The secret of frozen credit markets

Last week I teased the latest release of the Architectural Billings Index (ABI). The July report was surely more positive than the previous editions but still treading below where it used to be. But the telling part of the story was a quote by the AIA’s chief economist. He commented that one of the reasons that business is tough right now is that the banks are not lending. And in that comment you have the dirtiest little secret around. The biggest story in this country shouldn’t be the health care or Cap and Trade debacles. It should be that the credit markets are still frozen and despite TARP’s, bailouts and stimuli, credit is NOT flowing- thus hampering everything and everyone in its path. Why this issue is getting no media scrutiny is beyond me, but it is a huge reason that architects are not drawing and commercial construction is stuck in the mud.


Elsewhere…


-- MUST SEE TV….errrr WEBCAST… Thursday (and I know most people don’t read this until Thursday PM, but there’s many who check this out Weds nights when I post) at 8AM CST. The Webcast is live from the GANA Fall conference in Kansas City for the energy portion of the event. The webcast is being sponsored by the fine folks at that up n coming publication Solar Glazing Magazine. So hopefully you get to check it out, it really should be pretty interesting based on the speaker line up. For more information and to jump on to the webcast go to GANA’s website at www.glasswebsite.com or just click HERE!


-- Speaking of GANA, I just hate not being at the Fall Conference… hearing from many people that are there and the reviews have been excellent. Good crowd, strong discussions. Exactly what you expect from a GANA event.


-- The world of LEED has been taking some hits lately…. This week the New York Times weighed in with a piece about the grumblings on whether or not in the long run LEED is worth it. Here’s the article but best line in there was along the lines of “they should have removable screws for the plaques they put up”…. I love it…. It’s funny how many times I hear that the biggest part of LEED is getting that plaque… and not what it’s supposed to do for the building.


-- One more weekend of fake NFL Football and then the real thing… ah I can’t wait! Plus College football starts this weekend… excellent!


-- Short post this week… just way too much going on in the “real” world….


Off to the links!


Thank goodness for the “Link Chick”…. And when I tell her she gets compliments all the time, she totally doesn’t believe it… c’mon like someone in the glass industry would lie?


-- Traveling sucks enough but can you imagine having to stay at a place with beds made of hay? Yeesh!

-- Only in China… they have a basketball league for shorter folks and what happens when someone “too tall” tries to join… mayhem…

-- Can you believe there was still a working bartender left over from the days of prohibition? Well there was… and he just served his last drink…

Comic of the week:
Marg Webb sent this to me…. And it really reminds me of an organization that we all know and love…. click on the comic to make it bigger and easier to read!




Video of the week:
Thanks to Brian Pitman who I know is swamped this week… but he found time to send this quick instant classic in… a ball boy at the US Open… not real graceful…