Well, all...

I will leave you on this note... A mystery of sorts. Whom can identify what this is in this picture? Place your answer in the comments section of this post. Simply click on "comments". Have a good night, y'all. -SD

Coming up next...

The Jet Set & The Hollywood Royalty, as well as, Will The Queen To Be Make It To Her Rightful Seat? -SD

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Photos provided by Google and the following web addys:
www.greatdreams.com, www.freerepublic.com, & www.telegraph.co.uk

4-close-your foundation

Homes in foreclosure top 1 million
By Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com senior writer
Jun 5th, 2008

Mortgage bankers report hits grim a benchmark in first quarter, showing a record number of homes in jeopardy.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- More than one million homes are now in foreclosure, the highest rate ever recorded, according to a trade group which warned Thursday that number will continue to climb.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's first quarter report showed that a record 2.5% of all loans being serviced by its members are now in foreclosure, which works out to about 1.1 million homes. That's up from the 2% of loans, or about 938,000 homes, that were in foreclosure at the end of 2007.

The Trick to Getting a Mortgage Fixed

The report also showed that 448,000 homes, or about 1% of loans being serviced, began the foreclosure process during the first quarter. That's up from about 382,000 homes, or 0.83%, that entered foreclosure in the last three months of 2007.

The seasonally-adjusted rate of homeowners behind on their mortgage payments also hit a record high. Nearly 3 million home loans, or 6.4%, have missed at least one payment, while about 737,000 are at least three months past due, but not yet in foreclosure.

Grim numbers
"The figures aren't surprising, but they're pretty ugly nonetheless," said Michael Larson, real estate analyst with Weiss Research. "We're talking higher delinquencies and foreclosures pretty much across the board."

And he doubts that there's much reason to expect the foreclosure crisis to abate until next year at the earliest, adding that it could be a couple of years or more before foreclosure rates retreat to more normal historical averages.

"It's the same story we've been seeing for a while now - we had too much reckless lending, and buyers who got over-extended," he said. "We've had an unprecedented decline in home prices on a nationwide basis, which is public enemy number one for mortgage loans. And now you've got an overall economy that has slowed adding to this toxic stew."

Good credit, bad credit
Much of the problem lies with subprime loans given to borrowers with weaker credit records, especially those loans that had adjustable rates. Nearly four out of ten subprime ARM loans are a month or more late, or in foreclosure. And subprime ARMs account for 39% of the loans that fell into foreclosure during the quarter.

Prime fixed-rate loans, which are considered very low risk, have also seen sharp increases in their delinquency and foreclosure rates, although they are performing far better than the riskier loans on the market.

There are 431,000 prime loans in foreclosure, a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.2% that is more than double the 0.5% rate a year ago.

The report showed about 1.2 million prime mortgages are now a month or more past due, a seasonably adjusted rate of 3.7% of those loans. That's up from a rate of 2.6%a year ago.

According to Jay Brinkman, MBA's vice president for research and economics, the prime loan segment was hurt by so-called Alt-A loans, which didn't require income verification for buyers with good credit. Prime loans are also getting into trouble in places such as Florida and California, which have seen sharp home price declines.

"You still have people with prime fixed rate loans who lose their jobs, who get a divorce or have an illness come up, and can no longer afford a house," Brinkman said. "In areas where there's been home price appreciation, you can get out of that with the sale of a home or some other negotiation."

Getting worse before it gets better
This marks the sixth straight quarter in which a record percentage of loans went into foreclosure.

The trend has led to a widespread decline in home prices, as well as huge losses for banks and other financial firms that issued or invested in the loans.

Nearly half of the homes in foreclosure are concentrated in six states. But those states are undergoing two very different types of housing meltdowns.

California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada have been hit by a hangover after a home building boom in the middle of the decade, which was fueled by rising home prices and investors snatching up real estate using risky mortgages. Those four states have nearly 400,000 homes in foreclosure, or a third of the nationwide total. Roughly 3.6% of all of the loans in these states are now in foreclosure.

"Clearly things in California and Florida are going to get worse before they get better," said Brinkman.

