As Dave Langford puts it in "Ansible":
SCOURING OF THE SHIRE. The US subprime mortgage debacle led to
foreclosure proceedings against the Tolkien-themed 'Shire' housing estate
in Bend, Oregon (where round hobbit-hole doors mercifully open on garden
storage rather than being main entrances). The developers owe their bank
$3.4m. A December auction is expected; new owners may or may not want to
keep fantasy features like artificially thatched roofs, 'dragon-shaped
support beams', 'Ring Bearer's Court', etc. (Bend _Bulletin_, 31 July)
(full article here)
Once again, real life 1, dreams 0. Pity...
