The “Bright Spot” In The US Economy

According to one state bureaucrat. Seriously, this is his “Bright Spot”. Property taxes are rising even as property values are plummeting.

Tonight Show host Jay Leno’s property taxes on his Beverly Hills home will increase $1,500 this year to $54,000, even though home values in the area fell by one-third since last year, California public records show. Reason: His mansion is taxed based on the $2.5 million purchase price in 1987, plus 2% annual increases.

Nevada schools will collect $730 million in property taxes this year, up 5%, says Nevada deputy school superintendent James Wells. “Property taxes are a bright spot. Sales taxes are the problem,” he says.

I realize Jay Leno makes enough that the increase won’t even register.

Not everyone in the country makes what Leno does, however. For them, this matters – a lot.

Funny how the people who have to pay for all these government jobs may not think the increases are a “bright spot”, isn’t it?

What If The Glaciers Are Growing?

Oh, wait. They are.

After years of decline, glaciers in Norway are again growing, reports the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE). The actual magnitude of the growth, which appears to have begun over the last two years, has not yet been quantified, says NVE Senior Engineer Hallgeir Elvehøy.

The flow rate of many glaciers has also declined. Glacier flow ultimately acts to reduce accumulation, as the ice moves to lower, warmer elevations.

Via The Daily Bayonet, who also supplies a huge – and I mean huge – roundup of global warming hoax information. There are some real gems over there, including the new stretch Prius. Happy hunting!

What’s That Jingling Sound?

Santa’s sleigh? No, it’s the tire chains of the British Army – sent out to rescue stranded motorists after large areas of Britain were hit by blizzards.

The Army was drafted in to rescue scores of motorists who became trapped in their cars after a wave of Arctic weather swept across large parts of northern England and Scotland.
In blizzard conditions traffic came to a standstill and shivering drivers were soon stranded in their vehicles.

After several 999 calls two 4×4 vehicles from the B Company 4th Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment were dispatched, along with police, to one of east Lancashire’s busiest roads.

The four-hour operation saw the Grane Road closed at 7.30am, while 70 people were rescued from 50 cars.

The motorists were just a handful of thousands affected by wintry conditions which caused early morning havoc in the north of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Overnight blizzards brought travel chaos with dozens of roads blocked by skidding cars, and hundreds of schools stayed shut.

Elsewhere, a cruise ship hit ice in the Antarctic and has run aground. The passengers are awaiting rescue.

A cruise ship carrying 122 people was stranded Thursday on the coast of Antarctica after striking ice, officials said, officials said.

Mariano Memolli of the Argentina Antarctic Directorate told Argentina’s TodoNoticias (TN) Television a naval boat and plane were dispatched to evacuate the passengers of the Ushuaia, as a precaution.

Must be that “shrinking” polar icecap. Which isn’t.

And still elsewhere, extreme cold is sliding further to the South in the US, with snow expected in North Carolina. But wait! There’s more! An even bigger storm is predicted for next week.

Finally, despite the added carbon and the hot air, the UN Climate conference in Poznan, Poland is currently experiencing a balmy 34 degrees F, with overnight temperatures expected to reach 32 – with rain and possible heavy fog.

Other than that which the conference is generating, of course.