Its like Superman losing the Fortress of Solitude or the President being evicted from the White House: Michael Jackson appears to be losing his famed Neverland Ranch.

“You are in default of a deed of trust …,” Jackson was told in the five-page filing, according to a copy of the document published by FoxNews.com. “Unless you take action to protect your property it may be sold at a public sale.”

Michael Jackson faces forced sale of Neverland [Reuters]

Wonder how this plays out.

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Stump, a 27-year-old Ball State University graduate student and father, says he was arrested once on a charge of criminal mischief for creating the crosswalk at the intersection of Dicks and North streets. He was arrested a second time when he went back to touch up the paint.

Man Jailed For Creating Crosswalk, Vows More [TheIndyChannel.com via Crime Scene KC]

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But after hearing the story of an internet acquaintance who got a knock from city inspectors for building a treehouse (the city said there was no code for treehouses, but his looked safe enough) and another friend who just got fined for having building materials in his backyard, the topic soon turned to Home Owner Associations. Neither of these guys got dinged by a HOA because their neighborhoods don’t have them, but it made me wonder if living in a HOA area would have allowed them to do either thing at all.

I can understand the appeal of a tidy lawn, but part of me writhes when I think about living in a neighborhood where I can’t keep my lawn long or my house painted in ridiculous colors if I choose. (My nightmare: the Michigan man who went to jail because his lawn had no grass.)

Rather than horrible HOA stories (HOArror?), though, I’d rather hear from you guys about positive experiences you might have had. What do HOA bring to the table that outweighs the lack of freedom you might have? And do you feel like having a HOA brings the majority of your neighbors together or that it frees you from having to interact with them at all?

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I hate subdivisions. Grew up in ‘em in my teen years. Just aren’t my scene. Not enough character.

But if I were going to move into one—and god forbid a faux “luxury” one—it would be “Victory Lane,” the under-development community being built in the hills of Georgia. At Victory Lane’s heart: a 4.5-mile race track, including a mile-long straight that doubles as an airstrip.

Watching the promotional video is creepy, of course, not only because Le Mons winner Phil Hill looks like he’s on his last legs, but because of the thumping, action movie soundtrack, showing armed guards and a surely statistically disproportionate amount of white folk for the Georgia hills. But I love the idea of suburbs being built around hobbies that aren’t golf. (Although Victory Lane has a golf course, too, naturally.)

Lots start at $665k. If you build a house there, be sure to invite me. I’ll bring the beer—you bring the Veyron.

Victory Lane home [UnlimitedSpeed.net via John Chow]

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When it rains, our apartment leaks. Minor leaks, usually through the air vents in the bathrooms, which make very little mess. Occasionally we’ll have to toss out a soggy roll of toilet paper.

A good-sized storm blew through New York yesterday, slowly but assuredly soaking everything for hours. Our bathroom drips soon turned to a steady stream of water. No worries, we thought, glad the bathroom floors have drains. Then water started coming out of the light fixtures.

When our landlord arrived, he discovered the parapet walls on the top of the building had their drains clogged, which meant about three feet of water was pooled directly above our heads. He dove into the water, unclogged the drain, causing this gout to erupt from the side of our building for almost five minutes. Because a ball had been caught in our basement drain, the water didn’t pass into the sewer system, but instead flooded the basement. A fun day!

It’s not a great story or anything, but I just really like this picture. I can’t tell you how surreal it was to realize your roof was holding gallons of water and to see it forcibly gush out of the side of the building.

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Because if there’s anything a cop needs, it’s another gun.

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I apologize for posting so many movies today, but this one just seems so right on for this here website. It’s a documentary video of a 100-year-old church being moved from one location to another with lots of time-lapse shots, set to a sort of rock-and-roll choir piece written specifically for the video of the church being moved, which is performed as they move the church. It’s brilliant.

The video will be shown in the upcoming National Geographic/Five program “MONSTER MOVES,” which I can only presume is about moving big-ass things from one place to another. If the whole thing is set to music they may have to move my big ass from the floor.

[via MeFi]

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