As National Recipe Changes, So Should Marketing of Housing
The metaphor of the American melting pot has been around since the foundation of the republic, though the great breadth of peoples coming to the US did not really expand until the end of the nineteenth century. But along with the melting pot have come vociferous and sometimes violent resistance to immigrants – especially toward specific groups at specific times (the Irish in the mid-nineteenth century, the Italians in the early twentieth century, Mexicans today…). The fact of the matter is: the various groups who make up the population of the US have shifted and reshifted over the last couple of hundred years. They are mostly looking for a safe place to participate in the American experiment and raise their families. Therefore we ask if housing marketers and organizations are taking on board the population trends in their outreach.
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Marketing, National/International, Nonprofit | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
President Obama’s New AIDS Initiative Posted On WhiteHouse.gov
Yesterday, President Barack Obama shifted emphasis from his predecessor on yet another issue, as he announced the administration’s launch of the “Natinal HIV/AIDS Community Discussions” to be hosted by the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP). “HIV remains an serious challenge to the American people and I am committed to developing an effective National HIV/AIDS Strategy,” said President Obama. “The National HIV/AIDS Community Discussions will provide an opportunity for members of the public to give their input on how we can best address this crucial issue. With the insights from communities across the country, we will have a strategy that is focused on the goals of reducing HIV incidence, getting people living with HIV/AIDS into care and improving health outcomes, and reducing HIV-related health disparities.”
The change of emphasis pertains to a stress on helping those who have the disease as well as educating those who participate in activities considered likely to spread the disease. The previous administration stressed abstinence, which certainly helps the spread of STDs, but also tended to sweep aside discussions of treatment or care for those who contracted them. Early reactions seem mostly cautiously optimistic.
Popularity: 1% | Category Grants and Funding, Healthcare, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Nonprofit | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Baltimore Continues To Revitalize Inner Harbor With Residential Park
The revitalization of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor began in fits and starts as early as the late 1950s by Mayor Thomas J. D’Alesandro, Jr. Though technically a ‘harbor,’ the specific area known as the Inner Harbor was always too shallow for ocean-bound vessels, oven those built in the early nineteenth century. The Inner Harbor thus served as a rump of warehouses and cheap housing for laborers who had to travel a couple of miles east to get to the docks holding the big cargo ships. Almost as soon as the last medium-sized ships stopped coming into the eastern/inner harbor in the late 1950s, work went into finding other uses for the space. The first round of improvements mostly consisted of tearing things down and creating open spaces that could be used when necessary, but hardly grounds (no pun intended) for economic vitality. Rebuilding came in the 1980s, with a focus on tourism and attractions (the National Aquarium, Harbor Place Hotels, a myriad of restaurants, and the Maryland Science Center. Most of this rebuilding was along the eastern rim of the shallow harbor, but housing took a bit longer to enjoy a similar renaissance.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Greening, Local/Maryland, News and Current Affairs, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Constitutional Balance of Powers Helps Avoid Tyranny of Majority (and Minority)
The framers of the US Constitution wanted to establish a number of levels (the document assumes local governments and outlines the national government’s inability to interfere in the jurisdictional prerogatives of the states) and branches of government (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial). One of their ideals was to avoid the sort of monarchic or aristocratic amalgamations of legislator/judge that ruled in early modern England. The design was also meant to try to ensure that no individual institution within the government could unilaterally act. Such a system has launched a good number of debates and conflicts (oh, and a Civil War). And we are about to have another one that will have a significant influence on the specific issue of (illegal) immigration and on the general issue of which level of government is responsible for which kinds of policies. The US Justice Department is suing the State of Arizona over its recent law requiring the enforcement of federal immigration laws and the expedited deportation of any suspected illegals (SB 1070). The argument is that immigration is the purview of the national government. What is the background to this dispute and who will win?
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Happy Fourth of July! May You Have (Only) Monday Off
We wish you a joyous and safe Fourth of July weekend holiday, with plenty of family, friends, fireworks, and good eats!
And as a mark of (vaguely) good news to roll into the weekend, the unemployment rate fell in June from 9.7% to 9.5%. The fall is the result of a unique trade-off, as over 200,000 jobs were lost as those temporarily hired by the Census were released from their positions. But the private sector also added 83,000 to bring about the slight reduction in overall unemployment. Though good news, arguments over continuing unemployment benefits, in the midst of other budgetary concerns, might prove to be the debate of the next couple of election cycles: what IS ‘small government’?
