job creation would go negative if he lost the recall (despite the fact that reported net job creation was already negative), I included this graph: Figure 1: Wisconsin private nonfarm payroll employment from BLS March 2012 release (blue), from BLS…

• 

  Virginia News

• Virginia To Conduct Annual Pesticide Disposal In September

  16 May 2012 | 10:31 am

  The Office of Pesticide Services will collect unwanted, outdated or banned pesticides at sites in Scottsburg, Charlotte Courthouse, Blackstone, Collinsville, Chatham, Rustburg, Farmville, and South Hill.

• You ask, We Investigate: Governor says nearly $53,000 Red-Carpet Tour good investment for SWVA

  16 May 2012 | 9:26 am

  When Gov. Bob McDonnell hosted 14 CEO's and senior executives in Southwest Virginia last September he and Virginia's taxpayers rolled out the red carpet.

• Virginia sets back equality

  16 May 2012 | 8:22 am

  Despite bipartisan support, the Virginia legislature failed to muster a sufficient majority to confirm a prosecutor nominated to a district judgeship in Richmond.

• Virginia Republicans deny prosecutor's bid to become state's first openly gay judge

  16 May 2012 | 4:07 am

  Tracy Thorne-Begland, who is openly gay, failed to be appointed a judge after Republicans voted against his appointment, arguing he would be biased on gay rights issues.

• Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell Evolves On Gay Judges

  16 May 2012 | 3:07 am

  Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell , a shortlist contender to be Mitt Romney's vice president who is beloved among conservatives, appears to be the latest prominent politician to "evolve" on gay-rights issues.

• 

  The Virginian-Pilot

• First Colonial boys soccer edges Cox in Beach semifinal

  HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

  15 May 2012 | 9:14 pm

  Boys soccer Beach District semifinals First Colonial 1, Cox 0 Brian Davidson recovered from a bad touch on a cross from Jack Pleasants, and beat Cox keeper Erik Morlock to the right side of the cage with just under three minutes remaining Tuesday to lift the Patriots past the Falcons at the Sportsplex. "Not a fake, just a bad touch," said Davidson, who scored with his left foot. "But I got good contact and it worked out well." First Colonial (13-3-1) will play Kempsville in the Beach final 7 p.m. Friday at the Sportsplex. First Colonial struggled much of the game as Cox…

• Portsmouth council OKs budget, worker bonuses

  HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

  15 May 2012 | 9:12 pm

  PORTSMOUTH The City Council unanimously approved a $544 million budget Tuesday night that funds few new programs, generally holds the line on taxes and does not include a pay raise for employees. However, the council agreed to fund a one-time 3 percent bonus for all employees, including police, fire and rescue personnel. The bonus will be paid for with $2.9 million in surplus money the city expects to receive from the school system, Mayor Kenny Wright said. In all, the city hopes to pocket about $4.9 million in surplus school system funds in June. The money was intended for a central…

• Bringing the cell to the criminal

  HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

  15 May 2012 | 9:00 pm

  House arrest offers benefits to jailers and the jailed. Norfolk's Sheriff's Office leads the region in the house arrest program, with about 300 low-risk offenders serving sentences for infractions such as driving offenses or failing to pay child support. Federal money helped to get the programs started; Norfolk was wise to keep its program going and to expand it after federal money disappeared. Those are 300 people who might otherwise lodge in an already overcrowded jail at a cost to taxpayers of about $55 per inmate per day. Under house arrest, offenders can keep their jobs and…

• Dishonor in General Assembly

  HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

  15 May 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Tracy Thorne-Begland has qualifications tailor-made for a judgeship on Richmond's General District Court: Former naval aviator. Graduate of University of Richmond's School of Law. More than a decade as a prosecutor. The chief deputy commonwealth's attorney in the capital city. But those qualifications didn't matter to enough lawmakers this week. Social conservatives in the Republican-dominated House of Delegates singled out Thorne-Begland's status as an openly gay man, and his willingness to publicly challenge the military's "don't ask, don't…

• Farmers markets are well-stocked with local fare

  HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

  15 May 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Farmers markets are opening right and left these days. A new Saturday-morning market, Farmers' Fare at East Beach, opens Saturday in Pavilion Park, 4730 Hammock Lane, in Norfolk's Ocean View. Hours are 9 a.m. to noon. Cullipher Farm in Virginia Beach and Deerehaven Farm in Surry County will be selling spring veggies, and Rainbow's End Farm in Suffolk will offer free-range chicken, eggs and more. Other vendors will offer seafood, sweets, breads, pasta and even artisan cheeses from the western part of the state. Celebrate Memorial Day weekend with the reopening of the Old Beach…

• 

  AlexTimes

• Waterfront legal fight heads to circuit court

  Derrick Perkins

  16 May 2012 | 12:53 pm

  City officials made good on promises to challenge the board of zoning appeals’ waterfront redevelopment plan decision in circuit court earlier this month. By reversing Planning Director Faroll Hamer’s rejection of a protest petition filed by waterfront plan opponents shortly before city council approved the proposal in January, the BZA put potential shoreline redevelopment in limbo. In court documents city attorneys argue that by “reversing the director’s determination, the BZA decision was contrary to the law, arbitrary and an abuse of their discretion because the BZA applied…

• Saints clinch conference championship

  Derrick Perkins

  16 May 2012 | 10:47 am

  Pitcher Alexis Sargent and her red-hot arm propelled the St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes Saints to their second Independent School League championship in three years this past weekend. The Saints won three games in as many days, showcasing skill at every position. They started the streak with an 11-0 blowout of Maret on Friday — a game marked by sensational diving plays by shortstop Nancy Bateman and right fielder Marena Anderson. The team’s bats were equally explosive against Maret. Senior co-captain Taylor Heasley set the tone in the first inning after singling in the team’s first run…

• What will the future hold for Alexandria’s GenOn site?

  David Sachs

  16 May 2012 | 6:15 am

  The future of a major waterfront parcel is vague, but it could transform the Potomac’s banks in the coming years — once its owners decide what do with it. Pepco owns the land at 1400 N. Royal St., home to GenOn, the coal-fired power plant scheduled to close for good October 1. The 22.6 acres is worth $54.7 million, according to the Virginia State Corp. Commission. What exactly comes next for the shorefront parcel is anyone’s guess. Coal has saturated the land for decades, and the site has been industrial since the 1930s. As such, any redevelopment requires years of demolition and…

• Alexandria’s little known ordinance puts limits on pet ownership

  David Sachs

  15 May 2012 | 6:55 am

  Alexandria is often heralded as a pet-friendly community, but does a 17-year-old law limiting ownership of cats and dogs bode well for that reputation? Since 1995 it’s been illegal for any household to have more then three dogs and more than four cats. It’s the kind of law — like the rule prohibiting residents from parking in front of their homes for more than 72 hours — that makes some people scratch their heads. “I don’t really get it, but it doesn’t bother me, personally,” said Joshua Miller, a resident who exercises his two dogs at Oronoco Bay Park in Old Town. “You got…

• Road to White House runs through Alexandria, Virginia

  Derrick Perkins

  15 May 2012 | 6:51 am

  Presidential politics came home to roost in Alexandria late last week with the opening of President Barack Obama’s new re-election campaign office in the Port City. U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8), a former mayor and city resident, was on hand to welcome Organizing For America — Obama’s campaigning arm — to Alexandria on Saturday. He took the opportunity to stump for the Democratic president before a largely friendly crowd. “We have a clear choice in this election between moving this country forward and building an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and returning to the failed…

• 

  InsideNova - News - local

• Police help uncover 90-year-old line of duty death

  16 May 2012 | 1:46 pm

  Officials reveal how they found out about Prince William Justice of the Peace Thomas Simms Meredith’s death in 1922.

