Lascher at Large » Systems

A Renter’s Market?

Bill — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 23:14:00 +0000

For the first time in decades it's cool to be a renter. So why is it so hard to rent a home and still be “green"? This week, as news outlets across the board reported a steep decline in home sales and prices in July, especially in the West, some reported increased preferences for renting, especially with the added uncertainty wrought by high unemployment levels. Particia Orsini of AOL's Housing Watch reported Aug. 26 that Americans, particularly homeowners, are now more likely to think that renting a home is more prudent than buying one. Other news outlets, such as Forbes and the Real Estate Channel and Time's “Curious Capitalist" blog, also recently dissected the growing preference for renting. Orsini cited statistics from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. I took a glance at that report – titled State of the Nation's Housing 2010 – and found it shows that rental vacancies grew from 2006 to 2009, even though the renter pool was growing at the same time. In fact, U.S. Census Bureau housing vacancy survey data cited by the report shows that fewer people own homes in the West compared to any other region in the nation. The same numbers also show that nearly three-quarters of white Americans own homes while fewer than half of minority populations do. So, what does this all have to do with the environment? [...]

All Things Not Considered in NPR’s Oil Drilling Coverage

Bill — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:18:25 +0000

Yesterday afternoon President Obama shocked the country when he announced plans to open parts of the Atlantic and Alaskan coasts to oil drilling. Though the Pacific Coast was left untouched, the move could open up huge expanses of ocean elsewhere.

Many environmentalists treated the news as a betrayal and yet another delay in the move [...]

The eyesore, history and the untold story

Bill — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:04:28 +0000

The Ventura County Star reported Oct. 30 that Ventura County Superior Court Judge Glen Reiser halted the demoliton of the Wagon Wheel hotel. The stay came after what seemed like the end of a long fight between developer Vince Daly and the San Buenaventura Conservancy.

Many comments posted to the Star‘s Web site featured the [...]

A life, a career, a world repurposed

Bill — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:30:04 +0000

What are you doing this Saturday?

Perhaps you’re taking a stand to help slow climate change by participating in one of more than 4,000 actions in 170 countries being organized by 350.org. The number, as the organization will tell you, represents the parts per million of carbon dioxide thought to be the upper limit for [...]

More and More

Bill — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:46:00 +0000

A bevy of berries on display at the Wilshire Center/Koreatown farmers market above the Wilshire/Vermont Metro rail station.

Settling into a life of self-employed writerdom has taken a bit of getting used to. Roadblock number one: discipline. Thus, despite grand plans and great lists and now-fleeting moments of inspiration, I’ve been [...]

Will Going Green be the Next Way We Go Bust?

Bill — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:52:50 +0000

“Wheel is going green,” blared a television announcer during a Spring broadcast of TV’s popular game show “Jeopardy.” The wheel in question? “Jeopardy”’s sister show, the equally well-known “Wheel of Fortune.”

Pat Sajak and Vanna White — icons for decades of American dreams of easy money — became the latest public [...]

Undercutting the competition

Bill — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:03:15 +0000

As should be readily apparent, I haven’t posted to Lascher @ Large in some time. I’ve spent the past two months completing my master’s degree, a time during which I sacrificed this site to one last focus on academics. I’ve also taken some time to consider what my next career steps might be, to pitching [...]

Lucky Day

Bill — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 04:05:11 +0000

Friday the 13th always seems to be a lucky day for me. Of course, I was born on a Friday the 13th, so can I get any more self-absorbed than launching this Web site — a personal venue for my reporting and writing — than thinly veiling my contrarianism and how much I enjoy a [...]