by The Editors on April 20, 2009
Things have apparently gotten so bad in the Carlsbadistan real estate game that local Realtors are turning to Catholic mythology for help the sell slow moving properties, according to a story in the LA Times.
Allen Meredith and Ronnie Wilson (pictured right) with the Richard Realty Group prepare to bury a statuette of St. Joseph in the yard of a house they have listed in Carlsbad, CA. . . Real estate agents are snapping up “St. Joseph Home Selling Kits” for would-be clients — in both English and Spanish-language editions. Ronnie Wilson, an agent in Carlsbad, Calif., includes the figurine in her regular marketing kit, along with “For Sale” signs and online advertisements.
Apparently, burying a statuette of St. Joseph “the patron saint of home and employment” will work wonders. Then again, most Realtors would probably take a dump in the middle of the front lawn at midnight if they thought it would help. Wonder if anyone’s tried that yet?
[Link: LA Times]
by The Editors on April 16, 2009
by The Editors on April 16, 2009
Opponents of NRG Energy‘s plans for a second power plant near the shores of Carlsbadistan’s Aqua Hedionda Lagoon gathered at Cannon Park today (April 16, 2009) in the shadow of the Encina Power Station to speak to the media.
News 10, News 8, and writers and photographers from the local papers were present along with approximately 40 citizens to hear people including Carlsbad Councilman Matt Hall, former Councilwoman Julie Nygaard, and Kerry Siekmann (among others) speak out against the new plant.
Siekmann spoke to the fact that SDG&E does not need the power this new plant will produce. In fact, she said, SDG&E hasn’t even contracted with the plant to buy power. Where will it go? Maybe Los Angeles, she said.
“This power can be sold everywhere,” Siekmann said. “But where will the pollution go? Here. So we get 854,000 tons of carbon emissions. We get all the particulate pollution that the American Lung association links to death from respiratory and cardio-vascular causes, increased number of heart attacks, hospitalization for asthma among children, inflammation of lung tissue in young healthy adults just to name a few. We get all the ozone pollution too that the American Lung association says may lead to serious health concerns including premature death, chest pain, inflamation of the lining of the lungs. This is not just about our neighborhood. It’s not just about Carlsbad. It’s about the whole air basin here in San Diego. This is not the right plant, it’s the wrong plant.”
Former City Councilwoman Julie Nygaard agreed. “We should not sit back idly and watch our way of life be diminished,” she said. “In all my years of public service I have never seen a proposal that stands to do as much damage as this one does to our community.”
For more information on the plant and the people who oppose it click the link. Or click here for Barbara Henry’s story in the North County Times.
[Link: Power of Vision Carlsbad]
by The Editors on April 16, 2009
Yesterday afternoon, April 15, 2009 Carlsbadistan based golf giant Callaway announced that it had cut six percent of its workforce on tax day.
A spokeswoman said the company had to “make some changes because of economic conditions.” . . . The company is still in the process of notifying affected employees.
If you found out about it here, we’re sorry.
[Link: 10news.com]
by The Editors on April 14, 2009
Longtime Carlsbadistan readers will remember the trading card battle of 2007 waged with when Carlsbadistan based trading card company The Upper Deck Co. made an offer to buy Topps. Though the companies went through several rounds in court the sale never happened.
Now, Topps is taking The Upper Deck Company to court for allegedly stealing layouts and designs from cards Topps produced in the 1970s, according to a story in BusinessWeek.
In its lawsuit, Topps described how it believes Upper Deck mimicked its design with just a few variations. . . It said similarities between each company’s cards included the use of a colorful, divided two-tone border, the player’s photograph superimposed on a thin white border, the player’s autograph toward the bottom of the picture and the use of an image of a baseball on a bottom corner of the card. . . Topps asked that Upper Deck be ordered to destroy the cards and turn over any profits, along with other unspecified monetary damages.
Good luck on this one. As we all know, judges and juries are notoriously experts when it comes to graphic design.
