As a follow-on from our recent post on the psychology of urban legends, I’ve just found a video interview with psychologist Nicholas DiFonzo, author of the book Rumor Psychology that we mentioned previously.

DiFonzo discusses some of the main conclusions of the research, including the major motivations for why people pass on hearsay, the most significant reasons for why people believe it, and the most effective ways of combating rumours.

A brief but interesting interview.

Link to interview on YouTube.

It’s April. That means the long-slumbering skeletons of wood are coming back to life, blooming with green anew. And for this week’s Shooting Challenge, that’s what we want to see. In a word: Spring. More »

Originally, Hideo Kojima wanted Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker to be rated E for Everyone. That way, everyone would be able to enjoy his games. Unfortunately for that dream, Peace Walker is a Teen game, so it

After pushing back her album release date to from February 9th to April 7th, the wait was definitely worth it. “OYO”  is Angie’s newest master piece which hits the stores today. It is a 16thtrack album infused with intoxicating rhythms, soul, jazz and Angie’s Benin trademark.

In this album Angie pays tribute to the song’s of her youth and the different style of music that keep on inspiring her. One of the stand out tracks in the album is a song titled “Move On Up” an oldie by Curties Mayfield from the early 70’s, which features BONO and John Legend. Other Artist featured on the album are Dianne Reeves and Toy Hargrove.

Like she has done with all her albums, Angelique Kidjo celebrates and embraces mother Africa, on her tracks such as “Out of Africa”, “Agbalagba” ( a Uwem Akpan inspired track from his boom “Say You’re One of Them”) and of my favourite is the re-make of one of South Africa’s historical song’s “Mbube”, which was made famous by the late Mama Mirriam Makeba. On this track Angie in her own way pays tribute to Mama Makeba by executing the song in a mind blowing way.

Don’t hesitate to get Angelique’s newest master piece and to return here to share your thoughts on it. Here is one of Angie’s master piece: Angelique Kidjo ft Bono and John Legend – \”Move on Up\”

After Tuesday’s practice, Jordan Farmar joined us for a live chat on Lakers.com.

L.A.’s reserve point guard discussed team issues (such as the prevailing overall confidence), individual topics (like his tattoos and his engagement) and much more (like the team’s trip to the White House).

To read through the whole chat, you can CLICK HERE.

TUESDAY’S PRACTICE REPORT
The Lakers looked fantastic in beating Utah 106-92 on Friday, and not so good while losing 100-82 to San Antonio on Sunday, which naturally produced a series of questions and answers from Tuesday afternoon’s practice regarding what needs to improve heading into the playoffs.

You can also go through the practice report – which includes video from Phil Jackson, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher – by clicking here.

The graph above pretty much says it all, but to throw in a bit of context: at around 10:30 EDT this morning, a rumor ripped through Wall Street indicating that Lenovo (who you probably remember as the Chinese tech company who bought IBM’s PC division in 2005) was considering snatching up Palm.

In the roughly 3 hours or so that have passed, Palm stock has surged by just over 70 cents, or roughly 18%. If you crossed your fingers and dumped a few grand into Palm last night, you woke up this morning a happier person – or at least an equally happy person with a heavier wallet.

We’ll keep our ear to the ground for more info on this potential Lenovo/Palm takeover.

A WSJ article Monday reported that a federally funded working group is trying to determine whether a virus known as XMRV poses a risk to the nation’s blood supply. So how worried are public-health experts about XMRV?

In August, the last time emerging threats were assessed and ranked by the AABB, XMRV hadn’t yet appeared on the group’s radar. (The AABB is an association that includes facilities that collect virtually all of the U.S. blood supply.) But Susan L. Stramer, executive scientific officer at the American Red Cross and a member of the AABB committee that ranked diseases, said that if she had to do so today, she would likely rank XMRV as a “yellow” agent.

The committee prioritized the agents — including dengue and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease — based on the potential threat to blood safety, the scientific and epidemiologic data available so far and the level of public and regulatory concern. Agents with the highest priority were listed as red, followed by orange, then yellow.

There isn’t conclusive evidence yet about whether XMRV is transmitted in transfusions or causes disease in people who get transfused blood, but public and regulatory concern exists about XMRV, Dr. Stramer explained. As more information emerges about XMRV, she said, “the classification could change.”

