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Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:47:40 GMT

More housing woes

There's been plenty of talk lately about the US housing market bottoming out and that it can only go up from there. But people are clutching at straws. A good example is the paltry 0.3% increase in home purchases in the US. "We'll take the improvement in the new-home market as a sign we're getting closer to the bottom and we might see some stability in the housing market by the summer," Adam York, an economist at Wachovia Corp. in Charlotte, North Carolina told Bloomberg.

But the Mortgage Bankers Association's mortgage delinquency figures suggest the bottom is nowhere in sight. According to those figures, "the percentage of mortgage holders not current on their mortgages, was 12.07 percent on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the highest ever recorded in the MBA delinquency survey.". Just think about that number - 12.07%. In other words, one in eight mortgagees are in serious trouble.

What's even more concerning is the fact that it's not the subprime loans that are the main cause of the problem. Prime fixed-rate loans now represent the largest share of new foreclosures. In other words, the crisis has now gripped the middle class with more people losing their jobs. As the MBA says, things won't improve until the jobs situation picks up and that won't happen for some time. So any talk about the housing market bottoming out is premature and irresponsible. Posted by: Bose      Read more     Source

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:45:33 GMT

Conrad Black's landmark case

Conrad Black's appeal against his fraud conviction will have massive implications on the system, regardless of what the decision is. Black, as we know, was convicted two year ago of a a $6.1-million fraud and obstruction of justice related to his eight years as head of his company Hollinger International. The latest appeal is due to be heard late this year and we can expect a ruling by June 2010. He was sent to jail for six and a half years.

CBC News reports that Black remains upbeat. True to his arrogant form, he emailed the network telling them of his hope that "justice will prevail". Absolutely no remorse at all.

Editor&Publisher has an interesting piece saying that it will be a landmark case because it revolves around the question of "honest services" fraud where corporate executives have a duty to shareholders and if they renege on that, they have withheld honest services and therefore committed a crime.

As the piece says: "If the Supreme Court accepts the concept, it will give prosecutors a powerful weapon in prosecuting alleged fraud. If the court rejects "honest services" fraud, Conrad Black won't be the only convicted white collar criminal winning back his freedom — and many people who will never be accused of any crime are likely to cheer a limitation on what's become almost standard federal prosecutorial overreaching."

In other words, this case could have ramifications well beyond Conrad Black. We know which side other white collar criminals will be supporting. Posted by: Bose      Read more     Source

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:42:55 GMT

The inlet that disgorges rocks

I think I may have shown you this photo before. this is the western-most end of the lake at Roundrock. This is where all of the water pouring down the Central Valley enters the lake bed. Notice all of the rock in the ground. They’re all trying to make their way into the lake, and they’re succeeding.

Where I was standing when I took this photo there were boulders that were too large for me to lift. They weren’t there when the lake was first built. They were pushed there by the force of the water that comes down the Central Valley sometimes. The first thing all of these rocks encounter when they enter the lake bed is Libby’s Island. Some have begun piling against it, which isn’t so bad since my original worry was that the island would get washed away by the incoming water. Most of the rocks are being directed around the north side of the island where they are accumulating like a loose, gravel lava flow.

The water that you see is not connected to the lake. It is actually a scour pool that has formed. It is about twenty feet long and perhaps three feet deep at its deepest and, happily, it has stayed around from week to week. I feared that all of the gravel at this end of the valley would mean that the area couldn’t hold water, but it appears that it can.

I suspect that some of this washed-in gravel is actually returning home. When the lake was constructed, the man on the dozer pushed all of the gravel from the area farther up the valley. I don’t know why he did that. He had to have known better. He made a sort of dam with the gravel across the dry stream bed. You can now stand on the bedrock where he had made this gravel dam because in the ensuing years, all of the gravel has been washed away by the water.

So I have gravel washing into the upper end of the lake. It’s another thing I’m resigning myself to accept, and I don’t mind so much except that it means that Libby’s Island is never really going to be an island.

Missouri calendar:

• Young bald eagles beging fledging.

Posted by: Roundrockjournal      Read more     Source

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 02:40:29 GMT

Toronto's New Bicycle Parking Initiatives

Unless you"re superhuman, biking across the city to work seems absurd. We all walk, bike, drive or use transit to get to work, but by using a combination of the four, we can usually get there a bit more efficiently. Plus it definitely doesn"t hurt to burn that lunchtime poutine off.

Luckily, the TTC is slowly making it easier to couple bikes and public transit together. For years Red Rocket users have been able to lock up their bikes at the station and on buses, but many feared damage to their wheels of steel. This is why the City of Toronto has stepped in to open private bike parking earlier this week. Posted by: Dennis Marciniak      Read more     Source

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:48:06 GMT

Missing Link Found?

