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For almost 40 years, Maurice Strong has dedicated his life to spreading an environmental message around the globe. Now, he is finally getting recognized, thanks to entertainer Glenn Beck. The Glenn Beck/Maurice Strong pairing happened as Beck was looking for one more yarn to spin after the Senate climate change bill, spearheaded by Democrat John Kerry, was unveiled Wednesday.

Maurice Strong and Glenn Beck

Maurice Strong has had a long history with global warming. With a leading voice on global warming, Strong is a wealthy Canadian who served as Secretary General of both the 1992 Rio Environment Summit and also the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. Promoting global warming as a sinister big government plot is Glenn Beck, who has managed to stay away from debt consolidation by inflating bogus conspiracy theories. For Glenn Beck's latest pack of lies about the Senate climate change bill, the Maurice Strong conspiracy was a no-brainer.

Glenn Beck's Maurice Strong quotes

Maurice Strong's global warming stance developed as he promoted the principle of environmental sustainability for decades. Maurice Strong quotes have stimulated the creative juices of online conspiracy theorists for some time now. Beck opened his show Wednesday with a screen graphic of a quote attributed to Maurice Strong by a journalist 20 years ago:

What if a small group of these world leaders were to conclude that the principal risk to the Earth comes from the actions of the rich countries? In order to save the planet, the group decides: Isn't the only hope for the planet that the| industrialized civilizations collapse? Isn't it our responsibility to bring this about?

Cynical Glenn Beck

Beck then set the paranoia in motion with his ominous studio theatrics. Flamboyant visual aids and running his voice through filters to make him sound godlike were some of the tricks he used. Eventually he unveils his whopper:

Now, I want to be very clear here because we talked to the reporter that did this interview in 1990 up in Canada. And I want to be very clear: He [Strong] was fantasizing about a plot of a novel he was thinking about writing. [Pause for dramatic effect] Yeah.

Glenn Beck and his Maurice Strong big payoff

Beck then nurtured his little seed of paranoia that's casted for growth in the echo chamber of his audience: Strong did not write any novel given that 1990 - or ever:

You know what? He's been busy. He's got this great novel idea, but he hasn't had time to do it because he's involved in collapsing the global economies into the hands of a global government. Isn't that interesting? It's almost like his book. Hmm. Maybe it's performance art.

Behind Glenn Beck's Maurice Strong assertion

Once Beck co-opted Maurice Strong quotes to deprecate the Senate Climate change bill, Beck's flock headed online to learn more about his evil megalomaniac. One of the hottest internet search terms was Maurice Strong. Beck followers found enough fodder to support the kernel of hogwash planted in their minds. But it is not for certain that Beck's minion bothered to check mauricestrong.net, which defines the truth behind comments Beck and numerous of his ilk have twisted. They most likely avoided the post on mediamatters.com debunking Beck's spurious analysis as well.

Spineless Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck didn't invite Maurice Strong on his show. He might are frightened off by Maurice Strong's site, which provides a strong response to the conspiracy theories that are squabbled about over the years. Maurice Strong provides in particular the proper context to the quote Beck latched onto -- first used by Peter Foster of Canada's Financial Post:

A particularly dishonest statement by long-time critic Peter Foster to his own editor, citing a fictional account which was clearly stated to be an extreme scenario of what might happen by the year 2030 if we failed to act. This specifically stated that it was not a prediction, and certainly not a recommendation, but the kind of prospect we must seek to avoid.

Maurice Strong's next honor

Maurice Strong has received many honors for his commitment to preserving the planet for future generations. On May 29, he will be receiving the Freedom from Want Award. The Freedom from Want Award is one of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedom Awards. Glenn Beck didn't mention that to his audience. Strong, who is 81, probably won't be around in 2030. But if the world listens to him, instead of Glen Beck's fabrication, maybe the world will just be a better place by then.

With record heat temps being set all over the bay area in the last 2 days you really have to stay hydrated.   Working high on the ceiling job in the great room is really hot work.  I have no idea what the temp is up there but when I go outside and stand in the sun it seems a lot cooler than when I am on the scaffolding up at the ceiling.  I blame Al Gore for inventing global warming.

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JUNE 3, 2010
Commercial Deals Abound but Loans Are Scarce
By EMILY MALTBY, Wall Street Journal

Real-estate prices are enticingly low in many areas of the country, prompting business owners to pursue sweet deals on storefronts, manufacturing facilities and other commercial properties. But because banks remain wary of commercial real-estate loans, landing financing to make such a purchase can be time consuming and tedious.

Compared to peak prices in October 2007, commercial property values are down 42%, according to Moody's Investors Service Inc. Price index reports compiled by Moody's and Real Capital Analytics Inc. show that as of March 2010, the cost of industrial and office space fell 32% in the last two years. Retail space also plummeted 28%.

"There is excess space, which opens an opportunity for small firms," says Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist at National Federation of Independent Business, a Washington advocacy group. "You won't see prices like these for a long time."

Some owners are heeding the call. Randy Scheidt, who heads the legislative subcommittee of the National Association of Realtor's commercial division, says that he is noticing business owners "feeling more comfortable with the future" and weighing whether "such an acquisition would be fiscally prudent."

But the tight credit environment is making it difficult for entrepreneurs to secure those loans. "What is so different today versus 2006 is the underwriting scrutiny," says Mr. Scheidt. "It's not unusual for [the loan process] to take an additional 30 to 60 days."