The AABB published a fact sheet about the virus XMRV in January that provides background information about the virus, which has been linked to prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome.

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Dropico is a new rich Web application that lets users manage their photo albums from Facebook, Twitter, Picasa, Flickr, Photobucket, Myspace, and Bebo all in one central location with a simple drag and drop interface.

Users pair their accounts from those sites with Dropico, and then they can pull photos off of one site, edit them, and pipe them down to another site quickly and easily. Additionally, users can pull photos from their friends or favorite profiles and move them to other sites. For example, if you follow the Library of Congress’ Flickr stream and you discover something that you really like, you can drag it from the Flickr window over to the Twitter window and post it to your Twitter feed via yfrog, twitgoo, or twitpic.

An account on Dropico comes with a free .mobi email address associated with your login info. With that, you can mail photos to yourself and they’ll show up in your Dropico mobile folder. While it is certainly a handy feature, it is only of limited usefulness since pictures must be sent one by one by devices with email capabilities.

Other devices such as Eye-Fi connected cameras or the Nintendo DSi (which can upload pictures directly to Facebook) cannot take advantage of this feature. It’s just as well though, since their content is received through Dropico’s connection with other sites.

Overall, it’s an easy and functional service which is especially useful for social photo sharing.

Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Today Motorola launched OCNN, the Ocho Cinco News Network. You might not get the same news quality as you would with CNN but OCNN is sure to be quite entertaining. For those of you that don’t know, Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals who changed his name to Ocho Cinco and is one of the most outspoken and unpredictable players in the NFL.

Your probably wondering how all of this relates to Android? OCNN is now a part of MotoBlur which is powered by none other than Android. There you have it, if your a fan of number 85 or just want to tune in see what he might do next. Head over to OCNN and check it out.

UFO Watchtower

One woman’s UFO themed campground complete with self-built “energy vortexes, UFO themed weddings, and magic bushes”

There is a particular brand of Southwestern American weirdness, and it usually involves aliens. Skeptics would point to a self-perpetuating mythology and commercially attractive UFO themed opportunities as the reason behind this.
Believers of course would argue that this UFO weirdness is because the Southwest is a hub of galactic activity, a cosmic LAX, with area 51 and Roswell as the proof.
Judy Messoline is a true believer. The owner of a plot of land that was already in use by UFO spotters, Judy decided to make it official. Setting up an observation tower, campground and gift shop Judy has embraced the extraterrestrial enthusiasts and UFOlogists. Should you allow her to film you telling your story of an experience with a UFO sighting (and it seems like everyone in the southwest has one) she will give you a free UFO themed frisbee.
By all accounts an incredibly nice and accommodating if slightly odd host, Judy is also an artist, and will point you to the many self-built sights at the UFO watchtower which include a rock garden / healing garden and location of not one, but two “energy vortexes.” here visitors can deposit offerings including everything from old hubcaps, and half packets of chewing gum to plastic dinosaurs.
Other notable items include two large sculptures of aliens which guard the entrance, a dome shaped gift shop and a “magic bush” on site, though it is somewhat unclear what sort of ‘magic’ inhabits this particular flora. Judy is a notary and can also officiate at UFO themed weddings, should the mood strike you.
Perhaps the most impressive sight of them all however is the beautiful desert landscape with its vast and unbelievably beautiful night skies, UFO’s or not.

Read more about UFO Watchtower on Atlas Obscura…

Category: Hoaxes and Pseudoscience, Commercial Curiosities, Odd Accommodations, Outsider Architecture
Location: White Ranch, Colorado, US
Edited by: Shannon, Dylan

The legislature’s judiciary committee held a confirmation hearing Wednesday for those hoping to keep their seats on the Superior Court bench.

One nominee was Superior Court Judge James Bentivegna, of Avon, who sentenced Joshua Komisarjevsky in 2002 for burglaries that occurred in 2001 and 2002. At that time, Bentivegna described Komisarjevsky as a “calculated, cold-blooded predator.”

Bentivegna received attention after Komisarjevsky was arrested on several charges, including capital felony, for his alleged involvement in the 2007 Cheshire home invasion. 

When Bentivegna sat before members of the judiciary committee Wednesday, he said that he does not usually make statements like the pointed ones made during Komisarjevsky’s sentencing.    