The other two states that are ground zero for the crisis - Michigan and Ohio - have been hit by the more traditional economic woes stemming from rising job losses, particularly in the automotive sector.

Ohio has about 61,000 homes in foreclosure, while Michigan has about 54,000. The foreclosure rate in those two states is 3.9%.

There is a glimmer of good news. The rate of homes going into foreclosure in Ohio and Michigan was narrowly lower than it was in the fourth quarter, and 18 other states also saw a decline in that rate.

Brinkman said he hoped that means the crisis is at or near a bottom in much of the country, and that foreclosure prevention efforts have started to have an effect. But he added that a slight improvement in one quarter doesn't necessarily mean the end is near.

Indeed, the rate of homes going into foreclosure continued to climb sharply higher in California and Florida, as has the rate of loans in those states that are 90 days or more past due but not yet in foreclosure. Brinkman said that in markets like these, where home prices have fallen so far from the market's peak, finding solutions to keep a home out of foreclosure are more difficult.

He also added that, given the large impact California and Florida are having on the national foreclosure numbers, and the fact that historically foreclosures peak about three years into the loan's life, he expects the number of foreclosures will continue to rise.
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Post title created by SDRoads
Quick editing by SDRoads

*View full article and extras at the following web addy:
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On Call

Calling the White House just now was not that hard, no, not that hard at all. The nice woman was even kind enough to refer me to the right number in order to reach Mrs. Hillary Clinton. As I have said, or, written, rather, for Hills, excuse me, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, before in this site, "You Go Girl!!! -SDRoads

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Photo source: Google and the following web address;
www.clauss.dk
~I title this picture, Your Days Will Get Brighter, Hills", hence the reason for choosing a picture with a more 'gloomy' atmosphere. -SD

You know...

... I was going to say, well, my next assignment was to write that I don't think Hillary Clinton should be giving up so quickly, with respect to the presidential race. As it stands, she will be pulling out of the race on Saturday, of all days. Now, after viewing that amazing video footage referenced in the post immediately below, I have a new thought. I don't think she should ever give up... alleged "scandal" and all. God speed to Hillary. Wonderful speech Hills! Your best ever!! Seems to me a phone call is in order. Saturday will be here in a blink... wink... of an eye! -Sincerely, SDRoads

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Photos from www.carboncommentary.com & www.carlenny.wordpress.com

All chocked~up, I mean, dressed up, with no where to go, she is.

In Defense of Hillary Clinton's Crying
January 8th, 2008 by Glenn Sacks
"Hillary Clinton let down every woman"--Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom

"Will Clinton's 'Cry' be the new Dean 'Scream'?"--San Francisco Chronicle

"To Err Is Human; To Cry Is Woman" -- WNBC, NY

"Clinton choked up at NH roundtable"--Sioux City Journal

"The Clintons Are History"--Beyond Chron

"Choking Up In New Hampshire?"--CBS News

Hillary Clinton is not exactly my cup of tea, but I've been surprised and disgusted with the reaction (see headlines above) to her crying at this New Hampshire roundtable discussion. Rival candidate John Edwards even implied that Hillary wasn't tough enough for the job of president, and many of her critics are deriding her as weak.

What strikes me about the incident is this--Hillary Clinton has been hammered on relentlessly for 15 years over every damn thing imaginable. On top of that, she had to endure humiliation before the world as her husband was caught banging a 22-year-old. Some of the criticism of Hillary Clinton has been justified and some of it has been outright lunacy. But whatever you think of the criticisms and whatever you think of her politics or of her as a person, the "not tough enough stuff" is nonsense. Clinton has endured far more attacks than all of her Democratic rivals put together. Like her or not, she's strong enough to be president.

A few other points:

1) Some are saying that the crying wasn't real, that it was a calculated political act. I've no particular opinion on that aspect of it.

