The Symbionese Liberation Army comes to the Land of Lincoln

Last SLA inmate released, heads to Illinois - Chicago Breaking News: "SACRAMENTO -- The last captured member of the Symbionese Liberation Army, the radical 1970s-era group notorious for bank robberies, killings and the kidnapping of Patricia Hearst, was released from a California prison Sunday morning.

James William Kilgore was paroled from High Desert State Prison in northeastern California after serving a six-year sentence for the murder of suburban Sacramento housewife Myrna Opsahl during an April 1975 bank robbery.

State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman Oscar Hidalgo said Kilgore was met by his wife after parole agents picked him up at the Susanville prison and processed him there.

That allowed the couple to travel directly to their home in Illinois, rather than have Kilgore wait to check in Monday with a parole agent in Sacramento before leaving the state. He now has two weeks to report to Illinois parole officials.

Kilgore's wife moved to Illinois after he was arrested in 2002 in Cape Town, South Africa, after nearly three decades on the run."
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Six years for murder? Not a bad deal. And now he is in Illinois. How nice.
They robbed a bank and killed a customer named Myrna Upsahl. That's her husband holding her photo. Five SLA members were convicted and the longest sentence was 8 years.

The Odds: Obama 1st Nominee For Associate Justice?

Obama 1st Nominee For Associate Justice? Betting from Paddy Power
Sonia Sotomayor is the favorite at 13/8. Hillary Clinton is 100/1.

Ah, those were the days...

Exclusive: Confessions of a Mortgage Scammer - ABC News: "Dawson admitted he ran a Ponzi scheme: He convinced his clients to take equity out of their homes and invest it in his hedge fund. But that 'hedge fund' didn't actually exist, he said, and he pocketed the money. When he had to, he paid off old investors with new investors' money.

During the housing boom, Dawson took advantage of desperate homeowners, eager-to-lend banks and lax regulations to steal millions."
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But these days, what is a con artist to do? Nobody is buying anything, the banks don't want to lend, and suddenly Fannie Mae is getting picky.

Look at what this guy did. It was a calculated ripoff and he, along with untold others, got away with it for a long time.

Just speaking hypothetically, I wonder what would happen if, instead of a five year sentence, we handled this Chinese style: the government would take about a dozen of these crooks and have them summarily executed. That would be a provocative little example for others, wouldn't it? I realize we don't do things that way. It's just a thought experiment.

FORECLOSING ON POL - New York Post

FORECLOSING ON POL - New York Post: "State Sen. Kevin Parker -- a vocal supporter of foreclosure relief for troubled homeowners -- has good reason to take that position.

His own two-story Flatbush house is in danger of being repossessed.

According to court papers, Parker, a four-term Democrat representing Brooklyn's 21st Senatorial District, hasn't paid a dime in more than a year toward the $488,000 mortgage he took out in 2006."
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And now he's in trouble for allegedly attacking the photographer who took the pictures.

Dark Roasted Blend: Underground Cities and Bunkers: Living Down Below

Dark Roasted Blend: Underground Cities and Bunkers: Living Down Below: "Ever since Tolkien's Mines of Moria, and perhaps the haunting, grandiose structures of Gormenghast, the vast underground spaces has intrigued and thrilled readers, movie-goers and urban explorers (see our article Abandoned Tunnels and Vast Underground Spaces)

This time we'll highlight a few subterranean (or built into a mountain) cities and huge bunkers - but we have a feeling that our feeble spotlight of information is not going to sweep away the murky mysteries surrounding these sites."
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Absolutely astounding.

Rivera found guilty in third trial for 1992 rape, murder :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Chicago Crime

Rivera found guilty in third trial for 1992 rape, murder :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Chicago Crime: "Juan Rivera’s third trial for the notorious 1992 rape and murder of Holly Staker ended Friday the same way as his first two — with a guilty verdict.

A Lake County jury deliberated for nearly 35 hours over four days before convicting Rivera of raping, stabbing and strangling the 11-year-old Waukegan girl."
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Well, that makes three times a 12 person jury has unanimously found this psycho guilty. So, 36 people have been convinced beyond a reasonable doubt. But twice an appellate court has decided it wasn't done right. I hope this time the conviction sticks.

