Random

• The current housing fiasco isn't all doom and gloom -- especially if you're not a speculator or into a sub-prime mortgage -- that is, for most homeowners. Then there is the bright side for those looking to buy. ~ Source

• The current housing fiasco in the US, combined with the weakness of the US dollar, makes the market attractive for Canadians. Canadian investors have been snapping up homes in Arizona. ~ Source

• It's the issue that just won't go away! Every election on Guam has an initiative to allow casino gambling. Every election it's voted down. Then a few months later someone gets it on the next ballot. I admire their tenacity -- but not their cause. ~ Source

• A significant majority of Swedes prefer to pay higher taxes. They obviously feel that they are getting their money's worth out of the welfare state. ~ Source

• A group of UC Irvine researchers are trying to determine why people read blogs. ~ Source

I can tell you why I spend a few hours every night reading blogs -- and when there is time left news sites. I want to see how other people -- and not just "professionals" but mostly the ordinary people -- people in that sense not that much different than me -- are processing the world. It's actually a very personal medium in that I feel that I have some kind of relationship with the people who write the blogs I read -- and often I do -- sooner or later.

• The UK has approved in-flight cellphone use. Hopefully American carriers will not allow their customers to be subjected to that. ~ Source

• The airlines are now charging an extra $25 for a second piece of checked luggage on US domestic flights. The cumulative effect of nickel and diming the customers to annoyance with this fee and that, higher ticket costs, and more sardine-like conditions in the planes is a sure way to encourage people to fly less. Yes, costs are going up but the sky isn't the limit. At some point people will stop putting up with it all -- and it will be a straw that breaks the camel's back. The industry needs to develop new people-friendly business models -- if they're going to survive.

• The global economic slowdown is affecting Ikea in a big way, says the CEO. But it can't be hurting them too much. They're still opening 22 stores this year. ~ Source

• India, which has an acute shortage of doctors, nurses, dentists, and paramedics, is in the process of setting up 60 new medical colleges and 225 nursing colleges. ~ Source