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Possible New Role For Pollution Credits: Lowering Runoff Into The Chesapeake Bay
The idea for a carbon tax to create a carbon credit market seems politically a dead letter in the current economic crisis, but the idea that credits could be traded for those who are able to achieve stated limits on pollution still might have some influence. A micro-economy has been suggested for the Chesapeake Bay region, with pollutant run-off being the currency that might be traded. The Foundation Center gives us access to a report on how such an exchange might be developed, how it might improve conditions in the bay, and perhaps how it could be used successfully to deal with other pollutants.
Popularity: unranked | Category Climate Change, Greening, Local/Maryland, Politics, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Baltimore Finding Ways To Urban Renewal That Do Not Adversely Dislocate
In so many ways Baltimore spent much of the second half of the twentieth century as a city that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory: A vibrant industrial and trading city with a notable financial sector as well (in the decade after World War II), a city of some 2 million people who enjoyed the second most extensive trolley-car network in the US, a city with a pennant-winning baseball team (Yes, it was that long ago…). But by the late 1960s, the city was riven with racial violence, ‘white flight,’ and the secretly organized dismantling of much of its public transport for the sake of union jobs in a GM plant (now greatly reduced and outside the city). Needless, to say, the Orioles remain comfortably buried in the cellar of the AL East. Fortunately, he most recent efforts to revitalize the city, with the overwhelming input of Johns Hopkins University (disclaimer: the blogger is a graduate of said institution), are drawing support, ever-growing funds, and even praise — all of which deserve our attention.
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Grants and Funding, Local/Maryland, News and Current Affairs, Politics, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Elizabeth Warren Still Fighting For Consumer Protection
Almost a year ago, Elizabeth Warren began a focused campaign to bring consumer protections to the discussion about financial and credit reform. She is Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law at Harvard University, and (yet?) chose to introduce her position on such protections via the following YouTube video:
That was a year ago. Where is she now and how is she reaching out with her ideas? More importantly, how goes the move to create such an agency?
Popularity: 1% | Category Banking & Finance, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Lest We Forget: Oil And @BPGlobalPR Still Gushing (And That’s Not The Worst)
“You can’t make up anything anymore. The world itself is a satire.
All you’re doing is recording it.”
Art Buchwald
Follow this link to one of BP’s Live Feeds of Gulf Oil Geyser
We are now 60 days – two full months – into this ecological disaster. Few even mention the eleven platform workers killed when the Deepwater Horizon first blew apart on 20-21 April. BP and TransOcean and Haliburton have danced through the Kibuki Theater of Congressional Hearings, blaming each other for the blowout and yet spinning post-facto admissions that they struggled to keep up with the others’ incompetence. The evidence of indifference to safety concerns on behalf of BP’s management continues to leak into the press. And through it all, @bpTerry continues to work hard to broaden the outreach and impact of @BPGlobalPR:
@bpTerry highlights some of the positives
But who is this guy, and what do his efforts portend for social media and brand allegiance/control?
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, National/International, Politics, Tweets | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Soccer’s World Cup Kicks Off Today & Social Media Already Winning
What with oil slicks growing and aid ships being forcibly boarded and sanctions being levied and nuclear-weapons threats being kicked across ‘demilitarized’ zones, it is important to remember that human beings do indeed have the capacity to share a positive competitive experience. And thus begins the World Cup in South Africa!
The ideal of the tournament was first raised in 1914 (oh, the irony), but FIFA, the world association of national soccer/football associations, concentrated its efforts on the Olympics until the mid-1920s, when the body pressed ahead with a tournament open to professionals. The first World Cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay, who went on to win it by defeating Argentina 4-2. ‘Only’ 13 teams joined that first tournament, but with over 93,000 fans pouring into the stadium for the Final, it was clearly a huge success. The World Cup has been held every four years (with the exception of the 1940s) ever since, and it has grown with each successive tournament. It is the single most-watched event on the globe, and unlike the ‘World’ Series, or ‘World’ Champions of the NFL, the winners of the World Cup can honestly claim the title.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, National/International, Tweets | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Survey Of Outcomes From Tuesday’s Electoral Primaries
This Tuesday’s series of party primaries marks the single biggest day of polling before the midterm elections in November. Thus pundits have wanted to read the tea leaves (no pun intended, as Rand Paul already ran and won his primary in Kentucky) at the bottom of this round’s pot of primaries.
