Wow, I guess that fledgling hawk I saw a couple of winters ago wasn't so rare after all

You know these birds are almost as big as an eagle full grown, and I suspect they'll eat anything smaller than them - mice, rats, cats & even small dogs on their own.

If you have a outdoor cat or even small dog, I'd be careful

Thanks all, good advice. Looks like Liberty Humane will do the job.

I take the bus often enough to see who can spill 500 and who can't, but suppose there are a few of them. How about the main part of them?
For me is just depressing an half-scary to see these ads, reminding me that maybe I crossed the Atlantic for the wrong reasons. They are even scarier than the people in the back of the bus.

I'm so glad that the hawk is going to be fine!

Gina

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I'm pretty sure there are people out there who are only to happy to buy a gun and still not have a car.

Gina

Is the farmer at VVP have local stuff? I am going to try to support locally grown farmer markets as much as possible. Any little thing that I can do to help is better then sitting on my ass doing nothing.

Gina

How does one become a registered artist? Google is not helping me and I suspect it is a easy procedure for somebody related to the insiders and the Machine...

Quote:
This guy talks like an elected official, to hearts, not to minds. Killing people and expecting no repercussion is a sci-fi scenario, no sane person would do that. Not even the guy who pretended he shouldn't be fined because he forgot to validate the light rail ticket will pretend that he can just shoot people by mistake.

The campaign is not fit for the buses, I fail to see how can one afford a gun and not afford a car. Plainly, it's wasted money.

Central banks should be ready to respond to events that could have systemic risks but should not try to "prick" asset bubbles with tighter monetary policy, San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Janet Yellen said on Friday...Speaking 10 years after the Asian financial crisis, Yellen said central bankers have the tools to curb dangerously fast-growing asset price spirals, notably by raising interest rates... The United States, Yellen said, learned from Japan's experience and acted quickly several years ago to prevent the economy from losing too much steam when the U.S. stock market tumbled in the aftermath of the late-1990s Internet bubble. "Major aggressive steps were taken so the U.S. didn't end up where Japan ended up," she explained.

Instead they gave us a debt-based asset bubble. Now she says the Fed shouldn't prick the asset bubble. Does she not realize that debt-based bubbles require more debt to sustain them? That the only way to pump debt into such a late stage bubble is to fund ever more speculative LBO's?

Now that debt payments are greater than cash flow, the outcome will be a collapse of the hedge funds that buy that debt as the article implies. Does she expect she can keep a bubble with that many holes inflated and that much liquidity would not have even worse consequences?

Has anybody heard any updates on this project?

Wanna good laugh, take a look at these RE cheerleaders and their blathering on Fox News back in 2006...

Real Estate Predictions 2007

Quote:

The parking authority signs are not on the container. The signs are placed by the JCPA not the renter of the container. The signs are large, and show the permit # and address of the renter. Also, the signs (2) are placed on both sides of where the container goes and clearly states "No Parking".

The container was rented from the JCIA, so I assume the permit was included with the rental, although, all I saw were old faded permits on the outside of the container. There was no permit issued from the parking authority at least not one that was visible. The container was removed this morning. This guy has given his neighbors nothing but trouble since he moved in...barking dogs, trash left out for a month, the list is long. I want to talk to him about this. I just needed to know if he needed permits and all...Thanks for your help.

They must have a permit from the parking authority and also, there needs to be a permit on the actual container from the JCIA with the current date and where the dumpster is be used. If this is still going on call JCIA and the JCPA and have them ticketed. Also, I also asked former Councilman Jr. Maldonado and he said if the dumpster does not have a 2007 D.E.P. sticker on it , call 201-795-4555 and ask for Dominick Barile. They too, will send an inspector to the location.

When one rents one of those large metal trash containers that is placed on the street, is the renter responsible for getting no parking signs for the day the container is to be delivered and removed? I ask this because the delivery/ removal truck needs at least 4 car lengths to be able to maneuver in to get at the container.

My neighbor had one delivered and recovered without telling his neighbors and without being around, and this caused the delivery/removal driver to honk his horn loudly two mornings in one week as to wake up the people on the block so we would move our cars so he could deliver and recover the container.

Thanks

The Friends of VVP are pleased to announce that the farmers market in Van Vorst Park started today and will run through the middle of Oct. on every Sat. from 8am-3pm.

