"More and more covered-up government science keeps emerging from earlier this decade–science that could have saved lives. This time it's research by the Department of Transportation on the dangers of driver distraction. The New York Times reports:
'In 2003, researchers at a federal agency proposed a long-term study of 10,000 drivers to assess the safety risk posed by cellphone use behind the wheel.

They sought the study based on evidence that such multitasking was a serious and growing threat on America’s roadways.

But such an ambitious study never happened. And the researchers’ agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, decided not to make public hundreds of pages of research and warnings about the use of phones by drivers — in part, officials say, because of concerns about angering Congress.'"

"A survey of major multi-tenant office buildings in Winston-Salem by the appraising and consulting firm Michael S. Clapp & Associates finds increasing vacancy rates and falling rents.

Between January and July, the survey found that vacancies in Class A office buildings increased from 12.3 percent to 14 percent, and in Class B buildings from 26.1 percent to 29.7 percent."

Zillow is reporting that average rates for 30 year fixed mortgages rose from 5.29% to 5.43% in a week. Still hard for me to get worked up about interest rates that are way lower than anything I would have dreamed getting on my first mortgage back in 1994.

Fec follows up his jobs post with another good one about the impact of financialization on the economy.

Fec compiles a compelling post about the importance of jobs, and it frankly scares the bejeezus out of me.

According to this article the Greensboro/Winston-Salem apartment markets have the fourth highest vacancy rate in the country.