GOOD MORNING AMERICA. Thursday, August 24, 2006

WEATHER:
When the newspapers went to bed last night they showed a low pressure area in the Dakotas and a high around Indiana producing moderate conditions throughout the country. This morning a low has formed in Southern California, 2 highs near Arizona and New Mexico which is good and a low near the Georgia, Alabama border. We can expect some activity developing today around those low pressure zones so check on those areas later in the day.
Tropical storm Debbie is expected to make a turn away from us and is still far out to sea and will not be expected to be a mainland problem.
NEWS:
It is interesting that a new stem cell procedure has been found that will not harm embryos. Still some controversy but looks promising. Headlines always refer to current administration as failing to sign bill that would allow stem cell research to expand but they fail to mention that it is the first administration ever to allow any stem cell research paid for with federal funding. Research paid for by private funds is not federally controlled.
Also in the headlines are Iran and Lebanon.
Iran is now willing to negotiate. The UN resolution called for sanctions if uranium enrichment for nuclear weapons not stopped. Iran’s’ offer to talk and negotiate is about everything but enrichment and they state they will not stop.
We have a dilemma. If we wait until they have the bomb we have to nuke them before they nuke us and hundreds of thousands of civilians will die. If we go in before they have the bomb we can use conventional weapons as in Iraq but there will still be casualties and much criticism as we have about Iraq. I doubt that we have the heart for it. I have offered a solution using a TR or JFK show of force. See my previous posting “What would Teddy Do”. The proposal will become more appropriate as time goes on.

Lebanon says if peace breaks down other militant forces will step in to help them. (Mostly terrorist groups). The peace is already breaking down due to UN failure to act and now China is pulling back now so the UN will not be helpful.

Some papers are discussing falling prices in real estate with a bubble about to burst. In my 25 years in real estate I saw this pattern before. Sellers will tend to rent their homes out until the prices firm up and will rent homes where they are moving to. Some will delay their moves and the impact will not be as bad as you might expect. In some areas there is an overbuilding of rentals and condos, these areas will suffer more because condo sales will slow except to investors at low prices and with financing. The cycle will change in about 5 years.

I posted my second part of the dialog request about issues instead of individuals and finished with my thoughts about grass roots movements. This second section should be read after reading the first part the day before. I split it because it was more than you want to read at one sitting.

Thanks for checking in.
Stewart “Stew” Rusby