Dicapac Waterproof Digital Camera Case Fujifilm FinePix A610 A820 A900 A920 E500 E510 E900 Konica Minolta Dimage F100 F200 F300 Revio KD-3300

Dicapac Waterproof Digital Camera Case Fujifilm FinePix A610 A820 A900 A920 E500 E510 E900 Konica Minolta Dimage F100 F200 F300 Revio KD-3300 Review

Dicapac Waterproof Digital Camera Case Fujifilm FinePix A610 A820 A900 A920 E500 E510 E900 Konica Minolta Dimage F100 F200 F300 Revio KD-3300 Overview

The DiCAPac is an all-weather vinyl case for multipurpose use and 100% waterproof up to 16 feet (5 meters) deep! Constructed from thick, high-grade vinyl with a super clear window for using your PDA cell phone, digital camera, or simply use it to store items for protection from water and dirt. The DiCAPac waterproof case is designed to keep your things moisture-free in almost any environment. The patented "Roll & Velcro" zipper closure system provides two levels of protection to keep your case completely watertight, while the clear window and flexible material allows you to maintain complete control over your phone or camera's functions. The DiCAPac is extremely lightweight and can be tucked away in a pocket or small bag, making it by far the most convenient option for complete all-weather protection for your digital camera, not to mention the most affordable.

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 01, 2010 00:30:05

Oregon Tax Revenue from Measure 66 is 50% Short of Predictions; Oregon Grants Unions 4.75% Pay Hike

From the dysfunctional state of Oregon comes news that Measure 66 fell about 50% short of its revenue predictions. Balance that with 4.75% pay hikes and it adds up with a continuing refusal by Oregon to address its problems.

Oregon Grants Unions 4.75% Pay Hike

5 percent pay increase for Oregon state union employees begins Wednesday

A step pay increase of nearly 5 percent for Oregon state workers represented by unions goes into effect Wednesday. The 4.75 percent increase will cost the state as much as $16 million through the end of the two-year budget period.

Measure 66 Falls Short

Oregon tax revenues from Measure 66 coming up short of predictions

Early indicators suggest the state won't receive nearly as much as officials expected from a tax increase on wealthy Oregonians -- raising questions of whether January's bitterly fought election was worth it.

The latest numbers show Measure 66, which set higher tax rates on households making more than $250,000 a year, and on individual filers making half that, has brought in about $70 million in additional collections to date.

"We're thinking we're right around half of what we expected about this time," said Paul Warner, head of the Legislative Revenue Office.

Here's the deal. Oregon raised taxes for the benefit of unions and now they have to raise taxes again because the state only got half as much revenue from the tax hike as expected. When does the madness stop?

I have written about Oregon a lot recently.

Dysfunctional Oregon

August 22, 2010: Dysfunctional Oregon

Sight unseen, I am willing to state that Oregon should get rid of all 64 state boards, no matter what they are supposed to do. Sight seen, it's time Oregonian voters relegate Gov. Ted Kulongoski to the ash heap of history.

Overoptimism Oregon Style

August 18, 2010: Oregon Wins Blue Ribbon for Unfounded Optimism; Everything "Weaker than Expected"

In July of 2009 state revenue projections were $222.8 million to the plus side. Now just one year later, smack in the midst of a "recovery", a $577.2 million June 2010 deficit is too optimistic by as much as another $500 million.

Congratulations of sorts go to Oregon for winning the blue ribbon for unfounded optimism.

Oregon has already cut state spending by 9%. Another 9% may be on the way.

We can now add Measure 66 to the list of overoptimistic misses in Oregon.

Edge of the Financial Chasm

July 25, 2010: Edge of Financial Chasm

Four Problems Oregon Faces.

• Problem 1: Our income is shrinking
• Problem 2: We have more people in need
• Problem 3: We've locked up a lot of money
• Problem 4: We can't grow our way out

End of the Line for Meaningful Can-Kicking Delays

When it comes to state budgets, the low lying fruit has been picked. Indeed all the fruit has been picked and next year's harvest has been spoken for as well. Thus it's the end of the line for state's ability to kick the can down the road in a meaningful way, if employment does not dramatically pick up soon.

Here's a hint: it won't.

