Random Act of Kindness
Random acts of kindness remind us of the good in people that often times are overshadowed by life’s disappointments and setbacks. Act of kindness such as opening a door for a stranger, sending a “get well” card to a good friend or allowing a car to merge into your lane are small but important gestures that build relationships and make our society stronger.
Acts of kindness can happen just about anywhere at anytime. They happen when someone chooses to “leave themselves” and gives “of themselves” to someone else.
Take for example Steamin Bean coffee shop located in Blue Springs, Missouri. On July 6, 2009, a drive-through customer ordered a cup of coffee. As she was paying for her coffee, she offered to pay for the next customer’s coffee as well. In a few minutes, another customer came to the store and ordered a cup of coffee. When told that the cup of coffee would be free – paid by another customer – he said he would do the same. The tradition has continued to this day. As of the date of this story, the Steamin Bean has served over 6,232 “pay it forward” cups of coffee
Owner Garin Bledsoe says no one, it seems, wants to break the chain of good deeds.
“It’s hard times, but people are wanting to be part of something, knowing their five cents, their dollar goes to a greater good,” said Bledsoe. “They may not be able to change the economy, but they can change one person a day by doing a simple little gesture.”[i]
Just imagine the impact of those 6,232 customers — an unbroken chain of kindness. The cup of coffee provided a jumped start their physical bodies but emboldened their hearts in ways we can only imagine. In fact, the “pay it forward” policy has been adopted by other businesses in Blue Springs.
What act of kindness can you or I start today?
Tuesday, July 28, 2009 By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
Texas cities continue to lead the nation in homebuilding, even in the face of huge construction cutbacks.
Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth are the top markets in the country for building permits for single-family homes, based on numbers for the 12-month period ending in May.
And Texas had more homebuilding permits than California and Florida combined, according to data provided by California-based John Burns Real Estate Consulting.
Austin and San Antonio also rank among the country’s 10 busiest homebuilding markets.
“Texas didn’t see the downturn in the housing market the other states did,” said Lesley Deutch, a vice president at John Burns.
“Florida and California have really pulled off their permit totals, but Texas is still high up there.”
During the 12 months ending in May, almost 64,000 single-family homebuilding permits were recorded in Texas.
Houston had almost 22,000 permits, and more than 15,000 were recorded in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
“It’s not surprising that we lead the country – both because every place is really hurting and we’ve held up relatively well,” said Dr. James Gaines, an economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.
“We do have to be careful that we don’t build just for the heck of it.
“Most of the builders I’ve talked to say they are doing mostly contract work with just a few speculative homes here and there and only by those with capital resources to be able to finance it.”
Gaines is forecasting a 25 percent drop in homebuilding permits in Texas this year, “the lowest level we’ve had since 1992.”
“Builders have to build somewhere, and Texas is about the only game in the country,” he said.
“We still have a growing population – although not as much – and our home prices and markets have held up pretty well.”
At midyear, home starts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area were down about 70 percent from mid-2006 levels.
“The industry understands that Texas has performed much better than the rest of the country throughout the downturn,” said Ted Wilson, a housing analyst with Dallas-based Residential Strategies Inc.
“But to say that there hasn’t been pain here is a misstatement.
“Yes, the market has been better here, but you aren’t going to find many builders crowing about local market demand.”
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Based on single-family home building permits for the 12 months ending in May:
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1. Houston
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21,921
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2. Dallas-Fort Worth
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15,115
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3. Phoenix
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9,293
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4. Washington, D.C.
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7,498
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5. Atlanta
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7,100
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6. Austin
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6,411
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7. San Antonio
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5,271
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8. Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif.
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4,888
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9. Charlotte, N.C.
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4,810
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10. Raleigh-Cary, N.C.
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4,678
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Top states:
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Texas
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63,993
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California
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25,766
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Florida
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24,027
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North Carolina
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20,292
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Georgia
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13,573
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SOURCE: John Burns Real Estate Consulting
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Here is a convenient list of Area DFW Fireworks displays!