His statement prompted committee Co-chairman Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, to ask if it would have been helpful for the state parole board to see the transcript of the sentencing before allowing Komisarjevsky parole.

Bentivegna responded that he had assumed the pre-sentence investigation would get to the parole board.

“The fact that some of it didn’t is an unfortunate tragedy,” he said.  

The Cheshire home invasion, which resulted in the deaths of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Hayley and Michaela, prompted state lawmakers to reform the criminal justice system. The parole system was scrutinized and changes were made to the way parolees are handled.

Judiciary committee members should not have asked Bentivegna about Komisarjevsky’s prior case given that Komisarjevsky currently has a case pending, said Rep. Ernest Hewett, D-New London.

“Ethically, it doesn’t look right,” Hewett said.

Sen. Andrew McDonald, D-Stamford, co-chairman of the committee, said lawmakers sometimes do ask judges about cases once they have been resolved. Asking Bentivegna about Komisarjevsky was not inappropriate, he said.  

Bentivegna was first nominated to be a Superior Court judge by former Gov. John Rowland in 2002. He is a Republican and served as a family support magistrate before his appointment to the Superior Court bench. He served as legal counsel to Rowland for 1998 to 2000. Prior to that, he served as legal counsel in the state Senate, and he was a public defender in Wisconsin.

The judiciary committee voted in support of Bentivegna’s nomination Wednesday. The full House and Senate still needs to vote on the nomination before his reappointment becomes official. 

Superior Court judges serve eight-year terms.  

There’s no getting around it, we love O2 Germany, and we don’t even live anywhere near Germany. Our love for O2 Germany comes mainly in form of their advertising, which has been worlds better than what we’ve seen on the North American continent, and tends to peak out early. Let’s not forget Palm fans in Germany, we love you too, especially when you take pictures of these peaking-out-early ads. In this case, it’s a rather large O2 Germany poster, with the Palm Pixi, QWERTZ keyboard and all, standing front-and-center before devices like the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, the Motorola Milestone (known as the Droid stateside), and devices from Nokia and LG.

Looking at the ad, there’s no indication whether or not this is a Pixi Plus or the Wi-Fi-less Pixi as seen on Sprint (there’s no Wi-Fi icon in the top bar, but this is stock imagery here). The folks at German phone reseller 7mobile.de may have the answer and then some. They have a listing for a Palm Pixi, complete with UMTS data and Wi-Fi. Then again, they also say it will support video calls and T9 predictive texting. Either way, we would be stunned if the Pixi Plus was not the device that made it oversees, as that’s the device that AT&T is getting (albeit with different radio bands). 7mobile.de also claims an amusing "hours" of standby time and "minutes" of talk time.

At this point we have little doubt that the removal of Wi-Fi from the Pixi was Sprint’s idea, and not something that Palm wanted to do. While releasing the Plus on every other network is little consolation to Sprint Pixi owners, it’s still better than nothing. And it is worth noting that when and if the Pixi hits O2, it’ll be the first time it’s been available outside the United States, some six months after the Pre first hit European shores.

Thanks to gizmo21 and Jens for the tips!

This morning Jon Hilsenrath noted the Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke was likely to highlight the importance of deficit reduction in a series of speeches. The following is an excerpt on the issue from the chairman’s remarks in Dallas today:

The economist John Maynard Keynes said that in the long run, we are all dead. If he were around today he might say that, in the long run, we are all on Social Security and Medicare. That brings me to two interrelated economic challenges our nation faces: meeting the economic needs of an aging population and regaining fiscal sustainability. The U.S. population will change significantly in coming decades with the combined effect of the decline in fertility rates following the baby boom and increasing longevity. As our population ages, the ratio of working-age Americans to older Americans will fall, which could hold back the longrun prospects for living standards in our country. The aging of the population also will have a major impact on the federal budget, most dramatically on the Social Security and Medicare programs, particularly if the cost of health care continues to rise at its historical rate. Thus, we must begin now to prepare for this coming demographic transition.

The economist Herb Stein once famously said, “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” That adage certainly applies to our nation’s fiscal situation. Inevitably, addressing the fiscal challenges posed by an aging population will require a willingness to make difficult choices. The arithmetic is, unfortunately, quite clear. To avoid large and unsustainable budget deficits, the nation will ultimately have to choose among higher taxes, modifications to entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, less spending on everything else from education to defense, or some combination of the above. These choices are difficult, and it always seems easier to put them off–until the day they cannot be put off any more. But unless we as a nation demonstrate a strong commitment to fiscal responsibility, in the longer run we will have neither financial stability nor healthy economic growth.