Oregon Taxpayers at Huge Risk over PERS

July 24, 2010: Oregon's Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) in Deep Trouble, Taxpayers on the Hook

If we finish the year here the system will only be 70% funded. Pray tell what happens if the stock market finished the year down a modest 15% and is flat next year?

Notice the article says "Actual pension rates vary by individual employer". Although the rates will vary, it is not "employers" who pick up the tab. Rather it is taxpayers who have to pay taxes to pick up the tab.

If articles like the one quoted explained things properly, there would be much more needed outrage.

The system is broke and the only way to fix it is to get rid of it. Defined benefit plans at taxpayer expense have to go.

Oregon Faces Decade of Budget Deficits

May 23, 2010: Governor's Study Shows Oregon Faces Decade of Budget Deficits; Support for Unions Wanes in Illinois

A study conducted by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski shows that Oregon will not be bailed out by a rebounding economy, assuming of course the economy rebounds at all.

Oregon Overestimates the Recovery, Underestimates What Needs to be Done

My sense is that states are all overestimating what the recovery will do. That aside, Oregon is a step ahead of others in realizing the recovery alone will not fix the problem.

The report made no recommendations even though it is crystal clear what needs to happen. For starters, the state needs to kill defined benefit plans for new hires. Next, the state needs to outsource everything possible with the goal of getting rid of all public unions.

Anything else is just pecking at the fringes of the problem.

Business Owners Move Out

January 27, 2010: Oregon's Death Spiral; Business Owners Say "I'm moving out"

On Tuesday, unions in Oregon won a charred earth victory that will drive already troubled Oregon, straight off the cliff.

Oregon voters passed Measure 66 which raises tax rates on individuals who earn more than $125,000 and couples with incomes greater than $250,000. Voters also passed Measure 67 which increases business taxes.

Complete fools in Oregon just voted to save bloated union salaries and pensions, while driving away the real source of tax revenue, private business.

Unions that take hold of states inevitably wreck them. Oregon should take a good hard look in the mirror. It will see a reflection of Michigan. Good luck with that.

Look's like that was a decent call on Measure 66.

Increased taxes will drive away business. For whose benefit are these tax hikes? Unions that need to be eliminated. Oregon's problems cannot and will not go away as long as political pandering to unions continues.

Public union salaries and benefits are Oregon's biggest problem.

A tip of the hat to Oregon Live for excellent articles on the economic plight of Oregon.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

31 in 31

Here's a wrap-up of my 31 buildings/places in 31 days:

#1 - Phyto Universe

#2 - One Bryant Park

#3 - Pier 62 Carousel

#4 - Bronx River Art Center

#5 - The Pencil Factory

#6 - Westbeth Artists' Housing

#7 - 23 Beekman Place

#8 - Metal Shutter Houses

#9 - Bronx Box

#10 - American Academy of Arts and Letters

#11 - FDR Four Freedoms Park

#12 - One Madison Park

#13 - Pio Pio Restaurant

#14 - Queens West (Stage II)

#15 - 785 Eighth Avenue

#16 - Big Bamb�

#17 - Event Horizon

#18 - Murano

#19 - William Lescaze House

#20 - Morgan Library and Museum

#21 - MTA Flood Mitigation

#22 - Wilf Hall

#23 - Yohji Yamamoto

#24 - NYU Center for Academic and Spiritual Life

#25 - Nehemiah Spring Creek

#26 - Longchamps

#27 - 9th Street Residence

#28 - Crocs

#29 - Art et Industrie

#30 - Tartinery Nolita

#31 - Sperone Westwater Gallery

Also see my 31in31 Flickr set.

31 in 31: #31

This is a series for August 2010 which documents my on-the-ground -- and on-the-webs -- research for my guidebook to contemporary NYC architecture (to be released next year by W. W. Norton). Archives can be found at the bottom of the post and via the 31 in 31 label.



The Sperone Westwater Gallery, designed Foster + Partners, is nearing completion about a block north of the New Museum. This piece continues the transformation of the Bowery, from Cooper Union down to Chinatown. In the ten or eleven years since I stayed at a hostel on the Bowery the street has seen numerous new buildings as well as restaurants and shops, displacing the old flophouses and mainstays like CBGB's.




I always liked to think of the Bowery as un-gentrifiable, a zone immune to the changes in neighborhing SoHo, NoHo, the Lower East Side, and the East Village. Of course I was wrong, but a nine-story building with a bright red elevator on its facade is probably the last thing I would have expected from the alternative scenario.