• Bobby Flay joint coming to Potomac Mills

  16 May 2012 | 12:38 pm

  Bobby’s Burger Palace is one of many additions headed to the mall.

• Manassas store robbed at gunpoint

  16 May 2012 | 11:28 am

  A man walked into the 7-Eleven and demanded money at gunpoint, police said.

• Case moves forward in baby's death at Bristow day care

  16 May 2012 | 9:09 am

  Two day care providers were charged after a baby girl died at an illegal day care in March.

• Manassas council approves crematoriums on Center Street

  16 May 2012 | 6:40 am

  The decision came after a public hearing where residents voiced concerns about mercury emissions from burning human remains.

• 

  This Old House: Kitchen And Bath

• How to Build a Grilling Station

  24 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  Create extra storage and work surface from garden accessories and sheet metal

• How to Afford the Kitchen You Want

  11 May 2012 | 9:45 am

  Mix of high- and lower-ticket products and materials to get the look you want

• 10 Ways Your Bathroom is Making You Sick

  9 May 2012 | 9:25 am

  The bathroom may be all about cleaning, yet it's one of the worst places in your home for hiding nasty chemicals, allergens, and other toxins

• Steal Ideas From Our Best Kitchen Transformations

  9 May 2012 | 9:25 am

  The editors of TOH dig into the archives to share the most dramatic kitchen makeovers ever

• Editors' Picks: Our Favorite Colorful Kitchens

  23 Apr 2012 | 9:50 am

  The cookspace is a great place to go crazy with color, adding life to the hub of the home. Here, our favorites from the pages of This Old House

• 

  Main | Apartment Therapy

• Regina's Lab-Like Loo Dream Bathroom Inspiration

  16 May 2012 | 1:15 pm

  Maybe I've lived in one too many apartments with poorly-ventilated, mildewy old bathrooms, but my dream bathroom would be a cool, clean, almost clinical space. Not a lot of color, texture, or pattern. Rather; no-nonsense, spare design that's easy to clean and a respite for the senses at the start or end of a busy day. Here's what I would do if I were so lucky to be working from a blank slate: More Read More...

• What Should I Do with These Crazy Orange Counters? Good Questions

  16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm

  Q: I live in a modern loft in Hollywood that I've been working on for a while. The kitchen came with bright orange Ceasarstone countertops and I'm at a loss as to what to do around them (backsplash, etc). What should I do with these crazy orange counters? More Read More...

• Mercado Market Bag Review

  16 May 2012 | 12:45 pm

  What would happen if individual compartments were built into a market bag, allowing you to carefully place and secure your beautiful produce? This Mercado bag from Quirky lets you do just that and at a great price point, too! • Mercado Bag   The Kitchn Read More...

• Beyond the Bathmat: Kilims & Oriental Rugs in the Bathroom

  16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm

  By necessity, bathrooms are often cold and hard, shiny and sterile. One way to add contrast, character and warmth to this setting is with oriental rugs and kilims. Usually made of wool, they are naturally stain resistant and effective at repelling water. And their rich deep colors look lovely against marble and tiles. More Read More...

• Leslie's Mid Century Optimism House Tour

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Name: Leslie Landis + her dog RaincheckLocation: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, CaliforniaSize: 300 square feetYears lived in: 4 — Rent Interior designer Leslie Landis has converted this 300 square foot studio into a decorative Silver Lake charmer. She and her cute puppy, Raincheck, enjoy a cozy stylish space along with an amazing outdoor dining room. Perfect for entertaining or a quiet night in, her little apartment offers the best of both. More Read More...

• 

  Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com

• FBI opens JPMorgan investigation

  16 May 2012 | 1:32 pm

  The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday that the agency has opened an investigation into JPMorgan Chase, the nation's largest bank.

• J.C. Penney stock plunges on dismal earnings

  16 May 2012 | 1:25 pm

  Investors jettisoned J.C. Penney on Wednesday after a dismal earnings report, following the first full quarter with a former Apple executive at the helm.

• Greece worries weigh on U.S. stocks

  16 May 2012 | 1:18 pm

  Following a positive start, U.S. stocks closed in the red for a fourth straight session, as investors weighed strong U.S. economic data against ongoing uncertainty about Greece's political situation.

• FED FEARS FISCAL CLIFF

  16 May 2012 | 12:05 pm

  The Federal Reserve is worried about indecision in Congress.

• Outgoing World Bank chief: Fix eurozone

  16 May 2012 | 11:52 am

  Outgoing World Bank President Robert Zoellick said Wednesday he's concerned about the "ripple effects" on the rest of the eurozone if Greece leaves.

• 

  Reuters: Business News

• Investors want Chesapeake annual meeting delayed

  16 May 2012 | 1:27 pm

  (Reuters) - Shareholders have asked a judge to delay Chesapeake Energy Corp's annual meeting, arguing that more disclosures are needed about Chief Executive Aubrey McClendon's compensation and personal loans taken out against his share in company wells.

• Wall Street ends down on euro zone concerns

  16 May 2012 | 1:09 pm

  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks ended lower in a choppy session on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 logging its fourth straight decline as investors worried about Greece's future as a member of the euro zone.

• Apple readies iPhone with bigger screen: sources

  16 May 2012 | 1:06 pm

  TOKYO (Reuters) - Apple Inc plans to use a larger screen on the next-generation iPhone and has begun to place orders for the new displays from suppliers in South Korea and Japan, people familiar with the situation said on Wednesday.

• Insight: In Ohio, "fracking" boom a delicate issue for Obama

  16 May 2012 | 12:31 pm

  STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Out past the vacant storefronts and abandoned buildings, beyond the shuttered steel mills and decaying industrial plants, residents of eastern Ohio suddenly are seeing dollar signs.

• AIG to sell AIA shares after lock-up ends in September

  16 May 2012 | 11:59 am

  (Reuters) - Bailed-out insurer American International Group Inc will sell its shares in Asian insurer AIA Group Ltd after a lock-up period expires in early September, Chief Executive Bob Benmosche said on Wednesday.

• 

  U.S. News

• Putin's Russia is Pivotal For Future U.S. Foreign Policy

  16 May 2012 | 1:22 pm

  One longtime senior U.S. diplomat says Moscow and Washington share opposition to nuclear-armed Iran.

• California's High Gas Prices Are Self-Inflicted

  16 May 2012 | 12:39 pm

  California's embrace of the “green” orthodoxy has proven to be expensive and often counterproductive for motorists, home builders, and many other industries.

