Housing

There are still areas in America where housing is affordable and appreciating in value. The following article is a good indicator that our current housing downturn is just temporary and will stabilize quickly.

Housing Markets That Are Still Thriving-The best-performing housing market in the country during the third quarter was picturesque Wenatchee, a city of more than 35,000 that is the seat of Chelan County, Wash. Prices in the Wenatchee metro area increased by 15.7 percent year over year, according to RealtyTrac.-Home prices also jumped more than 10 percent in second home markets in Utah, Idaho, and Colorado. -"They're doing so well because they're getting the run-off from California, Nevada, and Arizona," says Jeannine Cataldi, senior economist for Global Insight. "When prices got so high [in those states], people said, 'there must be places that are more affordable.’”
Here are the top 10 best performing markets in the country:

1. Wenatchee, Wash.: 15.7 percent
2. Provo-Orem, Utah: 14.35 percent
3. Grand Junction, Colo.: 14.05 percent
4. Ogden-Clearfield, Utah: 13.95 percent
5. Salt Lake City: 13.37 percent
6. Idaho Fall, Idaho: 11.69 percent
7. Austin-Round Rock, Texas: 9.67 percent
8. Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas: 9.44 percent
9. Asheville, N.C.: 9.44 percent
10. Billings, Mont.: 9.07 percent
11. Source: BusinessWeek, Prashant Gopal (12/10/07)
    

Gatekeepers

It is essential that we keep a watch on the gatekeepers. They are everywhere. The telecoms and regulators are driven by greed. The quest for control and money are motivators for the gatekeepers.

Gatekeepers in Need of a Solution - In mainstream press, Stephen H. Wildstrom, a senior technology writer and editor at BusinessWeek, wrote that he had shifted his position to support Net Neutrality following recent incidents of network gatekeeping. “The behavior of the top telecommunications companies, especially Verizon Communications and AT&T, has convinced me that more government involvement is needed to keep communications free of corporate interference,” he wrote.

Bloggers and the courts

It is essential that all bloggers realize that our government, including our courts, are trying to limit free speech on the Internet. Because, the Internet provides an pathway to the public that the government would like to control. Since information is power, the government wants all the power they can get. Thus, they want to control the Internet.

CDT Joins Brief Urging Liability Protection for Internet Content Venues - The Center for Democracy & Technology joined with other public interest and Internet industry groups to urge a federal appeals court to shield websites from legal action stemming from content their users post.