Norman Foster's design is the antithesis of the New Museum, which made the Bowery cool for institutions with money to spend on buildings by name-brand architects. SANAA's stacked and shifted white boxes respond to the zoning envelope without making that legal device explicit; Foster's design rises to the maximum street wall and then sets back once. Done.



Granted, the 20-foot-wide lot doesn't give much room for play, so Foster focuses on the skins. Facing the Bowery on the first five floors is an all-glass wall with laminations that allow light and views, but the latter are indistinct, yet not so much that the elevator's workings aren't apparent. One effect of the glass, which lies somewhere between transparent and translucent, is the band of light visible in these photos. It must be an unwritten code that new buildings must have a surface that blinds passersby!





The side walls, facing north and south, are blanketed with black corrugated metal, the panels mimicking -- but oddly not following exactly, in size or spacing -- the glass on the front. The rear facade is similar to the top of the front, with a zipper of clear glass running vertically between what looked to be solid panels (not translucent like the front). Foster's design certainly has a strong presence on the Bowery, but its industrial elegance will pack more of a wallop at night when the glass box is illuminated and the red box glows.

Previously:

#1 - Phyto Universe
#2 - One Bryant Park
#3 - Pier 62 Carousel
#4 - Bronx River Art Center
#5 - The Pencil Factory
#6 - Westbeth Artists' Housing
#7 - 23 Beekman Place
#8 - Metal Shutter Houses
#9 - Bronx Box
#10 - American Academy of Arts and Letters
#11 - FDR Four Freedoms Park
#12 - One Madison Park
#13 - Pio Pio Restaurant
#14 - Queens West (Stage II)
#15 - 785 Eighth Avenue
#16 - Big Bamb�
#17 - Event Horizon
#18 - Murano
#19 - William Lescaze House
#20 - Morgan Library and Museum
#21 - MTA Flood Mitigation
#22 - Wilf Hall
#23 - Yohji Yamamoto
#24 - NYU Center for Academic and Spiritual Life
#25 - Nehemiah Spring Creek
#26 - Longchamps
#27 - 9th Street Residence
#28 - Crocs
#29 - Art et Industrie
#30 - Tartinery Nolita

26 of Last 88 Trading Days have been 90% Days (Either Up or Down); 7 More Lean Years in Stock Market?

Here is an interesting snip from August 31 Market Commentary by Art Cashin for UBS. Sorry, no link.

Monday�s market evaporated nearly all the gains from Friday�s rally. Despite lighter volume, it was a 90% down day. That means the bears got a lopsided advantage in negative breadth and negative volume. In Friday�s rally, the bulls had had a similar 90% advantage. Robert McHugh of Main Line Investors says 26 of the last 88 trading days have been 90% days � one way or another. Any wonder the public is wary.

Are these 90% Days a Good Thing?

While the big boys push the market around, small investors have thrown in the towel and are not coming back.

Market volume now consists of black boxes pushing all stocks one way or the other on 30% of the days. Is this a good thing? For who? Investors or Goldman Sachs?

Holding the Line

Today, the 1040 level on the S&P held for about the 8th time on "fabulous" news consumer confidence rose to 53. Bear in mind number in the 70's are typical of recession lows.

How long the 1040 level can hold is a mystery, but each bounce seems to be weaker and weaker.

Last Friday, I noted Market Cheers 1.6% Growth; Treasuries Hammered; while asking "what's next?"

We have a partial answer already. Treasuries have regained the entire selloff that started (and ended) on the "great news" that 2nd quarter GDP was +1.6% instead of the expected +1.4%. Nevermind that growth was revised down twice from above +2.5% to +1.6%.

Looking ahead, I expect GDP to be negative in the 3rd quarter.

Art Cashin's 17.6 Year Cycles

A little over a year ago Art Cashin commented Dow Trapped in 17-Year Cycle

Art Cashin, director of floor operations at UBS Financial Services, offered CNBC his stock-market insights. Cashin decried the idea of a second stimulus, in light of the "infamous" first attempt.

"There was no 'stimulus' in the stimulus package. It was mostly social engineering," Cashin said. Thus, talk of a new plan is shaking markets with fears of even more debt � with "nothing to show for it."

