No salt on your food?

NYC councilman wants to ban salt in city restaurants . It’s either the end of the free world or, I hope, the death throes of the nanny state. Time will tell.

I don’t mind the government arming itself so long as they don’t disarm us

The Department of Education is buying shotguns. Don’t ask why – buy your own.

But, but …

Thuh science is settled, suh!

Panel to review U.N. Global Warming “findings”. What, errors? Lies? Misrepresentations? Captain Renault is shocked.

It’s still nasty out there

Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine

The lobstermen are still shootin’ and cussing each other. Used to happen around here, with recreational lobsterers having their traps destroyed by the commercial guys. I solved it by agreeing to represent the commercials while warning them that the blue and yellow buoys were mine, but our state applied a universal solution by wiping out all lobsters in Long Island Sound while trying to stop Nile Fever via pesticides, making the issue moot.

In Maine, the fight continues.

Do you wonder?

At last count, the Democrats have control of both the House and the Senate and can therefore enact ObamaCare at will. Yet, they haven’t. They claim they will try next week, but what do you suppose is happening this week? It’s possible, I suppose, that all those Democrats are just too-darn-gosh-busy to convene and vote right now, but somehow, I doubt it.

How lucky can a fella get?

The Conyer's Mob

John “Mr. Reparations” Conyers” not only ducked indictment for his wife’s selling of his office, he’ll be rid of her for three years and one month. Is this a beautiful country, or what?

My, this gets boring

Fourteen new listings posted so far today and there’s not a single house worth mentioning. All over-priced, some outrageously so, and I just wonder whether agents are lying through their teeth to buy listings or are sellers still delusional? It doesn’t make no never-mind – they’re off my radar for at least six months while I wait for the market to brine them. But what a waste of time and effort.

We see the NYC skyline here in Greenwich and it doesn’t seem to have hurt prices

Simulated view of Cape Wind project

Business Insider interviews the man behind the Cape Wind project, opposed by brie-eating liberals in Massachusetts.

I think wind power’s a crock, personally, but there’s certainly a premium deserved for anything that disturbs the Kennedys and their friends.

I’d thought he was in the details

Chief exorcist says Devil is in the Vatican.

Here’s a price cut that says, “no way”

2 Broad Road

This Belle Haven home came on the market a year ago at $10.5 million and today was reduced a whopping $250,000, which I interpret as a signal that, despite the lack of interest the market has in the place, the owners aren’t budging. Okay with me.

Percentage of Greenwich homes with price cuts

Trulia is out with a survey showing bad housing markets, ranked by the percentage of listings that only sell after price cuts. They seem to think that 30% is a scary figure but, while I haven’t done the math, I can probably count on one hand the number of Greenwich homes sold recently without enduring a price cut. Let’s be generous and say that our “Trulia” rate is 75%. Does that make us 2 1/2 X worse than Cincinnati or is it just a reflection of the obtuse mind-set of the average Greenwich home seller?

The country wants the economy back but Obummer has other plans

Healthcare, gays in the military, now immigration “reform” via national identity cards. The man has an agenda, but it’s not ours. I don’t know whether this is scary or just the sign of a one-term presidency.

If I were pricing a house today…

109 Florence Road

I’d place it well below 2006 levels. I’m not picking on this house on Florence Road but, using it as an example, the owners paid $920,000 for it in 2006 and have priced it at $985,000 today. Its assessment is $753,000 and I bet that if they priced it around there, they’d have a bidding war on the place. As it is, I predict it will linger for months, take a couple of price cuts and finally sell when it approaches a bargain level.

There’s an easier, softer way, and in this market, yields better results. Accept reality.

Bidding war!

15 E. Byway

This tiny (1,100 sq.ft.) Glenville cape was listed in January for $525,000 and sold immediately in a bidding war. Closed yesterday for $551,000. Which I guess reveals the floor for housing in a nice neighborhood in Greenwich.

29 Hearthstone

On the other hand, this seller may be too optimisstic, listing her house today for $1.895, a couple of hundred thousand more than she paid for it in 2006. Recent sales on both Hearthstone and, say Weston Hill, suggest that the market’s not ready for this price, yet.

The trouble is, nut jobs are dangerous

Congress imposes penalties up to $5 million for each delayed flight, so airlines will start canceling flights. Congressmen pass laws for one, 30 – second sound bite on local TV – businesses have to live with those laws forever. We’re being ruled by lunatics.

The trouble is, nut jobs are dangerous

Colleen the terrorist

Former Texan (moved to Pennsylvania) indicted on terrorism charges. The lady is obviously over the edge, but so were the Oklahoma and the UniBomber. My initial inclination to give her a break is tempered by that lesson.

UPDATE: following the links in the Times’ article above, it sounds like the lady actively worked to coordinate the assassination of a Swedish artist who offended the religion of pieces.

Two police officers close to the investigation said those arrested were foreign-born Irish residents, mostly from Yemen and Morocco. The officers said the suspects had been under surveillance since November and were identified based on intelligence intercepts of e-mails and telephone calls monitored with help from anti-terrorist officials in the United States, Interpol and Sweden.

Update II: Christopher Hitchkins: Yamani or your life.

Lars Vilks

And speaking of Instapundit,

The epitome of dry humor:

HOW TO THWART VULTURES: I wonder if this approach would work elsewhere?