Rosemarie's Pearls » General

My Valentine’s Day Surprise

rosepena — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:46:06 +0000

My children always remind me how blessed I am to be their mother. What a lovely surprise. I am so grateful! Related posts:The Unexpected Joys of Motherhood… [caption id="attachment_641" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="White Orchid"][/caption] It’s such a...Commentary: Why aren’t celebrities adopting U.S. kids? Editor’s note: A nationally syndicated columnist, Roland S. Martin is...Selfish adults ‘damage childhood’ [...] Related posts:

The Unexpected Joys of Motherhood… [caption id="attachment_641" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="White Orchid"][/caption] It’s such a...
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Reviving the Housing Market: Will Loan Modifications Work?

rosepena — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:06:13 +0000

The Obama administration wants to spend up to $100 billion on efforts to help homeowners, especially those facing foreclosure. But one of the leading ideas on how to do that — rewriting home loans to make mortgages affordable to struggling borrowers — is based on a startling lack of data about what works, and early evidence suggests that many lenders aren’t going to make substantial changes without serious strong-arming.

There are various ideas being bandied about, but the goal is common: to entice mortgages servicers, whether lenders themselves or third parties acting on behalf of investors, to rewrite the terms of loans so that people behind on payments might be able to keep their homes. (Read the four steps to ending the foreclosure crisis.)

One way being discussed to do that is for the government to share in the losses if a servicer modifies a mortgage and the homeowner again defaults. Another approach is to directly help pay for the cost of the modification. The servicer might cut monthly payments to 38% of a borrower’s income with the government chipping in to reduce the payment down to 31%, a presumably more sustainable level. Either tactic could be combined with a direct payment — $1,000 is a figure often mentioned — to incentivize servicers to do the heavy lifting of figuring out how much a homeowner can truly afford and recrafting his mortgage to match.

To a homeowner who has always made mortgage payments on time, perhaps by sacrificing spending elsewhere, the whole concept may seem grossly unfair. But society’s problems are unfortunately often our own. As the foreclosure rate has skyrocketed, and loan defaults have rippled from subprime mortgages into ones made to prime and near-prime borrowers, property values in many parts of the country have been pounded. There is an unavoidable correction going on in house prices, that much is true, but the swoon has caused additional

Reviving the Housing Market: Will Loan Modifications Work? – TIME.

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Business Brisk at Area Libraries

rosepena — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 12:17:48 +0000

In Bad Times, Free Resources Are a Hot Commodity

Hannah Lee, 4, grabs a book during a visit to the Germantown library with her dad, Samson Lee, and sleeping 1-year-old sister, Jenna. (By Nikki Kahn — The Washington Post)

Nearly every study table is full with patrons sipping lattes and surfing the Web. Teens are curled up in easy chairs. In a worried knot by the doorway, job seekers gather around a sign-up station for the Internet, waiting for their turn.

Before the Germantown library opened in 2007, there was hardly any “downtown” to speak of in the Montgomery County community, where houses and strip malls grew before anything else. Now it’s an important civic anchor, a main street where none existed, and the busiest library in the county.

In the past few months, it has become even busier. The library, like most in the Washington area, has had a rising tide of users as patrons look for free computer access, DVD loans and activities for children during the recession. Circulation in the last six months of the year rose as much as 23 percent in libraries around the region, records show.

The influx comes just as county managers are preparing budgets for the coming fiscal year in a time of huge shortfalls. Libraries, like other services, face drastic cuts that could mean reducing staff and hours or even shuttering branches.

“It’s a cruel irony that use is going up and budget cuts are occurring simultaneously,” said Jim Rettig, president of the American Library Association and a librarian at the University of Richmond. “What I think doesn’t get enough recognition is the role libraries play in the economic vitality and development of a community.”

Cultural soothsayers once thought libraries would become obsolete in the Internet age. Not so. They have modernized, digitized, virtualized.

Patrons can bring their own beverages; Arlington County hopes to add a cafe in one of its branches. They can access databases, read Chinese newspapers or the latest graphic teen novel. Users have more and more access from home; they can text in reference questions to a Fairfax County librarian, for example, or listen to podcasts. Fairfax card holders can read an e-book online. Librarians are trying to tailor services to community needs, hoping to add more babysitting certification classes in Silver Spring or résumé-writing workshops in Prince George’s County.

More than 68 percent of American adults now have a library card, the highest number since the ALA began tracking the numbers in 1990.

“One thing I hear quite frequently is ‘Gee, it’s cheaper to come here than Borders,’ ” said Nancy Savas, the library manager at Germantown. “It makes me laugh, because we’ve always been here.”

Business Brisk at Area Libraries – washingtonpost.com.

