September 2010 Archives

Foreclosure rates in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale area decreased in July compared wih the same month last year, according to real estate market tracker CoreLogic.

The area's foreclosure rate among outstanding mortgage loans was 2.77 percent for July, lower than the 3.29 percent rate from July 2009.

The local area's foreclosure rate was also lower than the national figure of 3.13 percent in July.

However, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale area saw its mortgage delinquency rate rise to 10.17 percent in July, compared with 9.25 percent for the same period last year. Delinquencies represent mortgage loans that were 90 days or more overdue.

I never get tired of seeing real-life super heroes. Here's one I wrote about who recently came to the South Bay.

This is how I started the Business Casual column.

Nearly 100 aerospace workers this week spent time with Superman, getting close enough to touch his cape.

Robert L. Behnken, a NASA astronaut who has soared at the edge of Earth's atmosphere while space walking outside of the International Space Station and Space Shuttle, flew into the South Bay on Monday.

Read the whole Business Casual column.

This is just fun.

Teachers go weightless in zero gravity

GULFPORT, Mississippi (WALA) - A handful of hand-picked teachers from the Gulf Coast got the experience of a lifetime Monday. They got to go weightless doing some of the same training as astronauts. It was called the Zero G Weightless Flights of Discovery program.

Read more and watch video of Northrop weighless program.

It's always the popular cars that are stolen for their parts. So a 1994 Honda Accord is in most demand at chop shops because after six years, a lot of 1994 Honda Accord owners are looking for cheap spares.

Honda Accord, Civic top list of most stolen cars

(USA Today) Three old Japanese models top the list of the most stolen cars last year, the National Insurance Crime Bureau reports.

1. 1994 Honda Accord
2. 1995 Honda Civic
3. 1991 Toyota Camry
4. 1997 Ford F-150 Pickup
5. 2004 Dodge Ram Pickup
6. 2000 Dodge Caravan
7. 1994 Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)
8. 1994 Acura Integra
9. 2002 Ford Explorer
10. 2009 Toyota Corolla

Read more on stolen cars.

One lawsuit down. Dozens and dozen to go.

Toyota settles suit over Saylor car crash

(LA Times) Toyota Motor Corp. has quietly settled a high-profile lawsuit over a fatal crash near San Diego last year that drew national attention to sudden acceleration in its vehicles and led to massive recalls and an unprecedented apology from its president.

The automaker revealed the settlement in a letter to a California Superior Court judge, but declined to provide any details of the terms, which it is seeking to keep confidential.

Read more on Toyota's sudden acceleration lawsuits.

A look at the cycles that run our consumer economy.

Here's how I start the Business Casual column:

Happy end of summer. Fall starts on Thursday of next week, marking the expected change in weather and a new cycle for local merchants.

Read Business Casual.

CareerBuilder asked HR managers about the most memorable resume no-nos they saw from job applicants. Here are some of the exaples submitted:

• Candidate put God down as a reference (no phone number).
• Candidate listed her hobby as alligator watching.
• Candidate claimed to be a direct descendant of the Vikings.
• Candidate's email address had "lovesbeer" in it.
• Candidate listed "Master of Time and Universe" under his experience.
• Candidate started off the application with "Do you want a tiger?"
• Candidate specifically pointed out that he was not a gypsy.
• Candidate's condition for accepting the position was being allowed to bring his
pet monkey to the workplace.
• Candidate pointed out, "I'll have your job in five years."
• Candidate sent a 24-page resume for a 5-year career.
• Candidate put a picture of her cat on top of her resume.
• Candidate declared himself the LeBron James of table games.
• Candidate sent a video trying to hypnotize the HR manager into hiring him.

The U.S. Census taught me my official race. I wrote about my experiences as a Census worker in today's paper. Here's how I started the piece:

Four decades after being brought into this world, I learned that I was, in fact, white.

I discovered my official racial status while training to be an enumerator for the 2010 U.S. census.

Read the whole story of my Census adventures.

Will a gas-electric hybrid ever become a top-seller in the American market?

TOKYO -- Toyota's Prius was the top selling car in Japan during August for the 16th straight month, as incentives for green vehicles continued to boost sales of the hybrid.

The Prius, Toyota Motor Corp.'s best-selling gasoline-gas hybrid, sold 22,263 of the cars during the month, enough to secure the top spot ahead of Honda's Fit compact at 17,258 vehicles, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Monday.

Read more on Toyota's Prius.

Ethnocentric advertising seems like a smart bet for carmakers. But is there a down side to such marketing?

I explore that question in this week's Business Casual column. Here's how I started the column:

A few years ago, an acquaintance angrily complained to me about car companies using ethnocentric marketing pitches to sell their vehicles.

The gist of his protest was that automakers were creating differences between us Americans by singling out certain ethnic groups in their ads.

Read Business Casual.

It makes sense to shrink hybrids to increase fuel economy. In fact, standard compacts like the Corolla have better gas mileage than some larger hybrids.

(HybridCars.com) The Mid-Japan Economist newspaper today reported that Toyota plans to produce a hybrid version of the Yaris subcompact at its factory in France starting next April.

Read more on Toyota's hybrid plans.

Two years ago, I punched mixed-martial arts fighter Vladimir Matyushenko in the head - at his instruction.

Find out what happened when I met him again recently in this week's Business Casual column.

Considering the amount of business Raytheon doees with the government, I'm surprised the company's lobbying expenses aren't bigger.

(AP ) Raytheon Co. spent $1.66 million in the second quarter to lobby the federal government, according to a recent disclosure report.

That's down from the $1.75 million spent in the same period last year but more than the $1.55 million it spent in the first quarter.

Read more on Raytheon's lobbying.