11.30.2010

NACA CEO ARRESTED in Hearing Fighting for Homeowners

Why am I surprised?  Arrested standing up for homeowners sounds about right.  What they really mean is criticizing banks is illegal. 


NACA
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSISTANCE CORPORATION OF AMERICA
WWW.NACA.COM

Bruce Marks
CEO

Headquarters:
Boston, MA
(888) 297-5568

OFFICES:
  • ATLANTA, GA
          (404) 377-4545
  • AUGUSTA, GA
          (706) 855-7464
  • BALTIMORE, MD
          (410) 783-0465
  • BIRMINGHAM, AL
          (205) 942-8111
  • BOSTON, MA
          (617) 250-6244
  • BUFFALO, NY
          (716) 834-6222
  • CHARLESTON, SC
          (843) 556-0497
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          (704) 536-7676
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          (773) 723-6222
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  • To Christine Axsmith:

    We have enclosed a video of NACA's founder and CEO getting arrested advocating for Chase homeowners at the Senate Banking Committee. Click here to view this story which is sweeping through the internet. Also to view the prior video of Dave Lowman, Chase's CEO for Home Retention, telling homeowner's having difficulties to "Come to Me". Click here for the video showing him lying to Congress and homeowners.

    NACA will continue to fight for all homeowners. As in all of our previous actions we have important friends, including the police who let us off without being charged. They also provide us access to the gated communities where these CEOs live in the lap of luxury. These police and security guards are like millions of homeowners who are either at risk of foreclosure or know someone very close to them who is in danger of losing their home. Everyone is frustrated and angry at the lenders. We will continue the fight and continue to confront Chase and others, wherever they go and where they live, who get in the way of homeowners achieving a long-term affordable mortgage payment.

    We are working with the lenders to have a proposal or follow-up for every homeowner prior to the end of the year. Please continue to access your Web-file for updates by clicking here. We are determined to get this done for everyone who is committed to staying in their homes. We want to express our sincere thanks to the hundreds of homeowners who, with very little advance notice attended the Senate hearing. Your presence sent a very strong message.

    NACA is the most effective organization advocating for hundreds of thousands of homeowners. NACA is able to save hundreds and sometimes over a thousand dollars a month through NACA's legally binding agreements with all the major lenders and investors. We will keep up the fight and look forward to your active participation.

    Sincerely,

    NACA Management

    P.S. NACA is engaged in a campaign against Chase called "Chasing Chase". Click here for details on the campaign.

    Washington DC's Non-Profit Scam

      Many museums in DC are just an excuse to run a catering business without paying taxes.  I am speaking of the Newseum in particular. They make a fortune catering to private parties and the entire building is used as private residences - all tax free. Same with other "museums" in this town. No wonder district taxes are so high. We have to make up for these thieving scoundrels. 

    Other cities are catching wise to this scam. See below. And don't get me started about the Universities. 


    More Cities Look To Nonprofits For Cash
    BOSTON — Financially strapped U.S. cities are increasingly turning to private universities, hospitals and other tax-exempt nonprofits for cash, but a new report finds methods...
     


    Sent from my iPhone

    11.29.2010

    Wikileaks II: Funny to watch

    Well Wikileaks II has begun to hit and the results are hilarious, at least in the short term. Watching people react to how things really work is most amusing.

    "You mean they don't MEAN all the things they say on t.v.?"

    "But the news said..."

    "You mean the U.S Government threatens and bullies allies to get what they want?"

    "Other governments say one thing and do another and then blame us for it and we let it happen?"

    "You mean that the U.S. KNOWS about graft and corruption and says nothing for political reasons?"

    I'm glad the revelations are happening over time, so there will be many laughs to come.

    Until the killing starts, anyway. Because that is what is going to happen. Once the content leaked in these diplomatic cables is digested, especially in the Middle East, there will be bloodshed over the political betrayals. The blood of American allies. And their replacements may not be inclined towards the same hypocrisy.

    Anti-Human Trafficking News From Around the World

    No Longer a Pedophile's Haven
     
    By Brendan Brady
    Newsweek
    November 16, 2010
     
    Recent moves by the Cambodian justice system show that the Southeast Asian nation is finally taking a firm stance against child sex trafficking by pursuing sentences against not only Western sex tourists but also local men. Cambodia was formally notorious for handing down light sentences to pedophiles and for permitting convicted foreign offenders to return to the country.
     
    To read the rest of the story, click here.
     