Chris Good of TheAtlantic.com presents a fine rundown of the results, with the nomination of Blanche Lincoln as the Democratic Senatorial candidate perhaps being the biggest surprise, given the resources from other Democrats against her: “This is a tough loss for labor unions, and an unexpected one. The biggest U.S. labor organizations poured over $6 million into this race to try to secure [Bill] Halter as a 59th vote in favor of the Employee Free Choice Act, and it looked like a long shot from the start. But Halter had surged ahead of Lincoln in last the three polls prior to Tuesday night (all by Research 2000), and it started to look like he’d win after all. He didn’t, to the dismay of many.”
Popularity: unranked | Category National/International, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Jobs Report Suggests Slight Or Slighter Growth Depending on Source
The release of the government’s jobs report this past week was cause for about as much speculation as Apple Inc.’s World Wide Developers’ Conference is this week. And just as people pretty much knew about Apple’s fourth-generation iPhone weeks ago, so people were pretty sure what the jobs report would look like before it was made official. The jobs report needed contextualization within the economic disasters we have endured for the last three years. We will leave contextualization of Apple’s WWDC and new iPhone for another post.
Job Losses and Gains Since Jan. 2010
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Perspectives: Linda Cronin-Gross, President of LCG Communications
Linda Cronin-Gross, President of LCG Communications
We have been reaching out to some of the influential people in the nonprofit/mission-based/greening/housing (etc.!) communities to hear about the work their organizations are involved with and how these individuals got involved in that work. Their insights and experiences can inspire us all as we continue our work in our chosen areas.
The series of interviews continues with Linda Cronin-Gross, founder and president of LCG Communications (Brooklyn, NY). She has been in the worlds of politics and public relations since the late 1970s, and she founded LCG Communications ten years ago in an effort to educate nonprofits on the benefits of strategic communications for progressive, issues-driven organizations and campaigns as well as for small businesses. She is a member of the National Writers Union as well. Linda Gross’s success has not been linear or without challenges (like walking a straight line through the lobby of the Rockefeller Center with a teary-eyed political candidate). Yet her perseverance and good humor have been critical to the success she and her firm have enjoyed over the last decade. So how did she grow from music teacher to adviser and communications specialist to greening groups and progressive organizations throughout New York?
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Greening, Nonprofit, Politics, interview | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Kicking A (Housing) Market While It’s Down
We are not a glum group at MKCREATIVE by any means. We just believe ‘forewarned is forearmed.’ Yesterday we discussed the local (read: Baltimore-Washington region) housing market, which did not enjoy a notable bubble and (thus?) has not suffered a violent bust. Nevertheless, the region is seeing a striking deflation in home values as foreclosures bite into more and more families. Anecdotal and personal evidence has seen not a few houses go from lived-in to empty to for sale in a few months, victims of foreclosure. In this region’s case, the problems stem not so much from over leveraged home loans made to people told/believing the market would never again shrink but from the fact that the Recession and unemployment (or worse, the terrible and larger problem of underemployment) continue to erode people’s savings and thus their abilities to keep up with their mortgages. Two years into The Great Recession has left many at the end of their abilities to pay, so their homes join the growing list of foreclosures (as reported yesterday, 35% of the homes for sale through April are foreclosed, compared to 22% from last year in Baltimore alone). A short-sold home gives no relief to the home owner from creditors, of course, as creditors get to buy back the house on the cheap and hold it until the market improves so they can sell it again.
Ah, but when will that happen?
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Community, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Politics, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
‘Resilient Baltimore’ Probably Needs Resilient Housing Market
Up in Baltimore City from 22% to 35%
Economists, reporters, politicians, and bloggers have all proclaimed and/or wondered if The Great Recession is over. Our blog has followed some of these statistics and claims at the national level, but today we want to look specifically at the situation in Baltimore and its housing market.