Franzen et al.
Posted by: Dennehy      Read more     Source

Sat, 02 May 2009 13:58:44 GMT

Take Your Digital Camera On A Photo Cruise

Here's something for digital photographers who also like ships and life at sea, at least on a temporary basis.

This may not be an exclusive business, but Crystal Cruises is conducting a "Photography Experiences of Discovery" experience, on two Mediterranean cruises this summer and fall.

This is a deluxe affair from start to finish and includes onboard workshops and instruction in digital photography as well as the expected amenities cruise lines provide.
Then the passenger/photographers visit the sites where the best photographic opportunities can be found.

Check out the full details on these digital photographers Crystal Cruises.

Take a camera with you whenever possible, and look around, you'll find a picture somewhere.

Photo Source:www.cruiseweb.com Posted by: jim      Read more     Source

Sat, 02 May 2009 04:26:03 GMT

One Word Wednesday

Chillaxin!

Missouri calendar:

• Earth Day
• Oaks bloom.
• Lyrid meteor shower peaks.

Posted by: Roundrockjournal      Read more     Source

Sat, 02 May 2009 00:25:50 GMT

DNA Day 2009

April, 25 is officially the DNA Day when we write about DNA-relates issues. Yesterday, I was offline but now I would like to mention a few articles that focused on DNA on this important day.

In recognition of National DNA Day on April 25, the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) will be participating in several community outreach iniciatíva to promote the importance of knowing one"s family health history and consulting with a genetic counselor who can help answer questions about genetic testing.
Posted by: Bertalan      Read more     Source

Fri, 01 May 2009 02:35:18 GMT

The Most Famous Of All Great Estates

Got $75,000,000 to spare? You could buy this house, the most famous of all great estates on 40 acres in Round Hill.

(via corsinet) Posted by: Gerard      Read more     Source

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:16:33 GMT

Charlize Theron calls gay marriage ban 'form of apartheid'

South Africa-born actress Charlize Theron
thinks US ban on gay marriage is another "form of apartheid". The Oscar-winning actress revealed that she was "bothered" that her adopted country failed to legalise same-sex unions.

Charlize said it was this "caveman" approach which reminded her of her native country"s past apartheid laws, which marked a distinctive line between whites and non-whites. "I don"t like living in an elitist world, it bothers me. I don"t want to be part of an elitist sexual preference," Contactmusic quoted her as saying.

"It bothers me, maybe it"s because I come from a country where I lived under apartheid but this is a form of apartheid and I don"t want to be a part of that. My ability to get married is a piece of me that I wish I could give to somebody who it would mean so much to. We should all have the chance. It"s just so caveman, I can"t believe we"re still talking about it," she added. Posted by: Melissa      Read more     Source

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 03:54:47 GMT

20 Unusual And Interesting Looking Ties

20 Unusual And Interesting Looking Ties.Pouring Beer Necktie

Keyboard Tie:

Space Invaderstie:

Eye Chart Tie:

Foot Long Hotdog Tie:

Binary Code Tie:

Crossword Puzzle Black White Necktie:

New York Taxi Cab Shaped Tie:

Scene Tie:

Moons Surface Tie:

8 Bit Tie:

Kingofhearts Tie:

Zebra Print Tie:

Math Equations Silk Tie:

Menu Tie:

USB Tie:

Always be ready to receive data!

Circuit Board Tie:

The circuit board pattern is printed on the fabric, but the lights in this design are fully functional, and flash in a variety of patterns.

Earbuds Tie:

Photoshop Tie:

Solar Powered Tie:

It"s an invention of Iowa State University, it has a pouch to hold on your gadget while it gets energized. Posted by: Venus      Read more     Source

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Robot With A Living Brain

Kevin Warwick"s new robot behaves like a child. Sometimes it does what you want it to, and sometimes it doesn"t, says Warwick, a professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading.

And while it may seem strange for a scientist to be concerning himself with such an unreliable machine, Warwick"s creation has something that even today"s most sophisticated robots lack: a living brain. Posted by: Gerard      Read more     Source

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:49:35 GMT

Advertising Gets a Little More Wonderful

It"s said that one of the first things to go during a recession is advertising. And while watching technology shrink to previously unheard of sizes may excite some people, seeing newspapers do the same most definitely does not.

So amidst the burning wreckage of falling publishers and apprehensive advertisers, there"s one man who has sat relatively unscathed. You see, this man is named Ryan North - and he comes from the Internet. Posted by: Matthew Braga      Read more     Source

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:59:26 GMT

Resize your photos for emailing in a snap

PhotoRazor is a freeware program for resizing those massive megapixel images we now get from modern digital cameras. The program saves the smaller images to a new folder and lets you resize whole folders of photos in one go, which is great for emailing them to friends and family. The interface is nice and easy, the options are useful and this one goes onto my list.

