EdCone.com

Guilford County Register of Deeds Jeff Thigpen says he has found "clear fraud" in local mortgage documents he has examined.

Thigpen will hold a press conference on Wednesday at 10 AM in the Blue Room of the Old County Courthouse, "to release the findings of an internal investigation into fraudulent mortgage documents from major banks."

He will be joined by attorney Lynn Szymoniak, who appears in this 60 Minutes report. The CBS clip discusses the use of a single name, Linda Green, by multiple people employed to sign documents by mortgage mills, and focuses on a firm called DocX.

Thigpen: "I found about 5,000 robosigned certificate of satisfaction and mortage assignment docs from DocX, used by Wells Fargo, BofA and MERS...Wells Fargo is the biggest culprit in numbers.

"I have 2000 Linda Greens, 15 different signatures, clear fraud. Others as well. I'm sending the info to feds, state AGs, and demanding they fix this. It represents all that is wrong with our financial services industry."

Sunday 5/1: This item has been edited slightly to add a few details.

Previously, previously.

A movie I would like to see is this movie.

Previously.

A bipartisan group is sponsoring legislation to create a nonpartisan legislative redistricting process for North Carolina...based largely on the redistricting process now in use in Iowa.

In addition to Reps. Rick Glazier, D-Cumberland, David Lewis, R-Harnett, William Current, R-Gaston, and Ray Rapp, D-Madison, reporters heard from two people who rarely agree on legislative issues: Chris Fitzsimon of N.C. Policy Watch and John Hood of the John Locke Foundation. Both are members of the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform.

Well, good luck with that.

This weeks FYI from the City Manager is bursting with wonky goodness.

How necessary is all that road construction going to be to in making the White Street landfill fully functional? Because it looks expensive (p. 16).

How's that budget shaping up? Lots to chew on there, starting on p. 4, but let's start with this alarming news: "For every 1 cent the County tax rate is increased, the estimated impact to the City of Greensboro is approximately $300,000."

So the proposed County tax hike would cost GSO about $2 million.

Why? A jump in County property tax revenue would increase its share of total tax revenue from all entities within the County, and local option sales tax revenue is divvied up on according to each entity's share of total tax revenue.

And in news that has already been widely discussed, misreported, and corrected, the RFP committee will recommend Greensboro Farmer's Market, Inc. to run the Curb Market.

I wanted to make a charitable gift of stock from an E*Trade account.

Couldn't find a way to do so on the site, so I sent a note to customer service.

Turns out I need to print a form and send it to E*Trade by mail or fax. Oh, and it would cost me $25.

Really? I can buy and sell stocks on the E*Trade site with the click of a mouse -- on margin, if I want -- but there's not an online form (or even a phone number) to handle something like this?

Anyway, today I get a notice telling me the transfer is in process, but it could take three to six weeks.

Three to six weeks?

That's not internet speed. That's not even Pony Express speed.

I'm in the process of canceling the transfer, so E*Trade gets to hold onto my stock, but now I'm thinking about shutting down the whole account.

UPDATE: The first rep promised me it was done, and suggested I call back in a couple of hours just to verify. The second rep told me the first rep was wrong, and I needed to fax in a form. I said I haven't had a fax machine in years, because super-modern internet services like E*Trade made them obsolete. His supervisor and I had a nice chat, she thinks we can stop this thing, all I need to do is...send her a letter.

I understand that making it somewhat harder to move assets out of my possession is a protection for me. But this is just silly.

Fundraiser, er, lunch honoring Pat McCrory, Empire Room, May 20.

The invitation says checks should be payable to the Pat McCrory Committee, with verbiage about giving limits during campaign cycles and such.

Call it a hunch, but I think he just might be running for Governor.

