Alan Abelson has an interesting column in the new issue of Barron's.  He addresses the "housing boom" issue and turns to David Rosenberg of Merrill Lynch for some interesting data on the subject.  Rosenberg cites "the startling collapse of sales of existing single-family homes in the October-December span--they fell at a 36% annual rate."  He also points out that "some 43% of first-time buyers put zero money down on their home purchases last year."  Abelson sees rising inventories in the resale housing ("up 26% above the December '04 level") as yet another sign that the housing boom is over.  If that is the case, he and Rosenberg ask what will carry the US economy once the "housing parade" is over?  Good question.

Okay, it's not locally focused, but since we're a little more than 30 days away from a primary election here in Texas (vote March 7), it has direct bearing.

Read here.

Skillman and Walnut HillCaroline Walker and husband fled New Orleans in 1991. They made a happy comfortable life for themselves and their children in Dallas.

“And yet….whenever I get the occasional call from Calvary Hill about putting down a deposit on a cemetery plot, I bristle. Who, Me? Buried Here? In Big D? That’s when it hits me: even after all this time, I still feel like a stranger in a strange land.

Why?  Everyone who lives in Dallas should hear why and ponder.

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It's been - what? - five months since Katrina, right?

So I see this and I wonder, you know, how long before, well, this.

I mean, right there on that very DMN Job Center page.

The daily's second most unremarkable columnist wants to put government in charge of administering and rationing one-size-fits-all liability insurance.

What could possibly go wrong?

Vince Young convinced a lot of people that he was America's future QB.  Including Norm.  But last week he did something that made him a goat. 

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Jon Buell makes the case for why the recent Court decision in the so-called "intelligent design" case in Pennsylvania was based on faulty evidence.

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Sports stuff that will make you sound 'in' and 'hip' and 'with it' to your friends this weekend. ...

The Financial Times is reporting in a front page story in its weekend edition that the "US economy expanded at its slowest pace in three years at the end of last year...Growth was just 1.1 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2005--well below forecasts of about 2.8 per cent."  The news comes as Alan Greenspans plans to step down as Federal Reserve Chairman.  His last meeting as Chairman will be this Tuesday, and Greenspan will be replaced by Ben Bernanke.  Perhaps, Chairman Greenspan is just getting out of town in time.

This is the inaugural post of what we hope will be the central voice for news and events of interest not only to veterans, but to the general public as well. It is not intended to be a merely a calendar of meeting dates for all veterans service organizations, but will address events and issues that many organizations and individuals are not sufficiently aware of.

An early objective will be to make the many veterans service organizations aware of the blog and provide them with instructions on how to input data to this writer subjects they would like addressed. Also, an invitation will be tendered to several people to assist me in writing. Call Cloyde Pinson at 972-252-9778 if you would like to a part of this endeavor.

The most recent event was the Veterans Day Parade in downtown Dallas. This annual affair always includes a colorful massing of the colors military flyovers and speakers of note at a ceremony in front of City Hall. The theme is to salute those who are serving, those who have served and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Earlier this month the Greater Dallas Veterans Foundation (producer of the parade) held their annual awards luncheon to recognize the winning parade and display entries. The Foundation meets monthly at the Love Field Frontiers of Flight Museum. We’ll use this space to keep you posted and all are welcome to attend those planning meetings and lunch with them afterward. This is the premier patriotic event is Dallas and you would be proud to be part of it.