     
    Arlington Preparing for Sex Trafficking at Super Bowl
     
    By Alex Branch
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram
    November 17, 2010
     
    Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott pledged last week to commit state resources to combating an anticipated increase in human trafficking activities in Arlington ahead of the 2011 Super Bowl. He cited the findings of a Florida task force that estimated tens of thousands of women and minors were trafficked in the Miami area during this year's Super Bowl.
     
     To read the rest of the story, click here.
     


    U.S. Urges More Labor Protection in Taiwan
     
    By Shi Hsiu-chuan
    Taipei Times
    November 23, 2010
     
    Though Taiwan received the highest possible rating under the 2010 U.S. annual report on human trafficking, the State Department's point-man for international anti-trafficking efforts said Taipei could do more by extending labor protection rights to the 170,000 foreign domestic laborers and caregivers working in the island nation. Ambassador Luis CdeBaca said it was also necessary to prosecute employers who abuse domestic employees.
     
    To read the rest of the story, click here.
     

     
    Brazilian Police Dismantle Human-Trafficking Ring
     
    Associated Press
    November 18, 2010
     
    Brazilian authorities announced the dismantlement of an international human-trafficking ring centered in a southeastern area of the Latin American country.  The ring issued false passports to Brazilians wanting to immigrate illegally to the United States and then turned them over to professional smugglers. A total of 12 people were arrested.
     
    To read the rest of the story, click here.
     

     
    Targeting Human Trafficking in Texas
     
    By Jason Buch
    San Antonio Express-News/The Houston Chronicle
    November 22, 2010
     
    Newly-filed legislation in Texas, a national hub for human trafficking, would increase penalties for convicted offenders, simplify the investigation and prosecution process and permit police to detain child victims. Under the bill, a 2009 anti-human trafficking law would be amended to adopt provisions similar to the state's sex crime laws.
     
    To read the rest of the story, click here.
     

     
    Woman Forced to Become a Sex Slave
     
    CNN
    November 19, 2010

    HLN's Joy Behar talks with sex-trafficking survivor Natasha Herzig and America's Most Wanted host John Walsh about sex trafficking in the United States.
     
    To watch the video, click here.


    Sent from my iPhone

    11.28.2010

    Huffington Post: Russian Scientist Working To Recreate Ice Age Ecosystem

      A truly exciting project to keep the Siberian permafrost in place. It's a romantic notion as well. That all the grazing animals from ten thousand years ago will sec us from ourselves.  


    Russian Scientist Working To Recreate Ice Age Ecosystem
    CHERSKY, Russia — Wild horses have returned to northern Siberia. So have musk oxen, hairy beasts that once shared this icy land with woolly mammoths...
     


    Sent from my iPhone

    11.27.2010

    Earthquake: M 5.2 - northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

    Just another update from QuakeWatch!

    Magnitude: 5.2
    Location: northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

    Time: Fri, Nov 26, 2010 9:44:54 PM EST
    GMT: Sat, Nov 27, 2010 02:44:54 GMT

    Latitude: 10° 15' 53" N (10.2649°)
    Longitude: 43° 9' 36" W (-43.1601°)
    Depth: 6.2 mi

    Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=M%205.2%20-%20northern%20Mid-Atlantic%20Ridge@10.264900,-43.160099&z=6

    More Information: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc0000gcb.php

    Data provided by US Geological Survey.


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    Sent from my iPhone

    Earthquake: M 3.1 - Puerto Rico region

    Magnitude: 3.1
    Location: Puerto Rico region

    Time: Sat, Nov 27, 2010 1:05:08 AM EST
    GMT: Sat, Nov 27, 2010 06:05:08 GMT

    Latitude: 18° 56' 22" N (18.9395°)
    Longitude: 65° 21' 31" W (-65.3588°)
    Depth: 38.0 mi

    Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=M%203.1%20-%20Puerto%20Rico%20region@18.939501,-65.358803&z=6

    More Information: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/pr10331000.php

    Data provided by US Geological Survey.


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    11.20.2010

    The Hip Hop iHop in Columbia Heights

    The new iHop opened in Columbia Heights and it's success can be seen in the hungry-for-pancakes customers waiting on the sidewalk for a chance to eat. Designer jeans, flash and bling, and a restaurant filled to capacity with shoppers and local fashionistas.

    It better be open 24 hours. I love the DC is slowly becoming a 24 hour town. Isn't it great that there is now someplace open at 3 a.m. besides the Steak -n- Eggs Kitchen on Wisconsin? You can buy groceries in Georgetown all night long or hang out at the Attached Starbucks until dawn.