North Carolina's most august deliberative body discusses the Cable Company Monopoloy Preservation Act, as reported via email by an allegedly-informed source:

Senator Mansfield (D-Cumberland) offered an amendment to exempt Fayetteville from the bill's claws. Fayetteville has invested $10 million in a 240 mile fiber network and wants to proceed to offer smart grid and fiber based services, after a feasibility study and survey revealed 74% of the community's residents wanted better broadband access. (Fayetteville is served by Time Warner Cable). After accusing Fayetteville of a lack of accountability to its citizens, Sen Apodaca then tried to kill Sen. Manfield's amendment by offering a substitute that would prohibit municipally-operated broadband systems from showing adult programming. As part of Senator Apodaca's tirade, he implied that Senator Mansfield allows his children to watch pornography. Two Democratic Senators, Dannelly (D-Mecklenberg) and Nesbitt (D- Buncombe) spoke to Apodoca's veering off the claimed purpose of the bill, with Nesbitt asking the Senate Pro Tempore for a recess. Returning from the recess, Senator Apodaca apologized to Senator Mansfield, then gained the vote to table both his and Senator Manfield's amendments, effectively killing both, but then requested a motion, seconded by Senator Brunstetter to delay the vote until Monday night. Debate ended. [emphasis added]

More: "After one hour of discussion and debate on amendments, H129 was yanked from the calender and the vote delayed until Monday night."

After accepting a smart-grid amendment from Republican Senator Hartsell (R-Iredell), and perfecting an earlier amendment for Salisbury from Senator Brock (R-Rowan), Senator Apodaca rejected amendment after amendment, denying Albemarle an exclusion offered by Sen. Purcell (D-Stanly County) and attacking Senator Atwater's (D-Chatham County) attempt to amend the definition of "unserved" area so that it is based on measurable data (30 homes per square mile or fewer), an amendment he withdrew so Senators could reflect more carefully that half the state's population live in our rural areas who will be denied broadband service under the bill.

Former VF honcho Mackey McDonald of GSO is one of several Wells Fargo director candidates -- many of them, including McDonald, holdovers from the Wachovia board -- that a couple of big proxy firms are opposing.

Tonight at Elsewhere, a look at what visiting artists Dawn Stetzel, Chris Berntsen, and Julia Garder have been up to whilst in GSO.

I've spent a fair amount of time at Elsewhere over the years -- I've been downtown long enough to remember the place when Mrs. Gray was still there -- and even served on the advisory board for a while, but Lisa's residency this spring gave me a fresh perspective on the ever-changing community of artists who work there.

Below, a collaborative effort by Amy Johnson, Tara Odorizzi and Lisa Scheer; Lisa's project (details here and here) will illuminate something about the history of the Gray's business and the place it became.

Microsoft, a niche player in the corporate and gaming markets, reported quarterly earnings almost as large as Apple's.

As a longtime bandwagon-jumper, I welcome the Panthers' choice of Cam Newtwon, as long as it works out well.

The gradual disappearance of open wireless networks is a tragedy of the commons, with a confusing twist of privacy and security debate...

...We will need a political and technological "Open Wireless Movement" to reverse the degradation of this indispensable component of the Internet's infrastructure.

Sounds like Socialism^TM to me. I'm in!

Regular readers of Scott Card's column know he is not a big fan of teh sex in movies, so there's no mileage in telling him that "pointless nudity" is a meaningless phrase to many HBO viewers.

He thinks the small-screen adaptation George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones would be better if the ladies kept their kirtles on? Fine.

And sex? "You don't dwell on it, you know that it happened and you move forward..."

I think we dated in college.

But when he complains that the screenwriters seem unable to "find a filmic replacement for the deep-penetration viewpoint of Martin's writing," he's begging for me to write this post.

One good thing about having our legislature act as a wholly-owned subsidiary of big business is that a pointless and business-unfriendly anti-Shariah bill probably will die a quiet death.

UPDATE: More here from Hoggard, who sat on the committee; sounds like things were less confused at the meeting than in the Rhino coverage.

John Hammer is correct when he writes, "The fix was in from the beginning" when it came to the Curb Market RFP process.

But he seems to have forgotten that the fix was quickly discovered and corrected, and so the committee that selected Greensboro Farmer's Market, Inc. actually went through its paces.

Maybe it's a hangover from the Great Recession, maybe the tawdry merchandising of Diana Spencer's death turned a lot of people off, but my views on "royalty" and fawning Anglophilia seem to be pretty mainstream these days.

