OCC Report: More often than not, loan mods aren’t working
September 30, 2009 by admin
Filed under Mortgage Mess
It ended up being a late night for me last night and I wasn’t up to commenting much on the latest Mortgage Metrics Report from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. I thought however that the following two charts spoke volumes about loan modifications, so I thought I’d let them speak for themselves: [Thanks L!]
Just off hand I’d say that for the most part, loan mods aren’t working out. What do you think?
Mary Hart Turns Designer — for Charity!
September 30, 2009 by admin
Filed under Celebrity Nonsense, Media Fools
ET’s own Mary Hart has decorated a custom pair of jeans — for a good cause!
Mary is participating in Blue Jeans in Pink, a new fundraiser by retailer Coldwater Creek that will raise funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest breast cancer advocacy organization.
Starting today and running through October 31, shoppers can enter to win Mary’s jeans, as well as jeans decorated by Marg Helgenberger, Debra Messing, Susan Lucci, Andie MacDowell, Gabrielle Union and even Nancy G. Brinker, who founded Susan G. Komen for the Cure. There is no purchase necessary to enter, and no donation is required, but shoppers will also be able to donate money to Susan G. Komen for the Cure at any of the Coldwater Creek retail shops nationwide or at coldwatercreek.com. The retailer will match all donations made through this program up to $100,000, and has already donated more than $5.8 million to the breast cancer organization.
Gates Has Growing Doubts About U.S’s Afghan Strategy
September 30, 2009 by Huffington Post
Filed under TOP HEADLINES
President Barack Obama met with senior counselors for three hours Wednesday to launch his review of Afghan war strategy, amid indications that his defense secretary — the key link between the White House and the military — is among those undecided about the right approach.
More on Afghanistan
ACORN To Stand Trial In Nevada Case
September 30, 2009 by Huffington Post
Filed under TOP HEADLINES
LAS VEGAS — The political advocacy group ACORN and a former supervisor were ordered Wednesday to stand trial on charges that they illegally paid canvassers to register Nevada voters during last year’s presidential campaign.
Evidence heard during more than six hours of testimony left “a lot of issues that have to be answered” before trial, Las Vegas Justice of the Peace William Jansen said.
He set arraignment for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now and former regional supervisor Amy Busefink for Oct. 14 in Clark County District Court.
“I think the statute is clear,” Jansen said. “It’s unlawful to provide compensation for the registration of voters that is based on the total number of voters that a person registers.”
The judge referred to testimony that ACORN wanted to register 1.7 million new voters nationwide for the 2008 presidential election.
“To me, that is a quota,” the judge said.
ACORN officials say they set goals, not quotas, and didn’t necessarily punish canvassers who didn’t meet them.
“There was no hard-and-fast standard we were holding employees to,” ACORN regional organizer Matthew Henderson insisted after the judge’s decision.
Lawyers for ACORN and Busefink said they will plead not guilty.
ACORN lawyer Lisa Rasmussen said outside court she was disappointed but argued that Deputy Nevada Attorney General Conrad Hafen needed only to prove only “slight or marginal” evidence to move the case to trial.
In court, Busefink’s lawyer Kevin Stolworthy accused the state’s star witness, Christopher Edwards, of creating and proceeding with an unauthorized bonus plan dubbed “blackjack.”
“He tried to fly this under the radar,” Stolworthy said.
Edwards, 33, was initially charged along with ACORN and Busefink. But in a plea agreement in August, he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges in return for his testimony and a promise that he’ll receive probation, a fine and community service.
Edwards testified during a hearing on Tuesday that ACORN supervisors knew and payroll records showed that canvassers making $8 per hour were paid “blackjack” bonuses of $5 per shift if they collected 21 or more voter registration cards last August and September.
Rasmussen and Stolworthy said the state law didn’t apply because ACORN didn’t actually register voters but turned registration forms over to county registrars.
Henderson said he was proud ACORN collected and submitted 91,000 registration forms to the Clark County Registrar of Voters last year.