2) Many are saying that if she doesn't win today in New Hampshire, after not winning in Iowa, she's finished. I think this is nonsense. What I wonder is this--who cares whether she wins the New Hampshire primary? There are more people within a small radius of me here in the suburbs of Los Angeles than there are in all of New Hampshire. New Hampshire and Iowa combined are less than 2% of the U.S. population. Before Clinton's candidacy is declared dead, can the other 98% of us please have a chance to vote?
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Article and photo from Google and the following web address:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nydailynews.com/img/2008/01/08/amd_hil2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://glennsacks.com/blog/%3Fp%3D1655&h=307&w=240&sz=15&hl=en&start=20&tbnid=j8NgvxG8iOR3JM:&tbnh=117&tbnw=91&prev=/images%3Fq%3DHillary%2BClinton%2Bcrying%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG
Quick Editing by SDRoads

TO VIEW THE VIDEO, COPY AND PASTE THE ADDRESS IMMEDIATELY ABOVE. THANXX -SD

B of A to purchase Countrywide

Bank of America wins approval to buy Countrywide

By IEVA M. AUGSTUMS, AP Business Writer
34 minutes ago

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Federal Reserve on Thursday approved Bank of America Corp.'s purchase of distressed mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp.

In a statement, the federal regulatory said it considered many comments for and against the company buyout and "has considered carefully the financial factors of the proposal."

Charlotte-based Bank of America, which announced its $4 billion acquisition of the Calabasas, Calif.-based mortgage lender in January, has faced much criticism for Countrywide's large exposure to subprime home loans that were offered to borrowers despite their shaky credit.

Countrywide lost about $1.6 billion in the last six months of 2007, and the company faces numerous investigations and lawsuits related to its lending practices.

Bank of America has said it will tighten those lending standards.

"This transaction represents a rare opportunity for Bank of America to significantly gain market share in the mortgage business, allowing it to expand in a cornerstone financial product," Bank of America Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ken Lewis said in a statement commenting on the Fed decision.

In its order, the Fed board said that after the proposed deal Bank of America would remain the largest depository institution in the country, controlling approximately $773.4 billion in deposits, which represent 10.9 percent of total insured bank deposits in the country.

When the deal was first announced, Bank of America said it would pay about $4 billion in an all-stock deal for Countrywide, exchanging 0.1822 shares of Bank of America for each share of Countrywide outstanding.

In recent months, some analysts have speculated that the deal may be completed at a lower price because of further deterioration in the mortgage market and a continued rise in mortgage delinquencies and defaults.

Experts have said that the deterioration of the mortgage market and Countrywide's loan portfolio could lead to costly write-downs and create a drag on Bank of America's earnings.

But on Monday, Lewis told analysts on a conference call that he believed buying Countrywide was still a good deal even though the housing market had continued to falter since the deal was announced.

Lewis said he believed that housing conditions would improve by early next year. He said that Countrywide and its professional sales force would give the bank a boost as it pushes to increase market share in the mortgage sector.

Upon the Fed's decision Thursday, Lewis said that mortgages "continue to be a key consumer product for Bank of America, serving as a driver for adding new customers and deepening relationships with existing ones."

Bank of America said it expects the sale to close in the July-September quarter.

The Fed board approved the deal in a 32-page order issued Thursday. Countrywide had said previously that it will hold a special meeting of shareholders on June 25 to approve the proposed sale.

___

AP Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger in Washington contributed to this report.
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Article furnished by Yahoo and the following web address:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080605/ap_on_bi_ge/bank_of_america_countrywide
Quick Editing by SDRoads
Photo source: Google, and the following web address:
www.bloomberg.com

Remembering RFK

Remembering the tragedy.
~On this day, June the 5th, 2008, it has been 40 years since Robert Kennedy was assassinated.
~Forty years after he was gunned down, Robert F. Kennedy is still making an impact on politics.

---------------
Photo/video source, along with type: Yahoo and the following web address:
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8179120&ch=4226713&src=news
Photo editing by SDRoads

***
Copy, paste, view, learn! ... Remember?
http://www.yahoo.com/?r317=1212705073

Our Rights

**********************************

THE BILL OF RIGHTS


Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Amendment VII

In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.


