THE COMMUTING LIFE
“Drive until you qualify” is a phrase that real-estate agents use to describe a central tenet of the commuting life: you travel away from the workplace until you reach an exit where you can afford to buy a house that meets your standards. The size of the wallet determines that of the mortgage, and therefore the length of the commute. Although there are other variables (schools, spouse, status, climate, race, religion, taxes, taste) and occasional exceptions (inner cities, Princeton), in this equation you’re trading time for space, miles for square feet. Sometimes contentment figures in, and sometimes it does not.
For a thoughtful reflection on the lives of commuters both here and around the world, I recommend reading Nick Paumgarten's article in The New Yorker, There and Back Again: The Soul of the Commuter.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
HOME DEPOT GOES GREEN
Home Depot, the nation's second-largest retailer, recently unveiled their "Eco Options" label that identifies environmentally friendly products for customers. The company hopes to have 12% of their products labeled as such by 2009. According to Michael Barbaro of the New York Times, this is the largest green labeling program in United States retail.
Although Home Depot's efforts may seem to hold the potential for large-scale impact, environmental advocates point out that consumers in the United States tend to forgo purchasing "green" products due to higher cost and a fear that they will not work as well as the products they are meant to replace. Still, Eco Options products have been going strong in Home Depot's Canadian stores where the label was introduced three years ago.
In addition to this new labeling program, Home Depot has responded to past criticisms from environmentalists by promising "to eliminate sales of lumber from environmentally sensitive areas" and instituting a program to offset carbon emissions with tree planting.
Regardless of sales, Home Depot expects Eco Options products to raise environmental awareness on a large scale. "We see educating the consumer as being the highest impact of this process," says Ron Jarvis, Vice President for Environmental Innovation.
To read the article in its entirety, please go to Home Depot to Display an Environmental Label
Home Depot, the nation's second-largest retailer, recently unveiled their "Eco Options" label that identifies environmentally friendly products for customers. The company hopes to have 12% of their products labeled as such by 2009. According to Michael Barbaro of the New York Times, this is the largest green labeling program in United States retail.
Although Home Depot's efforts may seem to hold the potential for large-scale impact, environmental advocates point out that consumers in the United States tend to forgo purchasing "green" products due to higher cost and a fear that they will not work as well as the products they are meant to replace. Still, Eco Options products have been going strong in Home Depot's Canadian stores where the label was introduced three years ago.
In addition to this new labeling program, Home Depot has responded to past criticisms from environmentalists by promising "to eliminate sales of lumber from environmentally sensitive areas" and instituting a program to offset carbon emissions with tree planting.
Regardless of sales, Home Depot expects Eco Options products to raise environmental awareness on a large scale. "We see educating the consumer as being the highest impact of this process," says Ron Jarvis, Vice President for Environmental Innovation.
To read the article in its entirety, please go to Home Depot to Display an Environmental Label
Monday, April 16, 2007
GOVERNMENT PROGRAM HELPS FAMILIES STAY IN THEIR HOMES
WASHINGTON - More than 36,500 families have been able to stay in their homes and avoid foreclosure this year thanks to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Federal Housing Administration (FHA) comprehensive lending relief measures. The FHA's Loss Mitigation Program gives lenders who provide FHA-insured mortgages the authority and responsibility to assist homeowners who have fallen into financial difficulties with their home mortgages.
"Owning a home is the American Dream, and the last thing we want is for families to see their dream turned into a nightmare. FHA lending relief measures continues to help families around the nation work through difficult times, stay in their homes and avoid foreclosure," said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson.
Since last October, the FHA Loss Mitigation Program has helped 36,512 families, who are behind on their mortgage payments, keep their homes. In Fiscal Year 2006, this program helped 75,000 families with FHA-insured loans continue to enjoy the benefits of homeownership. In total, there are currently nearly 4 million homeowners in FHA homes.
The potential loss of a home, due to unexpected events such as unemployment or illness, can be financially and personally devastating. But it can be avoided by taking the right steps. Under the FHA Loss Mitigation Program, lenders have the ability to offer borrowers a number of HUD-approved options for avoiding foreclosure, including:
Article courtesy of the Santa Cruz Association of Realtors.