• Happier Days Are Here Again. So Says One Economic Indicator.

  16 May 2012 | 12:10 pm

  One indicator suggests broad healing from the Great Recession.

• Study Finds 'Gaydar' Up to 80 Percent Accurate on Sexuality

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Many in college study were able to make spot-on snap judgments on sexual orientation.

• No Joke: George W. Bush Writing a Book on Economic Growth

  16 May 2012 | 11:53 am

  George Bush writing a book on economic growth is like Rush Limbaugh teaching a gender sensitivity class.

• 

  MarketWatch.com - Top Stories

• Energy Stocks: First Solar, Alpha dip as energy stocks shed gains

  16 May 2012 | 1:11 pm

  Sector resumes recent slide despite earlier gains, as First Solar, Alpha Natural and Chesapeake Energy weigh on the S&P 500.

• Futures Movers: Oil settles at 6-month low, under $93 a barrel

  16 May 2012 | 12:51 pm

  Crude-oil futures fall Wednesday, at their lowest level since November as concerns about Greece and the euro zone keep their grip on the market.

• Market Extra: The big “If” with J.C. Penney

  16 May 2012 | 12:40 pm

  While analysts like some of the company’s merchandise changes, the question remains whether its new pricing and merchandise will click with shoppers.

• Target’s sales gain offset by Canada cost

  16 May 2012 | 12:40 pm

  First-quarter profit growth comes in at 1.2%, in part reflecting expenses incurred ahead of Target’s Canadian market entry next year, but investors bid the discounter’s shares higher.

• Market Snapshot: U.S. stocks decline as Greece offsets data

  16 May 2012 | 12:40 pm

  U.S. stocks relinquished gains Wednesday as worries about Greece overtook enthusiasm that came with data casting a positive light on U.S. industrial production and housing.

• 

  USATODAY.com Feed

• Stocks close lower despite U.S. housing, factory data

  16 May 2012 | 1:02 pm

  But gains were limited by continuing concern about the European debt situation.

• FBI director confirms JPMorgan probe as shareholders sue

  16 May 2012 | 12:57 pm

  Two lawsuits by shareholders claim the bank changed its risk model without telling investors.

• Fed minutes: More members open to stimulus measures

  16 May 2012 | 12:33 pm

  Federal Reserve policymakers are open to further efforts to stimulate the U.S. economy if growth falters or threats escalate.

• Facebook: Past tech IPOs show there are no guarantees

  16 May 2012 | 11:54 am

  Before you get too excited about Facebook's IPO, remember that technology IPOs aren't always a long-term investor's best friend.

• Crude oil prices continue to fall as supplies grow

  16 May 2012 | 11:40 am

  Falling crude oil prices have also pushed down the price of gas at the pump.

• 

  Finance News Pro

• A Beginner’s Guide to Stocks and Shares ISAs

  Charles

  14 May 2012 | 9:20 am

  Millions of people already have their own ISA, but if you are completely clueless when it comes to stocks and shares ISAs, don’t worry. This guide offers you a beginner’s introduction to the subject to give you an overview of what they are and some key points you need to know if you are thinking of investing. What is a stocks and shares ISA? First of all, let’s look at what a stocks and shares ISA is. Essentially, it is a type of investment account that invests the money you put into it in the stock market. Depending on the specific account you get, it might invest in different types of…

• The Rise of the Prepaid Card

  Charles

  11 May 2012 | 11:36 pm

  Use of prepaid debit cards continues to increase, reaffirming both continued personal finance troubles for many Americans as well as general distaste for banks. New stats reported by Javelin Strategy & Research show that the percentage of consumers who purchased prepaid cards rose from 11% to 13% between 2010 and 2011. The amount of cash put on these cards is expected to soar north of $200 billion next year, up from $28.6 billion in 2009. Analysts say this is the result of stingier lending habits by banks. The days of credit card giveaways and free-for-alls is over, replaced by hesitant…

• Professional Indemnity Insurance and Run-Off Cover

  Charles

  9 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  It’s a sad fact of life that many businesses – particularly small businesses – don’t reach their first birthday and fewer still reach their third birthday. If you have owned a business (big or small) that has had at its core a provision of professional skill or advice then you will probably have had Professional Business Indemnity Insurance (alongside other business insurance types like Employers’ Liability Insurance and Public Liability Insurance). That insurance would have covered you against claims brought by clients for negligence or errors that led to them suffering financial…

• Is It More Important To Save Than To Pay Off Debt?

  Charles

  3 May 2012 | 8:57 am

  A single right answer cannot be provided to this question since multiple variables affect it based on the type of debt and savings options toppled with the person’s needs. The majority of people would suggest that debt should be paid off first, but it is not always so. Financial and long term goals must be taken into account to know if it’s more important to pay off debt over saving money. The financial aspect will be discussed, targeted towards investment’s returns. Bigger returns can be obtained by saving money in high yield accounts instead of paying off debts. For example, if the…

• Gold Bullion Investment Guide

  Charles

  29 Apr 2012 | 8:05 pm

  In today’s world, it is important to have enough knowledge about buying gold bullion. This is said to be one of the best gold of its kind. There are many choices available in the market. Mints will offers them as gold bars and coins. When you are buying gold, buy it in good quantity. It is a bad idea to buy in small quantities because it will cost more. The price of the gold bars varies because of the packaging, profit margin of the mint, and also because of the certification. Gold bullion comes in various types, weights, and sizes. Some of the gold bullions weigh one gram and its worth…

• 

  WSJ.com: US Business

• Coty Chooses Banks for IPO

  16 May 2012 | 1:42 pm

  Coty picked Bank of America Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan Chase as lead underwriters for an IPO, likely this summer or in early fall. The IPO plan follows Coty's decision to walk away from its offer for Avon.

• Facebook IPO: Insiders Cashing Out

  16 May 2012 | 1:40 pm

  Facebook insiders are cashing out, setting plans to sell an extra $3 billion in stock. Goldman Sachs and Tiger Global will now sell 50% of their stakes.

• Dish Plugs Ad-Skipping DVR---in Ads

  16 May 2012 | 1:23 pm

  Dish Network is promoting its new "Auto Hop" ad-skipping DVR with a marketing campaign that, ironically, uses TV commercials

• Google Makes Its Search Engine Smarter

  16 May 2012 | 12:20 pm

  Google said it is rolling out an extensive update to its dominant search engine by using troves of data to refine the answers it provides to user queries on specific topics.

• Deere Beefing Up Output on Farm Strength

  16 May 2012 | 12:19 pm

  Deere is speeding its production expansion, brushing aside concerns that the market for its farm tractors and combines has peaked, and offered an improved outlook for the global farm economy.

• 

  WSJ.com: Markets

• Facebook IPO: Insiders Cashing Out

  16 May 2012 | 1:40 pm

  Facebook insiders are cashing out, setting plans to sell an extra $3 billion in stock. Goldman Sachs and Tiger Global will now sell 50% of their stakes.