Many (weak) signs suggest bottoms have been found in a number of markets, and perhaps its human nature for us to seek out and accept the good news. As we have previously reported, the mid-Atlantic did not enjoy a stunning housing bubble, and thus did not endure a painful popping of that bubble. According to CNN Money, “In the Maryland and Virginia suburbs around Washington, the restrictions on building are among the most onerous in the entire nation. As a result, only a trickle of new housing is coming on the market, despite the good economy and strong job growth in the Washington area.” So-far-so-good…
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Local/Maryland, Politics, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Deadline Approaching To Register For IRS’s New Tax-Exempt Status
On 17 May many smaller charities might find themselves in post-tax-exempt status as the IRS reconfigures its guidelines and filing expectations for these groups. According to Grant Williams at ‘The Chronicle of Philanthropy,’ “Nobody really knows for sure how many organizations will target=”_blank” lose their tax exemptions, but several research groups estimate that more than 300,000 organizations listed on the Internal Revenue Service’s rolls ultimately could be affected.”
Popularity: unranked | Category National/International, News and Current Affairs, Nonprofit, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
BP’s Oil Spill in Gulf Looks Like Déjà Vu All Over Again
Cleaning Efforts in the
Gulf of Mexico
No, we are not referring to the many other oil spills and cleanup operations that have happened in recent memory. We are talking about the dance the BP Corporation is leading to get around being blamed for the spill, and the righteous indignation Congress people are getting themselves lathered up to look like they will make BP suffer the consequences. Just as they did a week ago when Chairman Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs was the whipping boy as Congress people needed to look like they were going to do something about their contributors’ greed. Did we mention it is a midterm election year?
Popularity: unranked | Category National/International, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Politics, Technology | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Consumer Protection Agency Drifts
From Public Discourse
The media (with good reason) have concentrated recently on the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the pseudo-grilling Goldman Sachs got by Congresspeople desperate to look tough to their constituents, and the British election that has resulted in a hung Parliament. Discussion of the formation of a Consumer Protection Agency has drifted off the radar, which we believe is unfortunate. Indeed, yesterday’s plunge-and-slight-recovery on Wall Street surely argues for the need of such an agency because so much of our economy runs on our faith in trades done in traders’ computers on our behalf. The notion of such an agency is hardly foreign to our economy. Every state has has one form or another of a CPA ready to hear appeals and offer services. But will the states lead the way to the federal level, as California did for car emissions?
Popularity: unranked | Category Book Review, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Politics, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
The Bailout of Greece, E.U. Monetary Policy, And You
Only six years ago Greece seemed to have returned to its golden age: Host of the Summer Olympics and European Nations’ Cup Champions in football (er, ‘soccer’). But the bill has been delivered, and no one seems willing or capable of paying. The economic and political unrest turned violent recently, as the government continued to impose tax hikes and slashes on public spending. Greece’s debt, ranks it as the 16th most in-debt nation as measured against its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (170.5%) (the US is 20th with 96.5% debt-to-GDP and Ireland tops the table at 1312%. No, we did not forget a period in that number. But then why is the Greek problem the one grabbing the headlines? And what might it have to do with you?
Popularity: unranked | Category National/International, News and Current Affairs, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Baltimore’s ‘Parks And People’ Plans Organizing Efforts for Block Projects
We wanted to remind you of an informative and important meeting sponsored by Baltimore‘s Parks and People Foundation this May 13th. We tweeted the event a day or so ago, but it is worth a posting here as well. The Parks and People Foundation has been hosting a series of meetings and workshops entitled ‘Community Greens Workshop Series’ meant to get folks engaged at the local and neighborhood level to restore and upkeep green areas and small parks. The meeting on the thirteenth concerns the efforts needed to make such engagement practical and profitable for the community. It is being held at Monroe Street United Methodist Church
400 S. Monroe St., Baltimore City .
Want to do more in your neighborhood but don’t know where to begin? Learn tips for organizing your block project, generating volunteers, and building leadership. Come with questions! Please RSVP to Sarah at 410-448-5662 x128
The keynote speaker is Ellen Burke, Partner at City Life Historic Properties, LLC. She is also Vice President for the Baltimore Community Developers Association and honored as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women in business and philanthropic concerns. She will be discussing some of the tools of communication and community organizing.
She will be joined by Kate Herrod, Director of Community Greens, who will be discussing the value of such projects as alley gating and greening. Baltimore City has a hidden treasure of small green spaces and urban micro-parks (my term). These tend to be off the city administration’s radar (especially during a recession), but are a life-affirming quality in their neighborhoods. Ms. Herrod will offer advice on keeping them green and the community engaged in their upkeep.