    With all the hip and pricey restaurants being opened in Columbia Heights, any place offering decent food at a decent price is going to make a killing. One by one, the reasonably-priced places to eat have gone from the DC restaurant scene. Let this hip hop iHop begin a reversal of that trend.

    11.17.2010

    Action to stop child trafficking!

    Hi Fellow Abolitionist!

    Thank you for supporting the Child Protection Compact Act (CPCA) in the past by calling your representatives. This is the final step to pass the CPCA to help eradicate child trafficking.

    Please take less than 1 minute of your time to call your Senators to vote Yes for the Child Protection Compact Act.

    For details on finding your senator's number and a script to use please visit RIJI Green's Blog or www.rijigreen.com/node/62


    Thank you for making a difference in ending human trafficking!

    Anna
    www.RIJIgreen.com




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    11.14.2010

    NYTimes.com: Psychologist in Terror War Is Subject of Complaint

    The New York Times E-mail This
    This page was sent to you by:  caxsmith@aol.com

    Message from sender:
    This article outlines the beginning of retribution against the torture infrastructure and it's architects. This is only the beginning. There is no safe haven for those who thought they were above the law.

    U.S.   | November 14, 2010
    The Texas Tribune:  Psychologist in Terror War Is Subject of Complaint
    By MORGAN SMITH
    The Texas State Board of Psychologists is considering a complaint that seeks removal of the license of Dr. James E. Mitchell, an architect of Bush-era interrogation tactics.



    Click here to view trailer


     

    Huffington Post: WATCH: 15-Story Chinese Hotel Built In Just SIX DAYS

    Is building a hotel in six days supposed to be a good thing?  I'd never want to stay in that place. How could it poossibly be well-built?  Cement takes a certain amount of time to dry. 

    Let's not forget the problems the US has had with Chinese drywall. Or all the poorly-built schools that collapsed on children during the huge earthquake a few years ago. 

    Now, of course, the Martin Luther King memorial is being built with imported Chinese workers, displacing American ones. 

    Don't ever put me in that hotel. 

    Sent from my iPhone

    11.13.2010

    Nanowrimo: Day Thirteen


    I've read recent posts about the stupidity of Nanowrimo and how all it does is encourage very bad writing. The writers seem to dismiss the exercise, and that's all that it is, as a waste of time.

    For me, Nanowrimo experience was key in getting me to overcome the internal editor that needs to be in storage during the initial creative process. When you have a certain amount of words to get out in a day, it floods the internal editor and finally shuts it up.

    Nanowrimo also gets a writer into the habit of daily writing. Serious daily writing. It challenges the commitment level a writer thinks they have for their project. Every time I sit down to watch television or a movie on Netflix, I have to ask myself why I am doing this instead of my writing. That kind of double-checking is not in place if I don't have the pressure of a big writing deadline every day.

    Finally, when all is said and done, Nanowrimo gives the writer a real sense of accomplishment and good feeling for having seen it through to the end. Even though my novel does not qualify for the Nanowrimo contest because I began writing it in dribs and drabs a few years ago, I am really dedicated to getting the novel done. After that, I can rewrite and add and embellish.

    I am going to throw another photo of my forebears on this post to remind all of you that everyone used to dress in a formal manner all the time, and aren't we lucky as shit? The above photo is of some cousins who, according to German custom at the time, went for a walk every Sunday after church. I love the natural movement of this photo.

    11.12.2010

    Hooray for the Washington, DC DMV!

    I completely updated my driver's registration online - even though it expired several weeks ago! And I changed my registration address. I've been living here since January 30, 2010, and have not updated my registration address simply because I didn't feel like taking a trip to the DMV. Well, it seems they didn't want me there, either. That's fine. My feelings aren't hurt. In fact, you couldn't renew your registration in person at the DMV if you tried. It has to be done by mail or online.

    Other services provided by our DMV:

    Renew Driver's License
    Renew ID Card
    Renew Vehicle Registration and Residential Parking
    Schedule Road Test
    Pay Tickets
    Locate Towed Vehicle
    DMV Online Address Change

    You don't even have to leave your home to fight a ticket anymore. See Adjudication Services
    Ticket Payments
    Ticket Installment Plan Payment
    Schedule Minor Moving and Photo Enforcement Hearings
    Fleet Payments
    Email Ticket Alert Service

    11.10.2010

    Human Trafficking Arrests Around the Globe

    FBI-led raids rescue 69 child prostitutes
    By Jerry Seper
    The Washington Times
    November 8, 2010