There is something to be said for tradition, and the Brits manage a stiff upper lip during a blitzkrieg, and the current crop seems so far to be less awful than some of their predecessors, but, really, enough already.

People sometimes say that Luna is well trained, to which I usually reply that she's well behaved.

That's a primary reason she's a good dog: she's a good dog. A pleaser. And smart (for her species).

Also: we usually remember she's a dog, not a person, and her boundaries are set accordingly. She gets plenty of exercise and is not left alone all day every day.

It ain't rocket surgery.

Updates from the Tuscaloosa News here.

Glenwood Observer comments:

From notes supplied by the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress in a Q&A with City Manager Rashad Young on the landfill:

Q: If a 15-year contract is made, is that more expensive and less flexible than City management of waste disposal?

R: Yes.

So, our current approach is not very fiscally responsible after all?

Previously: Perkins questions outsourcing and length of contract.

We contemplated the mystery of the bell on an evening surrey-ride the other night. Luna and I visit that spot with some regularity for non-bell-related activities.

Forbis Street. I can live with that.

Rumor has it that Greensboro Farmer's Market, Inc (proposed) will be dropping the (proposed) and running the curb market after a committee vote last night...

I would be lying if I claimed to fully understand tonight's program at Elsewhere (606-608 S. Elm St), but that's not unusual; I'm often confused even after I've been through an experience there, but the happenings tend to be interesting and entertaining.

A cabaret of collection

When: Apr 27, 8pm - 10pm

Location: Storefront

A cabaret of collection is a performance showcasing Elsewhere’s inanimate, permanent residents: the objects. Fusing together imagined and historical circumstances, we will give voice to Elsewhere's knick-knacks, tchotchkes, and curiosities, through intimate one-on-one interviews, unraveling untold stories of life at Elsewhere and life elsewhere. 

Combining monologue, conversation and interview we aim to disentangle the often incomprehensible language of our surroundings and turn the always absurd into the communicable absurd. Toying with the ways in which we identify with our possessions, this is a cabaret performance in which objects will be personified and persons objectified.

Find a print copy of the 4/25 New Yorker to read a detailed article about oil extraction and fracking in North Dakota, where reserves may be of epic size. Absract here.

Not all conflicts are created equal?

Nancy Vaughan says, "I asked to be excused due  to a conflict of interest. Someone brought up the possible conflict of interest with Zack and Robbie. The Deputy City Attorney said that they could stay and take part in the discussion. Dr. Wade asked how come I left  the room?  The attorney’s response was “Mrs. Vaughan excused herself which she is free to do so.”  WRONG!!!  I strongly disagree with his answer and the cavalier manner in which it was delivered. 

See video, around 20 minutes in, after discussion of the City dump.

Here's the opinion of City legal staffer Rita Danish:

Council Member Vaughn (sic), this email is in follow up and intended to clarify the discussion that occurred at yesterday’s (4/26/11) work session regarding the White Street Landfill RFP’s. During that discussion, a question was raised regarding your ability to participate in those discussions. As you were previously advised, you have an actual conflict involving a direct benefit directly related to the contract. As such, this conflict is governed by all the applicable conflict statutes, including but not limited to the state criminal statute, the state ethics statute, the applicable charter provision and city policy. Most notably, the criminal statute specifically provides that you “shall not attempt to influence any person...’’ As such, this statute prohibits participating in any discussions. Your actual direct conflict is distinguished from the other possible council member conflicts currently under review (no final determination of a conflict has been made as to those other council members). Therefore, based upon the law and the facts, you can neither participate nor vote in this matter. All of your actions to date related to the landfill have been consistent with the law. I regret any inconvenience this may have caused you. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

J. Rita McNeil Danish
City of Greensboro
City Attorney's Office

Vaughan points to this post by Jordan Green:

Last June, the city council approved a new policy on conflicts of interest prohibiting “officers, employees or agents from participating in the selection, award or administration of any contract where a conflict of interest is involved or may exist, whether real or apparent.” A written policy sent out to council members by City Manager Rashad Young elaborated, “The city charter and North Carolina state law prohibits city officers, employees and agents from voting upon or otherwise participating in the selection, award or administration of contracts in which they have a direct or indirect financial interest.”