Come get your fresh veggies, flowers and fruit.

OOPS, IT'S A HAWK
Bird likely injured trying to fly, but that's no falcon

Saturday, June 16, 2007
By BERNETTE PEARSON
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The large brown-and-white bird found by a dog-walker in Jersey City is a young red-tailed hawk, not a falcon, a veterinarian said, and it may have been injured falling out of a tree while practicing to fly.

Dr. Laura Acosta, a veterinarian at Jersey City Animal Hospital, said it would be easy to mistake the hawk for a falcon.

"They (Jersey City Animal Control) thought it was a falcon because of its size," she said. "It takes time and a lot of working with birds to recognize the differences."

She said hawks are larger than falcons, but this one still has some growing to do.

The bird of prey was spotted on the ground by a man walking his dog in Bayside Park on Thursday afternoon. It hopped away but apparently could not fly.

It's not unusual for a young bird to fall out of a tree when it's in the "branching" stage, Acosta said.

"They go branch to branch to develop their wings," Acosta said.

The bird's sex couldn't be determined because its height and weight couldn't be accurately measured due to its injuries, Acosta said - the gender is generally determined by the bird's size because the sexual organs appear similar.

And, though some were surprised by the bird's presence, others say they have spotted this hawk - or, more likely, older ones - at Bayside Park for at least two years.

"I thought it was an eagle myself," said Kenny Dobson, a Jersey City school district custodian. When he saw the bird in yesterday's issue of The Jersey Journal, he realized he'd seen it before.

"I said, 'This is the bird that I've been seeing go back and forth,'" he said.

Apparently, the hawk is usually spotted around dusk, sometimes during baseball games, Little League coach Omar Smart said.

Jersey City resident Derrome Pressley also has spotted hawks or similar looking birds in the evenings as well.

"We sit there and actually watch as they catch and eat mice and stuff," he said.

There's also a large nest on top of one of the field's skylights that corresponds with the type of nest typically built by hawks, an expert said.

"Red-tails build a nest that is about 2 feet across," said Brian Moscatello, a manager at the New Jersey Audubon Society-sponsored Cape May Bird Observatory Center for Research and Education.

As recently as 20 years ago, it would have been quite rare to spot a red-tailed hawk in an urban area, Moscatello said. Now they're known to frequent high-rises and even tall trees in cities.

"I've seen red-tails in Bergen County, Liberty State Park and Palisade Park," he said.

As for the Bayside Park hawk, it's done fine, Acosta said. In fact, its appetite has returned - it ate a mouse yesterday, she said.

The bird was sent yesterday to Raptor's Trust, a bird rehabilitation facility in Millington. It will eventually be released back into the park

These are the new 'hearing aids' for when Healy or Comey make statements about crime and most things that pass through their lips concerning JC.

Billboards decry gunfire

Outdoor ads displayed across Hudson County send message to prevent gun violence

Ricardo Kaulessar -- Jersey Reporter -- 06/15/2007

THE BILLBOARD SAYS IT ALL – This billboard, being held by Noemi Bonilla of the advertising company Titan Worldwide (left) and Hudson County Prosecutor Edward J. DeFazio (right), is being displayed on New Jersey Transit buses and Light Rail trains to help prevent gun violence.

It's a picture of a young African-American girl accompanied by the words, "Don't shoot. I want to grow up."

The image is familiar to Hudson County residents who have seen it on billboards above busy thoroughfares and on New Jersey Transit buses and Light Rail trains.

This advertising campaign is being carried out by the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office in conjunction with the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.

It is being financed by a state grant.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward J. DeFazio said last week that his office decided to launch this media campaign to remind the public of the overwhelming problem of gun violence amongst youth and adults.

"We decided an educational campaign was an appropriate way to accentuate the dangers inherent with gunfire on the streets," DeFazio said. "People have to realize innocent bystanders, including children, are at risk of bodily injury and death."

DeFazio said that as of May, there have been seven shooting homicides in Hudson County, all of them occurring in Jersey City. According to crime statistics gathered by the Jersey City Police Department, from January to April there were 37 aggravated assaults and 105 robberies involving firearms.