• Blue Chips Notch 4th Straight Drop

  16 May 2012 | 1:19 pm

  Stocks slipped as confusion over Greece's political future trumped firm U.S. economic data.

• Cities and Bond Buyers: The Courtship

  16 May 2012 | 1:15 pm

  With the economy stalling and widespread fears of a sharp rise in defaults by local authorities, many municipalities are finding they need to do more to woo potential bond buyers.

• Judge Tentatively OKs Wiretaps in Gupta Trial

  16 May 2012 | 12:51 pm

  A federal judge said prosecutors would likely be allowed to play three key wiretap recordings at the insider-trading trial of former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta.

• Why China's Banks Can't Rev the Economy

  16 May 2012 | 12:49 pm

  China's leaders typically call on state-owned banks to make loans to turbo-charge activity when the economy slows. But that tactic may not work this time.

• 

  The Financial Services Roundtable SmartBrief

• House panel will examine FSOC's authority to designate SIFIs

  16 May 2012 | 6:05 am

  A House Financial Services subcommittee is looking into the Financial Stability Oversight Council's authority to designate no -More- 

• Export-Import Bank reauthorization passes Senate

  16 May 2012 | 6:05 am

  Legislation reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank won approval in the Senate by a vote of 78-20.  -More- 

• Daily Economic Indicator: Home inventory reaches a 6-year low

  16 May 2012 | 6:05 am

  The U.S. housing market has a supply of 6.3 months, the lowest level in six years, reports Pro Teck Valuation Services.  -More- 

• Mortgage settlement cash will fund nonhousing needs in 15 states

  16 May 2012 | 6:05 am

  Fifteen states are making plans to use the money they'll receive from a $25 billion national foreclosure-abuse settlement for -More- 

• Ordinances scrutinizing banks' local investments pass in N.Y., L.A.

  16 May 2012 | 6:05 am

   -More- 

• 

  Today's Real Estate News

• Prudential California Realty accepting bids online

  inmannews

  16 May 2012 | 10:47 am

  Firm may get both sides of deal when buyer is unrepresentedread more

• Appraisals are lagging behind the market

  inmannews

  16 May 2012 | 10:37 am

  Letter to the Editorread more

• Your time is worth nothing until you close

  alisha.braatz@inman.com

  16 May 2012 | 8:29 am

  Make every action contribute to your bottom line, and beneficial to your clientread more

• 6 tools for recruiting Gen Y agents

  matt@inman.com

  16 May 2012 | 7:01 am

  ERA study looks at demographic challenges facing real estate brokerage industryread more

• Mega-brokers take smaller slice of real estate pie

  inmannews

  16 May 2012 | 6:24 am

  Real Trends 500 grew 2011 transaction sides, sales volumeread more

• 

  National Commercial Real Estate News From CoStar Group

• Brookfield Asset Management to Spin Off $70B CRE Company

  16 May 2012 | 8:50 pm

  Brookfield Asset Management Inc., already one of the world's largest holders of commercial real estate assets under management, is making a major play to capitalize on recovering property markets and become an even bigger global player. The Toronto-based firm, which already manages worldwide property, infrastructure and financial assets valued at more than $150 billion, said it will spin-off several of its CRE units into Brookfield Property Partners...

• Owners Report Scattered Office Leasing Success in Q1

  16 May 2012 | 6:15 pm

  Many of the nation's most prominent REITs and real estate companies reported continuing softness in the office leasing market during the first quarter. And while expectations for a continued slow recovery should result in expected hiring and improved leasing demand later this year, they acknowledge that economic uncertainties could drag down any success they might have been expecting. CoStar Group culled through first quarter earnings press releases...

• Banks Finally Willing To Catch Up on CRE Borrowing Demand

  16 May 2012 | 6:13 pm

  Having experienced stronger demand over the past three months, banks have started easing their lending standards for commercial real estate. The move is another signal that banks are more willing to start growing their CRE loan portfolios as they have in other lending areas. The banking sector overall also has substantially improved its liquidity position over the past few years. Indeed, large banks in the aggregate have more than doubled their...

• U.S. CMBS REOs Top $11 Billion; One-Third of All Delinquencies

  16 May 2012 | 6:11 pm

  The volume of real estate-owned (REO) assets for lenders reached 11 billion for the first time and now represents one-third of all delinquencies outstanding, according to Fitch Ratings. A closer look reveals stark differences in REO trends by state. For instance, in states where non-judicial (power-of-sale) foreclosure is allowed, the inventory of REO assets increased by 64% since the start of last year. Conversely, the inventory in judicial...

• Mortgage Lender ResCap Files Ch.11; To Sell All Assets

  16 May 2012 | 3:15 am

  Residential Capital LLC, known as ResCap, a subsidiary of Ally Financial Inc. and the fifth largest mortgage originator and servicer in the country, filed for Chapter 11 protection along with 50 of its subsidiaries listing assets of $15.7 billion Only Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo Bank and CitiMortgage service more mortgage loans than ResCap, which services more than 2.4 million mortgage loans with an aggregate unpaid principal balance...

• 

  Zillow Blog - Real Estate Market Stats, Celebrity Real Estate, and Zillow News

• Zillow Partnership Platform: Designed for Shared Interests

  Bob Bemis

  16 May 2012 | 8:45 am

  When I joined Zillow in March, my primary assignment was building bridges to the MLS and broker communities – talk with them and help them understand what Zillow is all about and more importantly how we can be better partners in the real estate space.  What I found very quickly was there were three things we needed to work on as the policies we had in place were: Not known to the brokers and agents they were intended to help, or Very misunderstood by that same audience, or Major concerns of brokers and MLSs could be better addressed and discussed in a more collaborative environment I also…

• Report: Jennifer Aniston Renting Beverly Hills Home

  Camille Salama

  16 May 2012 | 7:21 am

  Next Previous Picture 1 of 22 | Toggle Loading Jennifer Aniston Rental_exterior Source: People.com The queen of real estate, otherwise known as Jennifer Aniston, is at it again! Or, rather, the queen of real estate turnover is at it again. In the past year alone, Aniston sold her beloved “Ohana” estate, bought and then sold two New York City penthouse apartments, and plunked down $20.97 million for a new love nest in Bel-Air. More recently, the celebrity real estate rumor mill has been buzzing with news that the Aniston and current boyfriend Justin Theroux are on the move yet…

• Indoor Pools: Ultimate Laps of Luxury

  Diane Tuman

  16 May 2012 | 7:07 am

  Some of us are just looking to an extra powder room to our homes. And then, well, there are these aquatic wonders: Homes that boast indoor swimming options that range from luxurious to opulent. But be prepared! Scrolling through this compilation of natatorium-enabled manses is enough to stir up a swirling case of freestyle envy. Private lap pools? Single-family splash centers? And because of the space and climate requirements to house these shimmering examples of the good life, the pool rooms we’ve found are often architectural show stoppers, whether the pools are decked by ceramic,…

