Darien Closes an Active Real Estate Week

Weekly update...

Spring morning.

Darien closed an active residential real estate week today.

Results, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- 20 new listings of property for sale;

-- 23 price changes;

-- Eight accepted offers;

-- Three properties going under contract, and

-- Four closings.

For more: 

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Musical Moments: Vivaldi, Spring.

Russia's Top 10 Troll Ads on Facebook

Russian meddling...

"Back the Badge," 1,334,544 impressions, October 2016.

They were shared and promoted from pages with titles like "Back the Badge," "Brown United Front," and "Woke Blacks," William Turton reports on vicenews.com.

Their purpose?  To spread clicky, viral and divisive memes on divisive issues like race, religion, gender, the Second Amendment, and Hillary Clinton, both before and after the 2016 presidential election, Turton wrote.

Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee released the entire trove of 3,519 ads that Facebook identified as having been promoted by the Internet Research Agency, a Russian troll farm that aimed to sow division and fear, from April 2015 well into 2017, he added.

Along with the ads themselves,  the House committee gave vicenews the Kremlin's biggest hits: the ads that were clicked, commented on, and shared a lot more than others.

For more of a timely new report: https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/pavya8/here-are-russian-trolls-10-most-viral-facebook-posts-targeting-americans?utm_source=vicenewsfb

"Brown United Front," 968,768 impressions, December 2016.

"Woke Blacks," 752,179 impressions, December 2016.

Photos: vicenew.com

Next time on The Allen Report:

The Latest Darien Real Estate Update.

Net Neutrality is Back in the Spotlight

New FCC and Senate actions...

Net neutrality is back in the news as a result of an announcement by the Federal Communications Commission and new action in the U.S. Senate.

The FCC said in a notice Thursday that landmark 2015 U.S. open-internet rules will cease on June 11, David Shepardson reported today on reuters.com.

Meanwhile, more than a dozen Democratic senators called publicly Wednesday for reinstating net neutrality protections, and moved to force a vote on the proposal, Elizabeth Landers wrote on cnn.com.

For more of Shepardson's report: https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN1IB1UN

For more of Landers' article: https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/05/09/politics/democrats-net-neutrality-vote/index.html

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Russia's Top 10 Troll Ads on Facebook.

California: Solar Panels a Must for New Homes

Clean energy measures passed today...

State law requires at least 50 percent of California's electricity 

to come from non carbon-producing sources by 2030.

Editor's note: The new solar panel rules covered in the story below were enacted by California today, according to KGO-TV, abc7news, sacbee.com and usatoday.com.

Solar panels have become an increasingly familiar sight on California rooftops as the state moves toward a clean-energy future, Ivan Penn reports on nytimes.com.

For new homes, they are about to become a requirement, he wrote.

The California Energy Commission is expected to approve changes to the building code on Wednesday to require solar panels on all new homes, putting the state even farther in the forefront of the use of solar power, he added.

For more of a timely, new report: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/05/09/business/energy-environment/california-solar-power.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur

Photo: Giphy.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Net Neutrality is Back in the Spotlight.

Why Isn't Russia an Aircraft Carrier Superpower?

The influence of the Russian land tradition...

Russia's Kuznetsov aircraft carrier.

Historically a land power, the Soviet Union grappled with the idea of a large naval aviation arm for most of its history, eventually settling on a series of hybrid aircraft carriers, Robert Farley reports on nationalinterest.org.

Big plans for additional ships died with the Soviet collapse, but Russia inherited one large aircraft carrier at the end of the Cold War -- that remains in service today, Farley wrote.

Although many problems that wracked the naval aviation projects of the Soviet Union remain today, the Russian navy nevertheless sports one of the more active aircraft carriers in the world, he added.

For more of a fascinating report: http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/why-isnt-russia-aircraft-carrier-superpower-25494

The Kuznetskov withdrawn from service for major overhaul: http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2018/april-2018-navy-naval-defense-news/6171-russian-aircraft-carrier-to-be-armed-with-pantsyr-m-ciws.html

For a Russian documentary on the Kuznetskov: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjQdAo528k

For another Russian documentary with additional footage ranging from dentistry to hockey on the Kuznetsov: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCxY17sLOnE

For the video: Kuznetsov: Ship of shame or glory?:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_1N2piRsW4

For the video: America's Nimitz Class vs. Russia's Kutznetsov: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3QgHYzHhdo

Photo: nationalinterest.org.

Next time on The Allen Report: 
California: Solar Power a Must For New Homes.

The Kremlin's War on Telegram Users Wreaks Havoc

The Kremlin also sparks disputes with Google and Amazon...

The Kremlin's attempt to clamp down on the encrypted messaging app Telegram has unleashed havoc on the Russian Internet and sparked a dispute with Google and Amazon over control of the Russian web, Greg Walters reports on vice.com.

Now, some experts are warning the assault on Telegram may be just a trial run, Walters wrote.

If it succeeds, the Kremlin could go after much bigger targets, like Facebook or Twitter, analysts said, according to Walters.

For more of a timely report: https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/9kg4a3/the-kremlins-war-on-telegram-is-wrecking-russias-internet?utm_source=vicenewsfb

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

Why Isn't Russia an Aircraft Carrier Superpower?

California's Economy Leaps Ahead of the UK's

Fifth largest economy in the world...

The Golden Gate Bridge.

California's economy just made a huge leap, Lisa Marie Segarra reports on fortune.com.

If the state -- with its 39.5 million people -- was an independent country, it would have the fifth largest economy in the world, according to new federal figures released on Friday -- just surpassing the United Kingdom, which has a population of 65.6 million, Segarra wrote.

California's economy of $2.7 trillion sits behind the United States, China, Japan and Germany, she added.

California's large economy is attributed to its thriving tech sector and Hollywood, according the Associated Press.

For more: http://fortune.com/2018/05/05/california-fifth-biggest-economy-passes-united-kingdom/

California poppies.

Yosemite, 1933.

Big Sur country.

Southern California living.

Photos; Giphy, Tumblr.

Next time on The Allen Report:

The Kremlin's War on Telegram Wreaks Havoc.