Well this is f’d up…

They might be doing it for publicity, but any way you look at it..destroying new homes when millions are homeless and/or losing their homes is pretty ugly and ironic as hell. From the LAT:

Curtis Forrester moved into a brand-new house in Victorville last week, but there was little time to enjoy the Jacuzzi and designer kitchen. He was there only to see it destroyed.

Just a few days after his arrival, the two-story residence and three other luxurious model homes were crushed and hauled off for scrap, the latest fallout from Southern California’s real estate crash.

The homes were part of a planned 16-unit project in this community 100 miles north of Los Angeles. The Texas bank that owns the failed development decided to demolish the houses, a cheaper alternative to completing and selling them.

Forrester was hired to keep thieves away and help sell off the fixtures. “All my life I’ve been building things,” said the 59-year-old construction worker. “It’s kind of fun tearing them down.”

The Victorville demolition is one of the most dramatic ends to a bad bet made during the housing boom, but abandoned developments have become an all-too-common sight in California. Nearly 250 residential developments totaling 9,389 homes have been halted across the state, according to one research firm.

I have seen the abandoned projects all up and down Cali, both commercial and residential. San Diego seemed to have the most, or the most obvious ones. Like huge skeletons, they stand in decrepit condition, half finished or almost finished. They just walk away and take the loss I guess. Sad state of affairs in our country. Kern county is overwhelmed by this housing market bitchslap to our economy.

Photo by Christina House for The Times.

All by myself..don’t wanna be..

These are courtesy of the fine folks over at Dependable Renegade. God the photographer, Kevin Lamarque at Reuters should be sainted, as I said over there, or at the very least we all buy him a few brews!


This last one is Chimpy asking Italian PM Romano Prodi: Are we soulmates now dude? we are? AWESOME!

tags: Kevin Lamarque