• Ryan Seacrest Buys Ellen DeGeneres’ Custom Estate

  Erika Riggs

  15 May 2012 | 1:59 pm

  Even in Hollywood circles, $49 million is a hefty chunk of change to put down on a home. But for uber-producer, television host and radio personality Ryan Seacrest, Ellen DeGeneres’ and Portia de Rossi’s custom and very private estate, pictured above, was worth it. Shortly after Seacrest listed his longtime Hollywood Hills home on the market, he made an offer on DeGeneres’ and de Rossi’s enormous Beverly Hills home, TMZ reports. DeGeneres and de Rossi listed it as a pocket listing through the Westside Estate Agency in October 2011 and bought their own new place, Brad…

• 30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rate Hits New Record Low For Second Consecutive Week

  Camille Salama

  15 May 2012 | 11:00 am

  Mortgage rates for 30-year fixed mortgages fell this week, with the current rate borrowers were quoted on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace at 3.59 percent, down from 3.65 percent at this same time last week. This represents the lowest rate reported since Zillow Mortgage Marketplace launched in April 2008 and the first time rates have dropped below 3.6 percent. The previous low was 3.65 percent, first reported one week ago on May 8. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate hovered between 3.6 and 3.66 percent for the majority of the week, dropping to the current rate this morning. “Rates reached a new low…

• 

  Real Estate Investing For Real | A BiggerPockets Investment Property Blog

• Using High Interest Private Financing is Still Better Than Cash

  Ken Corsini

  16 May 2012 | 5:16 am

  With investors battling a tight credit market, the opportunity to obtain financing for investment properties can often times prove more difficult than expected for some investors. Five years ago many of these same investors had no problem walking into their local lender’s office and getting approved for a loan. Nowadays, it seems like underwriters need a blood sample to approve a loan for an investor (even when that investor could pay cash for the house 5 times over).There are any number of reasons why perfectly good borrowers cannot get approved for conventional financing…

• When Investing In Real Estate – There’s Planning and There’s PLANNING

  Jeff Brown

  15 May 2012 | 1:14 pm

  The concept of planning is used and abused, especially when it comes to real estate investing for retirement. I know, cuz I’ve seen me do it. The hardest, most expensive lessons I’ve learned came from planning instead of PLANNING. Investors whose end game is retirement income, simply can’t afford to rely on planning. It’s not that they won’t accomplish their goal(s), as many will. It’s just that their goals were originally set using the limited options menu provided by planning vs the much thicker menu available to those who PLAN.The AnalogyKnew a guy in…

• 3 Key Factors in Buy and Hold Real Estate Investing Success

  Michael Zuber

  15 May 2012 | 5:10 am

  As a Buy and Hold Investor for 10+ years I have seen a lot of things, made some mistakes and met a lot of people in the real estate business.  This collection of experience has lead me to form an opinion on what makes a Buy and Hold Investor Successful. In this article I will focus on 3 characteristics or strategies that I find are key to long term success in Buy and Hold Investing.You Make Money When You BuyThe first thing I want to discuss is the standard statement of “You make your Money when you Buy.” When I started investing I thought I knew what this meant but in reality I had no…

• How to Address Closing Cost Credits in Short Sale Transactions

  Melissa Zavala

  15 May 2012 | 4:20 am

  Agents, buyers and sellers are abuzz because it’s a seller’s market again. Just a few weeks ago an agent friend of mine received 24 offers on his short sale listing, and another property in my area got 10 offers the very same weekend.When reviewing short sale offers with clients, it is important to look at the type of loan that the buyer will obtain: VA, FHA, or conventional financing. And, will the buyer require a closing cost concession from the seller?One of the unknown factors often associated with a short sale is whether the bank will approve the closing cost concession. For…

• Setting Up Your Database for Your Real Estate Investing Business

  Sharon Vornholt

  14 May 2012 | 5:06 am

  If you’ve been following my past few articles on direct mail campaigns and the use of databases to help manage thee campaigns, you’re probably asking how exactly to set up such a database. Once you have decided on a database for your real estate business, the next thing you need to do is set it up.  I gave this a considerable amount of thought before I dove into this process.  Your database needs to be easy to use; in the end, I decided it would be much easier to manage if I had everyone in groups.I have a number of different groups and sub-groups in my database, but I am just…

• 

  Appraisal Scoop

• UAD Reporting Consistency - Clarification by FNMA and Steetlinks

  Brian Davis

  12 May 2012 | 10:05 am

  The following StreetLinks document is re-posted from the WinTOTAL Users Group On April 10th, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced the publication of a new UAD Update document and an Updated UAD Specification Appendix D, which details the Field-Specific Standardization...

• GSE's Update Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD)

  Brian Davis

  10 Apr 2012 | 11:58 am

  Since the implementation of the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) in September 2011, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) have been monitoring the use of the UAD and working with lenders and appraisers to support the successful adoption of the...

• 8 Biggest Appraiser Liability Cases - Appraiser Law Blog

  Brian Davis

  26 Mar 2012 | 6:55 am

  8 Biggest Appraiser Liability Cases (Updated) By Peter Christensen (Appraiser Law Blog) I have described below the 8 biggest appraiser liability cases with which I am familiar that are currently pending in the U.S. These are cases that specifically name...

• Do Energy Upgrades Add Value to Existing Homes?

  Brian Davis

  24 Mar 2012 | 7:50 am

  GUEST AUTHOR: Debra Little was selected to direct this study because of her combined expertise in home performance and residential appraising. She led a team of senior appraisers who were on site in Los Angeles. See Debra at the ACI...

• Bradford Technologies Brings Regression Analysis To Residential Appraisals

  Brian Davis

  14 Mar 2012 | 9:09 am

  First appraisal technology to provide statistical analysis for GSE-approved appraisals SAN JOSE, CA – MARCH 10, 2012 — Bradford Technologies, an innovator of valuation tools and solutions for residential appraisers and parent of the AppraisalWorld online community for appraisers, has...

• 

  Financial Times - US homepage

• Greece fears leave investors wary

  16 May 2012 | 1:19 pm

  Markets remained tainted by eurozone fears, with many growth-focused assets near multi-month lows as investors fear political turmoil in Greece

• Early Facebook backers add to share sale

  16 May 2012 | 12:47 pm

  Social networking group to sell more shares than originally planned, highlighting huge demand and ranking it near the largest flotations

• How JPMorgan’s storm in a teapot grew

  16 May 2012 | 12:01 pm

  The bank’s idea for hedging credit risk, which went spectacularly wrong, has become something of an epic tale for hedge fund managers

• Shell warns on US natural gas bounce

  16 May 2012 | 11:36 am

  Chief executive Voser predicts strong recovery from the 10-year lows the fuel has hit as a result of the boom in shale gas production

• Federal Reserve wary of eurozone risks

  16 May 2012 | 11:22 am

  The focus on risks to the economy among members of the FOMC helps to explain a clash between the committee’s forecast and members’ individual predictions

