| Pre-owned home sales up 0.4% nationally
Existing-home sales rose slightly in November, a hopeful sign of stabilization in the wake of mortgage disruptions earlier this year, according to the National Association of Realtors, which performed the study. Across the nation, pre-home sales rose 0.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of about 5 million units, up a bit from the 4.98 million units sold in October 2007. Still, the sales figures pale in comparison to the 6.25 million-unit level recorded in November 2006 -- representing a 20-percent drop. "Near term, existing-home sales should continue to hover in a narrow range, just as they have since September," said NAR economist Lawrence Yun in a statement released Dec. 31. "And that's good news because it will be a further sign that the housing market is stabilizing." Mortgage interest rates are near historic lows, and the most current data shows decelerating price declines, Yun said, along with a modest reduction in the number of homes on the market.
Contrarian who brought thinkers out of the closet
Instead, he attacked citizens of the national capital for living in a "dysfunctional socialist utopia", in an "artificial capital" that (to make matters worse) was "not even on the coast". Predictably, perhaps even deliberately, the column in The Sydney Morning Herald led to scores of complaints, as critics found it insensitive and ill-timed. Yet, however inappropriate his comments, even some denizens of the artificial capital always found something to admire about this side of McGuinness, a man who railed against political correctness with a fierce honesty. A long-time friend, artist Keith Looby, who twice painted McGuinness for Archibald Prize entries, said: "Paddy's brave enough to upset people, and I admire him for that." David Armstrong, then editor of The Bulletin, described him in 1990 as "Australia's most eccentric journalist" - something that was reflected in his appearance: dark glasses, bushy beard and mock-clerical garb (a parody of the priesthood he briefly contemplated, before turning to atheism).
Dream ride to Cape, but a nightmare driving home
For thousands of visitors, going to Cape Cod over Memorial Day weekend was much easier and more pleasant than heading home. The new $60 million flyover, which erased the hated rotary at the base of the Sagamore Bridge, smoothed Cape-bound travel on Friday and Saturday. But drivers returning from the Cape Monday found themselves in a worse-than-usual traffic nightmare, with backups that stretched as far as 17 miles to Yarmouth at midafternoon. To avoid a repeat this summer, state transportation officials said yesterday they plan to install electronic signs urging vacationers to stagger their departure from the Cape as well as their arrival. Officials said they will also look at possible changes to the roadways around Exit 1, where Route 6A merges into Route 6 at the base of the bridge.
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