Month: February, 2007

The Battle of New New Orleans: Part 1, the battle

28 February, 2007 (09:13) | Uncategorized |

 

The Battle of New Orleans, which propelled Andrew Jackson to the Presidency, in fact made no difference whatsoever to the War of 1812, as it was fought three weeks after the peace treaty had been signed.

We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we fought the bloody British in [...]

Building on Faith: Part 2, the bonus material

27 February, 2007 (08:38) | Uncategorized |

[Continued from yesterday's Part 1.]
 
Much of the NBC-TV documentary “Building On Faith” focuses on the work of faith-based organizations, because they contribute value in volunteer effort (time is money, after all) and through their ability to raise donations.
 
John Edwards:  If you spend a lot of time out in communities where you have lower income families, [...]

Building on Faith, a documentary on affordable housing

26 February, 2007 (08:58) | Uncategorized |

Some months back, I was a principal interviewee in the NBC-TV documentary “Building On Faith.” Subtitled Making Poverty Housing History, it’s now being broadcast on some NBC affiliates throughout the country, and is available on DVD:
 

The hour-long program, presented by the National Council of Churches USA, includes interviews with the CEO of Habitat [...]

Payday lending: Part 2, by doing good?

23 February, 2007 (09:26) | Uncategorized |

[Continued from yesterday's Part 1]
 
Even so, higher fees and sorry stories are not hard to find. Payday lenders have proliferated over the last 15 years, including here in Gallup, a scenic but impoverished town of 22,000 with a mix of Indian, Hispanic and white residents and a striking density of storefront lenders.
 
At least 40 lending [...]

Payday lending: Part 1, doing well by doing good?

22 February, 2007 (09:22) | Uncategorized |

 

When the shades of night are falling,
Comes a fellow ev’ryone knows,
 

Housing and finance are inextricably linked:
 

One is human, one is robotic

Just as secure tenure is critical to establishing a viable family, so is access to inexpensive credit critical to developing house-buying power. What happens when someone falls behind the savings-borrowing [...]