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Is Your Family Ready For An Emergency or Natural Disaster?

rosepena — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:03:28 +0000

As winter storms here in Ontario have once again illustrated, it’s always a good idea to be prepared for an emergency. We’re big on this concept at Wired, having put out a few emergency guides like How To Survive a Power Blackout and The Smarter Emergency Kit.

But, I figure the US Department of Homeland Security probably knows a little more about this area than we do. They tipped me off that as part of the “Ready” Campaign (designed to help families prepare for disasters), Homeland Security has launched a new, family-oriented Ready America web site (co-sponsored by the Ad Council).

The site includes a wealth of planning resources and includes aspects that are frequently left out of typical emergency preparedness guides. For example, there are forms for preparing emergency contact information for your family so that friends and relatives know how to reach you and where to find you (other than at your home) in the event of an emergency. An online tool walks you through the process of creating a family emergency plan. A wide range of PDF publications are available for download, including an emergency supply list, information for pet owners and emergency planning information for businesses. There are also kid-focused documents available, including an activity book that introduces children to the concept of being prepared for a disaster without being overly alarming. Instructional videos are provided and a video blog encourages people who have experienced an emergency situation to share their story with others.

A widget that can be embedded on other sites acts as a hub for emergency information: FEMA news feed, National Weather Service warnings, emergency contact information for all states and even FEMA and Ready Twitter feeds.

This is a comprehensive site for emergency planning, and you would expect that from Homeland Security, but the focus on family preparedness makes it especially useful. While it’s obviously targeted at US residents, most of this information and advice is applicable anywhere.

None of us likes to fixate on emergencies and natural disasters, but being prepared is just common sense. And if you have a family, your job is a little more complicated, with a lot more at stake. It’s well worth checking out Ready America to see if there’s anything you may have overlooked in your own planning.

Is Your Family Ready For An Emergency or Natural Disaster? | Geekdad from Wired.com.

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Beyond Words: Two Heirs to Two Great Americans

rosepena — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:31:35 +0000

NEWSWEEK asked descendants of key figures in civil rights history to write letters to their ancestors describing their thoughts and feelings about the historic inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. And to add to the record, we’ve collected letters from students and notable figures to Obama, and discussed the power of words with will.i.am and the inaugural poet.

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Traveling in Native America – Arizona: A Valley of history

rosepena — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:00:05 +0000

Get in touch with America’s past with offerings from these small businesses owned by tribal members.

Arizona: A Valley of history

The view from one of the hotel’s balconies of Monument Valley.

Full story: Going tribal in the Badlands

The View Hotel stands right inside the spectacular Monument Valley. You can take Navajo-led hiking and jeep tours of the mitten rock formations, ancient Anasazi dwellings, petroglyphs and natural arches. An all-day jeep tour costs $118, including lunch. The hotel, owned by Armanda Ortega, a member of the Navajo Nation, opened in December. Room rates range from $99 to $225.

Traveling in Native America – Arizona: A Valley of history (1) – Small Business.

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Wonderful World: Circus training unites kids of all backgrounds

rosepena — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 23:13:07 +0000

Circus training unites kids of all backgrounds – Wonderful World- msnbc.com.

ST. LOUIS – When looking for a way to bring together children of different races, religions and financial means, most people might not think of juggling, tumbling and aerial acts as their “go-to” tools.

Jessica Hentoff does.

Hentoff, 53, is the executive and artistic director of a circus school run out of the City Museum in St. Louis. She brings together children who normally wouldn’t cross paths and unifies them through circus training and performances.

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SketchUp: Why Kids With Autism Love It

rosepena — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 14:15:49 +0000

A program created for architects is an unexpected hit with children on the spectrum.

SketchUp: Why Kids With Autism Love It | Newsweek Health | Newsweek.com.

Science is rich with happy flukes. Remember the story of penicillin? Alexander Fleming discovered the bacteria-destroying mold by accident when he left a culture dish uncovered in his lab in 1928. Eight decades later, here’s another one: a Google software program called SketchUp, which was intended largely for architects and design professionals, has found a very unexpected and welcome fan base—children with autism. SketchUp is not only entertaining kids with autism spectrum disorders, it’s providing them with skills that might one day help them as they age out of school and into the workforce.

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Obama, Ayo & Daddy

rosepena — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:42:35 +0000

“Without You”

On the surface these may be unrelated, but not in my mind & heart. As I contemplate & anticipate this historic inauguration, I can’t help but think of my Dad. He passed away in 2006. He was my best friend. When the announcement came that Obama had won, I cried. My tears were mixed with joy & sorrow as I wondered about how my Dad would have felt about this election and Obama. Likewise, whenever I hear this song I think of him. Thanks again, Ayo, for another “heart song.”

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Yamile Yemoonyah & Her Art

rosepena — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:23:03 +0000

Discover Yamile and her art HERE!

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