DeFazio has been upfront about the alarming increase in gunfire on county streets, particularly in Jersey City. He has been a staunch supporter of the gun control legislation that Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy has been pushing for, including a bill limiting gun purchases to one firearm per month, which was passed by the state Assembly last Tuesday. The bill will soon be reviewed by the state Senate and possibly become a law.

Although DeFazio said that crime is decreasing in many categories, there are "one too many" incidents involving guns, many of which are trafficked into the city from other states.

DeFazio hopes people will see the billboards and think twice about using a firearm, or stop someone from using one irresponsibly.

"It should remind people that they are responsible for those elements in society who are willing to resort to the use of a firearm to settle a dispute," DeFazio said. "People have to realize it will take a partnership of all interested persons to control gun violence."

DeFazio said many people are unaware of a state law that requires an assailant to be charged with murder even if their victim was not the one whom they set out to harm.

DeFazio recalled the shooting death of Michael James Taylor in July 2004.

Taylor, a 17-year old Wilkinson Avenue resident, was killed on his block as the result of mistaken identity.

DeFazio also mentioned the death of 18-year-old Marcus Roberson, who was shot once in the back on April 14 at a party in the Montgomery Gardens Community Room. Two men were arrested in connection with the murder.

"Sadly, the common denominator between victims and perpetrators is that they are young adults," DeFazio said. "We believe it is an issue when you see the number of young men who are shot dead, particularly the number of African-Americans."

DeFazio added, "It is a national disgrace and it has become a national epidemic."

Reactions after anti-violence walk


Lifelong Jersey City resident Lorenzo Richardson has seen the billboards. Gun violence is an issue that resonates with Richardson, as he is an organizer of the Concerned Citizens Coalition, a non-profit founded in 1997 to find solutions to the problem of youth violence.

Last Saturday, June 9, the coalition hosted its 10th Annual Anti-Violence Walk and Competition, in which residents and students of four city high and elementary schools conducted a walk and gave performances highlighting the violence in their schools and communities.

Richardson said about the billboard, "It's a good message, a good idea" but he took issue with "a young black child's face" being used.

Richardson said more needs to done to address the issue of random gunfire.

"We don't come up with enough solutions but we are quick to prosecute," Richardson said. "There are a lot of factors as to why these kids doing this, such as no jobs, a bad educational system - and many don't have fathers in the home."

Richardson said he will push for the Jersey City school system to hold extracurricular activities after school hours so students have a safe haven to go to.

He also said the coalition is planning a community meeting this summer to address the issue of "violence and guns."

Healy commended DeFazio for spearheading the campaign.

"The prosecutor is doing the same job as the mayor in all 12 of the Hudson County municipalities," Healy said. "That is, the number one job - assuring the safety of the citizens."

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

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What a horse-siht comment - its a cheap investment to give a grant to a low income family, then STING them later with high property taxes.
Is there a commission kick-back for someone from banks who help families get that minimum deposit.

You're are such a wanker Healy.

Whose skull is it?

More and more bones found in storm drain; gunshot hole arouses suspicions

Ricardo Kaulessar and Tricia Tirella
Jersey Reporter -- 06/15/2007

WHAT LURKED BENEATH – Under this catch basin at the corner of Audrey Zapp Drive and Philips Street in Jersey City is a storm drainpipe where human bones were found, including a skull with a bullet hole.

Human bones that came out of a storm drainpipe last week under Liberty State Park in Jersey City are at the center of a homicide investigation.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward J. DeFazio said the finding "looks like a homicide." A gunshot hole was discovered by the state's Regional Medical Examiner Office at the back of a skull that was with the bones.

The bones which were found by state park workers on June 6 amongst debris being transferred from a garbage container into a dump truck.

According to DeFazio, last week several more bones were recovered from the pipe after a portion of the pipe was drained into a nearby field.

That makes at least 30 bones recovered since the initial discovery. The human adult skeleton is comprised of 206 bones.

DeFazio said the investigation is continuing, with no set timetable for a report from the Regional Medical Examiner's Office of how and when the homicide occurred.

"We really need the opinion of the experts," DeFazio said.

But DeFazio said that a preliminary investigation revealed some of the bones' origins.

"We believe he's a man, middle-aged, although more forensic testing will be needed to ascertain more specific information," DeFazio said.

"These bones also are a number of years old," added DeFazio, without stating specifically how old they were.