Once inspired by what you learn at the workshop, or if you are already inspired but can not make it on the 13th, be sure to check out their Calendar of Events and follow the Foundation on Twitter. MKCREATIVE already follows their good works, and we hope to see you at one of their May meetings.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Education: General, Greening, Local/Maryland, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Public Option in Health Care Still On The Table, Because We Aren’t Getting What We Pay For
The Atlantic Magazine sponsored a forum on health care on Monday in Washington DC, at which Henry Waxman gave the keynote address. According to the write-up of the moderator, Atlantic editor Joshua Green, the public option remains the go-to strategy if the current plan of establishing insurance exchanges does not create the sorts of health-care coverage and competition demanded. Mr. Green also pointed out that such monumental legislation takes on its own life, which means it needs constant monitoring and reconsideration as the US healthcare environment changes. To assist in that monitoring, Gerard F. Anderson and Patricia Markovich of Johns Hopkins University (with support from The Commonwealth Fund) have recently posted a statistical report entitled “Multinational Comparisons of Health Systems Data, 2008.” Though statistical, the report presents a series of easy-to-grasp comparative charts that compare spending and outcomes of a number of advanced western economies/countries.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Healthcare, National/International, Opinion, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
UK Election: Three way clashes in historic TV debate
Nick Clegg, David Cameron and Gordon Brown in TV Prime ministerial debate
Gordon Brown and David Cameron have clashed over spending cuts, tax and political reform in the UK’s first prime ministerial TV debate.
The Labour leader went on the attack against Mr Cameron during the historic 90-minute encounter, accusing him of “airbrushing” planned spending cuts.
The Tory leader accused Mr Brown of trying to “frighten” voters.
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said neither of them were being “straight” about the scale of cuts needed.
BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said the biggest impact of the contest will be the insertion of Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats into the nation’s consciousness but nothing the other leaders said had fundamentally altered the general election debate.
The abiding memory of the contest could be “the other leaders saying ‘I agree with Nick,” he added.
Two opinion polls taken immediately after the debate, by YouGov and Populus respectively, suggested Mr Clegg won.
The debate on ITV1 was the first of three over the coming weeks, in the run up to the general election on 6 May. (more…)
Popularity: unranked | Category National/International, News and Current Affairs, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.
Baltimore Hosting A Number of Homeownership & Greening Events
The approach of Tax Day can cloud memories of other opportunities, so we wanted to post reminders of a number of upcoming events for the greening of Our Fair City. First off, please do not forget the fun we will have at Druid Hill Park this Saturday, 17 April, from 12:pm to 6:pm. EcoFest hosted by the Baltimore GreenWorks and a myriad of local vendors and greening organizations. The weather prognosis looks good for the weekend, and what a great way to wash away memories of sweating over your 1040?
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Conference/Congress, Education: General, Greening, Local/Maryland, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Upcoming Greening Events in Baltimore To Highlight Sustainability Successes
On our entry for 25 March we touted some notable greening projects in New York City, including Annie Novak’s rooftop farm. We also noted opportunities for Baltimore’s citizens to get involved in similar projects. Today we follow on with that call-to-action to draw your attention to a couple of festivals and conferences meant to inspire and educate the Baltimore community to strive for environmental and economic sustainability. We also want to offer kudos to Towson University’s students, staff, and faculty who recycled 140 tons of materials in the fourth annual “RecycleMania” competition held among Maryland’s institutions of higher learning. They far exceeded their goal of 120 tons, itself an expansion over the 114 tons recycled last year. And they did so despite those crippling blizzards in February smack dab in the middle of the competition. (Cue sappy music) Of course, Maryland’s citizenry and environment are the big winners, as schools across the state competed in the 10-week competition.
Popularity: unranked | Category Automobiles, Climate Change, Community, Conference/Congress, Education: General, Greening, Local/Maryland, Nonprofit, Politics, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
A (Giga)Bit More on Net Neutrality Debate In Wake of Appeals Court Ruling
The decision from the Federal Appeals Court continues to reverberate within the news cycle, as debate continues about the viability (or mythology) of neutrality in the marketplace and how sternly the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should oversee the industry. For those of you wanting to hear a lively discussion of the issue, a bit of its history, and proponents from both sides of the decision, may we recommend today’s one-hour discussion on The Diane Rhem Show?
