Unbelievable: RNC Email Scandal

We haven't even seen the tip of the iceberg on this. The corruption has gone on on such a massive scale, I don't think most people come close to comprehending it.

Lots of fireworks to come on this over the next 12 months.

RNC Destroys Emails, Alberto Gonzalez Complicit

Brooklyn Eagle Reports On F Train Petition

Nice. Raanan Geberer over at the Brooklyn Eagle covers the F-Express story. I forgot about the Frank Costanza line, gave me a quick laugh.

F&V Update

Word from DeBlasio's office is:

MTA is looking into other ways to do F express so it does not have to wait until the construction is done [on the Culver Viaduct].

We're making progress here people. Keep spreading the word!

Petition is here.

F&V Petition Closing in on 1,000 Signatures

A post on Gothamist, as well as continued coverage at KensingtonBrooklyn and The Gowanus Lounge have spread the petition far and wide.

A city with a $4.4 billion budget surplus can afford to make commuting a more pleasant experience for its residents and visitors.

Graphic from allposters.com ($40 for a framed poster, for the down F'ers)

Nigerian E-mail Scam Gets A New Twist - Abu Ghraib!

You do have to appreciate the originality in this one: no oil company or bank corruption or funds looted from an African treasury . . . this one combines elements of "Three Kings" and the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

Dear Sir,
I have managed to sneak out this email to you from my confinement here in one of our military bases in Germany.My name is Col.Charles Telma of The US Army. I was based in Iraq until recently,I was sent back to Germany because of the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal in which I was unfortunately implicated. I am still under House Arrest,pending the outcome of investigation.
During my sojourn in Iraq, I was able to successfully smuggle US$ 21.7m out of Iraq to a location in Europe. I reckoned that being a soldier I would not be in the best position to give a satisfactory account of how I came about such an amount of money.I could therefore not conclude the proccess of securing the money before I was apprehended as I was at a loss about into which account one could pay it and that is where your assistance comes in.
I have resolved to share the total sum with you in the fairest ratio that we shall both agree on as settlement for your own part of the deal.
Please,ponder over this and feed me back as I am in dire need of your assistance at this time.Please, send me your private contact info. in order to facilitate an easier and more private correspondence between us.
I must assure you that this will not expose you to any risk as all the possible risk has been foreseen and taken care of. I must also remind you that transaction of this magnitude and nature is to be handled carefully in order for both of us to be well protected. I shall send you more details as soon as I hear from you.I implore you to really consider this offer and feed me back. Also let me know how you wish to be settled for your role in the business.Please,reply tochtelma_1@yahoo.de I await your response with much optimism.
Thanks in advance,
Best Regards
Charles telma (Col).

Feel free to toy with this clown if you have hours to kill. But there's no way you will top the 419 Eater. For the all-time best scam-baiting, check this out. May be the funniest thing you'll ever read, and you'll learn the story behind the picture above.

Tremendous Response to F train petition!

264 signatures so far, and the petition has only been up for 24 hours. Many thanks to everybody who has helped support this initiative thus far:

KensingtonBrooklyn
The Gowanus Lounge
Second Avenue Subway Sagas
Brownstoner

Ben over at SASS does a very detailed analysis of the proposal. I highly recommend reading it.

I've also been in touch with the editor over at the Brooklyn eagle, and reps from City Council Member Bill DeBlasio and Assemblywoman Joan Millman.

The MTA needs to know there is demand for this project. Sign the petition today!

U.S. Foreclosures Up 90% In May

Dark clouds on the horizon. And not just the ones casting thunder, lightning, and torrential rain in my lovely neighborhood.

Bloomberg has the bad news:

U.S. foreclosure filings surged 90 percent in May from a year earlier as more homeowners fell behind on their monthly mortgage payments, RealtyTrac Inc. said.
. . . .

A jump in foreclosures at a time of year that traditionally is the busiest for home sales means the slide in prices probably isn't over, said James Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. Typically, more than half of all home sales occur in the April to June period, according to Freddie Mac, the No. 2 mortgage buyer.

``Such strong activity in the midst of the typical spring buying season could foreshadow even higher foreclosure levels later in the year,'' Saccacio said in the report. That will add ``to the downward pressure on home prices in many areas.''

The New York market has so far been spared the carnage. Partially due to the strong local economy; partially due to the high proportion of renters; partially due to the more conservative lending/borrowing practices vis-a-vis, say, California. Take a look at this map from Business Week posted a few months back to get a sense of where the real pain is and will be.

But we're not immune here. A lot of people are overextended these days, and it's not a good thing.