“Nevada has one of the lowest registration rates in the country,” Henderson said Wednesday. “Rather than do something about it, they’re prosecuting those who did.”
The Nevada criminal case could cost ACORN its nonprofit status in the state, and is one of several battles the community organizer is fighting nationally.
ACORN has been stung by the recent release of a videotape showing ACORN employees offering advice to two people posing as a prostitute and her pimp about cheating on taxes and operating a brothel.
Federal agencies including the Internal Revenue Service followed with declarations that they were severing ties with the organization, and Bank of America Corp. said it was suspending its work with ACORN’s housing affiliate.
The defense asked the judge to dismiss at least four if not all of the 13 charges against their clients.
Jansen let stand all 13 felony counts against both ACORN and Busefink.
ACORN is charged with compensation for registration of voters.
Busefink, 27, of Seminole, Fla., is charged with principle to the crime of compensation for registration of voters. The judge allowed her to remain free without bail pending trial.
Both charges are low-level felonies carrying the possibility of a $5,000 fine for the nonprofit entity, and probation or less than one year in jail for Busefink.
Several other states investigated allegations that ACORN produced fake voter registration cards during the campaign between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, but Nevada was the first to file criminal charges.
Secretary of State Ross Miller has characterized the case as “registration fraud, not voter fraud.” He said no voters in Nevada were paid for votes and no unqualified voters cast ballots.
ACORN To Stand Trial In Nevada Case
September 30, 2009 by Huffington Post
Filed under Uncategorized
LAS VEGAS — The political advocacy group ACORN and a former supervisor were ordered Wednesday to stand trial on charges that they illegally paid canvassers to register Nevada voters during last year’s presidential campaign.
Evidence heard during more than six hours of testimony left “a lot of issues that have to be answered” before trial, Las Vegas Justice of the Peace William Jansen said.
He set arraignment for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now and former regional supervisor Amy Busefink for Oct. 14 in Clark County District Court.
“I think the statute is clear,” Jansen said. “It’s unlawful to provide compensation for the registration of voters that is based on the total number of voters that a person registers.”
The judge referred to testimony that ACORN wanted to register 1.7 million new voters nationwide for the 2008 presidential election.
“To me, that is a quota,” the judge said.
ACORN officials say they set goals, not quotas, and didn’t necessarily punish canvassers who didn’t meet them.
“There was no hard-and-fast standard we were holding employees to,” ACORN regional organizer Matthew Henderson insisted after the judge’s decision.
Lawyers for ACORN and Busefink said they will plead not guilty.
ACORN lawyer Lisa Rasmussen said outside court she was disappointed but argued that Deputy Nevada Attorney General Conrad Hafen needed only to prove only “slight or marginal” evidence to move the case to trial.
In court, Busefink’s lawyer Kevin Stolworthy accused the state’s star witness, Christopher Edwards, of creating and proceeding with an unauthorized bonus plan dubbed “blackjack.”
“He tried to fly this under the radar,” Stolworthy said.
Edwards, 33, was initially charged along with ACORN and Busefink. But in a plea agreement in August, he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges in return for his testimony and a promise that he’ll receive probation, a fine and community service.
Edwards testified during a hearing on Tuesday that ACORN supervisors knew and payroll records showed that canvassers making $8 per hour were paid “blackjack” bonuses of $5 per shift if they collected 21 or more voter registration cards last August and September.
Rasmussen and Stolworthy said the state law didn’t apply because ACORN didn’t actually register voters but turned registration forms over to county registrars.
Henderson said he was proud ACORN collected and submitted 91,000 registration forms to the Clark County Registrar of Voters last year.
“Nevada has one of the lowest registration rates in the country,” Henderson said Wednesday. “Rather than do something about it, they’re prosecuting those who did.”
The Nevada criminal case could cost ACORN its nonprofit status in the state, and is one of several battles the community organizer is fighting nationally.