[Link: BusinessWeek]
by The Editors on April 10, 2009
Carlsbadistan’s own iPhone/iPod Touch app developers Appy Entertainment have released their first (of many) applications for the Apple iPhone called AppyNewz.
This somewhat twisted app (which you can get here for $1.99) allows users to build their own tabloid news covers using their own photos and a few finger drags on the screen.
With Appy Newz, you spotlight friends and enemies on spoof news covers. Splice your best friend’s head onto a dog body; give him a Mohawk; then slap him in front of a trailer park with a UFO in the background. Add a snarky headline, then show off your creation to crack up your pals; make it your iPhone’s wallpaper; or email it around the world.
We’re kind of bummed we didn’t have this app for April Fools Day. We could have done some pretty funny stuff with it. Click here to download Appy Newz from the iTunes store, or follow the jump for even more details.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on April 9, 2009
The Surfrider Foundation’s argument that that California Coastal Commission acted illegally when it failed to “require Poseidon to reduce the amount of fish and marine organisms that would be killed in the desalination process” were rejected today in San Diego Superior Court today, according to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Judge Judith Hayes issued a tentative ruling rejecting arguments by Surfrider Foundation and the Planning and Conservation League that the California Coastal Commission misapplied state law when it gave Poseidon Resources a coastal development permit to build the plant. . . . Marco Gonzalez, the attorney for Surfrider and the league, said the groups are unhappy with the ruling and believe the court misunderstood some facts. . . “In particular, a large part of the prospective ruling is based on the perception that the project was previously approved by the Regional Board,” Gonzalez said.
One more hurdle out of the way for the for Poseidon Resources and the desalination plant.
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on April 9, 2009
Indiana State Attorney General Greg Zoeller today announced that he has filed a lawsuit against the Carlsbadistan based forecloser consultants You Walk Away and four other companies claiming they broke state law, according to a story on Indystar.com.
The state says the companies used deceptive practices. “We recognize there is a foreclosure crisis in the country,” Zoeller said in a news release. “Indiana has the tools in place that can help consumers avoid becoming victims of for-profit foreclosure consultants’ bad intentions.”
You Walk Away has not even received a complaint yet, according to CEO Jon Maddux. “We previously had an inquiry from them and complied with all their requests,” he said in an email to Carlsbadistan. “We believe that we are not violating any laws in Indiana.”
[Link: Indystar.com]
by The Editors on April 8, 2009
The vote has been delayed, however, the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board has decided to close the desalination plant hearing “meaning no new evidence or testimony will be considered at the next meeting,” according to a story in the North County Times.
Poseidon Resources Corp., the plant’s prospective builder, made encouraging progress at the hearing, said Scott Maloni, a vice president of the Stamford, Conn.-based company. . . “We think it’s a significant milestone,” Maloni said. “They ended the public debate over the project, and they agreed to come back next month and make a decision. The time delay is insignificant in comparison to the milestone of the public debate coming to a close.”
Writing in the San Diego Union-Tribune Michael Burge said that the plant has been “all but approved” and that the board will “give the project a final green light at a later meeting.”
[Link: North County Times and San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on April 8, 2009
It recently came to light that the number of fish Poseidon Resources‘ proposed desalination plant will kill is actually four to seven times higher than it originally estimated thanks to a math error in their calculations discovered by the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board last year, according to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
But in poring over Poseidon’s study on the number of fish its plant would kill, the board’s staff discovered a math error last year that significantly underestimated the number. . . .When challenged, Poseidon admitted the mistake but said it shouldn’t affect its proposal to create 55.4 acres of new wetlands to compensate for the fish killed. . . “We believe the . . . impacts for the desalination project are de minimis (insignificant), and the impacts can be offset by the 55.4 acres,” said Scott Maloni, Poseidon’s spokesman.
But, of course, that statement makes no sense at all. More damage requires more restoration. Seems pretty simple to us.
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]
Things have apparently gotten so bad in the Carlsbadistan real estate game that local Realtors are turning to Catholic mythology for help the sell slow moving properties, according to a story in the LA Times.
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