    Sixty-nine children in 40 cities were freed from forced prostitution this weekend in a multi-state sweep dubbed Operation Cross Country V. The sweep resulted in 885 arrests. The effort targeted truck stops, casinos, street tracks and Internet websites, based on intelligence gathered by the FBI and its local and state law enforcement partners, along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

    To read the rest of the story, click here.
    UN Launches Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking
    UNOCD Press Release
    November 4, 2010

    Last Thursday, the United Nations launched a new fund to provide humanitarian, legal and financial aid to victims of human trafficking. The Governments of Qatar, Luxembourg, Egypt and Thailand were among the first nations to make pledges to the newly-established fund, which will be managed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The fund has also attracted non-government donors, such as Orascom Telecom Executive Chairman Naguib Sawiris. Celebrity activists Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher spoke at the launch event.


    Speed up Trafficking Cases, says Philippines Supreme Court
    Dateline Philippines
    November 9, 2010

    The Philippines Supreme Court has issued an order to regional trial court judges to speed up the hearing and resolution of human trafficking cases. The order, SC Circular No. 151-2010, specifies a faster hearing schedule and new reporting requirements. The move came amidst concerns that insufficient convictions could caused the Philippines to be moved to Tier 3 of US State Department's Trafficking ratings, which would cost the country $250m in lost US aid.


    Indictment: Somali gangs trafficked girls for sex
    Amy Forliti
    Associated Press
    November 8, 2010

    A newly unsealed federal indictment charges twenty-nine people with ties to three Somali gangs in Minneapolis with allegedly forcing girls younger than 14 into prostitution in Ohio, Minnesota and Tennessee. The indictment asserts that the sex trafficking ring had been operating for 10 years.


    Police Bust Trafficking Ring Supplying Germany, Italy, Switzerland
    Sofia News Agency
    November 6, 2010

    The Bulgarian police have arrested two men and one woman who allegedly trafficked women to Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. They lured unemployed and poor persons with promises for better life, and transported them to Germany, Italy, and Switzerland, where they were enslaved for prostitution.

    11.09.2010

    Nanowrimo: Day Nine

    It is harder going now. There was a major shift in action and the territory is more emotionally difficult.

    The last time I did Nanowrimo, my novel was a murder mystery. The emotions there weren't complicated at all. Bad guy killing people from the same workplace. Witness to the murder was the cat, who herself kills all the time, and so observed the action one killer to another.

    With this novel, a lot of feelings are coming up for me. It makes it harder to slog through the thing. It's 11:30 p.m. almost and I feel guilty having only written 1,000 words today.

    My husband Justin writes at this pace on a regular basis. He is incredibly prolific.

    See the website for NaNoWriMo
    See community events around NaNoWriMo in South Carolina.
    See Wikipedia's entry on NaNoWriMo.

    11.06.2010

    Nanowrimo: Day Six


    I added two thousand words. Just finished, in fact. Since I am behind schedule so much, I plan to add another two thousand words later on today. So far, since this novel was halfway written before Nanowrimo, I've got 32,000 words in total. That gives me the rest of November to write 13,000 words.

    It 's not the idea of writing 13,000 words that's the problem. As I've complained about before, I don't know how I'm going to resolve the action and wrap up the novel. I just don't know how it is going to end. Hmmm. I'm starting to get an idea...

    Just to add pizazz to an otherwise very dull blog post, I will add a photo of some ancestor from the dawn of the twentieth century.

    See the website for NaNoWriMo
    See community events around NaNoWriMo in South Carolina.
    See Wikipedia's entry on NaNoWriMo.

    Tea Party: Are You Serious or Just Bitching?

    The Tea Party stands for a few principles that are shared by others. Others they may not like. If they are serious about achieving their goals, or at least some of them, they will need to work with other political groups because this is still a democracy and they don't have a majority.

    Some discerned ideas of the Tea Party:

    Anger at the banker bailout
    Anger at both Republican and Democrat parties
    Restoring limited government
    Free market boosterism.

    Some discerned ideas of Market Socialism:

    Anger at the banker bailout
    Anger at both Republican and Democrat parties
    The means of production are publicly owned, managed, and administered
    Democratic socialists do not want to create an all-powerful government bureaucracy. But they do not want big corporate bureaucracies to control our society either. Rather, they believe that social and economic decisions should be made by those whom they most affect.

    I propose that the Tea Party, the Market/Democratic Socialists and the Progressives get together to push their common ideas: that the bank bailout was just welfare for the few at the expense of the many, that both the Republican and Democratic parties are owned and controlled by corporate money, therefore neither are really representing us.