This looks real to me, but then again I don't read Kenyan so good...

President Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate

View more documents from White House

Robbie Perkins on the conflicted Council's landfill decision:

There are no winners in this situation...A fifteen year contract is too long--I have to think there will be other options that include technology in a 5 year period. It is very frustrating when the majority of Council does not want to look at self-performing the work. It has to be cheaper and would allow us much more flexibliity. I do not want to re-open the landfill but if it has to be done, the City forces would be the best option. Then at least we could control the amount of waste going into the landfill and not overburden the surrounding community. The road system upgrades discussed by Council today will take years and cost tens of millions of dollars to put in place...

In this worst case scenario, 6-8 sites will be closed to the public for a minimum of 2 years and possibly longer.

From a letter to historic-preservation leaders from Keith Hardison, director of NC state historic sites (full text after the jump).

Among sites listed as facing "possible closing": Alamance Battleground, Aycock Birthplace, Historic Bath.

Among sites listed as "severely impacted": Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum, Fort Fisher, State Capitol.

“Right now, I think everyone is pretty happy with their districts,” Alston said.   

All the board’s incumbents have handily won reelection, several without challengers.

Neither statement really addresses the essential considerations of drawing district lines, which is under consideration in Guilford County.

In the N&R article (GPV), Alston acknowledges bad feelings over the last redistricting process, done by Democrats for Democrats, but he makes all the right noises about public input and bipartisanship in these latter days.

Deeply conflicted Council moves toward reopening White Street landfill.

I still want to know how much litigation costs will deduct from potential savings.

A reader was kind enough to forward a copy of that paywalled sidebar on GSO's nanotech park, which I mentioned in yesterday's post about the UNCG article in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The article is titled "Chasing Nanotechnology, Greensboro Gambles With State Money." 

The key point is that our effort is kind of pissant compared to some of the big-money projects out there, and maybe it won't make us the future home of Starfleet Academy, or whatever.

Some experts in the field are less optimistic. Among their concerns: the State of North Carolina and UNC-Greensboro might not spend enough to get the job done. The two partnering universities might not have the necessary research expertise (North Carolina A&T ranks 210th nationwide in university research expenditures, according to the National Science Foundation, and Greensboro ranks 301st, making both small players in this world).

Companies might not want to locate in Greensboro. Or technology—nano or otherwise—might evolve in some unanticipated way. In short, North Carolina might not be able to become a "king of nanotechnology" just by declaring itself a king of nanotechnology.

Also:

Daniel Lee Kleinman, a professor of community and environmental sociology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison who contributed to the book The Commodification of Academic Research, says universities like Greensboro's may be merely using "the rhetoric of their role" as economic-development engines as a means of winning state support.

Four Tamaskan dogs with ties to North Carolina State Wolfpack mascot Tuffy have become seriously ill after eating fish laced with antifreeze that their owner says was placed on his property intentionally.

No indication yet that this nasty business was aimed at State fans, although that is not stopping State fans from venting.

Is the percentage of dullards on Facebook really higher than in the general population, or does Facebook just make smart folk look dullardly?

Although we perceive events as occurring in the past, present, or future, these concepts may just be part of a psychological frame in which we experience material changes in space.

I'm going to try that on the gate agent next time I'm late for a plane.

The news about spacetime doesn't look good for time travel scenarios. Sorry.

The pieces on display are new and unique - constructed primarily inside the building. CAM is a noncollecting museum - nothing is on display permanently. Exhibits will change about every three months.

Contemporary Art Museum opens Saturday in Raleigh.

Left, a work from Naoko Ito's Urban Nature installation, part of the inaugural exhibition.

As we pursue the growth of our own prosperity and security, the welfare of our citizens must be seen as part of a highly dynamic, and interconnected system that includes sovereign nations, world markets, natural and man-generated challenges and solutions – a system that demands adaptability and innovation. In this strategic environment, it is competition that will determine how we evolve, and Americans must have the tools and confidence required to successfully compete.