DeFazio said investigators are also checking the possibility that a thighbone found at the scene was broken while the person to which it belonged was still alive.

How did the bones get there?

The mystery remains as to how the bones ended up in the sewer line and how long ago they were dumped there.

Dana Loschiavo, a spokesperson for the state's Department of Environmental Protection, said last week that the storm drain line was cleaned on an "as needed" basis.

"It's not like we do this every year or have a set schedule on when we do the cleaning," Loschiavo said. "We had to do some maintenance cleaning since the road is prone to flooding."

The sewer line runs under Audrey Zapp Drive, a cobblestone road that serves as one of the entrances into the park. It spans a tenth of a mile, with six manhole covers and two gated street drains.

A spokesperson for the medical examiner's office said the process for concluding the age of the bones includes careful testing to determine race, sex, and ancestry.

The office will also conduct research to find out if blunt force trauma was applied to the body.

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

The last of 111 First St.

Final demolition as tobacco warehouse/artist complex will give way to condos

Ricardo Kaulessar - Jersey Reporter -- 06/15/2007

As of June 8, what was once an thriving eight-building complex is now just brick and wood-strewn rubble.

The structure, built in 1870 at 111 First St. as the headquarters of the P. Lorillard Tobacco Company, had found new life from 1989 to 2005 as a thriving center for artists to work and live within the cavernous spaces.

Now developer New Gold Equities plans to put in its place a 52-story building with condominiums, a hotel, artists' lofts, a gallery, retail space, and parking.

"It would have been a great cultural center," lamented sculptor and photographer William Rodwell, who used to live in the building, last week. "Instead, power, hypocrisy and lack of vision won the day."

What's planned

Dan Horgan, the attorney for New Gold Equities, did not mince words about the demolition, which began in late November.

"I am glad it is down," Horgan said.

In the last several years, New Gold had begun raising the rents in the buildings, and tenants took them to court. Eventually, New Gold was able to evict the artists and get permission to demolish the buildings, which they said were in danger of falling down.

They took the city to court, saying the city unfairly held up demolition, and eventually agreed to a settlement that allowed them to build higher than is normally allowed in the Powerhouse Arts District.

The settlement was greeted with opposition by many in the art community, who said it would create a "domino effect," allowing bigger buildings in the area.

John Smallwood, vice president for BLDG Management, a subsidiary of New Gold Equities, said that with the demolition finished, they will clean up the debris. But a certain number of bricks have to be preserved as a fa?ade for the tower, as stipulated in the settlement.

He also said that their planned residential project is only in the proposal stage, and it will not go before the Planning Board for at least another year to seek approval.

Also, negotiations are ongoing with a major company to operate the hotel component, he said.

What could have been?


On March 1, 2005, the 70 remaining tenants in the building officially vacated under the terms of an agreement with the owner. Several months of back rent were waived, and New Gold paid $35,000 to the attorneys representing the tenants.

Rodwell, who was considered a leader amongst the tenants fighting to stay in the building, said the eviction sent him away from Jersey City for over a year.

"I vowed never to return, and I moved four times while I was away from Jersey City," Rodwell said. "But I came back to Jersey City and I have been here a year and half. Jersey City is a real good place."

He also found himself coming back to visit the main building, closed up and fenced off, to take pictures of it before the inevitable demolition began in November.

"Strangely, I could feel some kind of emotion, but for me 111 [First St.] died when the last of us left the building," Rodwell said.

His anger remains alive and well toward city government for allowing for the demolition to go through and for not fighting more for the building, which could have been a linchpin of the developing Powerhouse Arts District.

"It was an organic development where one artist worked with another in a community, and it acted as a magnet for people," Rodwell said. "They should simply decommission the arts district, or they could take credit for creating the first arts district that will eventually have nothing to do with art."

Elaine Hansen spent 15 years at 111 First St., in what she called the "longest time she spent living in one place." There, she practiced her art and ran a yoga studio.

"The building was cool, a place where you felt free," Hansen said. "I couldn't believe how upset I was when I went to visit a month and a half ago."

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

55-story Trump tower touches sky

Saturday, June 16, 2007
By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Less than 18 months after the shovels went into the ground, city officials yesterday joined with the developers of Trump Plaza Jersey City to celebrate the topping off of the 55-story building.