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Conference/Congress, Marketing, National/International, Opinion, Politics, Technology, Web and Print | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Net Neutrality Loses (First?) Appeal
The MKCREATIVE blog has posted on issues of net neutrality, network infrastructures, and the impending Google gigabit network for some fortunate community in these United States. So our antennae were twitching as the decision/appeal concerning the FCC’s statute of ‘net neutrality.’ And the court has decided that the FCC’s statutes are unconstitutional. Here is a nice introduction from The Wall Street Journal (including the fact that the pundits interviewed do not expect the Obama Administration to spend political capital appealing the appeal:
Of course, the issue is not resolved (any more than health care is ‘resolved’).
Popularity: 1% | Category National/International, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Politics, Technology, Web and Print | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
ACORN Shuts Down and/or Breaks Up
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now closes national offices.
The board of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now announced today that its national organization was shutting down operations, though state-level community organizations may (and surely will) continue to function. The move likely was, as Frank James at NPR‘s blog put it, a “mercy killing.” The national organization faced charges of bending rules on early elections leading up to the presidential election of 2008, and its situation got only more precarious after the infamous ‘pimp’ video apparently showed ACORN employees assisting a self-proclaimed (albeit undercover former employee) pimp get a mortgage loan for a single-family home he wanted to turn into his brothel.
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Community, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
We Know You Know, But: Health Care Reform Passed Last Night
It has proven to be about as contentious as whether to override the Articles of Confederation in 1788-1789 into a federal constitution, but laaaate last night H.R. 3590 by a vote of 219-212. The vote was exactly party partisan. President Obama responded with reference to the Constitution and to Franklin D. Roosevelt:
Tonight, at a time when the pundits said it was no longer possible, we rose above the weight of our politics. We pushed back on the undue influence of special interests. We didn’t give in to mistrust or to cynicism or to fear. Instead, we proved that we are still a people capable of doing big things and tackling our biggest challenges. We proved that this government — a government of the people and by the people — still works for the people.
John Boehner, Republican Representative from Ohio and House Minority Leader responded with calls for fear:
Americans are out there are making sacrifices and struggling to build a better future for their kids. And over the last year as the damn-the-torpedoes outline of this legislation became more clear, millions lifted their voices, and many for the first time, asking us to slow down, not try to cram through more than the system could handle. … In this time of recession, they wanted us to focus on jobs, not more spending, not more government, certainly not more taxes. But what they see today frightens them. They’re frightened because they don’t know what comes next. They’re disgusted, because they see one political party closing out the other from what should be a national solution. And they are angry. They are angry that no matter how they engage in this debate, this body moves forward against their will. Shame on us. Shame on each and every one of you who substitutes your will and your desires above those of your fellow countrymen.
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Healthcare, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Homeowners Getting Federal Help
- Image via Wikipedia
The mortgage bubble that Wall Street players were puffing up and were betting would break has, of course, brought down almost everything else with it (save investor bonuses). The fallout was one of the many catalysts for the sweeping political change of the elections of 2008. One of the loudest political debates was over whether federal recovery and stimulus money should go to banks and investment houses who could not expect repayment on their loans or to homeowners whose hastily purchased and heavily leveraged houses were suddenly underwater. Though the debate continues, many of us seem already to have accepted the inevitable: banks and investment houses have lobbyists, home owners have bills. But some efforts to improve the situation on the ground can be found.
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Community, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Baltimore And Its Home-Seekers Want 1Gigabit Network
Gus G. Sentementes, tech guru at The Baltimore Sun, has recently reported on the efforts of the Greater Baltimore Committee (with the help of Under Armour, Inc.) to lure Google to bring its one-gigabyte-per-second network to Charm City. We reported on Google’s announcement and Request for Proposals about six weeks ago, and our fair city is now in the hunt. The MKCREATIVE blog reported on the many pluses of the project, though one of limited population scope. But here’s hoping… The faster network could help home shoppers find the houses of their dreams that nanosecond as well. If they are savvy about how to search…
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Local/Maryland, Politics, Revitalization, Technology, Web and Print | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
More Seminars Coming Our Way
- Image by new economics foundation via Flickr
We have gotten still more notices about various seminars in the region pertinent to the greening and mission-based sectors of the economy, so we wanted to continue to share the details on some of the news. The Big Picture remains the opportunity to build networks and gain new skills while the economy might be slowing your daily internal projects.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Conference/Congress, Local/Maryland, News and Current Affairs, Nonprofit, Politics, Technology | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Studies on Health and Family Stability Thru Recession
The ‘Great Recession’ has been with us long enough now that medium-term information is giving policy makers and think tanks information to discuss long-term changes in the American economy and society. We have already reported on a few of these, and more will becoming out over the coming months. Today we look at a report (PDF) by HealthyAmericans.org and a recent article in The Atlantic Monthly magazine. Chilling reading, to be sure, but being well educated on the subject should be a goal of everyone because we are all responsible for our own health and how our health care demands affect others.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Politics, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Banks Back to Profitability (& Bonuses) But Homeowners Still Drowning
The Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) likely kept the banking industry afloat, and few doubt the necessity to keep the banking industry solvent for the sake of functioning markets and businesses. The bailout began under the president who encouraged the housing bubble in the first place, and was accepted by the Obama Administration as a necessity, albeit an unpleasant one. But over the past couple of months, the present administration has spent much of its ‘political capital’ trying to explain the value of the $700+ billion dollar program while trying to move toward direct help to the very people the TARP was originally claiming to support: homeowners whose houses were mortgaged beyond the (falling) market value (thus, ‘troubled assets’). What issues confront the homeowner at this time?
