Archive for December, 2008
UK: House Prices Fall at Fastest Pace in 25 Years
December 5th, 2008Via: Times: British house prices tumbled at a record 16.1 per cent in November, marking the sharpest drop in property values for a quarter of a century. Figures released this morning by Halifax revealed that prices fell 2.6 per cent in November compared with October, and are 16.1 per cent lower than in November 2007. […]
California May Pay With IOUs for Second Time Since Depression
December 5th, 2008Via: Bloomberg: California, the world’s eighth largest economy, may pay vendors with IOUs for only the second time since the Great Depression, State Finance Director Mike Genest said. In a letter to legislative leaders Dec. 2, Genest said the state “will begin delaying payments or paying in registered warrants in March” unless an $11.2 billion […]
Julius Baer CEO: Suicide
December 5th, 2008Oh sure. See the Wikileaks data on Julius Baer. Via: Reuters: Alex Widmer, the chief executive of Bank Julius Baer and a well respected figure in Swiss private banking, has died unexpectedly at the age of 52, the bank said. A source told Reuters he had been informed by close friends of Widmer’s family that […]
Zimbabwe: Total Collapse
December 5th, 2008Collapse spans a wide spectrum conditions. I’m not aware of any situation worse than Zimbabwe. Come to think of it, maybe Congo? Or… Collapse tip NUMBER 1: Keep the shit out of the drinking water. I don’t know what it is about shit in drinking water, but in any collapse situation, that’s what seems to […]
Activist Moves Homeless Into Foreclosed Homes
December 5th, 2008By placing this story in Collapse, I’m not making a value judgment on it; this is simply to indicate that we’re seeing the beginnings of a failed state situation. From this story alone, it should be clear just how little power that state actually has. If somebody told you five years ago that homeless people […]
Canadian PM Wins Suspension of Parliament
December 5th, 2008Via: Reuters: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper won a rare suspension of Parliament on Thursday, managing to avoid being ousted by opposition parties angry over the minority Conservative government’s economic plans and an attempt to cut off party financing. Governor General Michaelle Jean — the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada’s head of state — agreed […]
Server Side Technical Problems
December 5th, 2008Something is just not right with some combination of the latest WordPress + Super Cache + (maybe) BlueHost. A few hours ago, the author of Super Cache released an updated version and I have applied that. Things seem to be working ok now, but know that I’m keeping a close eye on the situation.
UK: Are Your Papers in Order? Police Given World War 2 Era Powers to Demand ID Without Needing Any Suspicion of a Crime
December 5th, 2008Via: Telegraph: Police and immigration officers will be able to stop Britons and demand they prove their identity under proposed sweeping new powers. Clauses in the draft Immigration and Citizenship Bill give state officials the power to make anyone who has ever entered the country, at any time, prove who they are without needing any […]
FBI: Copper Thieves Jeopardize U.S. Infrastructure
December 5th, 2008I wonder if this will continue after the copper price crash??? Via: Network World: The FBI today ratcheted up the clamor to do something more substantive about the monumental growth of copper theft in the US. In a report issued today the FBI said the rising theft of the metal is threatening the critical infrastructure […]
Power Out Again
December 4th, 2008In the finest tradition of Northland, New Zealand, the power is out AGAIN. And my UPS is down to one bar. I’ll try to post later today.