The project, which broke ground in February 2006, is a joint venture between Hoboken-based Metro Homes and real estate mogul Donald Trump, who has made several high-profile visits to the site since construction begun.

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy was on hand to celebrate the "topping" of the first of two towers to be built. Construction on the smaller, 50-story second tower, which was slowed by financing concerns, is now scheduled to begin in the fall.

Trump Plaza Jersey City will feature more than 900 condominium residences in two towers, making them the two tallest residential buildings in New Jersey - that is until the nearby Metropolitan is built.

When built, the $200 million Metropolitan would become the state's second tallest building, after the 781-foot Goldman Sachs building on Hudson Street. The tower is one of several that may be built in the 18-acre shopping area currently anchored by a Shop-Rite supermarket and a BJ's Wholesale Club.

Sales at Trump Plaza Jersey City have been going quickly, with roughly 320 units sold in less than eight months, officials said

Grants help 3 families join homeowner ranks

Saturday, June 16, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Three Jersey City families joined the ranks of new homeowners yesterday thanks to a federally funded program administered by the city.

The initiative, known as the "Golden Neighborhoods Homeownership Program," provides income-qualified families with up to $40,000 to cover 10 percent of their downpayment and closing costs.

"We are so happy. It's our first home," said Victor Solano, who with his wife Nidia closed yesterday on a two-family home on Neptune Avenue. "In one or two weeks we'll move in."

The Solanos received $38,810 from the program, officials said.

Also closing on new homes yesterday at the law offices of Corrado and Martella on Summit Avenue were Orin Joseph and Karen Rollins, who received respectively $36,500 and $40,000, city officials said.

Darice Toon, director of the city's Division of Community Development, explained that the program receives roughly $1 million a year from the federal government.

Nearly 1,800 people have applied for the assistance, but only those earning between 50 and 80 percent of Hudson County's median income are eligible, she said. And among those, they must be credit worthy, she said.

Last year, the city gave out 17 of the grants and with yesterday's three closings, have matched that mark. The goal is to give out at least 20 grants this year, Toon said.

"I believe someone who owns a home, pay taxes . has a real stake in the community and makes the city safer," said Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, who arrived yesterday to congratulate the new homeowners. "People who own homes are the backbone of the city."

Cop shoots pit bull

Saturday, June 16, 2007

A Jersey City cop shot a pit bull after it attacked him during a drug arrest yesterday evening near the Hudson County Courthouse, officials said.

The officer was part of a narcotics investigation that led to an arrest on drug charges and the recovery of drugs at Courthouse Place and Baldwin Avenue about 6:30 p.m., city spokesman Stan H. Eason said.

During the arrest, the suspect's dog attacked, biting a cop on the leg, Eason said. The cop fired about four shots at the dog, hitting it at least once, Eason said.

The dog then bolted back into the suspect's home and ran into the backyard.

Eason said Animal Control took the dog to the Jersey City Animal Hospital for treatment.

Information about the person arrested couldn't be obtained last night.

CRAIG GARRETSON

New Jersey joins states protecting transgender rights

15 Jun 2007

By GEOFF MULVIHILL
Associated Press Writer

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. -- New Jersey has joined a growing number of states by enacting a law making it illegal to discriminate against transgendered people.

The law, which sailed through the state Legislature in December, has received little attention in a state that's gaining a reputation for being welcoming to lesbian, gay and transgendered people. Earlier this year, New Jersey began allowing same-sex couples to unite in civil unions.

Advocates hope the state's law prohibiting transgender discrimination, which went into effect Sunday, will lead to more acceptance of transgender people nationwide. New Jersey is the ninth state to adopt such a law.

Mara Keisling, the executive director of the National Center of Transgender Equality in Washington, said she expects more states to follow, including a handful in 2007 and 2008.

"It's really simply a reaction to there being more (transgender) people who are out," Keisling said. "As more people transition, it becomes safer to transition."

The law makes it illegal for a landlord to evict a tenant because of his or her gender status, and companies cannot refuse to hire people because they are transsexual, cross-dressers, asexual, of ambiguous gender or simply not traditionally feminine or masculine. The law also bans discrimination in credit, business contracts and public accommodations such as stores or restaurants.

Violators could be subject to up to 90 days in jail or fines up to $500.