Chicago home sales drop 37 percent in first quarter :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Business

Chicago home sales drop 37 percent in first quarter :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Business: "Home sales in Chicago plunged 37 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, and prices fell 26.8 percent, the Illinois Association of Realtors said Friday.

There were 2,909 existing single-family homes and condominiums sold in the first quarter of this year, down from 4,617, and the median price was $216,000, down from $295,000, the group said.

In the Chicago metropolitan area, sales sales dropped 26.4 percent to 10,306 from 14,012, and the median price fell 22.8 percent to $187,500 from $243,000.

Statewide, sales were down 23.5 percent to 16,748 from 21,902, and the median price sank 21.1 percent to $146,000 from $185,000."
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I don't much care how many houses change hands, but these price drops are downright painful to behold.

UIC Bans Handshakes At Graduation - cbs2chicago.com

Are We Over-Reacting To The H1N1 Flu Outbreak? UIC Bans Handshakes At Graduation - cbs2chicago.com:

"It's a graduation tradition: a congratulatory handshake along with your diploma. But Wednesday night, the H1N1 flu virus has the University of Illinois at Chicago banning the handshakes."
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I will be there, of course. What will they do if I shake hands with one of my students?

Anthony DiMaggio: Obama and the Housing Crisis

Anthony DiMaggio: Obama and the Housing Crisis: "It appears that the housing crisis will play a major role in defining the Obama administration; unfortunately, it is not entirely clear that the President is up to the challenge."
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Here is a piece by Tony DiMaggio, a UIC Ph.D. candidate in Political Science and prolific author as well as exceptional teacher. How do I know? Because he was once one of my teaching assistants. This is a very detailed and intelligent analysis of Obama's housing policies and it is well worth reading in its entirety.

Wall Street Journal blog--HOA dues as mine canary

Another Sign of Foreclosure Trouble in California - Developments - WSJ: "Here’s another sign that California’s foreclosures could jump in 2009: Delinquencies on dues owed to homeowner associations have risen sharply.

The homeowner association delinquency rate can serve as a leading indicator of sorts because homeowners usually stop paying dues before they stop paying their mortgage. The 90-day delinquency rate on dues for the 260 homeowner associations in California managed by Merit Property Management jumped to 5.3% in March from 2.8% last June. Delinquencies first spiked to 2.6% in December 2007 from 0.8% in March 2007."
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Shu Bartholomew sent this along. I think the basic observation is sound. People can say what they want about the stock market and the banks. To me, the recession is mainly about housing and unemployment, and those are the two sets of indicators I pay attention to. Neither looks good at the moment.

Homeowners receive citations after making complaints public - The Times-Herald

Homeowners receive citations after making complaints public - The Times-Herald: "Wednesday's citations followed the airing of an Atlanta TV news story about their grievances with the builder and HOA management company. The homeowners didn't expect retaliation in the form of covenant citations. Additional citations will mean fines."
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They called the builder, then the management company, and then the media. And now they are getting hit with citations for all sorts of violations.

Fred Pilot sent this along.

Tadpole Acres?

Homeowners feel they were misled about amenities - The Times-Herald: "Homeowners at a new subdivision in Newnan feel they've been misled and duped after learning two weeks ago that amenities touted by one of Atlanta's top builders won't be offered this year.

The 15 homeowners at Bullsboro Crossing, a 'swim community' off Bullsboro Drive, learned the subdivision will not be opening its pool, clubhouse or pavilion this summer, citing economic reasons, according to the company that manages the homeowners association for the builder.

Homeowners were looking forward to enjoying a pool that was open last summer."
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The pool isn't being maintained, so now it is a nature preserve full of tadpoles. What happens when they lose their little tails and become frogs?
Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link. Ribbit.

Conclusive proof that western civilization has ended

Paris Hilton, American Treasure - May 6, 2009
Decline. Fall.

Just as I suspected...

