Property
What ‘Home Alone’ can teach us about home security
We’ve been enjoying the holiday classic “Home Alone” for more than 20 years now, and upon repeated viewings, the measures a young MacCauley Culkin takes to protect the family home seem increasingly alarming. Sure, he got the job done, but can one prevent theft without involving a blow torch? Of course. In case your memory […]
6 tips to ward off Mischief Night vandals
For most homeowners, Halloween isn’t scary. There’s nothing frightful about children seeking candy (as long as you’re willing to fork it over, that is). Unfortunately, though, some neighborhoods have to contend with Mischief Night, now just six days away, and teen-aged Mischief Night vandals. This can be very scary. While police have managed to crack down on […]
Summer is the season for trespassing on attractive nuisances
On a blazing hot day, a leap from the rocks into the cold depths of a tiny swimming hole may be the best thing about summer. If it took a bit of a search and a hike, or a fence to slip under, all the better for sustaining that feeling of secrecy that’s part of […]
Feral pig hunting on private property is decimating land and ecology in Hawaii
Marauding wild pigs used to roam the hills of Hawaii, trampling gardens and digging out muddy wallows on the private property of the islands’ residents. Fast forward a half dozen years, and the perpetrators trampling private property are now human hunters. Feral pigs aren’t endemic to the islands of Hawaii. They are descendants of domesticated, […]
High Tech Surveillance Equipment Used to Track Bats’ Movements
In Georgia, officials are turning their high tech surveillance equipment towards activities that won’t compromise your civil liberties. With the help of a team of volunteers, Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section is tracking the lives and migrations of bats using a surveillance device called the Anabat. Twice a month, the volunteers strap […]
When cemeteries become private property
In Tennessee, the placidly named Clearwater Cove Homeowners Association is preventing the descendants of the Click and McLemore families from visiting their ancestors who are resting in peace. The first of the Click-McLemores were buried in the cemetery way back in 1840, and to this day, their great-great-great-grandchildren (septuagenarians themselves) continue to visit and preserve […]
California beaches: how public are they?
As a Californian with a mother from the Bay Area and a father from Orange County, I’ve enjoyed a good deal of picturesque, western beach stretches both north and south. As a child, I remember being in awe of their beauty and the fact that everyone could enjoy them for free. I remember asking my […]