Cashin revisited his theory of "the 17.6-year cycle."

"It's like the Biblical story of the fat and lean years. During the fat, you can throw a dart at the wall, and anything you buy goes up."

He believes one such cycle spanned 1982 to 2000. And he notes that from "1966 to 1982, the Dow went to 1,000 � then went back down."

Barry Ritholtz described the 17.6 year cycle in Art Cashin on Secular Cycles

�Back On The Cycle � David Rosenberg, formerly chief economist at Merrill Lynch and now at Gluskin Sheff was a guest host on CNBC�s Squawkbox this morning. During the discussion he alluded to an 18 year cycle in the market. Not to quibble but many traders have thought of it as the 17.6 year cycle. Here�s how I outlined it back in May 2002: Yesterday, as the elders were being asked about the hiding place of the great Bull Market one of the fogeys mentioned the �near 18 year cycle.� Like the fat and lean years, it refers to so-called �easy� times to make money in the market versus times requiring much harder work. The fogeys suggested it was near 18 years because it was approximately 17 years, 7 months. For ease of explanation to the juniors, one of the fogeys decimalized the number as 17.6 years so they could use their calculators. He then postulated this example � Let�s say the markets topped out in about February 2000. Let�s call that 2000.2. Subtract 17.6 and your back in about July 1982 (1982.60). The Dow was around 900. So you could see why those were a fat (easy) 17 years. Take away 17.6 again and you are back around January of 1965 and the Dow is around 900. (Yup � just like 1982.) Many twists and turns in those 17 years. Lots of chances to make money. But you had to work for every penny. Take away 17.6 again and you are back around May of 1947. The war is over. The Dow is around 170. Lots of prosperity ahead. Take away 17.6 and you are back around Sept of 1929 and the Dow is around 350. He began to go on. The juniors had had enough. Folks don�t like to hear that you can do well only if you do your homework everyday. Having lived through two of those cycles, we can attest to the work cycle.�

From where the market is today, Cashin is essentially describing the Japanese scenario of two lost decades. That has been my preferred scenario for quite a long time.

Japan's Lost Decades Rallies



If Cashin is correct, and I believe he is, it's another 7 years of nowhere at best for the stock market. Nonetheless, there will be trading opportunities in both directions as the above chart from Business Insider shows.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Nikon D90 Laminated Reference Card!

Here's a little quick reference card for your D90 settings! Sounds like a lot of D90 owners really like having this in their camera bag!

Your new Nikon D90 has many controls and settings designed to allow you to make a perfect exposure. But remembering where they are and how the features work together can be daunting.


If you decide to carry the user manual in your bag but finding the answer to your question can be a frustrating experience. That is why Blue Crane Digital developed an abbreviated field reference guide to your digital SLR.

The inBrief reference card is a laminated, foldable guide that answers most camera operation questions quickly and easily. The information is arranged logically for ease of use.

The cover panel of each inBrief displays a labeled line drawing of the camera, and a color-coded index to the rest of the panels. For instance, if you have a question about white balance, just check the index, then turn to the purple panel. An overview of the information on each of the twelve panels is listed below:

Cover: Annotated line drawing, General index

Blue: Viewfinder, Control panel, and Monitor displays
Red: Camera functions by exposure mode; Flash information
Lime: Focus; Drive Modes; Self-timer
Yellow: Exposure; Metering; Bracketing
Purple: White balance; ISO; Image size/quality
Orange: Displaying images; Resetting the camera
Green: Custom settings

The inBrief reference card is professionally printed on 10 point card stock, and is laminated on each side for long wear and protection from the elements. When folded, the dimensions are 5.5 by 4.25 inches. It fits neatly into the outside pocket of your camera bag for instant access. Once you have an inBrief, you can leave your manual at home.

Check it out Here!

Movie Attendance Drops to 1997 Level; Case-Shiller Home Prices Rise; Last Hurrah for Housing

Movie attendance is down but increased prices made up the difference for now. Bloomberg reports Summer Movie Box-Office Attendance Falls to Lowest Since 1997

Summer movie attendance fell to the lowest level since 1997, while soaring ticket prices produced record revenue for Hollywood studios and theater owners.