    If the Tea Party is serious, really serious, about achieving its goals they will be open to this idea of teaming up with other people who don't share their perspective. As long as this is still a democracy, they will have to do that to get anything done at all. That's if they want to in the first place.

    Video: Mexican Drug Shootout



    This on-the-spot video of being in a Mexican drug gang shootout is very real. The video was linked in a New York Times story on the killing of a Mexican drug boss, Antonio Ezequiel Cardenas Guillen. And I'm sure that many lives and dollars/pesos were spent on getting this creepy guy, and I don't want to minimize that in any way, but isn't he just going to be replaced by someone else?

    The problems in Mexico are systemic. As in, very rich gringos live in the country to the north and pay for the drugs being transited through Mexico. And as long as the United States consumes illegal drugs, there is going to be another drug dealer and his gang to transport and sell them to us.

    So I leave you with the prefect prescription for ending the Mexican drug war; stop using the drugs they sell and stop selling them the guns to shoot at each other. Just saying.

    11.05.2010

    Leave Me Alone!!

    I just wanted to say, for the record, that no coffee shop needs six big screen televisions. And they also don't need to pipe loud music at me at the same time.

    I guess quiet reflection is not for me before court today. Shouldn't a coffeehouse next to the courthouse be more cerebral?

    On the other hand, the music is loud enough you could quietly confer with witnesses. And the people running this place have been doing it a while and probably know more than I do about what customers want here. Ahh, to waive my hand and change things. Probably for the best.

    Sent from my iPhone

    Nanowrimo

    Yesterday was only 750 words. I'm hoping to catch up over the weekend.

    It's a lot harder to keep the schedule when you work for yourself. It's not like a regular job that you leave at the end of the day.

    I am not giving up however. I am blogging on the bus. The driver is driving like there's a fire he's late to put out. I'm hanging on for dear life here.

    Sent from my iPhone

    See the website for NaNoWriMo
    See community events around NaNoWriMo in South Carolina.
    See Wikipedia's entry on NaNoWriMo.

    11.04.2010

    Fight Sex Slave Trafficking Here in DC

    We REALLY need your help this month!

    There are 3 great organizations competing for funds in various categories for the Pepsi Refresh Contest, including FAIRFund, She Shall Go Free and Survivors Connect.

    We all have the opportunity to receive a $50K grant this month, but we cannot do it alone. As part of the Pepsi Refresh Contest, were asking that EVERYDAY for the month of November you vote twice for each of them, once online and once by SMS/Text. It is super easy, there is no cost and it will take 30 seconds or... less! You get 10 votes a day so please consider giving all groups your vote, and do it daily!

    Additionally, we need support in spreading the word to encourage voting. For Survivors Connect in particular, our work is
    going to establish 3 SMS-based helpline systems to support victims of human trafficking in California, in collaboration with leading service-providing organizations. Since our non profit is still in start-up phase, this amount of money is crucial to getting us started.

    The top 10 organizations in each category receiving the highest number of votes on November 30th will win the $50K prize. Please take a quick second to invite your friends, mass-text and help us win :-)

    Here's how to do it!!

    TO VOTE:
    ONLINE: Go to http://www.refresheverything.com/survivorsconnect
    BY TEXT: Text 103695 to Pepsi (73774)

    Here's the APP on Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/pepsirefresh/idea/view/id/0eaab236-6832-102d-a65f-0019b9b9e205?ref=mf

    Here's the short URL (good for Twitter): http://pep.si/ae59jN

    Here are the Links to FAIR Fund and She Shall Go Free: http://www.refresheverything.com/fairfund http://www.refresheverything.com/ssgf

    Reprint from Motley Fool on Foreclosure Crisis

    The Weekly Walk of Shame: Blaming "Deadbeat" Homeowners for Foreclosure Fraud (Click on the title to this post to read the original article.)

    By Ilan Moscovitz | More Articles
    November 2, 2010 | Comments (20)

    Jump into the Fool’s FREE new service today.
    Click Here Now
    This Motley Fool series examines things that just aren't right in the world of finance and investing. Here's what's got us riled up this week. If something's bugging you, too, go ahead and unload in the comments section below.

    Today's subject
    Foreclosure fraud is heating up. While bankruptcy judges have chastised Wall Street's lacksidaisical approach to recordkeeping and fabrication of court documents at least as far back as 1999, the foreclosure wave sweeping America has provided a new venue for lawbreaking.