Today the economy continues to operate well below its potential, which implies that a sharp near-term reduction in our fiscal deficit is probably neither practical nor advisable. However, nothing prevents us from beginning now to develop a credible plan for meeting our long-run fiscal challenges. Indeed, a credible plan that demonstrated a commitment to achieving long-run fiscal sustainability could lead to lower interest rates and more rapid growth in the near term.

Our economic challenges, both near term and longer term, are daunting indeed. Nonetheless, I remain optimistic that they can be met. History has demonstrated time and again the inherent resilience and recuperative powers of the American economy. Our country’s competitive, market-based system, its flexible capital and labor markets, its tradition of entrepreneurship, and its knack for innovation have ensured that the nation’s economy has surmounted difficult challenges in the past. I do not doubt that we can do so once again.

Upgrading to a newer, sleeker computer is always fun, but it can leave some clutter around in the form of old hardware. If you can’t recycle the old junky parts, perhaps you’ll consider refashioning them into brand new shoes, sneakers, or even underwear–thus putting the chic in circuit boards. Here are some ideas on what you can do with old electronics parts.

Exhibit A:

Artist Steven Rodrig shows how to re-use circuit boards to create fancy heels that are guaranteed to put the skip back in your step. These decidedly uncomfortable-looking shoes will be a welcome addition to the closet of a woman who already owns uncomfortable stilettos. If she must teeter in pain, let her do it in style–circuit board style.

Exhibit B:

Why should girls have all the fun? Fellas can step out for a night out with the nerds in these circuit board sneakers made by artist Gabriel Dishaw. Created out of old typewriter and computer parts, the shoes were fashioned simply out of junk and some glue. While these geek-sneaks might help dazzle on the dance floor, there’s no guarantee that you’ll pass safely through a security check with these bad boys.

Exhibit C:

Wait, underwear? Yes. After an evening of burning up the dance floor, ease into a night of relaxation with artist Emiko Oye’s creation–the un-ironically titled “Population Control 2.0″ shorts. You are guaranteed a good night’s rest, knowing that no part of your old computer has been wasted.

Related Content:
Discoblog: Nerd Bling: 13 Gift Ideas for the Geek Who Has Everything
Science Not Fiction: Electromagnetic Pulses
Science Not Fiction: Take This, Tom Cruise: Data Gloves for the People!

Image: Treehugger/Steven Rodrig/Gabriel Dishaw/emiko-O

by Jonathan Hiskes

It’s only Wednesday and we’ve already got way more than a week’s worth of comically evil behavior from the fossil-fuel sector.

Item the first:

A Chinese coal freighter tried to take a shortcut through Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and rammed into the world-reknowned ecological treasure. The stranded ship remains in danger of breaking apart and spilling its 1,075 tons of heavy engine fuel into the marine park (2.5 tons have already leaked).

Captain Wang Jichan, of the Chinese state-controlled conglomerate Cosco, doesn’t get it. He told authorities the leak is “not serious” and that he’s more worried about pesky rescuers consuming his crew’s food and water: “They need some more water because the rescue team is consuming the water and food. They need that. That is a problem at the moment.”

Item the second:

In response to the tragic coal-mine explosion that killed at least 25 of his workers, notorious coal baron Don Blankenship shrugged off his company’s history of safety. “Violations are unfortunately a normal part of the mining process,” said the Massey Energy CEO.

This from a businessman who wrote a 2005 memo instructing supervisors not to waste time on safety precautions and whose company was called “one of the worst in the industry” by a government safety regulator.

Item the third:

ExxonMobil paid no U.S. income taxes last year, despite reaping a record $45 billion profit. By using legal accounting methods and Caribbean tax shelters, the energy giant was able to avoid paying a cent to the IRS. At the same time, it complains about its tax “burden.”

Remember, these are the captains of industry who tell us we can’t afford to change our current way of doing things. This is the status quo they’re working frantically to defend. Good times.

Related Links:

Exxon Mobil paid no federal income tax in 2009!

Does coal mining matter to our energy future?