The number of tickets sold from the first weekend of May through the U.S. Labor Day holiday is expected to drop 2.6 percent to 552 million, Hollywood.com Box-Office said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. That would be the lowest attendance since summer moviegoers bought 540.3 million tickets in 1997.

�The movies just didn�t excite people the way they needed to,� Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com Box-Office, said in an interview. �When you raise prices and perceive that quality goes down, you have a major problem.�

Summer box-office revenue will rise 2.4 percent to a record $4.35 billion in the U.S. and Canada as higher prices more than make up for the lower attendance, Hollywood.com estimates. The average ticket price will increase 5.1 percent to $7.88 from last year�s $7.50, the biggest gain since a 6.3 percent jump in 2000, Hollywood.com said.

The price-conscious majority appears to be overwhelmed by the price-insensitive wealthy, at least for the time being. How much longer this lasts with cheap movie rentals and another downturn in the economy remains to be seen.

Regardless, the results portray an increasing dichotomy between the "haves" and the "have-nots".

As long as Hollywood can get away with inceasing prices, they will do just that, even if it means an increasing percentage of customers are "priced out".

Last Hurrah for Housing

Case-Shiller Home Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Rise More Than Forecast

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose more than forecast in June from a year earlier, reflecting the influence of a government tax incentive and a sign the market was stabilizing before sales plunged in July.

The S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values increased 4.2 percent from June 2009, the group said today in New York. The median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News called for a 3.5 percent advance.

The Case-Shiller index is a moving three-month average, which means the June data are still being influenced by transactions in April and May that benefitted from the government incentive. A pullback in demand since the credit ended, mounting foreclosures and an unemployment rate near a 26- year high may weigh on prices in coming months.

Nationally, prices increased 3.6 percent in the second quarter from the same time last year and were up 2.3 percent from the previous three months.

San Francisco, San Diego

Fifteen of the 20 cities in the S&P/Case-Shiller index showed a year-over-year increase, led by a 14 percent gain in San Francisco and an 11 percent increase in San Diego.

Compared with the prior month, 17 of the 20 areas covered showed an increase on an unadjusted basis, led by 2.5 percent gains in Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis. Two cities were little changed and Las Vegas fell 0.6 percent.

Builders such as KB Home and Lennar Corp. reported falling sales after April 30, the deadline for homebuyers to sign contracts to purchase a home to qualify for the extended tax credit. The deadline to close transactions by June 30 was later extended to Sept. 30.

Donald Tomnitz, chief executive officer of D.R. Horton Inc., the second-largest U.S. homebuilder by revenue, said he welcomes the end of federal homebuyer tax credits that boosted sales earlier in the year.

Back to Normal

�I don�t want the tax credit to be re-enacted or be recreated or extended,� Tomnitz said on an Aug. 3 conference call with investors. �We want to get back to a normalized market.�

Foreclosures may be an obstacle for the market for much of the year. A record 269,962 U.S. homes were seized from delinquent owners in the second quarter as lenders set a pace to claim more than 1 million properties by the end of 2010, according to RealtyTrac Inc., an Irvine, California-based data company.

Last Hurrah for Housing

Case-Shiller is a backward looking index. The increasing number of foreclosures, the complete collapse in new home sales, a massive increase in inventory, and the end of tax credits all suggest we are near the end of the line for this bounce in home prices.

Interestingly, even the home builders are against another home tax credit. Is that reflective of the massive distortions caused by the credit, the realization the tax credit was useless, or the fact that homebuilders recognize there is little chance Congress will back another tax credit?

Regardless, here's the deal: New Home Sales Consensus 330K, Actual 276K, a Record Low. As a followup please see How Many New Home Sales Was That?

Expect to see new all time low prices in some cities later this year or next year as pent-up demand dries up along with incentives that merely brought that demand forward.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

How Many New Home Sales Was That?

People are still emailing me, making a mountain out of a molehill of a Rosenberg statement I quoted in Burning Down the House; New Home Sales Consensus 330K, Actual 276K, a Record Low; Nationwide, Zero New Homes Sold Above 750K

I failed to comment yesterday on the huge miss by economists on consensus new home sales, but Rosenberg has some nice comments today in Breakfast with Dave.