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Community, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Nonprofits Looking for Ways to Bridge Gaps in Funding
More grim news about the economic situation we find ourselves in: The stock market rose by some 28 points on the news that ONLY 20,000 jobs were shed in February (as opposed to 60,000 in January). Our readers are well aware of the situation, of course. And all economics, like politics, are local as we each work through our situations from where we find ourselves right now. Which goes for the nonprofit sector as well, although that sector tends to be a ‘lagging indicator,’ as private benefactions and government support are planned and divvied in advance. Thus most nonprofits probably do not feel the greatest strain until the allocated funds run out, which could be months into the economic trough.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Conference/Congress, Grants and Funding, Marketing, National/International, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
A Report From the Weather Front
Baltimore kids enjoy a day off from school
The nor’easters that have pummeled the eastern seaboard over the last month or so have provided many a fun day for kids unencumbered by the duties of school. Businesses and city budgets have been less enthusiastic as they have seen a notable falloff in customers or a striking pothole in their treasuries. The winter season still has 2-3 more weeks left, according to Puxatony Phil, so the snow shovels should not be put away just yet. Still another effect of the storms is to revivify the the media brouhaha about Global Warming.
Popularity: 1% | Category Climate Change, Community, National/International, Politics, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Like Rome Before the Fall? Not Yet.
Article by Piers Brendon. Originally published in the New York Times.
Vice President Joe Biden complains that he is being driven crazy because so many people are betting on America’s demise. Reports of it are not just exaggerated; they are, he insists, ridiculous. Like President Obama, he will not accept “second place” for the United States. Despite the present crippling budget deficit and the crushing burden of projected debt, he denies that the country is destined to fulfill a “prophecy that we are going to be a great nation that has failed because we lost control of our economy and overextended.” (more…)
Popularity: unranked | Category National/International, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.
Stark Figures on Housing in Major Markets
The crash of the housing market might be behind us (although ‘Objects in Mirror May Be Closer Than They Appear’), but the recessionary effects abound, as does the detritus of the houses themselves. So many built on the belief that mortgages could be offered indefinitely, and paid back indefinitely as well. The momentum of the buildup meant that has credit got crunched new homes got finished and now we have a glut. Recent news reports have concentrated on that glut, and we wanted to pass some of the grim statistics to our readers.
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Community, National/International, Politics, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Google’s portfolio now to include electricity distribution
Wow. Whether it was the boom & bust of Buzz! (and probable resurrection), the Request For Proposal to establish a gigabit fiberoptic network (NPR news story), or the latest move for Google to purchase and resell electricity, the search giant has been inspiring tweets and blogs of all stripes the last few weeks. Our blog has reported some of these developments, and the most recent Googlegrowth deserves mention as well. What might the distribution by Google mean for the non-profit and mission-based sector of the economy?
Popularity: 1% | Category Greening, News and Current Affairs, Nonprofit, Politics, Technology | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Baltimore non-profits bring change for good in bad economy
The Johns Hopkins University Gazette had a recent article about Hopkins students working with local non-profits as they pursue their degrees, which seems a fine introduction to the good work area non-profit and community groups have accomplished over the last number of months. Though the economy overall remains sluggish, non-profits have been able not only to continue their work but also to draw in (even if temporarily) the underemployed who want to better their communities with their extra time. Let us see some of that in action.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Local/Maryland, Nonprofit, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Baltimore’s Crisis: Is a Sustainable Resurgence Possible in 2010?