    Wall Street has characterized the fraud epidemic as a mere paperwork issue. Various journalists have echoed and expounded the party line, laying the blame thick on "deadbeat " homeowners.

    Here's The Wall Street Journal editorial team:

    Talk about a financial scandal. A consumer borrows money to buy a house, doesn't make the mortgage payments, and then loses the house in foreclosure -- only to learn that the wrong guy at the bank signed the foreclosure paperwork. Can you imagine ...? Welcome to Washington's financial crisis of the week ...

    We're not aware of a single case so far of a substantive error. Out of tens of thousands of potentially affected borrowers, we're still waiting for the first victim claiming that he was current on his mortgage when the bank seized the home.
    Umm ...

    Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) foreclosed on a Fort Lauderdale home that didn't even have a mortgage .
    A terrified Orlando woman for whom foreclosure proceedings had not begun dialed 911 when JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM) contractors attempted to break into her home.
    On Wednesday The New York times reported that Deutsche Bank tried to foreclose on a Michigan house that was paid for in cash, a Kentucky couple was foreclosed on by a trust that did not exist, and a Colorado woman is facing foreclosure after her bank told her to skip a payment as compensation after it mistakenly changed her locks.
    My favorite: Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) hired a law firm to foreclose on a condo owned by ... Wells Fargo. The bank then hired a separate legal team to defend itself. As business reporter Al Lewis is quoted, "You can't expect a bank that is dumb enough to sue itself to know why it is suing itself."
    And the list goes on. Wells Fargo alone has found documentation "lapses" in 55,000 current cases, and there's no reason to think they are special among mortgage servicers.
    Why you should be indignant
    As Cleveland Federal District Court Judge Christopher Boyko wrote in 2007:

    Plaintiff's "Judge, you just don't understand how things work" argument reveals a condescending mind-set and quasi-monopolistic system where financial institutions have traditionally controlled, and still control, the foreclosure process.
    It's galling when Wall Street institutions that were bailed out by the public in 2008 still feel they can rip off consumers and investors because they're above the law.

    So here's the fraud: In order to foreclose on a house, you need to have the note, the IOU that identifies which homeowner owes money to whom.

    But during the housing securitization bonanza, as mortgages were issued, sliced and diced, and traded left-and-right, sketchy mortgage originators appear to have cut corners by failing to supply notes to mortgage-backed security trusts. According to the CEO of a major subprime lender, "We never transferred the paper. No one in the industry transferred the paper."

    Many of these contracts were also destroyed -- banking executives told a Florida court in 2009 that it was standard practice to shred them.

    Now that Wall Street is without the notes, it may be unclear in many cases who owes money to whom. As law professor Catherine Porter testified yesterday before the Congressional Oversight Panel:

    If the trust does not have the loan, homeowners may have been making payments to the wrong party. If the trust does not have the note or mortgage, it may not have standing to foreclose.
    Now, Wall Street could agree to negotiate with more homeowners to restructure their loans in an affordable manner, as is common in the corporate world. Or we could create a process that would allow mortgage debt relief to be included in personal bankruptcy proceedings, as Blackrock's (NYSE: BLK) Vice Chairman recently argued we should. Such moves would help to clean up consumer debt and move the housing and economic recoveries forward.

    They might even be welcomed by investors like PIMCO, Blackrock, Legg Mason's (NYSE: LM) Western Asset Management, Annaly Capital (NYSE: NLY)-managed Chimera (NYSE: CIM ), taxpayers (via the New York Fed and Freddie Mac), the investors who actually own the mortgages, since foreclosure can be a costly process for them too. (That group, minus Chimera, recently notified Countrywide they were displeased with how it was servicing their investments in mortgage-backed securities.)

    But Wall Street, which collects late payment fees and additional fees during foreclosure, has instead resorted to hiring companies to "recover" the documents and paying notaries to "robo-sign" themselves hundreds of times daily. They're even charging investors for the robo-signing tab.

    What now?
    Honestly, no one knows the full scale of the fraud. But it could be big -- all 50 state attorneys general are investigating. I'll be writing more on the potential fallout this crisis could have on Wall Street and the $2.8 trillion residential mortgage-backed securities market.

    This doesn't appear to be a mere "paperwork issue" – we seem to be dealing with bullying and lawbreaking.

    The Journal editorial team, whose "About Us" page congratulates itself on "stand[ing] for free trade and sound money; against confiscatory taxation and the ukases of kings and other collectivists; and for individual autonomy against dictators [and] bullies," seems to feel that government is inherently evil, whereas corporate violations of individual rights isn't a major concern.