The New Jersey law is among the most recent in a string of states now protecting transgendered people. The first such state law was adopted in Minnesota in 1993. Now, 13 states and the District of Columbia have such laws; they haven't taken effect in four of those states.

In New Jersey, advocates expect the new law to raise public awareness of people who are born one gender but live as the opposite gender. The legal protections have been in place since a 2001 state appeals court ruling that held it was unlawful to discriminate against a transsexual doctor.

Barbra Casbar, of Edison, a transsexual woman who fought for the change, called the new law "the start of a cultural change."

Labor law posters at work places notifying workers of their rights will include the transgender protection.

Advocates say many employers and landlords and even transgendered people themselves did not know about the decision, known as Enriquez v. West Jersey Health Systems, or the protections it offers.

Despite the legal protections, transgendered people say discrimination happens too frequently.

Coy Gordon, who was born a male but has lived as a female since high school nearly 30 years ago, said she believes she's been rejected for work because she is transgendered.

"To them (employers), I'm still a freak," said Gordon, 43, an unemployed counselor who lives in Jersey City.

Unable to get jobs, she said, transgendered women often have little choice but to turn to prostitution.

Last December, New Jersey lawmakers voted to add gender identity and expression to the long list of areas where discrimination is outlawed in the state's law against discrimination, which has been expanded several times since it was first adopted in 1945.

While it hardly received any attention, New Jersey gay and transgendered rights leaders said it was as much a priority for them as the state's law allowing civil unions, which took effect in February.

The transgender law passed overwhelmingly in both chambers.

"I have never had an easier time lobbying than for this bill," said Steven Goldstein, the chairman of Garden State Equality, an advocacy group that pushed for the law.

Jillian Todd Weiss, an assistant professor of law and society at Ramapo College in Mahwah, who is also a transsexual, said the law might make people treat transgendered people better, but it won't necessarily change attitudes or beliefs.

"It's very difficult to legislate away prejudice," she said.

------

On the Net:

National Center of Transgender Equality:
http://www.nctequality.org/

Garden State Equality:
http://www.gardenstateequality.org

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Web Help for Getting a Mortgage the Criminal Way