This begins at home with quality health care and education, with a vital economy and low rates of unemployment, with thriving urban centers and carefully planned rural communities, with low crime, and a sense of common purpose underwritten by personal responsibility. We often hear the term “smart power” applied to the tools of development and diplomacy abroad empowering people all over the world to improve their own lives and to help establish the stability needed to sustain security and prosperity on a global scale. But we can not export “smart power” until we practice “smart growth” at home.

From A National Strategic Narrative, a document that was "written by two senior members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a 'personal' capacity, but it is clear that it would not have seen the light of day without a measure of official approval."

Lisa Scheer took this pic not long ago at Elsewhere.

In the first half, the Hornets played less pick-and-roll than we've seen. They looked to get everyone involved with more of a motion game, and Paul was content to play facilitator, with four points on just three shots and nine assists. In the second half, New Orleans re-emphasized its pick-and-roll game, and its floor leader took over...New Orleans appeared to set its picks for Paul higher on the floor than in previous games. There were fewer mid-range shots available, but Paul had more space to work with, getting into the lane more frequently to set up his own offense, and also collapsing the Lakers' defense to line up good looks for teammates.

Now that's what I'm talking about. Thanks, internet!

Jeff Jarvis says scaling local sales is both the key challenge and key opportunity facing the news business.

One of his hard lessons for newspapers: "Cutting costs will reduce product quality and value, which will further reduce circulation. A vicious, unstoppable cycle." Huh, hadn't noticed.

An email from the Greensboro Housing Coalition:

[T]he legislature is considering a law (House Bill 554) that will prohibit cities from conducting housing inspections proactively. Inspections will only be allowed according to the proposed law when there is "probable cause" that there are serious code violations. Of course, dangerous wiring or mold or infestations of rats are not always obvious from outside. And low-income or immigrant tenants often are afraid or do not know how to call for an inspection.

The City of Greensboro approved a local ordinance in 2003 requiring that all rental properties be inspected and certified as meeting minimal safety standards. Since the creation of “RUCO” (Rental Unit Certificate of Occupancy), the number of substandard housing units in Greensboro has dropped from over 2000 to 500. Why should the state step in to take away our city's power to inspect housing and reduce suffering and discrimination? How is that in the public's interest?

Here's the bill.

The good Dr. on RUCO.

Previously: Big Gov GOP.

This new law – of Representative Stam’s – is part of a trend that’s gotten up a full-head of steam in the legislature that would make a Gilded Age politician proud: A cadre of powerful Republican Senators and Representatives – Tom Apodaca, Bob Rucho, Thom Tillis and Jon Rhyne – have been changing laws left and right to help some folks at other folk’s expense...

...For years, we Republicans have stood four-square against giving government the power to favor one group over another. But Representatives Tillis and Rhyne, and Senators Rucho and Apodaca have changed that overnight.

Carter Wrenn on Raleigh's new political culture.

Word is that Trudy Wade has come up with a redistricting plan that would move just a couple of precincts, give DBS an area around the mall she's long wanted, keep Lindley Park in Rakestraw's district, and fix an existing glitch that had people from different districts voting at the same location.

Should be up on the website soon (although as of 12:30 PM today it shows outdated information about the Rakestraw plan).

UDPATE: Two plans credited to Dr. Wade are now available at the City website.

UPDATE: A City press release explains, "The proposed Plan D impacts 4,583 residents and two precincts (G31, G56) while proposed Plan E affects 5,522 residents and four precincts (G31, G56, JEF1.2, JEF2.1)."

[Guilford] county is divided by four Senate seats...the North Carolina State Constitution states that "no county shall be divided in the formation of a Senate district."

Keith Brown's HPE op-ed questions the NC Senate map, which is under discussion this week.

Other urban counties, including Wake, Mecklenburg, and Forsyth, are carved up as well -- a necessity under Article II, Section 3(1) of the state Constitution, which deals with  the ideal size of a Senate district. With 100 counties and just 50 Senators, the math is not so simple -- even before the politics begin. I'm not sure how Section 3(3) -- the part Keith quotes -- squares with 3(1) or with the realities of our population and county map.

Public discussion of fracking seems to be yielding some results:

For years, the gas industry has bristled and resisted when its environmental practices have been criticized.

But last week, it abruptly took a different tone.