    But sometimes we need laws, regulators, and courts to enforce contracts and protect individuals from corporate bullying. Illegally seizing property or seizing the wrong property, failing to live up to contractual obligations to investors, and lying in court is, yes, illegal -- even when Wall Street does it.

    As the facts come out, they are painting a picture of institutional stupidity and greed by Wall Street. Again. This is something that should come as no surprise to Fools. When Wall Street breaks the law and journalists won't let the facts interrupt their prejudged narratives about "deadbeats," it's not surprising -- but it's certainly shameful.

    If you'd like me to keep you updated on financial reform and shareholder rights, just shoot a blank email to imoscovitz@fool.com.

    Closed for 365 days – opening Tuesday, November 16! – Motley Fool Million Dollar Portfolio is by invitation only. To receive your personal invitation, and access 'Motley Fool Top Picks & Portfolio Perspectives 2011' -- the FREE video and live chat series featuring top stock picks from Fool advisors, and closely guarded portfolio secrets from Million Dollar Portfolio advisor Ron Gross… simply enter email below:

    Ilan Moscovitz doesn't own shares of any company mentioned. BlackRock is a Motley Fool Inside Value selection. The Motley Fool owns shares of Annaly Capital and Legg Mason. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

    See www.Axsmith.net for solutions in Washington, DC area.

    If a Socialist Stood Up For the Tea Party, Would They Be Shot?



    You might think I'm getting lazy with the YouTube reposts, but this one is good. It raises all the points about how Republicans have failed in the past 20 years. It ignores that Democrats have participated in that failure. Bill Clinton and Robert Reich loosened the Depression-era controls on Wall Street and toxic assets were the result. It is during the Obama Administration that most people were illegally foreclosed on. This administration is really good a rhetoric, but let themselves get rolled by Wall Street. Where are the prosecutions? The newly-impoverished bankers? The news stories on their great fall? Nowhere.

    I am not a Republican by any means. I am also not a Socialist. But there are many Socialists who agree with some of the basic idea of the Tea Party. Would both sides be able to get over themselves enough to get those things done?

    But getting a few of the Tea Party people into the halls of power might be a good thing. The Tea Party seems to be angry at the Wall Street bailout. So am I. The Tea Party is against health care reform. Too late, it already happened. And no politician on Earth is going to tell a mother her child should be denied health insurance coverage and die. Once you pass something like that, it is here to stay. The Tea Party adherents also fear the religion of Islam and consider it the enemy. And? They aren't going to be able to outlaw the religion or do anything of the kind.

    I have great hopes for the Tea Party. I hope they metaphorically hold the feet of Wall Street to the fire. I hope they hold to their beliefs that America does not need to be engaged in a war in Iraq and most of the time, doesn't need to be engaged in a war at all.

    Cure for Cutters and Bulimics ??



    WhatTheBuck is a YouTube channel that is so entertaining and a delicious distraction from policy and politics. While usually dedicated to pop culture, this embedded video addresses cutting and bulimia in a kind-hearted way. I can't imagine anyone is going to be saved by the message if they've got a real problem, but if you just have a minor body image issue this message could be a relief for you.

    Die Aussenseiter: YouTube Video on Dancing



    YouTube video about what is really dancing and what isn't. It's all in German, but you know what they are talking about anyway. They make fun of all dance videos and also what seems to be dancing/exercise videos for senior citizens. I don't really know what they are saying at all, just a few words here and there. It seems to be one of those videos where you enjoy it just as much, or even more, without knowing what they guys are talking about.

    It starts with a commercial, but that doesn't last long.

    11.03.2010

    Nanowrimo: Day Three

    Didn't do anything today. Got completely tied up trying to find out why Google Adwords halted my ad campaign. Worked on it for hours.

    Alas, tomorrow is another day. I still don't have any idea of how I am going to end the novel. I keep hoping that the story will evolve and the ending will come to me as I'm typing.

    See the website for NaNoWriMo
    See community events around NaNoWriMo in South Carolina.
    See Wikipedia's entry on NaNoWriMo.

    11.02.2010

    Nanowrimo: Day Two

    Today is day two of my epic effort to finish my novel. I wrote just under two thousand words today. Once you get into a groove with it, the story just starts flowing. That's what happened last time I did this project.

    The problem with my last novel, a murder mystery, was that I had no clear idea of the resolution. There was a witness to the murder, a cat. So the critical parts of the story are told from a cat's point of view. Remembering that cats are killers themselves, I thought would make an interesting choice.