Addison Kaboom Town-
Friday, July 3 5:00p to Saturday, July 4 12:00a
at Addison Circle Park, Addison, TX
Arlington, Saturday July 4th
Bedford, Saturday July 4th
Cleburne, Saturday July 4th
Dallas Fair Park, Saturday July 4th
Denton Fourth Jubilee, Saturday July 4th
Farmer’s Branch Celebration, Friday July 3rd
Frisco Freedom Fest-
Saturday, July 4th at 4:00 p.m.
Address is 6101 Frisco Square Blvd. (Main St. and N. Dallas Tollway)
Flower Mound, Saturday July 4th
Fort Worth, Saturday July 4th
Lewisville Red White Festival, Saturday July 4th
McKinney Red White & Boom-
Soccer Complex at Craig Ranch
Fireworks start at 9:30 p.m.
Plano All American 4th-
Oak Point Park
2601 Spring Creek Pkwy.
9:30 p.m.
Tune into 97.5 KLAK for simulcast
Richardson’s Family 4th,
Breckenridge Park
Fireworks start at 9:30 p.m.
On-site parking is very limited, so beginning at 6 p.m. on July 4th the City of Richardson will provide free round-trip DART shuttle service from the Rockwell-Collins International Campus located at the intersection of Renner and Shiloh roads.
Rockwall July 4th Celebration, Saturday July 4th
Spirit of Coppell, July 3-4
Southlake Stars & Stripes, Friday July 3rd
Trinity River Fiesta, July 4th
Trophy Club Celebration, Saturday July 4th
5 cities where Americans are relocating
U.S. migration may be down overall, but these vibrant metro areas are still attracting newcomers.
By Forbes
Austin, Texas, is No. 2 on the list of cities where Americans are relocating. © Brandon Seidel/Shutterstock
Unemployment is on the rise, credit is tight and consumers aren’t spending — which means they aren’t picking up and moving much, either. Very few places in America saw significant population growth in 2008.
Despite the overall economic slowdown, some parts of the country keep on moving ahead, attracting more and more newcomers — even if it’s at a slower pace than in more sound economic times. These places still offer a semblance of stability, as well as great weather, cultural life and, in many cases, affordability.
Behind the numbers
To determine the fastest-growing metro areas in the country, Forbes used 2008 population estimates for metropolitan statistical areas with a population of more than 1 million, released March 19, 2009, by the U.S. Census Bureau. MSAs are geographic entities defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for use by federal agencies in collecting, tabulating and publishing federal statistics.
Forbes then compared the 2008 population estimates to the previous year’s data to see which areas had grown the most, percentagewise.
The cities that made the list share similar qualities: more business opportunities, better weather and more affordable housing. The top three areas according to the data are Raleigh, N.C., ranking first, which jumped 4.29% to nearly 1.9 million; Austin, Texas, which came in second, with a 3.77% increase to almost 1.7 million; and Charlotte, N.C., which moved up 3.36% to 1.7 million.
All these areas’ increases were smaller in 2008 than they were in 2007 (Raleigh increased by 4.7% in 2007, Austin by 4.29% and Charlotte by 4.2%), but a slight slowdown is not necessarily a bad thing, says William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, an independent research and policy group based in Washington, D.C. “Part of the story here is the rapid rise in growth in the middle of decade,” he says. “That growth was unnatural.”
The in-migration that happened in the middle of this decade certainly had a lot to do with the housing boom. When that went bust, so did those crazy population balloons. But these particular places are still growing because instead of building an economy that relies heavily on one industry, most of the metro areas on Forbes’ list serve as headquarters for a diverse range of companies.
For example, Austin’s biggest employers include the University of Texas, Advanced Micro Devices and Dell. That wide range might have something to do with the area’s relatively low January 2009 unemployment rate of 6.4%.