***
"Although 12 amendments were originally proposed, the 10 that were ratified became the Bill of Rights in 1791. They defined citizens' rights in relation to the newly established government under the Constitution."
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Quote and photo source:
http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/

Does he know something we don't know? -SD

This race had a lot more runners than most people realize. -SD

United States presidential election, 2008

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES:
Barack ObamaPN (campaign) · Hillary Clinton (campaign) · Evan Bayh · Joe Biden (campaign) · Chris Dodd (campaign) · John Edwards (campaign) · Mike Gravel (campaign) · Dennis Kucinich (campaign) · Dal LaMagna · Bill Richardson (campaign) · Tom Vilsack

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES:
John McCainPN (campaign) · Ron Paul* (campaign) · Sam Brownback · Hugh Cort · John Cox · Dan Gilbert · Jim Gilmore (campaign) · Rudy Giuliani (campaign) · Mike Huckabee (campaign) · Duncan Hunter (campaign) · Alan Keyes (campaign) · Ray McKinney · Mitt Romney (campaign) · Tom Tancredo (campaign) · Fred Thompson (campaign) · Tommy Thompson

CONSTITUTION PARTY
(CONVENTION) CANDIDATES:
Chuck BaldwinN · Daniel Imperato · Alan Keyes (campaign)
VP Candidate: Darrell Castle

GREEN PARTY
(CONVENTION) CANDIDATES:
Daniel Imperato · Jesse Johnson · Cynthia McKinney · Kent Mesplay · Kat Swift · Elaine Brown

LIBERTARIAN PARTY
(CONVENTION) CANDIDATES:
Bob BarrN (campaign) · Mike Gravel (campaign) · Daniel Imperato · Steve Kubby · George Phillies · Wayne Allyn Root · Mary Ruwart · Christine Smith · Doug Stanhope
VP Candidate: Wayne Allyn Root

PROHIBITION PARTY CANDIDATES:
Gene AmondsonN · Earl Dodge
VP Candidate: Leroy Pletten

SOCIALIST PARTY USA CANDIDATES:
Brian MooreN
VP Candidate: Stewart Alexander

INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES:
John Taylor Bowles · Ralph Nader** (campaign, running mate) · Jon Sharkey