Eliot Boyle, owner of U.S. Metals LLC in Denver, decided last year to move his sheet-metal roofing and siding business to a new facility. Lease rates in the area were steady, but commercial spaces for sale on the market were falling. "We thought this was a good time to take advantage of how well we were doing and how poorly the real-estate environment was doing," he says.

After preparing his business plan, he visited five banks and was turned down by four. The remaining lender, Bank of the West, which had previously worked with Mr. Boyle, issued him a Small Business Administration loan to buy a $680,000 building. The price for the space —a 50%-larger facility—had dropped 40%.

The process took longer than anticipated and closed one day before the scheduled move. The delays, says Mr. Boyle, stemmed from the bank's requirement of additional environmental reports and other due diligence.

"All those appraisals showed that…if the bank needs to move fast and has to liquidate the building quickly, it can do that," says Mr. Boyle.

"The approval timelines are really not that different than they were in the past," says Jim Cole, spokesperson for the San Francisco-based Bank of the West. "Appraisals take the same amount of time and, as always, environmental reports can take longer than expected."

Many banks taking extra precaution before issuing commercial mortgages are reeling from those kinds of losses and are wary of putting more of those loans on their books. According to a Real Capital Analytics' study of Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and bank data, the default rate for commercial real-estate mortgages rose to 4.2%, amounting to $45.5 billion, for the first quarter of 2010. That's the highest default rate since 1992.

Commercial real estate loans have really hurt community and regional banks, which are key lenders to small businesses. They hold just more than half of bank-issued commercial mortgages and their portfolios are likely to hurt for some time. The default trend is expected to continue through 2011, when it may hit 5.4%, before abating, according to Real Capital Analytics.

Although the commercial real estate market has shown some tentative signs of life in the early months of 2010, there is little transparency about the value of many properties, says Sam Chandan, chief economist at Real Capital Analytics. Appraisals help determine price, he explains, but commercial property values are supported by other transactions in the area.

To overcome the credit challenge, experts say entrepreneurs can make themselves more attractive by submitting sound financial plans that back up their income projections and intent to repay the loan. Borrowers with solid credit histories and established bank relationships are more likely to get a loan.

Mr. Chandan says newer businesses can still land financing if they can bring equity to the table, especially if the borrower wants to purchase a vacant property that the bank is holding. But, he cautions, "lending standards have tightened considerably, so it will be challenging."

Write to Emily Maltby at emily.maltby@wsj.com

www.CommercialPropertyDirectory.com

Lets hope that this terrible oil spill brings the need to have alternative energy sources into a sharp focus and we as a nation finally do something about it. To that end Next Era Energy has a 25 megawatt solar photovoltaic electric plant in DeSoto County, Florida the largest in the Country and a 75 megawatt solar thermal with natural gas backup in Martin County, Florida. They also have a 735.5 megawatt wind farm in Horse Hollow, Texas. Its a start but we need to do this all over the country.

At last a President that pays more than lip service to education. His Education Secretary Arne Duncan gets very high marks all the way around for the job he is doing. Under the Obama administration it seems like they get it or at least most of it. So far 23 states have passed reform laws and all but 2 have laws up to be passed on education reform. The main imputus for action being the 4.5 billion dollars the Federal gov. has allocated to help education. But instead of just handing out money there are guidelines that have to be met. Hence the reform laws being passed.

This action by the Obama is getting bipartisan support too. After his support of Frances Gallo in Rhode Island for firing an entire school's teachers it got everyones attention. Educational standards are being raised and common sense solutions are taking place. Good things are happening that even the Republicans admit too.

I just saw on the national news that a couple of good ole boys have a great solution for getting the oil off the beach and the water. The put crushed dry ice on it and it freezes it in 90 seconds and then you can grab it easily and put in a trash can. They have plant that they say they can producre massive amounts of the stuff as soon as they get the not. They are meeting with BP today so maybe something there will happen soon. Anything that can be done should be.

They also say they are in contact with a company that has a similar product that get make the oil much easier to get out of the marsh lands. Their product isn't good for the marsh lands as it freezes the plants too.

I say let'em at it.

I worked on the big ceiling again this weekend.  I am painting the 2 by 6 planks to have a
driftwood effect with designer colors.  You can see by the picture I have an eight foot ladder set on the scaffolding so I can reach the peak of the ceiling.  The reason for using the ladder instead of building up more scaffolding is I need to roll the scaffolding under the four big trusses.  Breaking down and building up the scaffoldlng all day would take too much time so its way easier to use a ladder.  In this picture you can also see the three different stages of the ceiling.  Right above the ladder is the plain basecoat with two different colors applied.  To the left of the truss is the finished product with 3 colors on.  You can also see the ceiling with just the plain basecoat color.
  
 
c-5  
Below is a close-up of the 2 by 6 tongue and grove ceiling planking with the top part of the picture showing the first 2 colors applied and the bottom part of the picture showing the third color applied.
  

  
Below is the same section as above but the completed look.  After I get the entire ceiling painted I will work on the trusses which are going to get a very dark brown aged look.
  

 

Imagine sitting with bright students in a seminar, trying to explain why private real-estate developers should pay lower taxes on their income than individuals who invest their money and time in their own human capital to become highly skilled professionals who drive innovation and high-value output in a modern economy.

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/the-tax-breaks-for-private-...

http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/jun/03/votevetsorg/v...