The high-end market, in particular, is under tremendous pressure. In fact, it is becoming non-existent. Guess how many homes prices above $750k managed to sell in July. Answer � zero, nada, rien; and for the second month in a row. Only 1,000 units priced above 500,000 moved last month. That�s it! Over 80% of the homes that the builders managed to sell were priced for under $300,000. Just another sign of how this remains a full-fledged buyers� market � at least for the ones that can either afford to put down a downpayment or are creditworthy enough to secure a mortgage loan (keeping in mind that 25% of the household sector does have a sub-600 FICO score).

How Many is Zero?

There are a couple of issues here.

1. New home sales are recorded at contract signing. So recent closings at a higher rate do not count. Nor do existing home sales. Many of those complaining were looking at closing data or existing home sales.

2. The other factor is rounding error. Rosenberg should not have been so emphatic.

From the Census Bureau New Home Sales Spreadsheet

Table 2 - $750K home sold
"(Z) Less than 500 units or less than 0.5 percent."

Anyone targeting Rosenberg's statement is making a mountain out of a molehill.

Let me put it this way "There was a statistically irrelevant number of new home sales above $750K, somewhere between zero and 500".

This is not worth the amount of attention it has received.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

31 in 31: #30

This is a series for August 2010 which documents my on-the-ground -- and on-the-webs -- research for my guidebook to contemporary NYC architecture (to be released next year by W. W. Norton). Archives can be found at the bottom of the post and via the 31 in 31 label.



Spotted at The Architect's Newspaper, Tartinery Nolita is a new restaurant located on Mulberry next to Spring Lounge. Designed by SOMA Architects, the facade is marked by deep-set, black-steel fins projecting from the storefront glazing.



These fins -- spaced randomly across the elevation --work to hide and reveal the spaces behind. The shallow bar occupies the northern end (right in photos), and the double-height dining area sits to the south.



The bar-code design is more interesting from across the street than from the adjacent sidewalk (the top image of the archpaper piece testifies to this).



But from directly in front of the restaurant, the double-height dining area attracts the most attention. From the sidewalk the space extends to the cellar; an exposed brick wall behind mesh stands out at the southern end of the restaurant. A small tree also occupies this lower space, rising from the middle of a table.



Previously:

#1 - Phyto Universe
#2 - One Bryant Park
#3 - Pier 62 Carousel
#4 - Bronx River Art Center
#5 - The Pencil Factory
#6 - Westbeth Artists' Housing
#7 - 23 Beekman Place
#8 - Metal Shutter Houses
#9 - Bronx Box
#10 - American Academy of Arts and Letters
#11 - FDR Four Freedoms Park
#12 - One Madison Park
#13 - Pio Pio Restaurant
#14 - Queens West (Stage II)
#15 - 785 Eighth Avenue
#16 - Big Bamb�
#17 - Event Horizon
#18 - Murano
#19 - William Lescaze House
#20 - Morgan Library and Museum
#21 - MTA Flood Mitigation
#22 - Wilf Hall
#23 - Yohji Yamamoto
#24 - NYU Center for Academic and Spiritual Life
#25 - Nehemiah Spring Creek
#26 - Longchamps
#27 - 9th Street Residence
#28 - Crocs
#29 - Art et Industrie

Monday, Monday

My weekly page update:

This week's dose features 40R_Laneway House in Toronto, Ontario, Canada by superk�l inc | architect:


The featured past dose is Courtyard House in Toronto, Ontario, Canada by Studio Junction:


This week's book review is Encyclopedia of Detail in Contemporary Residential Architecture by Virginia McLeod:



**NOTE: The next "weekly dose" will be 2010.09.13.**

Some unrelated links for your enjoyment:

The Bankruptcy of Architecture
See the results of "an intensive 10-day studio 18-27 August, Chania, Crete, Venetian Arsenal."

round houses
Not square, round. (added to sidebar under blogs::architecture)

Things Organized Neatly
Just like the title says.

World Landscape Architect
"A weblog to provide built environment news and information for landscape architects and built environment professionals." (added to sidebar under blogs::landscape)

My heart is full

I truly cannot thank you enough for your incredible comments and emails over the weekend and today. I�m humbled and so grateful for of your prayers and thoughts. Each and every comment made my weekend.

The past few days have been filled with so much sadness, but SO MUCH joy and love as well. Our friends and family have gathered around us with real and virtual hugs � YOU included. It always amazes me how I can feel so much love at such a sad time � but that�s what it�s all about isn�t it? Celebrating how someone lived and realizing what we have to live for.

