Well, it may have been “unexpected” in DC, but no where else
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week by the largest amount in three months. The surge is evidence of how volatile the job market remains, even as the economy grows. Applications for unemployment benefits rose to 471,000 last week, up by 25,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department said Thursday. It was the first increase in five weeks and the biggest jump since a gain of 40,000 in February. The forecast was for claims to fall by about 4,000 from the previous week. “Although no one expects this volatile …
Tags: jobs, rise, unemployment
World Briefs
May 17
2010
NATION TEACHERS TO KEEP JOBS CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. — A school district that gained the support of President Barack Obama for promoting accountability after it fired all its teachers from a struggling school announced on Sunday it had reached an agreement with the union to return all the current staffers to their jobs.Read more on NewsOK.com Read more
Is this good news? What are the issues with the teacher’s union? Is the union more interested in the teachers or the students? What effect have unions had on the schools in your city? When you understand the answers to these questions, what are you going to do about it?
Tags: politics schools unions
As teachers statewide are hearing their contracts may not be renewed, the Obama administration urged Congress to include $23 billion in emergency spending in a war funding bill to help states save education jobs.Read more on NewsOK.com Read more
What does this mean for jobs? Is there an opportunity here for you? Why is your state short of money for schools? All of these questions are part of your process to get to where you Never Look Again!
Tags: politics jobs government spending
When we think of harmony, we often think of music. Different harmonious chords connected together to make something that is very pleasing. Each chord has its own specific characteristics and is perfectly adequate on its own. However, when put together into a musical tune, each note finds its true significance in relation to what it contributes.
The same holds true for us. Each and everyone has a special set of talents, skills, and abilities that hold us in good stead. When we contribute those skills to others, we can discover a personal value and a sense of satisfaction that is deep and rich and resonates with harmony.
However, when we focus on our own goals and satisfaction with little or no concern for others, the result is often disharmonious. Just as a note played without regard for the whole jars the senses, a person who does not contribute to the whole creates tension and friction.
In the business world, the concept of harmony is often referred to as synergy. The concept that the effort of an effective team exceeds the greatest effort of any single individual on that team. To be most effective, people in a team work in harmony. They all share their personal best to move the team forward towards its chosen objective. If a team member gets off track or begins putting his or her own interests before those of the team, then the project is derailed.
Harmony is of the essence to teamwork and teamwork is essential to success – whether it is personal success or business. When we all work together and have the freedom to express ourselves, we create harmony and create extraordinary results.
People who live full and satisfied lives embrace the joy of others and are as concerned for the welfare of society as they are the well being of their selves.
That which will benefit the whole – a sales or management team, a family, a nation, a world – will benefit each of us. We have all been given unique qualities and talents. It is our obligation to recognize them and share them so we can contribute to the whole of society.
When you seek harmony in your life, you develop rouse your potential and expand your consciousness. Harmony is what brings fundamental human qualities like respect, acceptance, understanding and compassion to the surface. Harmony reminds you of how very special and important every person is.
Consider the following tips from an acclaimed professional life coach to bring harmony into your life right now, and awaken to a whole new appreciation for the symbiosis of life.
- Take stock of your personal talents. List every personal talent, skill, quality, competency, and ability you can think of.
- Take a moment and recognize how talented you really are.
- After each quality, list a few ways you can start using it to make a contribution every day.
- Make a talent list of each person in your personal circle of influence – people you interact with on a regular basis.
- Take a moment and recognize how talented those people really are.
- After each of their talents, list how their talents can help you to be and achieve what you want.
- Refer to this list often and continue to be mindful of everyone’s unique abilities even when they seem opposed to your own.
When you contemplate living a full life, rich in blessings and personal satisfaction, harmony is a essential part of this equation. We are relational beings and a significant portion of our success comes from our relationships we have with others and our contributions to our family, community and society. To fully appreciate our personal success we depend upon harmony with others, because teamwork makes the dream work.
Foreclosure options
May 13
2010
Just how is the average American supposed to make their way through the existing real estate market and foreclosure crisis?
Home values have fallen 20-50 percent or more in many places from their 2006 peak and unemployment in states such as California is well into the double digits. Nationwide, over one third of individual homeowners owe more than their properties are worth. More than an eigth of all mortgages are behind on their payments or in default on a nationwide level.
If you are in danger of defaulting on your home loan, you have only a handful of avenues to go: foreclosure, a short sale or a loan modification. Many professionals these days are advising a a short sale, as they offer a benefit to real estate agents, lenders and buyers. The question then becomes, is a short sale truly your best option as a consumer?
Often times, it truly is not in your best interest, even though others involved in the process may lead you to think otherwise.
Let’s look at this in more detail. So you are struggling to make mortgage payments. What will happen if you quit making your payments?
An immediate consequence is that your credit will be harmed. That score is crucial to future lenders who will decide at some later point if you are worthy of making a loan to, and could mean you have to turn to hard money lenders down the road. Also, it’s also being used by potential landlords and employers. It’s not a figure to be taken lightly.
Your FICO, or credit score is created with old and company owned methods that use information collected from your entire credit history. According to the credit bureaus, these scoring systems are meant to give an indication of how likely a particular person is to stop paying on a debt during the first two years of it’s lifetime.
Other companies have their own formulas that do pretty much the same thing. On another popular credit score scale, which runs from 500 to 990, stopping payments on all your loans will drop you into the low 600s.
If your credit score is below 650 in today’s market, putting together a loan for any reason can be terribly hard (except for the more expensive money offered through private hard money ). If you are concerned about loans for the future, doing a short sale of your house will not keep your credit in pristine shape, contrary to what many may want you to believe. So is there really a beneift to going through a short sale?
The largest benefit is getting the debt you owe forgiven (be sure to read the fine print), and avoiding a foreclosure on your credit. A short sale can impact your score about the same as a foreclosure, but by short selling your home, you will be able to get another conventional home loan in about 2 years time, rather than the three or more that a foreclosure will require.
You may want to consider looking into a potential modification of your existing loan . Oftentimes, this is a difficult process to go through, but if you desire to stay in your home and save your credit, a loan modification may be a better solution to explore.
Be sure to do your own research before you choose which direction or option you are going to take. Depending on what state you are in, there will be different ramifications for the various options. Find a good real estate professional and/or real estate lawyer, make an appointment, and discuss all your options before you make a choice. If you decide that selling is the way you are going to go , find a local specialist . For example, if you are in the San Ramon area, you should work with a Contra Costa short sale specialist. When making this decision, make sure you are comfortable with the direction you choose, good luck!
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