 Modern digital cameras take huge photos many megapixels in size - great for high quality printing, but too big to email to friends and family, and too large for displaying on web sites. PhotoRazor solves this by making high quality copies of your photos at a smaller size - ideal for on-screen viewing. This reduces the file size making them much easier to email and share with friends and family. Posted by: Redferret      Read more     Source

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:20:00 GMT

Cute online invoicing service

Winkbill is a ‘simple online invoicing system’, which offers billing, contact management and online reporting to help you keep track of your financial flows. It comes with yer typical web service dashboard which in this case gives an overview of your invoice universe, and the interface is simple enough to be useful.

The UI is also full of Ajax cuteness, which means you should spend less time waiting for the page to refresh and more time getting on with your business. What I like most is the fact that the developers have resisted the temptation to offer loads of complex features, and have instead stuck with the basic customers, invoices stuff. It makes it easy to use which is vital.

The pricing ranges from free for up to 3 invoices a month, to $39.95 a month for up to 5000 invoices, which should be enough for many small businesses. Definitely worth a look if you’re in the market for something like this, although as with all online services I would counsel strongly that you keep your data backed up offline just in case the service goes unavailable for whatever temporary or permanent reason.

 Winkbill is a simple online invoicing service, working as your complete web based invoicing and billing manager. You can easily create, send, and track all your invoices online with the help of Winkbill. With this well-tailored and professionally designed online invoicing software, you can easily manage your billing, contacts and payments online. Winkbill can be used for any products and services sold. Additionally, it allows you to send invoices as PDF. Posted by: Redferret      Read more     Source

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:57:57 GMT

Dr. Pepper's Many Flavors

New work from Shalimar Luis
More of this project can be seen @ shalimarluis.com Posted by: PID_NYC      Read more     Source

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:39:33 GMT

6 Professional Painters From The Animal Kingdom

Humans are not the only species to create art. You can argue all day about what is art and what isn"t, but some animals are selling their creations, which puts them a notch closer to being true artists than most of us! Here are six different professional animal artists. Posted by: Gerard      Read more     Source

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:24:40 GMT

The Cardboard Kitchen

The Cardboard Kitchen.Artist Patianne Stevenson"s interest for culinary world lead to creation of series of "sculptures" of food items. Her works expressively portray images of food and the ambience of the kitchen while evoking a vision of color, shape and texture. Well, when you order food from "The Cardboard Kitchen", you get creativity which shows that food is beautiful!

The creations are for sale at Etsy. Posted by: Venus      Read more     Source

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:11:48 GMT

Bread and Butter: with the Emphasis on Butter

On Mount Pleasant Road, between St.Clair and Eglinton lies a rustic little restaurant that serves rich and delicious food at cheap eats prices. With a menu ranging from breakfasts to deli plates (and all sorts of soups, salads, cookies and cakes between), Bread & Butter satisfies my old-fashioned fantasies.

Read my full review of Bread & Butter in the restaurants section. Posted by: Devon Scoble      Read more     Source

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 15:46:54 GMT

Awesome Interactive Drawings

Awesome Interactive Drawings.Here are a few beautiful masterpieces created with only a pencil or a paintbrush. Though its not a secret that the artists use Photoshop to make these paintings more realistic and impressive, but still the results are very impressive. And when one talks of optical illusion art, you cant miss M. C. Escher, who has inspired the likes of many artists with his optical illusion art. Well known examples of his work includes Drawing Hands - 1948 (the last image of this post), a work in which two hands are shown, each drawing the other. Posted by: Venus      Read more     Source

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:54:48 GMT

Another trip to Roundrock

When I had driven down to Roundrock on the morning of this visit, the truck stop temperature sign said it was already 38ºF. That’s not too cold for a swim, is it? My wishes were thwarted, however, by the presence of a sheet of ice across the top of the lake. Had I brought an axe with me I might have hacked a hole in it to have a swim, but all I had were a pair of loppers and a hand saw, so I continued up to the shelter after leaving the southern property line to have my lunch.

I saw right away that I wasn’t the only one who had had lunch. The crows had been by and had already cleaned out the half bag of peanuts I had left on the snag earlier that morning. I expected they would, and I left them the rest of the bag before sitting down to my own lunch.

