Any “best of” list is preposterous and provocative at once. It presents dopey claims as absolute truths, but it can illuminate a topic in unexpected ways.

And that’s why I welcome last week’s release of what is purported to be “America’s Favorite Architecture” — a list of 150 structures compiled through an online survey of 1,804 adults commissioned by the American Institute of Architects.

It’s bogus and baffling, and what the heck is the Bellagio Hotel of Las Vegas doing at No. 22? But the list is a reminder to critics like me that in the relationship between real people and real buildings, looks count for more than innovation.

 Q: I live in a moderate-size apartment complex and pay $1,075 for a one-bedroom apartment with a bay view — well below the market value. However, this building has lots of bugs, including spiders, ants, large water bugs, cockroaches, termites and silverfish. I had pest control spray once last summer, but the termites were back in full force after a week. I’ve had people tell me, “It’s California and you’re going to have bugs no matter what.” I think this building needs to be tented or condemned. Do I have any rights, and do I just move on and let the next person deal with this?

Picture this: You’ve lived in this country for the past 15 years, earned a decent wage, raised a family, always paid your rent, utilities, cell phone bills and other expenses on time, month after month. But you made little or no use of the conventional banking and credit systems — avoiding bank loans, credit cards and debts in general.Now you go to apply for a mortgage to buy your first home and get smacked with this sobering news: Sorry, but there is not enough information in your national credit bureau files to score your credit. We’ve got to either charge you an interest rate well above prevailing rates — 9 or 10 percent in a 6 1/2 percent market — or simply reject you altogether.

Q: Recently, all the tenants in our building received a notice from the management office indicating that we are now going to be billed monthly for water as part of the landlord’s efforts to assist in “global conservation of water.”The notice said each rental unit’s “pro rata share of the bill will be calculated from a predetermined formula based on the number of occupants in your apartment, using a weighted occupant count.”

Soon or later on your journey through life, you’ll come across an offer that just seems to good to be true.  

Well the truth is, it probably is.

Here’s just one example, known as the “Martingale System”.  This has been around for thousands of years, yet even today you’ll see it being peddled as a “guaranteed way to beat the casino”.

It involves placing “evens” bets on either red or black in the game of roulette.

The system is:

Stake 1 unit.

If you lose, double your bet.