WHO mobilizes 1,000 cities in urban health drive

Laughter

"The human race has but one really affective weapon, and that is laughter." ~ Mark Twain

Preface:  Random Acts of Kick Arse is a movement to bring more of {monthly theme} into our lives, and the lives of those around us. 

March Theme:  Laughter.  Find ways to incorporate/see more laughter in the world.

The Results:  How often to you laugh out loud?  Really laugh??

Did you know that laughing can:

• Lower blood pressure
• Increase vascular blood flow
• Give parts of your body a real workout!
• Increase the response to disease-killing cells within your body
• Reduce the frequency of colds and other respiratory ailments
• Increase memory and learning
• Improve alertness and creativity

And to top all of that off…laughter just simply FEELS GREAT!!!

Laugh with me right now!!!   Ha Ha Ha Ho Ho Ho !!!!  (did you???)

As I look back over the last month, I'm trying to recall how much I laughed.  And I don't remember. 

Except…

Have you ever laughed right at that moment when you have taken a drink (or bite) of something?  You know what I mean, don't you!!  Where you start to laugh and just can't stop…even though your mouth is already full of something…

During March, I did this not once…not twice…not three time…FOUR TIMES!!!  Without even trying (and it hasn't happened in a while before this past month)!   Meals ruined!  Clothes that needed to be changed!  And a whole bunch of laughter from those around (okay – who am I kidding…a whole bunch of laughter AND a few "ewww's" from my family).  In fact, my daughter used this as an excuse to get out of eating her broccoli!! (what kids will do to get out of eating their veggies!!!)

Serendipity?  Luck (am I Irish???)?  Dumb luck?  The stars were aligned? 

Whatever you call it, what a month to have FOUR of those moments where the laughter just couldn't be stopped!

And here's the deal:  As much of a mess as these "incidents" may have made, it just felt really great!  That AND…it brought out a lot of laughs from EVERYONE!  And you know what?  As much as there are all sorts of health benefits for laughing…I'll keep doing it for one reason alone…

IT FEELS GREAT!!!!

Big laughs.  Little laughs.  Giggles.  Laugh at a funny joke.  Laugh for no reason at all.  Belly laughs.  Laugh until it hurts.  Laugh until you cry.  Laugh silently.  Laugh out loud.  Laugh until you snort.  Laugh alone.  Laugh together.  Laugh standing up.  Laugh laying down.  Smile at the world!!!

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." ~ e. e. cummings

Join me…once more (please!!!)…and LAUGH!!!!  Just because you can!!!

Ha! 
Ha Ha!! 
Ha Ho Ho Ho Ha!! 
Ha Ha Ha Ho Ho Ha Ha!!

What is Random Acts of Kick Arse (RAOKA)?  With the idea that there are so many ways we can do small things to change the world for good, Sami, from Life, Laughs, and Lemmings took an idea she had and created this movement.  The movement:  A new theme to focus on each month, bringing a little more good to the world.  The movement started in October 2009, and has a core group of participants:

Lori from Jane Be Nimble
Dani from Positively Present
Gayze  from Gazehound's Animal Communication
Zeenat from Positive Provocations

Each month a topic will be chosen to focus on, and then at the start of the next month, the participants will write about their experiences from the previous month.

Interested in joining the movement?  Contact Lori for details.

April Theme:  Family (as chosen by Gayze)

Logo courtesy of Melissa from Operation NICE

In an interview with Adam Serwer of The American Prospect, Ken Gude of the Center for American Progress says that the September 14, 2001 congressional Authorization to Use Military Force in response to 9/11 provides the Obama administration with the legal authority to launch the extra-judicial killing of an American citizen:

“There is much debate about how broadly both the Bush and Obama administrations have interpreted [the Authorization to Use Military Force], a concern that I share, but this instance is not one of those cases,” Gude says. “It cannot plausibly be argued that Awlaki, who is mentioned repeatedly in the 9/11 Commission report as having assisted the 9/11 hijackers, is not a person who aided the 9/11 attacks.”