A tasty lunch in the cozy chair under the shady tarp overlooking the frozen lake is one of my favorite ways to spend time. I wish I could have sat there for hours. I had restocked the suet feeder, and as I sat quietly contemplating the universe, several small slate-eyed juncos arrived. They didn’t cling to the suet cage, though, but scavenged the ground below it for little bits that had fallen there. They’d clearly done this before since they flew in and got right to it. They were only a few meters away from me, but I feared that if I moved to pull my camera from my pocket, I’d scare them away. So I merely contented myself with watching them for the several minutes they could keep their interest on the feeding. When they flew away, I decided it was time for me to move on as well, but it wouldn’t be my only happy bird sighting of the day.

The TOYOTA, you’ll remember, was at the other end of Roundrock. That was only a half mile away, but for a day dreamer whose attention is easily diverted, that was also several hours away. So I cleaned up the empty bags from my lunch (which included four of Libby’s homade chocolate chip cookies), packed my pack, collected my tools, and turned my feet to the west for a ramble up the Central Valley and back to the Prolechariot.

At the west end of the lake there are a number of exposed small trees that I’ve wanted to chop down since I first saw their offensive branches rising above the water. Because the lake was down a few feet, I could get to several of them, and with the help of the loppers, I chopped them at ground level. I don’t know if this will make a difference in their return this spring, but it felt better than doing nothing.

Back in the early days of our tenure at Roundrock, when the creek that forms the Central Valley was our primary avenue for getting in and out of our 80+ acres of wilderness, there was a pretty good path we could follow. The deer used it as well, and between us, we managed to keep it clear. But then we built that road and could drive all the way in. And those ice storms of last winter brought down all kinds of trees and branches. And these days, whatever trail we once had there is mostly gone. In some places the grass grows so thick that we dare not enter it three seasons of the year (chiggers, of course), and in other places, the tangle of downed limbs calls for looping diversions.

But what is a wilderness ramble without a little rambling, right? Just like the path we’re trying to cut along the property line, a little work on the missing trail in the Central Valley each time we use it will have it open in no time. And if not in no time, then eventually. And if not eventually, then what the heck; it’s still fun doing it.

So I poked along, doing more work liberating cedars from their earthly toil than clearing the path, but the sun was shining and the air was clear and I was where I wanted to be. A bird flitting in the trees over my head caught my eye, and though I never did see what kind of bird it was, my eye drifted to the great blue dome above, and I saw another bird. I thought it was a turkey vulture at first, but the wings didn’t look right. Then I realized I was seeing a large brown bird with a white head and a white tail. I was watching a bald eagle gliding in the skies over Roundrock. Now I don’t want to get all weepy and sentimental, but this was an emotional moment for me. This was the first time I had seen an actual bald eagle at Roundrock. Sure, they probably visit frequently and I just don’t see them because I’m not around enuf. And sure, the nearby Corps of Engineers lake probably attracts bald eagles by the score. And sure, this time of the year sees plenty of visiting bald eagles from the frozen lands of the north. But all of that wasn’t important to me. What was important was seeing one of the most impressive symbols of the American wilderness soaring in the skies above my woods. I was down in the valley, so I was hemmed in by hills rising on either side. But in the whole minute or so the eagle took to transit this airspace, it never flapped its wings once. I didn’t move, and maybe didn’t even breath, until the eagle flew out of sight.

When I finally returned to myself again, I steered my feet back up the valley and closer to the truck waiting ahead. But I had one more, more mundane wild encounter ahead of me. You may remember from my earlier post that when I was following the posts along the southern line, I came to the post planted in the middle of the creek where we estimate the line runs. It wasn’t long after my eagle encounter that I came to this post again. It was time to leave the creekbed and follow the familiar line back to the road where I had left the truck. The ground slopes abruptly here, and I was able to reach the flatter land just above it without being seen in my approach. What I saw not ten meters ahead of me there was a solitary opossum poking through the leaf litter, looking for lunch. The wind was blowing, and when it rattled the branches of the trees, I made my steps in the leaves, covering the sound of my approach with the natural noise of the forest. The scrub trees are dense in this part of the forest, so I never got a good angle for a photograph, but I got to watch the critter for five minutes, uninhibited in its patient foraging. I realize that for some people, this kind of encounter is commonplace and not special, but for me, it’s exactly the kind of thing I go to the forest for.

Not too far after this, I was able to see the glowing red of the Prolechariot through the trees. It was time to pack up and head back to suburbia, and that’s what I got about doing. Driving out, I stopped at our accustomed spot on the lip of the hill over my neighbor’s valley. This is the last place where our phones get a signal when we are going in and the first place when we are going out. Libby was certain that on my solo visit this time, I would break my leg and be stuck in the wild, far from help and far from a phone signal. So I stopped the truck there and called home, assuring her that I was all right and on my way.

Missouri calendar:

• Peak numbers of bald eagles gather this month near open water and big rivers.

Posted by: Roundrockjournal      Read more     Source