Pennsylvania is playing catch-up -- it's the only state "that allowed the bulk of its well brine to be treated and dumped in rivers and streams. Other states required it to be injected into deep underground shafts."

North Carolina should be ready for this industry and its political muscle. One place to start might be looking into the safety of those underground shafts.

This time most of the cuts will come out of academic affairs (in 2009-10, the university cut 57 administrative jobs); the university is going through an accelerated academic-program review that may excise tenured faculty or even whole departments sometime next year. There is widespread fear, and even anger, among faculty members, who wonder what might come out of the process and complain that it has been driven by top officials using inaccurate data.

Meanwhile, local business and civic leaders are concerned about what effect the cuts will have on the City of Greensboro itself, which has seen corporation after corporation pull up stakes and move away over the past 30 years. Business advocates in this central North Carolina city of 270,000 are banking on local colleges to help revitalize one of the hardest-hit parts of the state...

The Chronicle of Higher Education visits UNCG, where state budget woes are hitting hard and rippling beyond campus. This link to the subscription-only site should work for the moment; a side story, which I couldn't get to, deals with GSO's pursuit of nanotech. Thnx to reader GC for the pointer.

A map of NC's shale basins, from State Regulation of Hydraulic Fracturing, a report from Duke's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, courtesy of Jeff Sykes.

GSO doesn't need to redraw its City Council districts this year, but the numbers are close enough to warrant consideration of doing so.

And there seems to be a simple and politically-neutral fix: Moving one precinct from District 5 to District 4.

More, from Killian's article in today's N&R (GPV):

Steve Sherman, the city staffer who crafted the district lines for 32 years, said [...] moving one precinct — with 2,137 residents — from Wade’s district would make all the districts more equal in size and would affect about 30,000 fewer residents than Rakestraw’s plan. Wade won the last election with more than 70 percent of the vote, including that precinct. And she and Rakestraw are political allies.

Today, the God-fearing, media-loving Hennis doesn’t appear to be much of a threat to anyone. He seems a fraction of the man who once served in the Army and the Klan...

Wait, he "served in the Army and the Klan?"

I did not realize one "serves" in the Klan, nor that such service is a resume item of roughly equal weight to service in the military.

I actually missed that quick Klan reference on first reading, then thought, hey, isn't E.H. Hennis well known as a former member of a violent, racist organization?

Turns out he's just a god-fearing old fella who did service work.

And to think Mary Rakestraw was worried that the N&R's profile of the guy who has her hanged in effigy in his yard might be a puff piece.

I went to Old Navy to buy some shorts. I'm down with the Old Navy plan -- cheap, casual clothes that last a season or two -- but it seemed to me that the shorts this year were noticably thinner and flimsier than the two-year-old pair of Old Navy shorts I was wearing at the time.

A friend in the textile biz told me to check out the price of cotton, which has rocketed in the past year. Old Navy may be reducing quality to keep its prices low.

Similar logic seems to be motivating the N&R to shrink the size of its Sunday comics and squeeze them into the least possible amount of newsprint.

Cognitive dissonance:

You would think Bachus would want these regulations in place as quickly as possible, given the pain his constituents are suffering. Yet, last week, along with a handful of other House Republican bigwigs, he introduced legislation that would do just the opposite: It would delay derivative regulation until January 2013.

Chesapeake Energy is looking for options to plug permanently a Pennsylvania natural gas well following a blowout this week that sent drilling fluid into local waterways.

News update here.

Chesapeake's "Commitment to Environmental Excellence" page; disclosure forms for chemicals used in its Bradford County, PA operations.

How much does the U.S. economy depend on purchases of goods and services people don’t absolutely need?

As it turns out, quite a lot. A non-scientific study of Commerce Department data suggests that in February, U.S. consumers spent an annualized $1.2 trillion on non-essential stuff including pleasure boats, jewelry, booze, gambling and candy. That’s 11.2% of total consumer spending, up from 9.3% a decade earlier and only 4% in 1959, adjusted for inflation.

Even filtering for actual quality of life enhancers (a man says his doctor tells him he can live longer if he gives up rich food and sex; rabbi says, You call that living?), that's a lot of money.