• 

  naked capitalism

• Abigail Field: Jamie Dimon’s Hedge Fund

  Yves Smith

  16 May 2012 | 1:17 pm

  By Abigail Caplovitz Field, a freelance writer and attorney. Cross posted from Reality Check Jamie Dimon, John Stumpf, and to a lesser extent, Vikram Pandit and Bryan Moynihan, are running massive hedge funds. They’re placing enormous, incredibly risky bets. “Hot money” investors are giving them the cash to gamble because they all understand that you and me will make good on any losses, since we’ve started guarantying the banks-turned-hedge-funds as “Too big to fail.” The money flowing to these gamblers-in-chief is growing by double digit percentages, and…

• So Much for Schneiderman Being Tough on Wall Street

  Yves Smith

  16 May 2012 | 12:39 pm

  As regular readers no doubt recall, Eric Schneiderman abandoned the dissident state attorney general effort to get a better mortgage settlement, assuring the Administration a win on this sellout to the banks. The bright shiny prize Schneiderman got in return for his betrayal was serving as one of five co-chairmen on a Federal mortgage task force, which appears to have gotten close to nada in resources beyond the staff in various Federal agencies who were already working on mortgage investigations. And given that were are now close to a full five years past the origination of toxic subprime…

• Links 5/16/12

  Yves Smith

  16 May 2012 | 1:14 am

  Fawns use ‘escape plan’ to evade predators BBC Mysterious illness strikes hundreds of flight attendants, causes rashes and hair loss – are ‘toxic uniforms’ really to blame or is it Fukushima? Natural News (furzy mouse). The piece is a bit histrionic, but that does not mean this is not a possibility. Ahead of I.P.O., G.M. to Quit Advertising on Facebook New York Times. What do you want to bet GM used the IPO (as well as the extant doubts about the ad model) to negotiate for better ad rates and Facebook refused to budge? “France’s Hollande’s plane…

• Why is Paul Krugman Misrepresenting the Demise of a Wall Street Funded, Right Wing, Entitlement-Bashing Front Group?

  Yves Smith

  16 May 2012 | 1:01 am

  Paul Krugman’s partisanship has become so shameless that we are giving him the inaugural Eric Schneiderman Decoy Award for his post “Things Fall Apart“. The Schneiderman Decoy Award goes for exceptional achievement in turning one’s good name over to particularly rancid Obama Administration initiatives. Krugman’s post didn’t merely contain some cringe-making fawning over Obama; it was egregiously incorrect on the development that prompted the post, that of the death of Americans Elect, a shadowy group that had was out to sponsor a Presidential candidate.

• Mark Ames: Failing Up With Citigroup’s Dick Parsons

  Yves Smith

  15 May 2012 | 11:59 pm

  Yves here. Even though I pointed to this article yesterday, it is such a prototypical story of a type of success peculiar to Corporate America that I thought it warranted being featured. By Mark Ames, the author of Going Postal: Rage, Murder and Rebellion from Reagan’s Workplaces to Clinton’s Columbine. Cross posted from eXiled. This article was first published in The Daily Banter Last month, shareholders finally rebelled against Citigroup, the worst of the Too Big To Fail bailout disasters, by filing a lawsuit against outgoing chairman Dick Parsons and handful of executives for stuffing…

• 

  Alpha.Sources

• The Denial on Housing in Spain

  CV

  3 May 2012 | 11:24 pm

  I am sure many of my readers will have caught this Bloomberg piece earlier this week, but if you haven't it is a brillian piece of journalism by Bloomberg reporters Sharon Smyth, Neil Callanan and Dara Doyle. The story takes us to Spain and Ireland and the former's denial with regards its housing market.  Quote Bloomberg In the stages of death of a real estate boom, Spain is still in denial. In Ireland, they’re moving toward acceptance. The first auction of one of 2,000 unfinished housing estates takes place tomorrow at the Shelbourne Hotel in central Dublin, with sales…

• The Curious Case of Liquidity Traps and Missing Collateral - Part 1

  CV

  16 Apr 2012 | 12:15 am

  The debate is on! Are we in a liquidity trap and if so what should we do? Why is the financial system depleted of collateral and what does this mean? Should policy makers and central banks be even more "irresponsible" [1] and conduct more monitised deficit spending? What does a lack of triple A rated/safe haven securities mean and is it real?  All these questions and more have recently gotten a fascinating treatment in the economics debate courtesy, mainly, of this piece by Credit Suisse.  FT Alphaville has been given the question extensive and brilliant coverage and now even the…

• Time Unlikely to be a Healer for Portugal's Economy

  CV

  1 Apr 2012 | 8:34 pm

  Despite comparisons with Greece, Portugal is not in entirely the same situation, at least not yet it isn't. Crucially, Portugal is currently under no obligation to deal with international or national creditors to increasing government debt issuance courtesy of joint aid programme administered by the EU and the IMF.  The aid programme which aims to allow Portugal to return to normal market funding in mid 2013 stands at 78 billion euros of which 56 billion euros is provided by the EU and the remaining 26 billion euros by the IMF under the Extended Fund Facility. The recent mission…

• China Moves Towards More Easing ...

  CV

  21 Mar 2012 | 3:01 pm

  Update: Here comes the confirmation with a poor flash PMI for March. From Markit;  “Weakening domestic demand continued to weigh ongrowth, as indicated by a slowdown in new orders whichcame in at a four-month low. External demand remainedin contraction territory, but the decline was at a slowerpace, implying that there are no improvements in thedemand outlook. More worryingly, employment recordeda new low since March 2009, suggesting slowingmanufacturing production was hindering enterprises'hiring desire. The soft-patch in manufacturing was in linewith the recent downside surprise…

• Other Alpha Sources

  CV

  12 Mar 2012 | 7:32 am

  1. Variant Perception's blog is up and running and while I realise there has been little or no macroeconomic analysis here for a while, there is plenty of top notch analysis over at VP's blog. The three latest entries take a look at inflation in the UK, the divergence between Spain and Italy in sticking to the path of austerity and how money keeps trickling out of the eurozone periphery. If you think I have been running lean on analysis and commentary here, the VP blog is a good way to get a take on what me and my colleagues are looking at.  2. The debate on macroeconomics and…

• 

  Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

• Capital Flight From Greece Accelerates, €5bn in May, Exodus Even Hits Time Deposits; Fed, ECB, BOE, BOJ Balance Sheet Comparison

  16 May 2012 | 8:22 am

  Capital flight from Greece continues, €5bn in May, not counting orders to buy foreign bonds. The exodus now includes cashing out time deposits as reported by the Financial Times in Greek banks see steady deposits outflow. Greek banks have seen a steady outflow of deposits this month, reflecting savers’ concerns over the failure of political leaders to form a coalition government and the prospect of another inconclusive election, which will be on June 17. Athens-based bankers said withdrawals exceeded €1.2bn on Monday and Tuesday – 0.75 per cent of deposits – as President Karolos…

• Note to Ambrose Evans-Pritchard at The Telegraph: You Have Excellent Insight as to What is Happening and Why, But Please Get a Grip on Reality as to Solutions

