http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/06/14/cnushousing114...

By James Quinn, Wall Street Correspondent
Last Updated: 11:22pm BST 13/06/2008

America's housing crisis is reaching near-catastrophic levels as the
number of people losing their homes and those seriously behind on
mortgage payments soared last month.

One in almost every 500 American mortgage holders now has either lost
their home or is on the verge of losing it, as the credit crisis
claims victims throughout the US.

US banks repossessed almost three times as many homes in May as they
did in the same month last year, taking control of 73,974 homes,
against 28,548 in May 2007, according to a survey by RealtyTrac, the
property research group.

The level of foreclosures - the legal process a bank begins to reclaim
property after a mortgageholder falls badly behind on payments - rose
by 48pc last month, the 29th consecutive month of year-on-year
increases.
# More on property

On Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:55:37 +1000, "FourCell" hotmail.com> wrote:

Please add text to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situation_comedy section Modern sitcoms

=== Historical sitcom ===
The Historical sitcom format is mostly (but not exclusively) European
format. There have been a few historically situated sitcoms like
[[Chelmsford 123]] and [[Up Pompeii]], and [[The Jack of All Trades]] (the
only recent US example). Historical sitcoms did not even appear until the
mid-1970s, and are based on mostly stock vaudeville like material. The
historical sitcom format is a modern format, not a big money maker

Polly the Parrot wrote:

Damned Greedy gouging Banks.

We should re-nationalize this one and use it to keep
price pressure on the rest of what is a tight knit anti-
competitive Oligarchy.

"Emissions of fear, greed"
- Laurie Oakes Herald Sun 12/7/2008

"Some radio shock jocks have also adopted the
Nelson line that, by deciding to introduce an
emissions trading system in 2010, Rudd is
rushing ahead of the rest of the world and
putting Australia's economic interests at risk.

What is the point of putting a price on carbon
here, they say, unless the major emitters -
- particularly the US and China -- are
prepared to do the same.

But there are strong arguments for Australia
to act now, as some of Nelson's more principled
colleagues acknowledge.

Here are a few of them.

...starting early is more likely to give
Australia an advantage than to damage its
economic interests.

Hello all.

If someone wants to correspond with me in English, I will be glad.
I am from Poland and we can make language exchange. Polish and English.
I invite somebody to join a discussion... I invite first of all English
native speaker.

My email: benetto@gazeta.pl

Cheers
Benek

Youth Day laws 'only benefit pilgrims'

- The Age 11/7/2008

"Special laws permitting World Youth Day (WYD)
protesters to be fined up to $5,500 for annoyance
are a one-way street designed to "protect the
sensitivities" of pilgrims, a court has been told.

They would not protect the general public from
annoyance by World Youth Day participants,
the court heard.

Judges presiding over a Federal Court challenge
to the powers have expressed disquiet at the
ambiguity of the laws and their potential for
selective application."

During the Olympic torch relay the rights of
the Olympians to run was preserved, AND the
rights of the protesters to protest, and the
rights of the counter-protesters to protest
the-protest.

Kisah ini terjadi di Madinah pada suatu pagi di hari raya Idul Fitri.
Rasulullah saw seperti biasanya mengunjungi rumah demi rumah untuk mendoakan
para muslimin dan muslimah, mukminin dan mukminah agar merasa bahagia di
hari raya itu. Alhamdulillah, semua terlihat merasa gembira dan bahagia,
terutama anak-anak. Mereka bermain sambil berlari-lari kesana kemari dengan
mengenakan pakaian hari rayanya. Namun tiba-tiba Rasulullah saw melihat di
sebuah sudut ada seorang gadis kecil sedang duduk bersedih. Ia memakai
pakaian tambal-tambal dan sepatu yang telah usang.
Rasulullah saw lalu bergegas menghampirinya. Gadis kecil itu menyembunyikan
wajahnya dengan kedua tangannya, lalu menangis tersedu-sedu. Rasulullah saw
kemudian meletakkan tangannya yang putih sewangi bunga mawar itu dengan
penuh kasih sayang di atas kepala gadis kecil tersebut, lalu bertanya dengan
suaranya yang lembut : "Anakku, mengapa kamu menangis? Hari ini adalah hari
raya bukan?" Gadis kecil itu terkejut. Tanpa berani mengangkat kepalanya dan
melihat siapa yang bertanya, perlahan-lahan ia menjawab sambil bercerita :
"Pada hari raya yang suci ini semua anak menginginkan agar dapat
merayakannya bersama orang tuanya dengan berbahagia. Anak-anak bermain
dengan riang gembira. Aku lalu teringat pada ayahku, itu sebabnya aku
menangis. Ketika itu hari raya terakhir bersamanya. Ia membelikanku sebuah
gaun berwarna hijau dan sepatu baru. Waktu itu aku sangat bahagia. Lalu ...

*Gaji Papa Berapa?*

Seperti biasa Andrew, Kepala Cabang di sebuah perusahaan swasta terkemuka
di Jakarta, tiba di rumahnya pada pukul 9 malam. Tidak seperti biasanya,
Sarah, putra pertamanya yang baru duduk di kelas tiga SD membukakan pintu
untuknya.

Nampaknya ia sudah menunggu cukup lama.

"Kok, belum tidur ?" sapa Andrew sambil mencium anaknya.

Biasanya Sarah memang sudah lelap ketika ia pulang dan baru terjaga ketika
ia akan berangkat ke kantor pagi hari.

Sambil membuntuti sang Papa menuju ruang keluarga, Sarah menjawab, "Aku
nunggu Papa pulang. Sebab aku mau tanya berapa sih gaji Papa ?"

"Lho tumben, kok nanya gaji Papa ? Mau minta uang lagi, ya ?"

"Ah, enggak. Pengen tahu aja" ucap Sarah singkat.

"Oke. Kamu boleh hitung sendiri. Setiap hari Papa bekerja sekitar 10 jam dan
dibayar Rp. 400.000,-. Setiap bulan rata-rata dihitung 22 hari kerja.

Sabtu dan Minggu libur, kadang Sabtu Papa masih lembur. Jadi, gaji Papa
dalam satu bulan berapa, hayo ?"

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premium-class automobile.