This is the opposite of what happened in true housing boom-and-bust towns like Las Vegas. In 2004, Las Vegas — a foreclosure mecca — saw a population increase of 4.6%, followed by 3.66% in 2005, 3.98% in 2006 and 3.22% in 2007. In 2008, that number fell to 2%.
The power of business
When it comes down to it, a buzzing business community is a metro area’s most important characteristic, says Sean C. Safford, a professor at the University of Chicago and author of “Why the Garden Club Couldn’t Save Youngstown: The Transformation of the Rust Belt.” He studies the social economics of U.S. cities and metro areas.
However, that doesn’t mean that these metros won’t suffer from a slowdown in population growth when 2009’s numbers are released next year. Charlotte, for example, reported a 10.5% unemployment rate for January 2009, likely related to the fact that Bank of America is headquartered there. That high unemployment rate almost guarantees stunted growth in 2009.
“We don’t quite yet know what the impact (of the ongoing recession) will be for 2009 populations,” Frey says. “But we do know it’s not going to get any better.”
Indeed, where Americans are relocating today has little to do with where they’ll be moving tomorrow.
Top 5 cities where Americans are relocating
1. Raleigh, N.C.
2. Austin, Texas
3. Charlotte, N.C.
4. Phoenix
5. Dallas
This article was written by Lauren Sherman for Forbes.
Home Maintenance Tasks: May
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· Clean gutters. Inspect gutters to ensure all spikes, straps and clips are tightly fastened. Use a garden hose to flush debris from downspouts. Make sure downspouts or splashbacks direct water at least three feet away from the foundation.
· Wash windows, inside and out, using a solution made from three tablespoons of non-sudsy ammonia to 1 gallon of water. Don’t work in the direct sun — the solution will dry too fast and streak. To clean windows with real (not removable) grills, use a hacksaw to cut a squeegee so it fits the windowpanes exactly.
· Have central air-conditioning unit checked according to the recommendations of the unit’s manufacturer. Replace the filter in the forced-air system. Clean debris from condenser or heat pump located outside.
· Remove mineral deposits from faucet aerators and shower heads by soaking parts in white vinegar and scrubbing with an old toothbrush.
· Have swimming pools cleaned. Inspect and service pool liners and filters.
· Shop for seasonal sales on air-conditioning units and window fans.
· Dust ceiling fan blades.
· Set thermostats and automatic sprinkler system to adjust for weather changes.
· Before placing metal patio furniture outdoors, coat it with auto polish.
Provided by move.com
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North Texas Existing-Home Sales Spike 23 Percent
Carrie Bay | 03.25.09
The Metro Tex Association of Realtors, DFWRealtors, reported a 23 percent increase in North Texas existing-home sales during the month of February compared to January of 2009.
According to the Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center and North Texas Real Estate Information Systems, in February, 5,126 houses were sold in Tarrant, Dallas, Denton, and Collin counties in North Texas. In January, 3,972 homes were sold in the region.
DFWRealtors President Howard Zielke says the increase in sales comes at a perfect time in North Texas, calling the February numbers “great news.”
“Traditionally, spring kicks off the home-buying season,” Zielke explained. “More and more home buyers are learning about the $8,000 tax credit and the impact it can have when deciding to purchase a house.”
Zielke said he expects a boost in North Texas home sales as buyers who have been waiting for additional housing provisions in the economic stimulus package, such as the tax credit, step off the sidelines.
Zielke also praised the Federal Reserve’s announcement last week to purchase an additional $750 billion in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) to drive down mortgage rates even further. “This is great news for American home buyers and homeowners because mortgage interest rates will continue to remain at historic lows. That along with a large inventory of homes makes now a great time to buy,” Zielke said.
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said Monday that first-time home buyers boosted the sales of existing homes across the nation. Existing-home sales jumped 5.1 percent in February from the number of units sold in January. According to NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, nationally, first-time buyers accounted for half of all home sales last month.