***
Draft movements Michael Bloomberg · Newt Gingrich · Al Gore · Condoleezza Rice · Mark Warner

~~~
Candidates shown in italics have withdrawn or suspended their candidacies, or were not their party's nominee.
N = Nominee of that party.
PN = Presumptive nominee of that party.
* Candidate is mathematically eliminated in terms of delegates.
** Has received delegates from the Green Party, but is not a member of it.

-------------------
List derived from Wikipedia
Edited by SDRoads
Photo furnished by Google and the following web address:
www.flickr.com

JuSt A hUnCh

I have a funny feeling that Obama has already won. This is more than a hunch, though, that hunch is strong. It's all in the body language, as well. And that is my commentary. -SDRoads

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Photos courtesy of Google, and the following web addresses:
Obama: www.humanrightsamerica.files.wordpress.com
McCain: www.nonviolentmigration.wordpress.com

McCain vs. Obama

"Share this with a friend."

McCain and Obama: a stark matchup By Linda Feldmann
Thu Jun 5, 4:00 AM ET



The contrasts could not be more stark: an African-American Democrat versus a white Republican. The latter old enough to be the father of the former. One with no military experience, the other with a long Navy career punctuated by a harrowing period of captivity in a Hanoi prison camp. One with a soaring rhetorical style that can light up a sports arena, the other more comfortable in the back-and-forth banter of a town-hall meeting.

Then there are the policy differences between the two presumptive major-party nominees for president. John McCain (R) is one of the Senate's most outspoken supporters of the Iraq war, while Barack Obama (D) has opposed it from the start. Senator McCain wants big tax cuts and less government spending; Senator Obama wants tax breaks targeted at the middle class and greater government involvement in job creation. On healthcare, McCain emphasizes consumer choice and market forces, while Obama favors government action that puts the nation on track toward universal coverage.

As the 2008 general election campaign kicks off, one point is already certain: The outcome will be historic. America will elect either its first African-American president or its oldest first-term president. But just as striking as their differences is a key similarity. Neither was the first choice of their party establishment for the nomination, and both have promised "a different kind of politics" from the highly partisan, divisive wrangling that has come to mark Washington for the past 20 years.

Both men hold appeal among independent voters – about a third of the electorate – and whoever wins a majority of them wins in November. So while both candidates must hold onto the bulk of their party regulars, they will also play to the nonideological center in a way that the nominees didn't in the last two presidential races.

Still, for McCain, the anti-Republican headwind he faces cannot be underestimated.

In any analysis of the 2008 race, "you start with the already-well-described Democratic advantage this time around, beginning with unhappiness over the war and the economy," says Bruce Buchanan, a political scientist at the University of Texas, Austin.

President Bush's abysmal job approval ratings also don't do McCain any favors. Even if Bush were doing reasonably well, history would still point toward a Democrat in 2008. Rarely is a two-term president succeeded by the nominee of his own party.

Generic polls show Americans preferring, with no names attached, a Democratic president to a Republican by a double-digit margin.

But McCain's image of independence and working across the aisle gives him a shot in November. So far, he is holding his own in polls versus Obama.

One of the great unknowns is the race factor. With no historical precedents for a nonwhite nominee, it is impossible to predict how or where Obama's race will affect his chances.

While McCain faced some grumbling among key GOP constituencies when he locked up the party nomination – particularly among movement conservatives and evangelical voters – Obama, too, must unify his party after a divisive primary season. He will need the support of the working class, older, and Hispanic voters that flocked to Hillary Rodham Clinton, and thus how she ends her candidacy and whether she works hard for Obama's election loom large over Obama's chances.

Party strategists warn against making too much of the intraparty squabbling.

"I think both candidates will get 80 percent of their party's voters at the end of the day," says Bill Carrick, a Democratic strategist based in Los Angeles.

"After eight years of George Bush, I just don't think Democrats will be voting for Republicans," says Mr. Carrick. "And when things calm down, they'll recognize that it's in the Democrats' best interest to elect Senator Obama. And Republicans will have the same feeling about McCain."

This leaves the moderates and the independents as the battleground. McCain is already trying mightily to distance himself from Bush, appearing in public with him as little as possible and pointedly criticizing his administration for its blunders, such as the handling of hurricane Katrina and what McCain saw was mishandling of the early years of the Iraq war.

McCain is also seizing opportunities to highlight his policy differences with Bush, such as his support for limits on greenhouse-gas emissions that the Bush administration resisted.

But every time the debate comes back to Iraq, McCain risks looking in lock step with Bush. McCain was a big proponent of last year's "surge" in US troop presence in Iraq, and so his complaints of the handling of the war have diminished.

Going forward, the mantra that Obama introduced first – change – will now be the theme of both campaigns. From the McCain camp, the question will be whose change do voters want, the change that a "maverick," experienced leader can bring, or the change that a young man who just four years ago was a state senator in Illinois can bring.

From the Obama camp, the emphasis will be on judgment over years of Washington experience.

During the primaries, Senator Clinton failed to gain serious traction over her highly debated advertisement asking voters whom they would want answering the phone at 3 a.m. In fact, analysts say, it may have only served to point to McCain as the most experienced candidate on national-security matters.

But even there, as polls show Americans more concerned about the economy than about Iraq or terrorism, McCain starts his general election run with a big anchor around his legs.

"He's in a tough situation, McCain, given that the major issues are going to be economic and that these issues do favor a Democratic candidate," says Stephen Wayne, a political scientist at Georgetown University.

"McCain can campaign if he wants on national-security grounds, but unless there's a change in the international environment and a perceived threat to the US, I don't know where that's going to get him."

McCain's admitted weakness on economic matters could be helped by selecting a running mate with a strong reputation on economics and finance, such as former Rep. Rob Portman (R) of Ohio, also Mr. Bush's former budget director, or Mitt Romney, ex-governor Massachusetts and a wealthy businessman.



Copyright © 2008 The Christian Science Monitor

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Photo courtesy of Google and the following web address:
www.mjmgroup.com