The community/public-service website LiveBaltimore.com recently announced a free workshop entitled “Is Now The Right Time to Buy a Home?” The website then had to announce that the tsnownamis of 2010 have forced postponement. Keep an eye on the site, as LiveBaltimore will soon post the rescheduled event. Which begs the question, IS now the right time?
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Community, Local/Maryland, News and Current Affairs | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Recovery Funds for Green Buildings: Nos.10 & 9 in Our Top Ten List
A week or so ago we posted the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) report on the “Top 10 Ways to Use Recovery Funds for Green Building.” The report outlined ways local and state governments, as well as community organizations and socially-conscious businesses could draw upon the Obama Administration’s recovery package. With the federal government ‘closed’ and snuggling under a thick blanket of snow, we thought this the perfect time to study the 10 Ways in greater detail for our clients and readers. [Paul Schafer, cue the music!] (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Climate Change, Community, Grants and Funding, Greening, Local/Maryland, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Baltimore: Snowed in but blogging on!
Baltimore (nay, the east coast) has been whacked with back-to-back Nor’easters that have closed schools for at least a week, and moved the MKCREATIVE staff to work from our home satellites (power permitting). Today’s entry is just a small praise for a big community.
(more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Local/Maryland | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Fossil-Fuel Producers as Fossil-Fuel Deniers
This report might fit under the rubric of John Cleese’s famous rejoinder, “Well, aren’t you Master of the Bleeding Obvious?!” But we must remind ourselves that all is not as it may seem. A report by Jonathan Owen and Paul Bignell in the British newspaper The Independent outlines many of the links between multi-national oil & fossil-fuel producers and think tanks who argue against global-warming or argue against the notion that human activity is causing it. As an example that Owen and Bignell cite, “ExxonMobil is a key player behind the scenes, having donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past few years to climate change sceptics. The Atlas Foundation, created by the late Sir Anthony Fisher (founder of the Institute of Economic Affairs), received more than $100,000 in 2008 from ExxonMobil, according to the oil company’s reports.” (more…)
Popularity: unranked | Category Climate Change, Community, National/International, Politics, Technology | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Voting against our interests
Last week the BBC posted an intriguing synopsis of the tendency of a majority of Americans to vote against their economic interests. A classic example (though not referred to in this particular article) was the general support for the Bush Administration’s tax cuts, though less than 4% of the population directly benefited from them. Though we all periodically act “against” our own self-interest, analysts are wondering about the political fallout of such decisions at the national level.
Popularity: unranked | Category National/International, News and Current Affairs, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
In-depth: ‘Series on 10 Ways to Use Recovery Funds for Green Buildings’
Last Friday (22 January) we blogged about some of the ways money from the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)” was being put into the greening of standing buildings and the creation of green public and government buildings.
There was a very positive response to the posting, so this week we are starting an occasional “Top 10″ series where we drill-down on a particular subject. The first series focuses on a list compiled by the U.S. Green Building Council. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Grants and Funding, Greening, Local/Maryland, National/International, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Living in & loving Baltimore!
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
The Baltimore Media website has just released its latest e-dition, with stories about how jealous Pittsburgh is of Charm City and how many great restaurants one can enjoy after a day’s community gardening. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Banking & Finance, Client Roster, Community, Grants and Funding, Greening, Local/Maryland, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Mortgage modifications can create more debt/risk
With the collapse of the housing market, we all relearned a concept usually associated with kids, summers at the pool, and vacations at the beach: underwater. The term now stirs feelings of unease, if not panic, as we feel ourselves pulled down by an undertow of debt payments and rising interest rates – especially as they pertain to our houses. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Community, National/International, Politics | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: How to launch greening projects
Federal economic stimulus has come in many guises, but we at MKCREATIVE want to call attention to those that pertain to housing and to the environment. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (‘ARRA‘) includes numerous opportunities for such work. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Grants and Funding, Greening, Local/Maryland, National/International, Politics, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
NHS Baltimore & Baltimore Sun report on extra-legal debt collection
We are all too aware of how the debts in this country have grown beyond manageability over the last 15-plus years. Democratic and Republican administrations have allowed banks and financial services to write and rewrite their own terms almost at will, and too many customers accepted too-good-to-be-true terms without the necessary due diligence. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Community, Local/Maryland, Nonprofit, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D