I don�t how else to express my gratitude but to just say THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts. I mean that � each and every one of you are a blessing to us.

Tonight, I leave you with one of the bouquets that the staff at hubby�s school sent:

Beautiful right? But do you see the extra special additions? Garlic, avocado, chilies and peppers � some of my father-in-laws favorite ingredients! Absolutely unique and stunning. He brought so much joy to those he cooked for. PERFECT. :)

Thanks again so much. This weekend has inspired me many ways � I�ll show you one way tomorrow. :)

Canon Powershot SX20IS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch Articulating LCD Bundle w/ 2GB SD Memory, Case and Lens Cleaning Kit

Canon Powershot SX20IS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch Articulating LCD Bundle w/ 2GB SD Memory, Case and Lens Cleaning Kit Review

I purchased this camera to replace an older PowerShot model. I was pleased to find that the basic menu functions and operation of the camera were very similar to my older model. It made the transition very smooth. I feel like the camera would be easy to learn how to use even if you are unfamiliar with other Canon PowerShots. The camera has many great basic features as well as some "fun" options! The 12.1 megapixel resolution is wonderful! We really like the Vari-Angle LCD. This was an option that our previous camera had, and we were looking to get another with this very useful function. The zoom is exceptional! I have taken some great shots of the moon, animals, scenery... My wife wanted a camera that she could "point-and-shoot," while I was looking for something that had additional capabilities similar to a more expensive SLR. The SX20 is seems to be the perfect balance between the two.

The transaction with Beach Camera was smooth and professonal. I would work with them again.

Canon Powershot SX20IS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch Articulating LCD Bundle w/ 2GB SD Memory, Case and Lens Cleaning Kit Feature

• Powershot SX20 IS 12.1MP Digital Camera
• 2 GB Secure Digital Memory Card
• Compact Camcorder / Digital Camera Deluxe Carrying Case
• Three Piece Lens Cleaning Kit

Canon Powershot SX20IS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch Articulating LCD Bundle w/ 2GB SD Memory, Case and Lens Cleaning Kit Overview

Compact Camcorder / Digital Camera Deluxe Carrying Case - DP5000Three Piece Lens Cleaning Kit2 GB Secure Digital Memory Card { SDSDES-002G-G11}Powershot SX20 IS 12MP Digital Camera

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 30, 2010 22:00:07

Bankrupt Miami in Fiscal Emergency, Breaks Employee Contracts, Hikes Property Taxes; What You Can Do.

Miami is bankrupt. Unfortunately the city refuses to admit it.

In an enormously foolhardy attempt to make ends meet, in spite of the fact that Miami home prices have been hammered and 1-in-8 are unemployed, the County keeps pouring on the painful tax and fee increases.

As you recoil from your tax warning notice today, ponder this: those multiple tax hikes aren't the only charges set to rise. Besides Miami-Dade County's plan to raise every taxpayer's rates 12.2% for operations and an incredible 56% for capital spending on undisclosed projects, it also plans to raise retail water and wastewater rates 5%.

And though County Manager George Burgess proposed the 5% water and wastewater hikes, that's not because water and sewer are running in the red. They're already quite profitable. But by raising rates, the county can dip into water and sewer cash and add $25 million to its operating spending cache while claiming it's keeping our cost down. And for that $25 million slice the county would be right � unless you happen to drink water or flush a toilet.

"If you keep taking money it just goes to reason you're going to be charging more so all the residents are paying more," Commissioner Carlos Gimenez told us. "It's actually a hidden tax. You're just hiding it in water and sewer."

One Miami-Dade worker in eight can't get a job and commissioners don't seem to notice. Instead, as the economy strangles the public and values of homes fall, the county plans double-digit tax hikes on every dollar of remaining value. Before the commission finally clamps the screws on taxpayers or, as it should, relieves pressure by backing off its massive increases, it will hold budget hearings at 5 p.m. Sept. 13 and 23.

What can we do?

One suggestion: Let your commissioner know you'll be taking names of those who vote to raise tax rates even a penny in today's economy. Remind them that the purpose of government is not to remain bloated. Another suggestion: Wear a red "Cut Tax Rate" T-shirt to the hearings. Have your friends do the same. Remember, commissioners only count the hundreds of votes in the room, not the hundreds of thousands of suffering taxpayers back home fighting foreclosure.