  16 May 2012 | 12:37 am

  Once again, I sadly report that Ambrose Evans-Pritchard at The Telegraph hits the nail on the head as to what is happening, yet cannot hit the broadside of a barn with a shotgun from 15 feet in regards to the solution. It really pains me to see excellent analysis go straight into the toilet with hopeless proposals to problems at hand. Please consider Appetiser cost of Greek exit is €155bn for Germany, France: trillions for meat course by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard. Eric Dor's team at the IESEG School of Management in Lille has put together a table on the direct costs to Germany and France if…

• Spain Potpourri: Official Denials From Finance Minister; More Nationalizations Coming Up; Banks Use ECB Money to Refinance Large Enterprises in Dire Shape, New Credit To Households Down 80%

  15 May 2012 | 5:04 pm

  Official Denials From Finance Minister Finance Minister Says "Nothing to Hide" Asks for ECB Audit of Banks, Denies Need for Rescue Fund The Economy Minister Luis de Guindos, said Tuesday it has asked the European Central Bank (ECB) to assist in the independent audit of the Spanish banks' balance sheets and is committed to full throttle work as has asked the Eurogroup, in order to have results within two months. In addition Guindos assured that no minister of economy of the eurozone has said that Spain should come to the rescue fund EU to recapitalize their banks. "There is nothing to hide,…

• Screeching Halt in China; Weak Trade Data; Imports and Exports Fall Way Short of Expectations; Credit Crunch Underway; Feeble Forecasts From Pimco, Others

  15 May 2012 | 3:48 pm

  China bulls are in for a multi-year shock because rebalancing from an economy overly dependent on exports is going to be far more painful, and last much longer than most think. Data is coming in much weaker than expected, but I propose this is only the very beginning. The New York Times reports Data Signal Economic Trouble in China China announced Thursday that growth in imports had unexpectedly come to a screeching halt in April — rising just 0.3 percent from the same period a year earlier, compared with expectations for an 11 percent increase. Businesses across the country appeared to…

• Mish Interview on the "Daily Bell": Rise of Money Metals, Why Credit Matters

  15 May 2012 | 9:16 am

  On Sunday, May 06, 2012 I gave an Exclusive Interview to the "Daily Bell" with Anthony Wile that I would like to share with my readers. The Daily Bell is pleased to present this exclusive interview with Mish Shedlock. Introduction: Mike "Mish" Shedlock blogs at Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis, for which he has won awards from the New York Times, Time Magazine, Bloomberg, CNBC and Strategist News. Mish is a contributing "professor" blogger at the economic and financial education site Minyanville and offers podcasts every Thursday on HoweStreet. He's a registered investment…

• 

  SeekingAlpha.com: Home Page

• The Apple Obsession And The Facebook IPO

  16 May 2012 | 1:42 pm

  By Dana Blankenhorn: Seeking Alpha readers obsess over Apple (AAPL) and perhaps rightly so.Writing about Apple here is, in fact, the easiest dollar one can make. So easy that the editors recently restricted us all to three Apple stories per month. It's like regulating an oil well's flow so it won't play out prematurely.So as the Facebook (FB) IPO approaches let's talk about the Apple obsession.Part of it is a simple disconnect between expected and actual valuation caused by the law of large numbers. At its current price of $553/share, AAPL trades at a PE multiple of just 13.5. That's well…

• 4 Dividend Stocks To Gain From A Rebound In Housing

  16 May 2012 | 1:40 pm

  By Dividendinvestr:Housing market has been depressed for several years. Recently, however, it has started to show early signs of a nascent recovery in market activity. Housing starts rose more than 15% in the first quarter compared with the same quarter a year ago. Remodeling activity has also been robust, rising 23% in February compared to the same month last year, according to Buildfax. Value of residential construction put in place is likewise on track to improve gradually. In response to these early indicators of the market's recovery, some stocks, including those of homebuilders, have…

• Deere & Company's CEO Discusses F2Q 2012 Results - Earnings Call Transcript

  16 May 2012 | 1:33 pm

  Deere & Company (DE) F2Q 2012 Earnings Call May 16, 2012 10:00 am ET Executives James M. Field – Chief Financial Officer & Senior Vice President Marie Ziegler – Vice President & Treasurer Susan Karlix – Manager of Investor Relations Tony Huegel – Director of Investor Relations Analysts Andrew Obin – Bank of America Merrill Lynch Andy Kaplowitz – Barclays Capital Joel Tiss – Buckingham Research Ashish Gupta – Credit Agricole Securities Analyst for Jamie Cook – Credit Suisse Jerry Revich – Goldman Sachs David Raso – ISI Group Ann Duignan – JPMorgan Eli…

• You Can't Have My SiriusXM!

  16 May 2012 | 1:32 pm

  By Crunching Numbers:A comment by Seeking Alpha member TexasRazz that was intended to provoke SiriusXM (SIRI) longs concluded "I still have those PALM shares." Yes, I get it is a joke, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to emphasize an important point. And, no, the point is not that Palm was a hot product that is now irrelevant.Following revelations by Liberty Media (LMCA) that it has been increasing its ownership of Sirius, there have been many comments made and questions asked that are similar to the following: I'm not going to sell my shares; or nobody can force me to sell my shares.

• Mining For Profits In Coal

  16 May 2012 | 1:31 pm

  By Aaron Murdoch:With shares of Alpha Natural Resources (ANR) near all-time lows and down about 75% over the past year, it might be tempting to jump in here. However, with the challenges facing the coal market and no dividend, I don't believe now is the time to go all in. That said, I believe eventually higher natural gas prices will allow coal prices to increase, and improvements in the global economy will drive increases in met (metallurgical) coal prices. When this happens, I believe Alpha will be the best name to be invested in. Alpha's large capacity to export coal will allow it to…

• 

  Dollars & Sense Blog

• New Issue; Police and Occupy; etc.

  Chris Sturr

  16 May 2012 | 12:52 pm

  Get Shafted and Carry On (1) May/June Issue: I finally sent our May/June issue to the printers on Friday.  It will take a while for print subscribers to get it, but e-subscribers got their full-color pdfs on Friday. (Not an e-subscriber? sign up here.) And I posted John Miller’s column, Taxing the Rich, from Right to Left, comparing Romney, Obama, Sarkozy, and Hollande (from right to left) on taxes. Find the new issue’s table of contents here. I will post our cover story on interest rate swaps soon, but don’t let that keep you from subscribing! (2) David Graeber on Sexual…

• Don’t Take Away My Oxycodone!