Spiders Getting Bigger -- Global Warming to Blame?: "A group of Danish scientists wondered whether global warming would make the hairy, meat-eating wolf spiders of northeastern Greenland bigger, since longer summers mean more hunting time."
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I've been expecting this for decades. Haven't you?

White House Memo - With Gay Issues in View, Obama Is Pressed to Engage - NYTimes.com

White House Memo - With Gay Issues in View, Obama Is Pressed to Engage - NYTimes.com: "Mr. Obama — who has said he opposes same-sex marriage as a Christian but describes himself as a “fierce advocate of equality” for gay men and lesbians — is under pressure to engage on a variety of gay issues that are coming to the fore amid a dizzying pace of social, political, legal and legislative change."
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This is not a problem. All he has to do is appoint a lesbian to the Supreme Court. As the article says, he has two under consideration. Even if he doesn't do that, President Obama is in no danger of losing the gay/lesbian constituency to the Republicans anyway. The GOP is firmly in the hands of the social issues folks who claim they don't care about the electoral consequences of alienating gays, Hispanics, Asians, African-Americans, single women, people who want to smoke weed so they can endure chemotherapy, and any other group that crosses one of the moral lines in the sand. So, I think this NYT piece is interesting, but Obama still has a free hand to curry favor with Hispanics or whoever he chooses.

HOA sends foreclosure notices to dozens in neighborhood | WOAI.COM: San Antonio News

HOA sends foreclosure notices to dozens in neighborhood | WOAI.COM: San Antonio News: "SAN ANTONIO -- Dozens of homeowners living in a South Side neighborhood are facing foreclosure. The residents received foreclosure notices not because they couldn't pay their mortgage, but because they didn't pay a $130.00 homeowners association fee.

A total of 84 people in the Mission Creek subdivision received the foreclosure notices in the mail."
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Thanks to Anonymous--check this out. These heavy-handed techniques seem to be increasingly common as the housing part of this recession continues to worsen. Say what you want about the Dow and NASDAQ. The nation's CIDs are in trouble and it hasn't bottomed out.yet.

Defenders Subjected To Profanity-Laced Tirade - San Antonio News Story - KSAT San Antonio

Defenders Subjected To Profanity-Laced Tirade - San Antonio News Story - KSAT San Antonio
An anonymous commenter sent in this link--the video and comments are pretty heavy.

Chicago, IL - Beloved Orthodox Rabbi Fired, Shul Shuttered -- VosIzNeias

Chicago, IL - Beloved Orthodox Rabbi Fired, Shul Shuttered -- VosIzNeias: "Chicago, IL - The eviction notice was addressed to 'unknown occupant,' but that could not have been further from the truth in the small slice of Uptown where Rabbi Philip Lefkowitz ministered.

Because of a dispute with Congregation Agudas Achim, where he had been rabbi for 13 years, Lefkowitz must leave the condominium the synagogue owns by mid-May.

'I'll be sitting on a couch on the street,' said Lefkowitz, 64. 'I have no place to go.'"
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Seems that the dispute was settled, and the congregation was supposed to pay the condo assessments, but they didn't, so the condo association filed a forcible detainer action to evict him. Illinois is the only state where condo associations can evict unit occupants, including unit owners.

Study Names McLean, Virginia Wealthiest Community in America|NewsChannel 8

Study Names McLean, Virginia Wealthiest Community in America|NewsChannel 8: "McLEAN, Va. - A new study says the richest community in America is located in Fairfax County. Researchers say McLean, Va. Is the wealthiest, with Potomac, Md. not far behind.

Gated mansions, manicured lawns and incomes more than triple the national average earn McLean, Va. the first place on BizJournal's list of wealthiest communities."
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HOAs put homes with late dues up on auction block | Latest News | WFAA.com

HOAs put homes with late dues up on auction block | Latest News | WFAA.com: "The foreclosure listing service says foreclosures are up 25 percent in North Texas, and nearly 1,000 homes this year have been foreclosed on by homeowners associations.

Often, homeowners don't even realize their house is on the auction block."
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Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link. People keep on expressing surprise that they can lose their home over $1000 in delinquent assessments.