Miami Breaks Employee Contracts

Inquiring minds are reading Broke City Breaking Employee Contracts

The city of Miami is so broke it's forcing employees to take pay cuts, even though they're under contract. Mayor Tomas Regalado said he's never seen a financial mess like this before, and his options are grim.

�It's either that or we layoff 1,000 employees or we raise taxes to the max, and we're not raising taxes to the max,� the mayor said.

Mish Comment: If you are looking for one of the most disingenuous comments in history there you have it. The only reason it is not a blatant lie is the ending phrase "to the max". Regalado is clearly incompetent and needs to be removed.

The city is operating under a state of "fiscal urgency," declared earlier this summer. The budget deficit for next fiscal year is about $110 million. The proposed cuts in salary, pension contributions and health insurance costs amounts to about $86 million in savings for the city.

That fiscal urgency declaration allows city commissioners to impose salary cuts on employees, despite their contracts.

Charlie Cox, who represents about 1,100 general service workers, said employees with valuable knowledge will retire or find work elsewhere. �We're going to have a ton of people leave the city and the institutional knowledge will be gone,� he said.

Mish Comment: Hello Charlie. Good luck in finding jobs with excessive benefits in this market. Hell, you don't need luck you need a miracle.

Good riddance, the sooner you leave the better Miami will be. Every position vacated will be a gain to the city.

Miami's police officers, firefighters and other union workers are all expected to choke down cuts. One police union official said the Fraternal Order of Police will sue the city if the cuts are imposed

Mish Comment: It is the right of the FOP to file a lawsuit. I hope they do. The correct response for the city would be to immediately declare bankruptcy so the overpaid union clowns can see just what benefits they get in bankruptcy court, ideally nothing.

Hell, the correct response is for Miami to declare bankruptcy now, whether the FOP is stupid and arrogant enough to sue or not. Miami is bankrupt, and the sooner the mayor and city council admit it the better.

Budget Hearing 5 p.m. September 13 and 23

If you live in Miami and you do not show up at the hearing you are part of the problem. You better show up because union will, en masse, and they will pack the halls demanding still more tax increases so they can go on receiving huge wages and even bigger pension benefits.

In the meantime, please flood the mayor's office and all of the commissioners with phone calls, emails, and faxes.

Mayor Tomas P. Regalado
E-mail: tregalado@miamigov.com
Email Mayor Tomas P. Regalado
305-250-5300 VOICE
305-854-4001 FAX

Commissioner Wifredo (Willy) Gort
District 1
Email: wgort@miamigov.com
Email Commissioner Wifredo (Willy) Gort
305-250-5430 VOICE
305-250-5456 FAX

Commissioner Marc Sarnoff (Chairman)
District 2
E-mail: msarnoff@miamigov.com
Email Commissioner Marc Sarnoff
305-250-5333 VOICE
305-579-3334 FAX

Commissioner Frank Carollo (Vice Chairman)
District 3
E-mail: fcarollo@miamigov.com
Email Commissioner Frank Carollo
305-250-5380 VOICE
305-250-5386 FAX

Commissioner Francis Suarez
District 4
E-mail: fsuarez@miamigov.com
Email Commissioner Francis Suarez
305-250-5420 VOICE
305-856-5230 FAX

Commissioner Richard P. Dunn
District 5
E-mail: rpdunn@miamigov.com
Email Commissioner Richard P. Dunn
305-250-5390 VOICE
305-250-5399 FAX

Please flood the Mayor and all the commissioners with emails. Have your friends do the same (unless of course you want your taxes to rise for the sole benefit of unions and city employees).

If you are not in a public union or a city employee, please say so. Include your name and address and let them know you will not vote for anyone who raises taxes.

Those email links above contain a sample heading line. Please modify it so they do not all look alike.

In the body, let the mayor and commissioners know that Miami is bankrupt and politicians giving into union extortion is the reason. As I said, union thugs will show up en masse demanding more taxes, more benefits, and higher wages. Let the mayor and commissioners know that you support bankruptcy to avoid union ripoffs.

Finally, if you live in Miami, please have your friends do the same.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

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