2012 archive
“Just Make It Go Away” 0
Of course, if you can’t make homelessness go away, the next best thing seems to be to make the homeless just go away. Out of sight out of mind and all that . . . .
Update from the Foreclosure-Based Economy 0
At MarketWatch, Richard Gibson reports on the double-standard that keeps the home foreclosure market healthy and creates jobs for process servers. A nugget:
The rest of the mortgage, the amount by which the mortgage exceeds the value of the property, can be “stripped down” under Bankruptcy Code Section 506, or converted into unsecured debt, which can be discharged. “Strip down” gives underwater commercial property owners a reasonable chance to reduce their debts, and to return to profitability.
(snip)
But homeowners cannot use strip down. Under bankruptcy law, the only mortgages that cannot be stripped down are those against the principal residences of individuals or families. Donald Trump can use strip down to reduce multimillion-dollar mortgages against his casinos. A middle-class family, however, can’t use strip-down to save their home from foreclosure.
Light Bloggery 0
Spring fever.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still stalled:
(snip)
The Labor Department said the four-week moving average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figures, decreased to 379,000 last week from 384,250 the previous period.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped to 3.23 million in the week ended April 28 from 3.29 million. The continuing claims figure does not include the number of Americans receiving extended benefits under federal programs.
You Have No Life 0
It belongs to them.
The Bureau has been quietly meeting with representatives of these companies, as well as Microsoft (which owns Hotmail and Skype), Facebook and others to argue for a legislative proposal, drafted by the FBI, that would require social-networking sites and VoIP, instant messaging and e-mail providers to alter their code to make their products wiretap-friendly.
Via LQ.
Broke Banks 0
Atrios explains how banking works.
Pet Precedent 0
Bailed from the pound pending trial.
In court, the dog’s pro bono attorney personally guaranteed Alchemy would be returned to Chesapeake for his June 21 trial. Until then, the 150-pound dog will live in an animal sanctuary in Knotts Island, N.C., according to Rich Rosenthal of The Lexus Project.
The prosecutor was taken ill, hence the postponement.
Twits on Twitter 0
Twits exposed at Pastebin.
Marketing the Machinery of Malevolence 0
Chauncey Devega sees shackles of slave for sale on ebay.
He doesn’t think much of it.
Neither do I.
Wallowing in the misery of others is not a trait of nice people.
Droning On, Blimpies Dept. 1
When I was a young ‘un living almost on the Atlantic coast, my brother and I would run outside to watch the blimps fly along the coast as part of the early warning system.
It looks as if I might get to relive those days.
Break Time 0
Off to drink liberally.
There’s an App for That 0
Will Durst explains how the Republican nomination race has been like a game of Angry Birds:
The object of Angry Birds is to use a slingshot to fling various flightless birds at flimsy houses built by egg-thieving green pigs. The object of the 2012 Republican primary race is, well, pretty much the same thing: to toss accusations and blame at the White House in order to steal independents from the Democrats. All while emitting unintelligible screeches, squeals and shrieks.
The Voter Fraud Fraud 0
She’s taking them to court.
Ms. Applewhite has tried for years to obtain a photo ID, but to no avail. NYU School of Law’s Brennan Center for Justice estimates that 25 percent of black adults have no form of state-issued photo ID, as opposed to only eight percent of white adults.