News that's not useful even a little

Foreclosure crisis hits peak. A 2,800-acre ranch in Santa Barbara County, Calif., that features a mock-Tudor style mansion, a Ferris Wheel and a merry-go-round is set to be auctioned. The property at 5225 Figueroa Mountain Rd. in Los Olivos will go to the highest bidder unless the owner can come up with the $24,525,906.61 he owes on his loan. The home is known as "Neverland" and is owned by a musician who used to be very popular.

Writing checks he can't cash. A hot-shot pilot flew this brand new plane just 30 feet off the ground (with his landing gear up). As you may have learned from Top Gun, you need the tower's permission for this sort of stunt. There were about 60 people on the plane, including the airline's chairman. The pilot is looking for work.

No. 1 lonely, expensive. A real estate mogul from the United Arab Emirates bid $14 million for UAE license plate No. 1 over the weekend. I got to know these kinds of folks in my time as a motor mouth. We called them plate nuts.