WASHINGTON - More than 36,500 families have been able to stay in their homes and avoid foreclosure this year thanks to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Federal Housing Administration (FHA) comprehensive lending relief measures. The FHA's Loss Mitigation Program gives lenders who provide FHA-insured mortgages the authority and responsibility to assist homeowners who have fallen into financial difficulties with their home mortgages.
"Owning a home is the American Dream, and the last thing we want is for families to see their dream turned into a nightmare. FHA lending relief measures continues to help families around the nation work through difficult times, stay in their homes and avoid foreclosure," said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson.
Since last October, the FHA Loss Mitigation Program has helped 36,512 families, who are behind on their mortgage payments, keep their homes. In Fiscal Year 2006, this program helped 75,000 families with FHA-insured loans continue to enjoy the benefits of homeownership. In total, there are currently nearly 4 million homeowners in FHA homes.
The potential loss of a home, due to unexpected events such as unemployment or illness, can be financially and personally devastating. But it can be avoided by taking the right steps. Under the FHA Loss Mitigation Program, lenders have the ability to offer borrowers a number of HUD-approved options for avoiding foreclosure, including:
- Special Forbearance: This option can include a temporary reduction or suspension of a mortgage payment until the borrower can reestablish financial stability, or a permanent revision in the payment amount to reflect a borrower's new and reduced financial status.
- Modifications: The lender can rewrite the mortgage note in order to roll delinquent amounts into the principal or extend the term of the loan to reduce monthly payments.
- Partial Claim: FHA's insurance fund makes a one-time payment to bring the mortgage current, which becomes an interest-free subordinate mortgage due when the insurance is terminated.
- Pre-Foreclosure Sale: The borrower avoids foreclosure by selling the property for its appraised value even if the proceeds are not enough to pay off the mortgage.
- Deed-in-Lieu of Foreclosure: This option is a negotiated settlement where the borrower deeds the house back to the lender, saving the borrower all of the credit ramifications of a foreclosure while also saving the government some legal costs.
For more information on how families with FHA-insured mortgages can avoid foreclosure, visit www.hud.gov/foreclosure/ or call 1-800-CALL-FHA.
Article courtesy of the Santa Cruz Association of Realtors.
Monday, April 02, 2007
THE DRAWBACKS OF MULTITASKING REVEALED
Although checking email while listening to your iPod and trying to study or talking on you cellphone with a hands-free headset and driving at the same time might seem save you valuable minutes throughout the day, New York Times columnist Steve Lohr says that recent studies reveal the opposite effect.
Vanderbilt University published findings last December that show the brain's ultimate loss of efficiency when trying to handle two tasks at once. Though the delays may be only seconds long, the difference is crucial when considering response time while driving at high speeds.
Oxford University recently completed a study demonstrating that young people have equal difficulty to older adults when it comes to remaining efficient while multitasking.
While there is a point at which multitasking creates an optimum work efficiency, more intense multitasking--constantly checking emails, answering every phone call--will ultimately lead to a loss in productivity.
To read the article in its entirety, please go to Slow Down, Brave Multitasker.
Although checking email while listening to your iPod and trying to study or talking on you cellphone with a hands-free headset and driving at the same time might seem save you valuable minutes throughout the day, New York Times columnist Steve Lohr says that recent studies reveal the opposite effect.
Vanderbilt University published findings last December that show the brain's ultimate loss of efficiency when trying to handle two tasks at once. Though the delays may be only seconds long, the difference is crucial when considering response time while driving at high speeds.
Oxford University recently completed a study demonstrating that young people have equal difficulty to older adults when it comes to remaining efficient while multitasking.
While there is a point at which multitasking creates an optimum work efficiency, more intense multitasking--constantly checking emails, answering every phone call--will ultimately lead to a loss in productivity.
To read the article in its entirety, please go to Slow Down, Brave Multitasker.
MAKING SUMMER TRAVEL PLANS? TRY PRAGUE!
Prague is a romantic and delightful city, and I say get over there if you can!
For information on cafes that only locals know about, the best restaurants, the most exclusive bars and even a prime rock climbing spot, check out Evan Rail's 36 Hours in Prague.
Prague is a romantic and delightful city, and I say get over there if you can!
For information on cafes that only locals know about, the best restaurants, the most exclusive bars and even a prime rock climbing spot, check out Evan Rail's 36 Hours in Prague.
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