ACORN has been stung by the recent release of a videotape showing ACORN employees offering advice to two people posing as a prostitute and her pimp about cheating on taxes and operating a brothel.
Federal agencies including the Internal Revenue Service followed with declarations that they were severing ties with the organization, and Bank of America Corp. said it was suspending its work with ACORN’s housing affiliate.
The defense asked the judge to dismiss at least four if not all of the 13 charges against their clients.
Jansen let stand all 13 felony counts against both ACORN and Busefink.
ACORN is charged with compensation for registration of voters.
Busefink, 27, of Seminole, Fla., is charged with principle to the crime of compensation for registration of voters. The judge allowed her to remain free without bail pending trial.
Both charges are low-level felonies carrying the possibility of a $5,000 fine for the nonprofit entity, and probation or less than one year in jail for Busefink.
Several other states investigated allegations that ACORN produced fake voter registration cards during the campaign between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, but Nevada was the first to file criminal charges.
Secretary of State Ross Miller has characterized the case as “registration fraud, not voter fraud.” He said no voters in Nevada were paid for votes and no unqualified voters cast ballots.
Smoking in pregnancy risks psychotic children: study (Reuters)
September 30, 2009 by admin
Filed under Health News
Reuters – Mothers who smoke during pregnancy put their children at greater risk of developing psychotic symptoms as teenagers, British scientists said on Thursday.
Read original article here
At Nuclear Talks, U.S. Likely to Seek Bilateral Meeting With Iran
September 30, 2009 by The Washington Post
Filed under TOP HEADLINES
GENEVA, Sept. 30 — The United States hopes to launch a process here Thursday that could rein in Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and possibly reorient Iran’s role in the world, though U.S. officials are skeptical that Tehran will act decisively when its diplomats sit down for long-awaited discussions …
Will Ferrell Baby News!
September 30, 2009 by The Insider
Filed under Celebrity Nonsense, Media Fools
PETA Video: Cows Suffer On Land O’Lakes-supplying Farm (VIDEO)
September 30, 2009 by Huffington Post
Filed under TOP HEADLINES
PETA representatives have released a video comprised of footage taken during an undercover investigation of a Pennsylvania dairy farm that contracts to Minnesota-based Land O’Lakes.
The video depicts the gross mistreatment of cows, with animals being milked while covered in urine and feces. Cows that have collapsed from exhaustion are prodded by handlers, animals are covered in infections that have gone untreated and one cow in particular is marched off to what is presumably the slaughterhouse.
Land O’Lakes has stated that they are investigating the issue and that they are committed to treating animals in their dairy farms humanely.
WATCH:
<embed src="https://www.mediapeta.com/videoplayer/video.swf?v=dairy_factory_farm_pa_peta_high [https://www.mediapeta.com/videoplayer/video.swf?v=dairy_factory_farm_pa_peta_high]" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer [http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer]" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="240" height="180" allowScriptAccess="always"
More on PETA
PETA Video: Cows Suffer On Land O’Lakes-supplying Farm (VIDEO)
September 30, 2009 by Huffington Post
Filed under TOP HEADLINES
PETA representatives have released a video comprised of footage taken during an undercover investigation of a Pennsylvania dairy farm that contracts to Minnesota-based Land O’Lakes.
The video depicts the gross mistreatment of cows, with animals being milked while covered in urine and feces. Cows that have collapsed from exhaustion are prodded by handlers, animals are covered in infections that have gone untreated and one cow in particular is marched off to what is presumably the slaughterhouse.
Land O’Lakes has stated that they are investigating the issue and that they are committed to treating animals in their dairy farms humanely.
WATCH:
<embed src="https://www.mediapeta.com/videoplayer/video.swf?v=dairy_factory_farm_pa_peta_high [https://www.mediapeta.com/videoplayer/video.swf?v=dairy_factory_farm_pa_peta_high]" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer [http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer]" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="240" height="180" allowScriptAccess="always"
More on PETA
