With the arrest of 44 people in the United States for various charges came the shocking exposure of an organ selling scheme based out of Israel. After a two-year investigation, officials finally gathered enough evidence to begin the arrests earlier this week, with the arrested group including three New Jersey mayors, several rabbis, and other surprising criminals.
 
According to officials, the ringleader of the kidney trafficking scheme was Rabbi Levy Ishak Rosenbaum, who orchestrated the process of donors coming to the U.S. and selling their kidney for $10,000 Then, others involved in the scheme would arrange transplants for those in need …read more

A story in the New York Times, which you can find here, gives me hope that McMansion mania is finally petering out. According to the Times, the demand for ultra-large homes in New Jersey — where such homes have long ruled the market — seems to be waning. The Times isn’t sure if this is a longterm or a shortterm thing. But it does give me hope.

Last week, New Jersey governor Jon Corzine signed into law a requirement that every town in the state provide housing within its own boundaries for residents with low and moderate incomes.