  Polly Cleveland

  6 May 2012 | 5:35 pm

  It feels like a large splinter jammed under my left thumbnail. From my thumb and forefinger, the skin burns in a strip up to my elbow. Recent shoulder surgery has left nerve damage, not uncommon. During the day, it’s a distraction; at night, much worse. Before bedtime, I swallow two 5 mg oxycodone. At 3 or 4 AM I jolt awake—my arm has turned into an alien serpent, its fangs sunk in my shoulder. I gulp two more oxycodone, chase them down with a Heineken, slap an ice pack on my arm, and browse the Financial Times until the pain fades. Hail to the god Morpheus, who gave poppies to our…

• Social Security, Tuna Fish Economics, Philly Schools

  Chris Sturr

  29 Apr 2012 | 2:57 pm

    2001 Monolith (1) Misreporting Social Security: You may have noticed dire headlines about a recent report from the Obama administration about the (ill) financial health of Social Security and Medicare, e.g. the New York Times‘s Social Security’s Financial Health Worsens. There’s a great piece at the Campaign for America’s Future by RJ Eskow about how the media routinely misreport Social Security and Medicare’s financial situation, the causes, and the potential remedies: Here are some headlines you won’t see after the government releases new figures…

• Pearidge, Trauma; 99 to 1; and The Self-Made Myth

  Polly Cleveland

  19 Apr 2012 | 4:29 pm

  The evening before Easter, well wined and dined at a fine Italian restaurant, we have returned to my mother’s house in DC. My brother and I are extracting our 92-year-old mother from his giant Chevy Tahoe. We turn, and there is my husband Tom, crumpled in the gutter, a pool of blood spreading under his head. Call 911! In five minutes, there are – count them – three police cars, two fire engines, and a passing Good Samaritan doctor. In another five minutes, a battered ambulance. In a flash, the medics have put a collar on Tom, strapped him to a board and scooted him into the…

• Krugman/Keen Kerfuffle

  Chris Sturr

  10 Apr 2012 | 1:44 pm

  Debunking Economics Quite the online kerfuffle happened last week between New York Times columnist and economics Nobel laureate Paul Krugman and Australian left economist Steve Keen, author of Debunking Economics (see over above), of the blog Steve Keen’s Debt Watch, and of one of the articles in our book The Economic Crisis Reader, “The ‘Credit Tsunami’” (the title comes from Alan Greenspan’s famous October 2008 Congressional testimony in which he expressed his “shocked disbelief” about the financial meltdown). It seems to have started with a…

• 

  NYT > Business Day

• The Trade: Big Questions Left Unanswered in JPMorgan Loss

  By JESSE EISINGER

  16 May 2012 | 1:38 pm

  The commentary surrounding the debacle at JPMorgan Chase has mostly been about the implications for banking reform. But were any existing laws broken?

• DealBook: K.K.R. Said to Be in Talks to Buy Stake in Prisma Capital

  By AZAM AHMED

  16 May 2012 | 1:37 pm

  Kohlberg Kravis Robert, the giant private equity fund, is in talks to buy a stake in Prisma Capital Partners, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

• Greek Crisis Aggravated by Flight From Banks

  By LIZ ALDERMAN and RACHEL DONADIO

  16 May 2012 | 1:31 pm

  Money has been pouring out of Greece since the country's debt crisis began more than two years ago, but the outflow has picked up since last week's election.

• Shift by U.S. Muddles Solar Imports Case

  By KEITH BRADSHER

  16 May 2012 | 1:29 pm

  A decision in an anti-dumping case is expected Thursday and will focus on whether China's solar panel companies have been building market share by selling their products below cost.

• Well: Skechers Toning Shoe Customers to Get Refund

  By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

  16 May 2012 | 1:27 pm

  Federal regulators announced on Wednesday that Skechers has agreed to pay $40 million to settle charges that the company deceived consumers with claims about its toning shoes.

• 

  bank-o-meter.com

• Tuesday, May 15, 2012 - JPMorgan is Scary, the California Budget is Easy - by Sinclair Noe

  Sinclair Noe

  15 May 2012 | 4:32 pm

  05152012 ScriptDOW – 63 = 12,632SPX – 7 = 1330NAS – 8 = 289310 YR YLD =.01 = 1.78%OIL - .57 = 93.41GOLD – 12.20 = 1545.30SILV -.46 = 27.82PLAT – 5.00 = 1437.00So, JPMorgan shareholders held their annual meeting. They decided to pay Jamie Dimon $23 million. They can still afford it; despite a $2 billion dollar loss, JPMorgan is still the largest publicly traded company, the largest bank in the US, and the largest derivatives dealer in the world. JPMorgan invented credit default swaps, they wrote the legislation to reform the derivatives markets, and when JPMorgan went insolvent in…

• Monday, May 14, 2012 - Problems in Greece, Euro, California, and JPMorgan - No Surprise

  Sinclair Noe

  14 May 2012 | 4:36 pm

  DOW – 125 = 12,695SPX – 15 = 1338NAS – 31 = 290210 YR YLD -.05 = 1.79%OIL - .70 = 94.08GOLD – 23.80 = 1557.50SILV - .71 = 28.28PLAT – 29.00 = 1442.00Back in early April I started telling you to heed the old market maxim: “Sell in May and Stay Away”. You are welcome. The Dow Industrial Average has now dropped 8 out of the last 9 sessions; no surprise. Of course, we had the weekend to think about the shenanigans of JPMorgan Chase; a too big to fail bank acting irresponsibly while simultaneously demanding less regulation; no surprise. Today's declines started in Europe; no…

• Friday, May 11, 2012 - JPMorgan Moving On

  Sinclair Noe

  11 May 2012 | 5:04 pm

  DOW – 34 = 12,820SPX – 4 = 1353NAS +0.18 = 293310 YR YLD -.04 = 1.84%OIL – 1.51 = 95.57GOLD – 13.00 = 1581.40SILV - .15 = 28.99PLAT – 21.00 = 1471.00So, let's break down the problems at JP Morgan Chase. The bank lost net $800 million, on a $2 billion dollar trading loss in synthetic credit derivatives. They won't go broke today. JPM made $5.4 billion in profit in the first quarter. Still, a couple of billion dollars is significant, and it raises questions about the regulation of banks, the valuation and suitability of derivatives, the size of the world's largest firms and the…

• Thursday, May 10, 2012 - JP Morgan Chase Goes Boom

  Sinclair Noe

  10 May 2012 | 4:59 pm

  DOW +19 = 12,855SPX + 3 = 1357 NAS – 1 = 293310 YR YLD + .05 = 1.88%OIL - .26 = 96.55GOLD + 4.00 = 1594.40SILV -.23 = 29.14PLAT – 13.00 = 1492.00So, it was a quiet day in the markets, not much going on; the Dow and the S&P managed to eke out modest gains, and this was welcome following 6 days of losses. Back in early April I told you to start getting out of the market, based in part, on the the idea of “Sell in May and stay away”. Sure, enough, May has been ugly, but not every day is ugly. There will be ups and downs. The past six days have been down; today the markets stopped…

• Wednesday, May 9, 2012 - Greek Government, Spanish Banks, Gold Prices - It's All Messy

  Sinclair Noe

  9 May 2012 | 4:32 pm

  DOW – 97 = 12,835SPX – 9 = 1354NAS – 11 = 293410 YR YLD unch = 1.84%OIL - .56 = 96.45GOLD – 15.40 = 1590.40SILV - .20 = 29.37PLAT – 12.00 = 1505.00 The Greek tragedy continues;no success so far in negotiations to form a coalition government after weekend elections resulted in a deadlock.It looks like there might be another election in June. The Greeks accepted another $5 billion dollar bailout payment today, so they keep the government afloat for a few more weeks. Now, the chatter is shifting to the very real idea that Greece will exit the Euro, and trying to figure out the…