But the evidence the 9/11 Commission report presents about Awlaki is far more fragmentary than Gude suggests. Awlaki’s possible role in the attacks is discussed in chapter 7 of the report, “The Attack Looms.” Basically, when hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar arrived in San Diego in mid-2000, they attended a mosque the American citizen Awlaki ministered at. This is what the commission says on page 221 of the first-edition text:

Another potentially significant San Diego contact for Hazmi and Mihdhar was Anwar Aulaqi, an imam at the Rabat mosque. Born in New Mexico and thus a U.S. citizen, Aulaqi grew up in Yemen and studied in the United States on a Yemeni government scholarship. We do not know how or when Hazmi and Mihdhar first met Aulaqi. The operatives may even have met or at least talked to him the same day they first moved to San Diego. Hazmi and Mihdar reportedly respected Aulaqi as a religious figure and developed a close relationship with him.

When interviewed after 9/11, Aulaqi said he did not recognize Hazmi’s name but did identify his picture. Although Aulaqi admitted meeting with Hazmi several times, he claimed not to remember any specifics of what they discussed. He described Hazmi as a soft-spoken Saudi student who used to appear at the mosque with a companion but who did not have a large circle of friends.

Aulaqi left San Diego in mid-2000, and by early 2001 had relocated to Virginia. As we will discuss later, Hazmi eventually showed up at Aulai’s mosque in Virginia, an appearance that may not have been coincidental. We have been unable to learn enough about Aulaqi’s relationship with Hazmi and Mihdha to reach a conclusion.

Both future 9/11 hijackers made their way to the Dar al Hijra mosque in Falls Church, where Awlaki had again taken up religious service. Page 229:

Aulaqi had moved to Virginia in January 2001. He remembers Hazmi from San Diego but has denied having any contact with Hazmi or [fellow hijacker Hani] Hanjour in Virginia.

At the Dar al Hijra mosque, Hazmi and Hanjour met a Jordanian named Eyad al Rababah. Rababah says he had gone to the mosque to speak to the imam, Aulaqi, about finding work. At the conclusion of services, which normally had 400 to 500 attendees, Rababah says he happened to meet Hazmi and Hanjour. They were looking for an apartment; Rababah referred them to a friend who had one to rent. Hazmi and Hanjour moved into the apartment, which was in Alexandria.

Some FBI investigators doubt Rababah’s story. Some agents suspect that Aulaqi may have tasked Rababah to help Hazmi and Hanjour. We share that suspicion, given the remarkable coincidence of Aulaqi’s prior relationship with Hazmi. As noted above, the Commission was unable to locate and interview Aulaqi.

The pattern of behavior is doubtless suspicious and the coincidence cries out for further investigation. But it’s not the same as tying Awlaqi to the 9/11 plot. In a footnote, the 9/11 Commission reveals that Awlaqi had come under FBI investigation in 1999 and 2000 after it learned the imam “may have been contacted by a possible procurement agent for Bin Laden.” It determined that he knew anti-Israel extremists, including some with ties to Hamas. But “none of this information was considered strong enough to support a criminal prosecution.”

Awlaki, we now know, is himself an extremist, and possibly tied to al-Qaeda in Yemen or beyond. But is this the level of connection to the 9/11 attack that can justify the execution of an American citizen without due process, according to the 2001 Congressional authorization? This is what that authorization empowers:

That the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.

Even “aided” is a stretch in Awlaki’s case. The 9/11 Commission suspected it, and details the basis for reasonable suspicion. But it lacked the basis to reach any such conclusion.

For the third month in a row, fewer home sellers reduced the asking price of their home than in the previous month.

As of the end of March, just over one-fifth (20.7%) of all listings on Zillow had at least one price reduction. That was a decrease from the 23.1% of listings that had a price reduction as of the end of February. Price reductions peaked last September, when nearly one-third (32.1%) of listings on Zillow had at least one price reduction.

The amount of the reductions is also falling, with the national median price reduction at 6.5% in March, compared with 6.9% in February.

As with all real estate, though, conditions vary across the country. Areas with the the biggest percentages of listings with price reductions are in the Midwest and Southwest. In the Boise metropolitan statistical area (MSA), 29.1% of listings had a price reduction as of the end of March; in the St. Louis MSA, it was 26.8%; in the Albuquerque MSA, 28.3%; and in Tucson MSA, 28%. You can see a list of the top 20 MSAs below.

The biggest price reductions, in terms of amounts, were spread out across the country. In the Detroit MSA, the median price reduction was 11.1%; in the Flint MSA, it was 10.7%; and in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale MSA, 10.7%. See the list below for more MSAs with large reductions.