NY TIMES
By JULIE CRESWELL
Published: June 16, 2007

Want to buy a home, but hampered by bad credit, an empty bank account or no job? No problem!
That may sound like an exaggeration of a late-night infomercial. But it is, in effect, the pitch that a number of Web sites are making to consumers, saying insolvent home shoppers can be made to look more attractive to lenders.
The sites, for example, offer better credit scores by hitching customers to a stranger?s credit card, or providing them pay stubs from a bogus company. One has even offered a well-stocked bank account to rent for a month or two.
Industry experts say these sites, which are relatively new, played a role in fueling the rampant mortgage fraud that has caused a huge spike in loan defaults in recent months because people bought homes they could not afford.
?There is a whole underground world ? an online cottage industry ? that has grown up that allows anyone to commit mortgage fraud,? said Constance Wilson, executive vice president at the financial fraud detection firm Interthinx.
Regulators and the mortgage industry are now vowing to crack down on aggressive lending practices that have led to a rising number of foreclosures. But that greater scrutiny, including lenders requiring more documentation than they have in the past, may actually increase demand for some of the services that these Web sites offer.
?We think these types of Web sites are increasing,? said Frank McKenna, chief fraud strategist at BasePoint Analytics, which helps banks and mortgage lenders identify fraudulent transactions.
Policing them is difficult, partly because it is unclear which laws, if any, the Web sites might be breaking (for their customers, though, the laws are clear ? anybody who uses fake paycheck stubs or other false documents to misrepresent financial status to a bank or mortgage lender is committing fraud).
The people who operate these sites can also be hard to track down. At the first whiff of trouble, they can easily shut down and then quickly start a new Web site with a different name.
No statistics exist on the number of these Web sites and how many people use them, or whether any of the operators of such sites have been prosecuted.
An examination of loans made last year, including prime and subprime, in which some sort of fraud occurred, showed that incidents of false tax or financial statements had risen to 27 percent from 17 percent in 2002; fraudulent verifications of deposit had climbed to 22 percent from 15 percent four years ago; and false credit reports rose to 9 percent from 5 percent in 2002, according to a report issued this spring by the Mortgage Asset Research Institute based in Virginia.
If any documents were required, it was unclear whether the bogus documents were created by do-it-yourselfers or whether they turned to the products and services sold over the Internet.
Still, Joan E. Ferenczy, director of institutional investigations at Freddie Mac, said there had been a growing discussion in recent months among industry investigators about Web sites offering false identifications and income statements.
?Either it has been underground all along, or there has been a spike of activity there,? she said.
One service that appears to have grown exponentially in recent months, investigators say, are sites that offer to improve an individual?s credit score by adding them onto the credit cards of individuals with good credit scores and histories.
The practice, known as piggybacking, started innocently enough with individuals adding their spouses or children to their credit card accounts as authorized users.
One site, RaiseCreditScoreNow .com, offers to add a person to four separate $20,000 credit lines with 10 years of ?perfect payments? for $4,000 (although they do not have access to the actual credit line). Doing so could increase an individual?s credit score by as much as 200 points in 90 days, the site says, and make the difference between qualifying for a home loan or not.
People with strong credit scores and a reliable payment history of at least 24 months on various credit accounts can be paid up to $1,000 for each person they add to the account as an authorized user, the site offers.
Several lawyers said it was unlikely that this practice was illegal, although many warned it could open the person renting out their credit card lines to fraud or identify theft. Attempts to contact the Web site were unsuccessful.
Another company, which operates SeasonedTradeLines.com, claims on its site to have an inventory of more than 100 real, verifiable credit card accounts with perfect payment histories dating back to 1974. The site asks: ?How would your life be different with a 700+ credit score??
A person answering the phone at the company declined to comment. ?I?m not going to answer any questions,? he said. ?I?m not going to give out any information.?
Last week, the Fair Isaac Corporation, the company that developed FICO credit scores, said it was trying to shut down piggybacking.
Starting in September, Fair Isaac said people who were added to someone else?s credit line would not benefit from the secondhand credit history in its formula, which is used by the three major credit bureaus.
?There is going to be no way to get around the new system,? said Ron Totaro, vice president for global scoring solutions at Fair Isaac.
One Web site that prompted mortgage regulators in Nevada to issue an alert to consumers and the mortgage industry two years ago offered to set up a bank account that could be ?rented out? and verified to creditors or lenders at a cost of about 5 percent of the value of the assets. The people renting the assets did not actually have access to them.
While that site has disappeared, fraud experts say others have moved in to replace it.
?We?re seeing now a lot of checking accounts where funds are going in and out,? said Mr. McKenna of BasePoint. ?Borrowers begin the month with $4 in the account and end the month with much, much more.?
Other sites offer help to people who need proof that they are working.
For $55, for example, the company that operates VerifyEmployment .net will ostensibly hire a person as an independent contractor, providing a paycheck stub showing an ?advance,? with the corporate name and address. Another $25 will assure telephone verification of employment when a lender calls to check.
Last year, a Florida-based company that operated a Web site called NoveltyPaycheckStubs.com agreed to stop using the name of the payroll company ADP after it was sued in federal court by ADP for trademark infringement.
?It is plain that defendants are peddling counterfeit ADP earnings statements for others to use to engage in fraudulent financial transactions,? ADP claimed in its lawsuit.
NoveltyPaycheckStubs.com has since disappeared, but people looking for fake IDs or payroll stubs can still find them at FakePaycheckStubs .com.
While the site states the products are used for ?entertainment purposes only,? phrases like ?car loan? and ?home loan? are sprinkled on the site. For $49.95, customers can receive a computer program to create paycheck stubs at home with their name and a fictional hourly salary. Attempts to contact someone at the site were unsuccessful.
For all the mentions of the pay stubs being only for entertainment, the site does offer one piece of legal advice: ?I highly suggest you do not use logos from companies that are real on these stubs. I wouldn?t use any real company trademarks or copyrights either.?

I wonder if these types of capsule apartments / hotels would work here - so long as they have a great exhaust fan, it might work here.




Here is a great way to create more space - drop down bed

...State continues to climb, according to new data released by the Mortgage Bankers Association.?

"You are going to have people with adjustible rate mortgages who cannot make the new payments and people with subprime mortgages who cannot make their payments,? said Bob Moulton, president of Americana Mortgage Group in Manhasset.?

Tighten your seatbelts kids...