    Somehow it all fell apart at the end, though. I forced myself to finish it, to make up some ending that seemed halfway reasonable. I've got that thing lying around here somewhere. Of course in the age of computers, that means my hard drive.

    So it is all starting to spill out. The new novel, I mean. This one I really like. Again, I don't know how it is going to end or what the resolution will be. At what point am I supposed to figure that out?

    See the website for NaNoWriMo
    See community events around NaNoWriMo in South Carolina.
    See Wikipedia's entry on NaNoWriMo.

    11.01.2010

    Sober Nerds - Free Book at Lulu.com

    Sober nerds is about a collection of odd and interesting people that one tends to find in recovery. The author made the book free for download.

    The book jacket:

    "Irv is an unrepentant thief AND a recovering drunkard... Gus the Ghost must haunt the New Orbit Club for all eternity…Nora, having gotten off the sauce, but still lonely, finds recovering alcoholic men are so STRANGE…Teenage Troy is gay as a goose, but sober as a judge, what a combination. Andy knows that until he is taken seriously as a screenwriter, no one (including the manager of the restaurant where he waits tables) will let him use his fake English accent. THEY'RE SOBER NERDS!"

    Check it out: Sober Nerds.

    Nanowrimo - National Novel Writing Month

    Do it! Writing novel in a month is hard work. The first one I did was rather like a gauntlet. You have a goal to get to the end while you are being hit by other priorities and your own doubts. Still, you forge ahead. When you are done you have a great feeling of accomplishment, and a well-deserved one at that.

    Be prepared to hate your own work. It's a phase. Don't take it too seriously. You will vacillate between hating the novel-in-process and rehearsing national television appearances. Don't take that too seriously, either.

    The first time I observed Nanowrimo was a few years ago. I set the goal of writing two thousand words a day, with the eventual goal of 50,000 words for a complete novel. I mentioned something to a co-worker and soon it became a thing where I was asked how many pages I had written so far and I would go into this explanation about how reformatting changes that and I wrote two thousand more words. "How many pages did you write?" came the daily reply. Then I would break down and tell them.

    Let me tell you what works about Nanowrimo. You get the novel written. The process taught me valuable lessons as a writer about turning off the internal editor. When you have that much to write in a given time period, there is no time to second-guess yourself.

    Part of the writing process is to recognize the different types of thinking that go into a creative writing project. One part is the raw exodus of feeling and idea from your mind and soul. The other is to review what you have written, examine it, and to change parts of it. Yet another is editing for grammar and spelling. Still another is to contemplate the pieces that are missing or are duplicative. Each part takes another area of the brain to complete. It cannot be done simultaneously. Recognize that and consciously decide which task you are doing now. Then do that task.

    Let the novel surprise you. Write only for yourself. You really need to be interested in the book you are writing. The process of writing the book should be fun for you. I wrote and produced a play called Felony about twelve years ago. The primary regret that I have from that process were the compromises I made to pander to my idea of what would be popular.

    So be brave, braver than I was back then. Write it, feel it, be it. No compromises.

    See the website for NaNoWriMo
    See community events around NaNoWriMo in South Carolina.
    See Wikipedia's entry on NaNoWriMo.

    Time Traveler Caught on Film - Time Traveler Cell Phone - Charlie Chapli...



    Could it be a time traveler who strolled across the set of a Charlie Chaplin movie? View the YouTube video clip. It looks like a man in drag talking on a cell phone decades before cell phones are invented. The person doesn't walk like a woman at all, and when they pause and turn their head it definitely looks like a man.

    But let's look at the mystery in context. Charlie Chaplin was noted for being meticulous and paying great attention to detail. It seems improbable that someone walking through his film shoot while talking to himself - and that's how it would have looked to people back then - would have gone either unnoticed or uncut from the final film.

    Undoubtedly, the alleged "cell phone user" seems strange in mannerisms and gait, and even more so for being dressed as a woman. But times were different back then and maybe middle-aged to elderly women were like that. We have no real basis for comparison. And let's remember that this period in American history had a lot of people immigrating from Europe. Their behavior may seem odd to us but be perfectly normal for the time period and where they came from.

    Maybe walking around with your hand to your ear while talking to yourself is more of a natural state to humans than we had previously thought. The person (I still can't bring myself to say "she") may be listening to the sound of their own voice, which is frequently done cupping your hand over your ear.

    I would like to see a close-up of the hand near the ear to see if there was anything being held to the ear at all. And anyway, if time travel is invented in the future, who wouldn't want to be in a Charlie Chaplin movie?