Panic on the Homefront

As would be expected, today's headline has everyone in a panic:

NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. home prices fell 3.2 percent in the second quarter, the steepest rate of decline since Standard & Poor's began its nationwide housing index in 1987, the research group said Tuesday.

Reality Check:

Let me put my economist's hat on for one of those rare occasions -- I need to justify that degree, after all ---- and explain why this development is a GOOD THING:

First,....... (well, never mind: if anyone really cares, send me an email and I'll carry on.)

Wolf Road dumps: one down, one up

That old abandoned gas station on the corner of Wolf and Albany Shaker Roads in Colonie (right across from the Times Union) has long been labeled as an "eyesore." An underground fuel tank ruptured many years ago, turning the property into a mini Love Canal. No one would touch it, given the cleanup and liability costs.

Apparently, those concerns have been laid to rest and a developer is ready to roll with his new plans for the now-valuable land. The old garage is being torn down as I write this, all to make way for.......

TWO FAST FOOD FRANCHISES!

Great; just what Colonie needed. Maybe we should have left the original toxic dump instead of just replacing it with a new one.

Albany man finds head in Burger King whopper!

It's always good to see Albany on the national news wires. After all, there's no such thing as bad publicity, right? After all, look at what it did for Pee Wee Herman's career.

Check this locally based mega-buzz story about some fat guy finding a human head in his Burger King double whopper, right here in The Ole Town, courtesy of the Onion News Network.



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If it's a news broadcast, it has to be true, doesn't it?


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The cult of Marylou

I decided to venture down to Congress Park in Saratoga to witness the people at Marylou Whitney's annual gala. No, I wasn't interested in the Queen's party guests--those are the same old has-beens, year after year.

Instead, I had to get a look at these people that actually go down there to do the above! What exactly do these individuals look like? Are they the kind of people we see in our everyday goings-on, or are they a different breed entirely? Any similaritities to the crowd you see in a WalMart at 2AM? Any parallels to be drawn to the worshipping of Eva Peron in a different era?

But, a problem arose: I ran into someone I know. When's the last time I actually ran into a fellow native Saratogian while downtown? But it happened last night. Great timing, right? They likely thought I was part of the gawker set; a full fledged member of the Cult of Marylou.

That'll serve me right for venturing out of the house in August.....