| Corrections and clarifications for Jan. 16
Newly sworn in District Judge Daniel Baranoski will not carry a gun in his new position. Incorrect information appeared in the Jan. 9 editions. The location of the town of Milford, which was evaluated by Professor Roger Ruggles in his flood study, is in upstate New Jersey near the New York border. Incorrect information appeared in a story in Tuesday's editions. The Courier Times strives for accuracy. However, when we do make errors, we want to correct them as soon as possible in this space. To help us, please call 215-949-4161 (days) or 215-949-4211 (nights). .
Dollar's drop gives foreign investors edge
The weak dollar has given foreign investors strong incentive to buy property in Hawai'i's slowing housing market, which just capped a second year of declining sales. Australian, Canadian and European currencies have risen sharply in recent months to give real estate investors from those countries their strongest buying power in more than a decade. In addition, though Japan's currency has been stronger in recent years, a rise in the yen is making Hawai'i attractive again for Japanese, who historically have been the dominant foreign force in local real estate acquisition. The international currency leverage which also extends to South Korea, China and other countries is expected to help maintain stability in Hawai'i's cooling real estate market, mostly in the luxury home and resort condominium areas less dominated by local buyers.
An L.A. loft for high-flying Depp
Johnny Depp has been busier than any pirate in the Caribbean, and that could be why the downtown L.A. loft he bought in the fall for close to $2 million is still vacant.
Depp bought a penthouse in the Eastern Columbia Building, an Art Deco landmark on South Broadway. The 13-story building, opened in 1930 as a retail and office tower and later used as a department store and movie backdrop, was converted into 147 residential lofts in 2006. FOR THE RECORD:
Hot Property: The Jan. 6 Real Estate column said a West Hollywood compound once owned by silent-film director Irvin Willat contained 20 detached houses on a portion of the original property. The residences are attached and occupy the entire original family compound. It also named Nichole Fox of Brower, Miller & Cole as a contact.
POWs alleging Iraqi torture ask White House to intervene
The veterans said they wanted to send a message to other foreign leaders that mistreating prisoners of war is never acceptable under international law. "We don't want the next POWs to be treated his way," said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Fox, a retired Air Force pilot shot down and tortured in the conflict. He and other vets spoke at a news conference in Washington urging congressional and executive action. A 1996 federal law holds foreign nations named "state sponsors of terrorism" by the State Department open to financial damages for torture, murder, or hostage taking of U.S. citizens, including soldiers. Iraq at the time was on that government list. Seventeen former POWs and their families filed a lawsuit in 2002 and eventually won a $959 million judgment in federal court.
EU top court protects downloaders' privacy
Copyright theft on the internet is the single biggest obstacle to the growth of the music business today," said the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry head John Kennedy. "The judgment means that music rights owners can still take civil actions to enforce their rights, and it has sent out a clear signal that member states have to get the right balance between privacy and enforcement of intellectual property rights and that intellectual property rights can neither be ignored nor neglected" Kennedy said. (Agencies) .
From our readers: Debt relief, or Voodoo Economics II?
Thank you for the upbeat article on how some Pfizer employees are using their talents to open up business in Michigan ("Pfizer's exit is opening doors; In Ann Arbor, other firms start up, move in," Jan. 21). We each hold special talents, and if every person thinks about his or her talents and begins to think of creating business here, we will all feel more empowered. Aside from making cars, have we forgotten that we can make other things, too? We have a great wealth of people in our state who could easily create a business. I would seriously appreciate clothes made in the U.S.A. and would support a business that would do this very thing. Terry Bond-Manville South Lyon Too late What's happening to the economy is yet another example of why we need a drastic change in the leadership of our country.
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